Black Top is the improvising duo of Pat Thomas on piano and effects, with Orphy Robinson on vibes and effects. As a duo they consistently choose interesting musicians to collaborate with, meaning that every time you see them is a [...]
Over many years, a highlight of the Cheltenham Jazz Festival has been this sold-out Saturday morning concert led by students from Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. In the past these concerts have thrown up several artists who have gone on to become [...]
Jazz on the harpsichord isn’t unknown, but it is quite rare, and it makes for a very distinctive sound. McCoy Tyner’s “Trident” is the only example I can recall from the recent past, although I know there have been others. [...]
Laura Schuler is a Swiss composer, singer and violinist who describes this album as an attempt to capture the feeling of a rush-hour subway in New York City. She is joined here by fellow countrymen Hans-Peter Pfammatter on Synths and [...]
Hubert Dupont is a French bass player who came late to jazz after graduating initially as an engineer. No doubt that informed his choice of “Ultrabolic” as the name for the record label he founded in 2004. In the 1990s [...]
Watford Jazz Junction was new to the jazz festival scene last year and this second edition has a particular focus on the influence of the Caribbean on UK jazz. We take a look at the line-up, which mixes big names [...]
Take Five is a programme produced by Serious with the support of various funders which helps artists between 25 and 35 who have already started on their careers, but who can benefit from mentoring and advice to take them to [...]
There’s probably a bad joke somewhere that starts “two Koreans, two Italians and a Scot walk into a bar” but in this case there’s no joke, and no bar, it just describes the multinational, Amsterdam based quintet at the centre [...]
Jazz in Britain today is a fabulous melange of influences from African, Asian, Caribbean and European styles as well as from classic American jazz. But back in the 1960s it was very different. Back then British jazz was almost exclusively [...]
It’s received wisdom that avant-garde jazz appeals only to a small audience. That was definitely not the case here at a packed Barbican. The audience for this concert had been warmed up nicely by a ferocious bout of free improvisation [...]
