Big Band Scene (May 2019)
The self congratulatory Brighton Festival is back again, bigger, better and ever more ambitious. Without a whisper of a big band and very little jazz. Yet again. And only three big band events in the Fringe. Although I suspect this is due largely to the increasing, and for most local bands, unaffordable cost of registration. […]
Jazz News: Love Supreme Festival Line Up Announced
Love Supreme Festival have announced more artists to their line up, with The Cinematic Orchestra joining headliners Ms. Lauryn Hill and Gladys Knight. The Cinematic Orchestra have released their first album in 12 years, To Believe, on the Ninja Tune label. The Bandstand stage, programmed by Brighton’s New Generation Jazz and The Verdict, features Alex […]
Eddie Myer: O Tempora O Mores
Are there any self-declared fans of jazz-and-related-musics out there who don’t like Blue Note records? This year marks the 80th birthday of the label, and there’s presents for everyone in the form of a slew of re-releases, lost sessions from the vaults and the release of not one, but two high-end documentaries telling the well-known […]
Peter Batten – A Welcome to Peter Ind
Last month Rottingdean celebrated Peter’s arrival as a local resident with an exhibition of his paintings at the Grange Gallery and an evening of jazz music at the Plough Inn. It was good to hear that the arrival of such an outstanding jazz musician in our local community was being recognised. If you look into […]
Ife Ogunjobi Interview
How did you first get into playing music? From a very young age my mum just got me involved in a local music school and I started playing piano and recorder around the age of 6. I continued that and, at the age of ten, went to the Southbank Centre to watch Hugh Masekela and […]
Bex Burch Interview
Percussionist Bex Burch specialises in performing on the gyil, the Ghanaian xylophone, in her band Vula Viel, along with bassist Ruth Goller and drummer Jim Hart. Her interest in percussion started from a young age. “I was always interested in percussion. I just enjoyed hitting things, for want of a better expression. As a child […]
Gabriel Latchin Interview
Pianist Gabriel Latchin releases his second album The Moon and I on Friday 5th April. Here he answers questions from Charlie Anderson. Tell us about your new album and the inspiration behind it. My trio’s new album is called The Moon and I, a line taken from the beautiful standard Poor Butterfly which we […]
Live Review: Nubya Garcia at Komedia
Nubya Garcia Komedia, Brighton Tuesday 5th March 2019 Outside, a mildly dreary February, inside it’s a rammed sweatbox. Plenty of people make it out for the openers Yadasofi, who do a grand job of executing a bunch of tight, neat harmonic ideas, louche solos and giving off a real sense of exploration. Particularly enjoyable for […]
Live Review: John Turville Quintet at The Verdict
John Turville Quintet The Verdict, Brighton Saturday 9th March, 2019 This is the last show in the tour and there’s an end-of-term vibe on the Verdict’s crowded stage as our genial host Roxanne introduces the band to the packed house. “I’ve been having a lot of fun” says Turville, adding wryly “and I think the […]
Album Review: Gabriel Latchin Trio – The Moon and I
Gabriel Latchin Trio The Moon and I (Alys Jazz AJ 1502) This nourishing slice of well confected bop traditionalism starts and ends with that most traditional trope, a Rhythm Changes workout – Arthur Go has a crisply constructed head, combining block chords with bluesy inflections with some of the poise of Hank Jones and the […]