Returning for the third in their series of orchestral jazz concerts for the EFG London Jazz Festival at Cadogan Hall, Richard Pite’s Jazz Repertory Company presents another exciting programme of iconic music with the 40-piece Pete Long Orchestra. Back in [...]
Writing this just twenty-four hours after hearing Gareth Williams play in a local quintet session prompts one to try and pinpoint this pianist’s distinctive, almost feral response to the creative process. As ever, he was mercurial, restless even, often sitting [...]
Much is made in the literature of US trumpeter/composer Tom Harrell’s ongoing struggle with schizophrenia and his success in building a valid career as both sideman and leader despite this disability. I do recall seeing Harrell at the Brecon Jazz [...]
Now something of a veteran, the Berklee-educated pianist Cyrus Chestnut, who will be 60 this coming January, had racked up some 195 recording sessions by the time Tom Lord compiled version 17.0 of his discography. And there have been more [...]
The Mingus-minded among UKJN readers will recognise these five players as frequent participants in the European tours by the Mingus Big Band. And in the band’s New York appearances, for that matter. With that background in common, they formed up [...]
The Herts Jazz Festival returns in October, running from Friday 15 to Sunday 17. Oh, to be in Bishops Stortford at festival time. Well, that’s what it feels like writing this preview piece some months ahead of the restored Herts [...]
In this febrile world of stylistic experimentation and performance uncertainty, there’s something eminently reassuring about the US guitarist Dave Stryker and his continuing commitment to down-the-line combo jazz. Now 64, Omaha-born Stryker worked first in organ groups with the likes [...]
