Summer officially begins once the June issue of SJM hits your inbox, and with it a crop of festival events to tempt you to spend your hard earned dollar on tickets, folding chairs, real ale in plastic beakers and all the other usual accoutrements of civilised outdoor fun. The big one in Sussex is […]
Ken Vandermark & Paal Nilssen-Love The Green Door Store, Brighton Sunday 20th May, 2018 The streets of Brighton have been overflowing with music fans thanks to this year’s Great Escape Festival, whose ever more eclectic programming even expanded beyond its indie rock remit to include some New Thing jazz artists. As a coda […]
Last year’s Jazz FM awards was a memorable occasion, with both glamour and controversy being provided by those perpetual kings of louche Mick Jagger, Ron Woods and Charlie Watts, the former two as elegantly wrinkled as their expensive suits, Mr Watts as well-pressed and inscrutable as ever. The controversy arose due to the magnetic […]
Zara McFarlane The Komedia, Brighton Saturday 28th March, 2018 The night outside may be freezing but there’s already a decent sized crowd gathered under the Komedia’s notoriously low ceiling and support act Thabo is doing his utmost to warm them up. He gives a lesson in effortless charisma, and despite appearing with just […]
Alycona Mick & Tori Freestone Criss Cross (Whirlwind Recordings WR4722) Freestone is one of the UK’s most intriguing and creative musicians, exploring the space where jazz, improv, folk music and contemporary classical intersect. Alcyona Mick has a similarly diverse artistic portfolio that encompasses film scores, her own duo/trio Blink and work with international […]
Cloudmakers 5 Traveling Pulse (Whirlwind Recordings) Jim Hart is one of a select group of UK musicians who’s as well established in Europe as his original homeland (he’s lived in France since 2014) and as comfortable in the role of sideman (for Marius Neset, Ivo Neame, Stan Sulzmann and Vula Viel to name […]
Martin Speake Intention (Ubuntu Music UBU0009) Martin Speake is a significant figure in contemporary British jazz, with 18 albums under his belt, including a notable collaboration with Paul Motian, and a long-standing and pivotal teaching post at Trinity Laban. Ethan Iverson has an established international reputation, and presumably more time on his hands […]
Jeff Williams Lifelike (Whirlwind WR4721) Jeff William’s contribution to jazz history stretches back to his epochal 1970s collaboration with Dave Liebman and Richie Beirach’s Lookout Farm, and he’s showing no signs of slowing down. This recording follows on from 2016s well-received Outlier; in a kind of trans-atlantic talent swap, guitarist Phil Robson has […]
The New York Times ushered in the New Year with a blog feature from its pop critic Jon Caramanica in cahoots with Giovanni Russonello, who covers jazz for The New York Times, and Natalie Weiner, a staff writer for Bleacher Report who writes about jazz for Billboard and JazzTimes. The presence of a female […]
As January recedes into the chilly mists, we can warm ourselves with the memory of another triumphant South Coast Jazz Festival. Unfortunately an unforeseen host of pressing prior commitments prevented me from attending all but one of the gigs, events, panels and workshops on offer, and I must refer you to my esteemed […]