Steve Coleman and Five Elements fire-up at CBSO Centre, Birmingham
- Wednesday, December 3, 2014
The Chicago altoist Steve Coleman has distilled his source material down to an essential four or five notes, together with a linking rhythm and stress.
Live Reviews
Paul Ryan strides through the standards at Ronnie Scott’s
- Tuesday, December 2, 2014
There are those singers who like to experiment with sound or put a highly “personal” slant on material and those whose delivery is less idiosyncratic, respecting the songwriter’s craft with its emphasis on telling a story, but at the same time not losing individuality.
Nat Birchall Quartet, Leafcutter John and Andreas Schaerer make for an irresistible Jazz In The Round
- Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Less than 24 hours after the finale of this year’s EFG London Jazz Festival you would have thought that live jazz would have been the last thing on most Londoners’ minds.
Vilnius International Jazz Festival: A small place with big ideas
- Friday, November 28, 2014
Having grown through the repressive times of the Soviet Union, when foreign artists had to be minibussed from the all-seeing-eye of Moscow to the Lithuanian capital, this festival, now in its 27th edition, does not want for either large, passionate, engaged audiences or adventurous programming.
Bennie Maupin evergreen and engerised at Ronnie Scott’s
- Friday, November 28, 2014
Playing the night after the close of the London Jazz Festival may be the shortest of short straws for many musicians fearful of possible audience exhaustion following ten days of gigs.
Brilliant Corners: The East London venue making jazz sound better
- Friday, November 28, 2014
Thomas Rees swings by Dalston’s Brilliant Corners for the second event in their innovative Played Twice series, a new live music night where atmosphere and sound quality are everything and jazz cliché is left at the door Last week during the EFG London Jazz Festival – as Tomasz Stańko took the stage at the Barbican, Chucho Valdés played to a sell out crowd at Kings Place and John McLaughlin rocked the Royal Festival Hall – a bar on Kingsland High Road held a gig that was every bit as momentous.
Black Top burn up with Jamaaladeen Tacuma at EFG London Jazz Festival
- Friday, November 21, 2014
I would have been lying if I’d said I was in the mood for this.
Bill Frisell takes Guitar In The Space Age to D’Jazz Nevers Festival
- Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Nevers, in the very heart of France on the banks of the wide, fast flowing Loire, has a long history (28 years to be precise) as the location of one of the country’s most respected jazz organisations.
Randy Weston and Billy Harper – Deeper than blue at QEH, EFG London Jazz Festival
- Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Just a few days prior to this concert, the Branford Marsalis Quartet set the same stage alight with as incendiary an opening salvo for the EFG London Jazz Festival as could have been hoped for.
Nigel Price Organ Quartet live and loud at Lauderdale House
- Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Three-quarters of the way through a 40-date UK tour that has already taken on legendary status, the Nigel Price Trio augmented by tenor-saxophonist Vasilis Xenopoulos made their way to Lauderdale House in Highgate for gig No.