This year’s Edinburgh Jazz and Blues festival, that takes place 20-29 July, features an impressive line up of international jazz luminaries.
Thoughts go out to the friends and family of veteran British free-improvising saxophonist Lol Coxhill (pictured) who has died in hospital aged 79, after several weeks of serious illness.
As the one of the guitar world’s high priests, and most generously hirsute at a very healthy looking 57, Pat Metheny remains a huge draw on the live circuit and one of the most consistently compelling soloists on the planet.
The Hull Jazz Festival celebrates its 20th anniversary later this month with a busy ten-day programme running 20-29 July, culminating in a performance by celebrated alto saxophonist Bobby Watson (pictured left).
One of the few, truly virtuosic jazz multi-instrumentalists, acclaimed Australian James Morrison (pictured, left) makes a rare UK appearance this week at London’s Cadogan Hall on Saturday 7 July.
The 2012 Yamaha Jazz Scholars were announced last night at Summer Jazz In Portcullis House, where both the winners and special guest saxophonist YolanDa Brown (pictured below) played before a packed crowd of parliamentarians and jazz industry faces in the Atlee Suite.
Saxophonist, composer and producer Bob Belden – who has worked extensively on the Miles Davis and Blue Note reissues series – landed in London last night for the first of two gigs showcasing tunes from his powerful new album Transparent Heart on Rare Noise Records, debuting not just new music but a cutting edge surround sound speaker system and eye-popping visuals.
The announcement of Herbie Hancock (pictured) for a very special solo performance at the London Jazz Festival elevates the yearly jazz extravaganza to an unprecedented level with more big ticket names assembled for a jazz event in the UK than on any previous occasion.
I’m tempted to plagiarise from my preview piece (18/06) and describe Julian Joseph’s boxing-themed Cultural Olympiad commission, The Brown Bomber, as ‘a knockout show’ (or something to that effect, probably involving the word ‘knockout’).
On 12 July Bugge Wesseltoft, the innovative Norwegian keyboardist and composer, will give a rare performance at London’s Oval Space in Bethnal Green with his seven-piece group, Bugge 'n' Friends (pictured), which includes trumpeter Erik Truffaz, saxophonist Ilham Ersahin and producer Joaquin ‘Joe’ Claussell.
