The dust has settled from the undignified collapse of 2013, and 2014 has made its dishevelled entry but has yet to reveal its true nature, leaving us free to indulge in a bit of speculation. The recent sad loss of Stan Tracey reminds us again how few of the players from the “classic era” […]
Music is an integral part of Christmas, of course, from the ii-V-I cadences of Silent Night to the modal God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen, but generally jazz and traditional Christmas festivities can be a bit of an uneasy fit. Jazz’s roots in New Orleans would link it to Mardi Gras, suggesting that Easter is […]
We asked musicians and jazz fans across Sussex for their highlights from 2013. Charlie Anderson Drummer and vibes player Charlie Anderson is the editor-in-chief of Sussex Jazz Magazine. What was your highlight of 2013? The biggest highlight for me, other than starting up Sussex Jazz Magazine, was the Love Supreme Festival in July. Seeing […]
“The level of commitment and the number of hours of sheer dedication required to play jazz to a good standard have not changed. Let’s be thankful for the spirit, the sheer fascination with jazz-and-related-musics that keeps people involved whatever the prevailing winds of fashion or technology may bring.” ~‘Jazz and Plumbing’ (Issue 6) […]
The history of jazz is a part of the histories of both the creative arts and the entertainment industry. The latter has been characterized since the birth of the mass media in the early 20th century by a continuing dialectic between those who create the music and those who exploit it commercially, both sides […]
The Brighton Jazz Club ran at the Komedia for a number of years before rising charges forced them out, to the welcoming sanctuary of the Verdict. One of the last gigs I saw before the move was Jasper Høiby’s redoubtable Phronesis. They started right off the bat with a furious yet utterly controlled intensity […]
The first ever jazz record is usually reckoned to be the Original Dixieland Jazz Band’s shellac 78 release of Livery Stable Blues on the charmingly named Victor Talking Machine Company. The release date was March 7, 1917, probably described by their A&R man as ‘not a great date for a release’ – a bit under […]
This year’s stupendous Love Supreme Festival line-up presented it’s audience with a commendably catholic interpretation of Jazz as the genre is understood today. There was one notable absence from the feast however … the bookers didn’t feel that a truly comprehensive overview of what’s happening in jazz-and-related-musics needed to include any players from the Free […]
How do you write a review about a fellow contributor to SJM? What if you don’t like it and then have to piss on his parade with a bad review? To start off with, the line up is amazing. Top class musicians. And both the gig and the CD feature original compositions from […]
Award Winning Baritone Sax Player Plays The Verdict American baritone saxophonist Gary Smulyan, who has recently won awards from the Jazz Journalists Association and JAZZIT magazine, performs at The Verdict in Brighton on Friday 27th September. Known for his work with the Mingus Big Band, as well as the big bands of Woody Herman and […]