Jazz

We are told: Le Chant du Monde present the second volume of JohnColtrane live in Europe, here compiling together sixconcerts from the 1962 tour – Paris, Stockholm, Helsinki,Copenhagen, Graz and Milan. A superb opportunity for the listener to fully immersethemselves in the work of this greatest of jazz icons, overnumerous versions of the core body […]

  They tell us ….. 20 classic jazz albums from the iconic label at a great price! To a whole generation of listeners, the name Atlantic actually means Atlantic Jazz.  From the mid-1950s, the label founded in 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson started a separate series to embrace what was then called “modern […]

Out resident jazz expert Tony Andrews writes ….. The primary incentive for me to write these reviews for this magnificent website is to help redress the balance between those who achieve shear musical genius and the musical mediocrity currently hyped up by the craving for “Celebrity Status” We seem to be obsessed by being a […]

From the archives Michael Henderson writes: The BBC threw a party last week at New Broadcasting House, and invited 300 guests to enjoy the kind of spectacle the BBC likes best: patting itself on the back. Tony Hall, its director-general, led the proceedings, and he didn’t lack support from the underlings, who spoke of how […]

Born in New Orleans New Orleans in the first two decades of the 20th century was a musical melting pot of musical styles. African music was still prominent, as drumming and dancing were some of the few freedoms allowed slaves before emancipation. Ragtime was popular, and its up-tempo and syncopated rhythms had a profound influence […]

Contributing editor (jazz) Tony Andrews writes ….. When I was first asked to write occasional Music Review by Howard Popeck one of my first attempts was to feature The CD Hidden Colours by the amazing David Rees Williams Trio. Although the Trio had been together since 1988 with David on piano, Neil Francis on electric […]

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Our Jazz/Contemporary music editor Tony Andrews writes ….. I am very fortunate to live close enough to travel in to Central London whenever the whim takes me.One of the benefits of this luxury is that I can attend what appears to be an ever growing number of Free Concerts of Classical and Jazz music by […]

Phillip Johnston is best known to many jazz fans as co-founder of Microscopic Septet, though the saxophonist and composer has led many groups of his own and co-led others, including Big Trouble, The Transparent Quartet, Fast ‘n’ Bulbous and The Spokes. In addition, Johnston has composed and performed numerous soundtracks for both silent and modern […]

Tony Andrews writes … If you read my ramblings about Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday then you will know I promised to write a series to highlight singers past and present who in my opinion have immense talent and did get acclaim but not in the bundles thrown at Ella and Billie etc. I am […]

Our jazz editor Tony Andrews writes …. Anyone who has read my previous ramblings must by now realise just how much I love Cadogan Hall as a venue and Out to Lunch as an event. I have been attending since the start and I have seen some sensational musicians; ones who have inspired my love […]

From our archives We are assured that they aren’t from Moscow and they don’t ‘do’ drugs. Not that we are judgemental. Anyway Tony (great bloke) Andrews our jazz editor took these shots. Shortly there will be a write-up of the gig. They are truly a MUST-SEE band, and I’m not even a jazz devotee. HP

From the archives: Born in Kansas and raised in Nebraska, where she began her college studies as a classical piano major, she developed her craft in Minneapolis before moving to Kansas City. There, singing took precedence over piano playing and she recorded her first album, I Didn’t Know About You, in 1993. In 2000 Allyson […]

    Louis Armstrong’s personal copy of his appearance on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs is among the recordings to be added to the show’s online archive. Please click HERE to continue

Jazz usually has a juicy beat that you can feel. A basic difference between swing and a stiffer beat stems from the placement of accents. People who’re unfamiliar with jazz often clap on the first and third beat in every group of four. Jazz audiences, by contrast, usually emphasize two and four, with a looser, […]

The sixth volume in Legacy’s Miles Davis Bootleg Series circles back to 1999’s Miles Davis and John Coltrane: The Complete Columbia Recordings 1955-1961, with an exclamation point. The four discs here are taken from five concerts in March 1960: Two sets from L’Olympia in Paris, two at Stockholm’s Konserthuset, and one from Copenhagen’s Tivolis Koncertsal. […]

John Kelman writes: In the 21st century, few drummers have managed Brian Blade’s kind of crossover success. Beyond playing in saxophonist Wayne Shorter’s quartet for nearly 15 years, beyond being a first-call drummer for producer/singer/songwriter Daniel Lanois—whether it’s for his own projects like Black Dub or working with everyone from Bob Dylan to EmmyLou Harris—and […]

We are told: ‘In Paris: The Definitive ORTF Recording’ captures jazz guitar legend Wes Montgomery on his only tour of Europe on the night of March 27, 1965 at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, France. The first official release of this legendary concert, considered perhaps the greatest live Wes Montgomery performance ever, In Paris […]

We are told ….. The double live album Dark Magus was recorded on March 30, 1974, at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Davis’ group at the time included bassist Michael Henderson, drummer Al Foster, percussionist James Mtume, saxophonist Dave Liebman, and guitarists Pete Cosey and Reggie Lucas. Dark Magus was produced by Teo Macero […]

From the archives: Ahead of the London Jazz Festival, American pianist Carla Bley talks to Ivan Hewett about her longevity, homeland, days as a cigarette girl and long battle with pop. If there were a poll to choose the First Lady of Jazz, chances are the choice would fall on a perilously thin, 75-year-old black-clad […]