The history of jazz is a part of the histories of both the creative arts and the entertainment industry. The latter has been characterized since the birth of the mass media in the early 20th century by a continuing dialectic between those who create the music and those who exploit it commercially, both sides […]
The Freddy Woods Big Band One of the longest surviving big bands in Sussex, the Freddy Woods Big Band in Horsham was formed nearly forty years. Expect to hear some of the classics from Basie and Ellington alongside arrangements of tunes by Benny Golson, John Coltrane and many others. They perform on […]
How did you first get into playing jazz? “At school I took piano lessons. At seventeen or eighteen I listened to Oscar Peterson and Errol Garner and then Bill Evans. Anybody who hears Bill Evans is influenced by Bill Evans. That was a big thing for me.” “Then I went to music college […]
Emil Viklický and Julian Nicholas The Plough, Rottingdean 1/11/13 Pianist Emil Viklický has an impressive CV and has been very welcoming in recent years to British jazz musicians in his homeland, the Czech Republic. Displaying a similarly impressive technique, the evening was memorable for the interaction between Emil and Julian. Performing standards […]
Terry Pack’s Woodland Creatures The Brunswick, Hove 3/11/13 Bassist Terry Pack has been entertaining audiences with his music (and badger jokes) for a few years now and this evening was a collection of some of Terry’s arrangements and orginal compositions from his two albums. Although this was material that had been heard before, it […]
Julian Nicholas/Joss Peach/Nigel Thomas/Dave Trigwell The Ancient Mariner, Hove 7/11/13 Another great gig at the increasingly popular Ancient Mariner pub in Hove. Julian Nicholas impressed with his renditions of his favourite jazz standards. Pianist Joss Peach stood out with his incredible technique and responsive playing. Future gigs will feature Imogen Ryall, Geoff […]
Robert Mitchell’s Panacea The Verdict, Brighton 8/11/13 There’s no doubt that Robert Mitchell has phenomenal technique but this evening was also a showcase for his impressive compositional and arranging skills. His originals were funky and soulful, brought to life by the vocals of Deborah Jordan. After a long interval, the second set […]
Jazz Tip of the Month No. 3: Creativity and Improvisation Friday morning: Listening to Desert Island Discs on Radio 4, creativity guru professor Sir Ken Robinson related the story of how the Beatles started writing great songs with only two chords and when they heard that there was a third chord they got on a […]