Last issue’s column touched upon the meeting between enigmatic jazz innovator Ornette Coleman and controversial deconstructionist Jaques Derrida, and how the potentially seminal discussion between them had to be abandoned due to the intemperate heckling from the audience, much to the retiring philosopher’s dismay. Coleman’s reaction to the event is not recorded, but one […]
Dear SJM, Eddie Meyer's column has always been erudite, logical, well informed and interesting. However, this month I was taken aback by how it failed to grasp the real and serious issues at stake. By cancelling Gilad Atzmon’s gig the RNCM has censored Gilad's performance on the strength of a racist lobby group. Eddie, […]
The Eye of the Tiger April 30th is doubly significant for our loyal readers, marking not only the 40th virtual issue of the Sussex Jazz Magazine but also the triumphant return of International Jazz Day, modestly billed on its own Facebook page as ‘The Greatest Day in Jazz History’. We’re aware that some […]
Album Review Bone Idol Ashley Slater (Digital album released 1st April 2015) The term ‘Renaissance Man’ is rather over-used, but given that many of that era’s leading lights were as fond of flamboyant costume as they were of artistic multi-tasking, it could certainly be applied to Ashley Slater. Not many careers manage to […]
The unexpected cancellation of The Orient House Ensemble’s March 5th gig at the Royal Northern College of Music provoked a spectrum of reactions, all duly registered across social-media land. Jazz gigs are sadly prone to cancellations due to poor pre-sales or the vagaries of promoters and venue owners, but this was a rather […]
We live in a world of ever increasing connectivity, where ever faster, more mobile data services are able to deluge us with an unending stream of cultural, technical, frivolous or salacious information wherever we may find ourselves. You can watch a movie on a mountainside, read up on the latest jargon from deep within […]
If you haven’t seen Whiplash yet, we strongly urge you to do so, if only to furnish yourself with an opinion to add to the already heated discussion that the movie has provoked amid fans and practitioners of jazz-and-related-music. We’ll avoid any spoilers by saying merely that it’s a fictional account of the […]
This magazine’s April Issue 17 carried interviews with two remarkable saxophonists. Tony Kofi’s name will be familiar to jazz fans across Europe and America, and can be found in his biography printed alongside those of Sam Rivers, Andrew Hill and Ornette Coleman. Ian Price’s name is less well known, but eminently deserves a […]
Al Scott Trio : “A Tribute to Bill Evans” The Verdict, Brighton Saturday 16th August 2014 A Bill Evans tribute gig may seem like a fairly safe bet for a pianist, given Evans’ enduring popularity and his adherence to the economically viable trio format for so many of his classic recordings, but in […]
Holiday season can present both the jazz musician and the jazz enthusiast with a bit of a dilemma. For the self-employed musician, the nagging realisation that family or romantic commitments have obliged them to take ‘quality time’ off during the busiest gigging season of the year can be enough to put them in a […]