UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock will be doing his best to unify the jazz community on 30th April, International Jazz Day. This year’s host city is St. Petersburg, which recently expelled US diplomats following the Salisbury spy poisoning.

    The Jazz FM Awards ceremony also takes place on International Jazz Day, at Shoreditch Town Hall. Hastings singer Liane Carroll has been nominated for Vocalist of the Year with other nominees in that category being Alice Zawadzki and Zara McFarlane. A number of the new generation of jazz artists have been nominated this year, including Nubya Garcia, Rob Luft, Ezra Collective, Theon Cross and Yazz Ahmed.

    Jazz photographer Brian O’Connor launches an exhibition of his jazz photography at the Clocktower Cafe in Croydon on Saturday 7th April at 2pm with music supplied by the Neal Richardson Trio. The exhibition runs from 2nd April until 27th April.

    British saxophonist Martin Speake will be touring the UK in April and May with his new band, which features former Bad Plus pianist Ethan Iverson, together with bassist Fred Thomas and drummer James Maddren. With a new album, Intention, already recorded (see Eddie Myer’s review), you can look forward to some memorable gigs at The Verdict in April, and JazzHastings in May.

    Jazz Line Up on Radio 3 changes its name this month to J to Z and welcomes a new presenter, vocalist Jumoké Fashola, who joins regulars Julian Joseph and Kevin Le Gendre. The first show will be broadcast on Saturday 7th April and will be a Somethin’ Else production.

    The 2018 EFG London Jazz Festival announced its first raft of concerts with performances by Madeleine Peyroux, Bobby McFerrin, Lea DeLaria, Orphy Robinson, Bill Laurance & the WDR Big Band, Myra Melford, Tord Gustavsen Trio, and Youn Sun Nah. The festival will also join forces with the BBC Young Jazz Musician competition.

Charlie Anderson