“As a drummer he had it all: the sound, the touch, the ability to communicate and to react at the drop of a hat. “ Canadian drummer and writer T Bruce Wittet remembers Danish drummer Alex Riel. Although he no [...]
Nordic jazz vocalist/saxophonist Mads Mathias has written this personal tribute to drummer Alex Riel, an important figure in the history of Danish jazz, who has died aged 83. Alex Riel was supposed to become a hairdresser like his father and [...]
Palle Danielsson has died, and with him, one of the most instantly identifiable bass sounds of all time. For many of us, his greatest work was with the Keith Jarrett band, for a brief period in the mid 1970s. Several [...]
The news of saxophonist David Sanborn’s death on 12 May 2024 at the age of 78 left many in the music world in sadness and shock. He had spent much of his life battling illness. Whether it was the serious [...]
The great arranger Bill Holman passed away at the age of 96 last Monday. A three-time Grammy Award winner nominated on sixteen occasions, he was at the forefront of West Coast Jazz in the fifties and helped to shape the [...]
“Once it’s released, the music exists.” (Michael Cuscuna) Producer of new and archival recordings, radio presenter, writer, researcher, discographer, co-founder of Mosaic Records (which he ran for over forty years), winner of three Grammys and a Downbeat Lifetime Achievement in [...]
I never met Carla Bley, but in many ways her music has been a constant companion over the years. I love the way her music teases the edges of the mainstream whilst preserving melody at its centre. For me, it [...]
The Oxford-based singer, singing teacher and jazz writer Alison Bentley died at the age of 65 in the early hours of last Friday morning, after a long illness, at her home in East Oxford. Saxophonist Jamie O’Donnell, a member of [...]
John Marshall, a titan of the British jazz scene for the last 55 years has left the building. At the age of 82, John passed away peacefully yesterday. He was at home in South London with his lovely wife of [...]
Pianist John Crawford remembers drummer Simon Pearson, who died on 3 September at the age of 54 after a short illness. Last Monday 4th September was, I can state without fear of contradiction, An unforgettable and bittersweet day for me, [...]
