Jonny Hepbir/Sara Oschlag Quartet The Verdict, Brighton Saturday 7th December 2013 Launching not just one, but two CDs of music, this was an evening of great gypsy jazz with driving rhythm guitar, soft and delicate vocals and expressive soloing. Celebrating the launch with a glass of Ricard each, the group recreated the […]
The Paul Busby Big Band The Brunswick, Hove 10/11/13 It’s always great to see big bands performing, particularly ones with both the creative energy and talent of this ensemble. Performing The East Sussex Jazz Suite, with all original music composed, arranged and introduced by Paul Busby, the ensemble featured some fantastic solo work from each […]
Imogen Ryall The Verdict, Brighton 15/11/13 One of the best jazz singers in Sussex performed at The Verdict to a small but dedicated audience, many of them students from the various vocal classes that she teaches. And this really was a masterclass in vocalese, where she successfully took on some of the advanced classics of […]
Jim Mullen Quartet JazzHastings, Hastings 19/11/13 Seeing guitarist Jim Mullen is always a treat and the good-humoured Scot was on fine form. On the same night that England were playing Germany at football, a respectable audience at JazzHastings saw Mullen playing standards such as You Stepped Out of a Dream, latin classic Only Trust Your […]
The Verdict Jam Session The Verdict, Brighton 20/11/13 Pianist Wayne McConnell, host of The Verdict jam session, is a big fan of the ‘Time No Changes’ Miles Davis era and recently saw Wayne Shorter performing at the London Jazz Festival. This shone through in an evening that featured the recurring theme ‘zero gravity’, together with […]
Benn Clatworthy with the John Donaldson Trio The Verdict, Brighton 22/11/13 This was yet another great evening of modern jazz at The Verdict with some terrific soloing by Sussex-based pianist John Donaldson. Clatworthy’s tenor playing was fiery at times and beautifully melodic during some delicate ballad renditions which had the audience on the edge of […]
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 […]