Month: January 2017

1 January 2017

The Column: Eddie Myer – Forward to Victory

    2016 has certainly been a year to remember – good for right-wing demagogues, but bad for europhiles, pollsters and political pundits, though their discomfiture pales to insignificance compared to the travails endured by the unhappy citizens of Syria and Yemen.  The Grim Reaper seems to have been unusually active amongst the denizens of the […]

1 January 2017

Dave Drake Interview

    The first thing that strikes you about pianist Dave Drake is his sheer enthusiasm, and not just for music, but for life. This optimism shines through when he discusses his biggest passion.      “Jazz is such an expression of hope. It’s an expression of triumph over suffering. When I hear Louis Armstrong I […]

1 January 2017

Dennis Rollins Interview

What have you learnt from your time performing with Maceo Parker?     “It was an honour to have spent 8 year working with Maceo ‘the funkiest saxophone player in the world!’ There, I learnt the nuances of instrumental funk performance. The slurs between notes that give a musical phrase a ‘greasy’ feel, learning about the […]

1 January 2017

Jazz News (Jan. 2017)

Saxophonist Pete Burden passed away just after Christmas. The alto saxophonist worked with pianist Lionel Grigson in the late 1960s in the Grigson/Burden Quintet and spent his later years teaching and performing  around Hastings. A master of the bebop style of alto saxophone playing, he was inspired  by the great Charlie Parker. Liane Carroll described […]

1 January 2017

Kevin Le Gendre Interview

What do jazz writers contribute to the music? I can only speak for myself, of course, but my role is to discuss the music as insightfully as possible.  Whether reviewing albums or gigs or interviewing artists the golden rule is to treat the music with respect, and that means expressing negative as well as positive […]

1 January 2017

Big Band Scene (Jan. 2017)

    This month Patrick Billingham updates the list of big bands around Sussex (and other large ensembles).       Happy New Year.  Let’s hope that 2017 will bring fewer unpleasant surprises than 2016.  Or perhaps we should adopt the old Albanian approach.  We expect 2017 is going to be a better year than 2018, which, […]

1 January 2017

Pete Recommends…Stan Kenton Orchestra – Cuban Fire!

  Each month Peter Batten recommends a recording that jazz fans may wish to add to their personal library.   Cuban Fire! Stan Kenton Orchestra       When the Kenton Orchestra toured the UK in 1956, I was lucky enough to get an invite to the opening concert in Croydon. The sheer power and precision […]

1 January 2017

Album Review: Finders Keepers by Eddie Myer

Eddie Myer 5tet Finders Keepers       Bassist and SJM columnist Eddie Myer has already made a name for himself on the local jazz scene with his previous album, Why Worry, released back in 2015 and featuring Frank Harrison and the late Ian Price.      Rather than just an album solely of Eddie’s originals, this […]

1 January 2017

Dave Drake Interview [full transcript]

How did you first get into jazz? Well, I’m very blessed with a very culturally-endowed kind of family. My dad has always been really really into jazz, although he wasn't a musician himself he was mostly involved in the theatre. But I had lots of music in the house, lots of vinyl and I’d pick […]

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