I am very excited to announce that the Elaine Delmar Quintet is performing for our Herne Bay Jazz Festival 2025 benefit concert in partnership with The Kings Hall, in Herne Bay, Kent, on Friday 28th February 2025. 

Following her sold-out show at Ronnie Scott’s in January, Elaine will be appearing with an absolutely top-notch lineup including John Pearce, piano, Simon Thorpe, bass, Bobby Worth, drums and Andy Panayi, saxophone (who has also appeared as a soloist at our festival). 

“One of the ageless, evergreen singing stars that we have … as beautiful and talented as ever… she’s marvellous!” -Michael Parkinson, BBC Radio 2. 

We last had Elaine Delmar perform for Herne Bay Jazz on the Pier Stage back in 2022. Her performance at the time was completely captivating – I was dashing around, stage managing (as well as a multitude of other tasks) and suddenly, I was compelled to stop dead in my tracks and listen – something about Elaine’s stage presence insisted on stillness, and attention; I was completely mesmerised. 

An absolute gem of a singer, Parliamentary Jazz Award-winner Elaine Delmar has long been established on the UK and international jazz circuit, with a career spanning nearly seven decades.  Having performed with jazz giants including Herb Ellis, Benny Carter and Stephane Grappelli as well as in concert performances with stars including Andy Williams and Michel LeGrand, Elaine’s personality remains warm, amicable and full of humour. This presence really comes across on stage, along with her stunning, seamless vocal lines on tunes from across the repertoire. 

• All proceeds from our benefit show on 28th February will go towards the 2025 Herne Bay Jazz Festival to be held 15th to 17th August 2025, in partnership with the Kings Hall, the Pier Stage, and numerous smaller venues. The lineup announcement for our August festival is coming – but in the meantime, why not spend a weekend at the seaside and join us for this brilliant performance with one of the UK’s iconic jazz singers. 

TICKET LINK BELOW

• Herne Bay Jazz Festival was founded in 2017, with four hours on the Pier Stage. Since then, we have grown to involve more than 10 venues in our seaside town with over forty hours of performance over three days. The festival will return for its 8th year from 15th to 17th August 2025, with world-class performances from top jazz artists and emerging talent, as well as workshops, a local makers market and a New Orleans-style festival parade. 

• VOLUNTEERS!! Want to get involved? Become a volunteer! Join our team and help make this festival an unforgettable experience. Email us at hernebayjazzfestival@gmail.com to sign up.

It would be brilliant to see you at the Herne Bay Jazz benefit concert, Friday, 28th February. 

The post Elaine Delmar Quintet to perform Herne Bay Jazz Festival 2025 benefit concert 28 February first appeared on UK Jazz News.

With two previous releases recorded abroad, Sam Braysher’s hand-picked fellow performers for his first UK-based album include rising star Hungarian pianist Matyas Gayer (Eddie Henderson, Jim Rotondi), ultra-swinging drummer Steve Brown (Scott Hamilton, Barry Harris), and in-demand Italian bassist Dario di Lecce (Stacey Kent, Grant Stewart). Featuring on three tracks is the brilliant Sara Dowling (Best Vocalist, British Jazz Awards 2019).

Some tracks feature the delicately arranged re-working of a verse or harmonic structure, while other tunes have been given a more spontaneous treatment by this stellar cast of UK musicians. Sam Braysher explains: “I knew I wanted to do a themed album, but getting into Kurt Weill was a gradual thing for me. Over the past few years, I’ve gone deeper into the Great American Songbook, looking at the original sheet music, exploring the songs. There’s a lot to be found by studying the composer’s real intention; I think that often some of the detail gets lost if you only listen to jazz recordings, great as they are. I was also quite drawn to Kurt Weill as he had two sides to his career – the earlier, classical side when he was living in Germany and then the more commercial sound he created after emigrating to America.” 

Sam Braysher began his recording career with the brilliant duet album Golden Earrings (2016), recorded in New York City with pianist Michael Kanan (Jane Monheit). With the album lauded as “delightful and surprising” by Dave Gelly in The Observer, the experience of working with inspirational musician and educator Kanan still influences Braysher’s work today. “I’ve always enjoyed standards,” the saxophonist explains. “As I graduated from music college, I imagined myself focusing on original compositions, but I realised I was actually, in some ways, more at home playing existing repertoire; I really enjoy the process of finding unusual songs to interpret in an interesting, fresh way… obscure songs that haven’t been previously performed by jazz musicians. Meeting Michael Kanan was really influential, looking deeper at that material. There’s beauty and interest to be found by looking at the original sheets the composer wrote. Often there are extra details that get left out of jazz recordings, like the verse, the intricacies of a  melody, or a harmony that was in the original sheet music. I went to New York a number of times between 2014 to 2018.”

The first single on That’s Him: The Music of Kurt Weill is ‘The Right Guy For Me,’ featuring award-winning vocalist Sara Dowling. “It’s from an obscure 1938 Fritz Lang film called You and Me. I played through the sheet music and could immediately hear Sara singing it as an up-tempo swing,” Braysher says. “I think we are the first to record this in a jazz setting, but feel free to correct me.”

Another notable feature on the album is ‘Liebeslied,’ which for Sam Braysher “encapsulates the more European classical side of Weill’s writing, fromThe Threepenny Opera with lyrics by Berthold Brecht. The harmony is amazing, and sounds quite different to the later American work he did. I wanted to capture some of that European classical flavour. There are also two songs on the album from Street Scene, an opera Weill wrote with Harlem renaissance poet and activist Langston Hughes: an instrumental version of ‘Moon Faced, Starry Eyed’ and the vocal ‘What Good Would the Moon Be’.  It’s quite an interesting work; Weill had this idea of writing an American opera, which would be a fusion of European opera traditions with the American musical.”

Braysher’s original tune on the album ‘Ships Adrift’ was written over the chord sequence and structure of ‘Speak Low,’ one of Kurt Weil’s better known standards. “I wrote this quite difficult melody for Matyas and I to play in unison and then improvised over the chords of ‘Speak Low’. I like to include one of my own originals on each album I record.”

London-based alto player Sam Braysher has recorded two previous albums internationally. That’s Him: The Music of Kurt Weill marks Braysher’s first UK release. “I wanted to document some more of the musical relationships I have formed in London over the last few years. All the people featured here with me are exceptional musicians, warm and generous people and great friends. The recording process felt incredibly relaxed this time.”

According to John Fordham at The Guardian, “Sam Braysher is a prizewinning investigator of the early recordings and published music of Jerome Kern, Nat King Cole, Duke Ellington and many others, and imagines a new jazz closely attuned to an old world.”  With the impromptu nature and clarity you would get from a live recording, created here in a studio setting, this album is a triumph in which Sam Braysher has allowed “the takes to speak for themselves.” 

Originally from rural Norfolk, Sam Braysher was inspired during his early years by a local jazz piano teacher and the first album he was introduced to, Kind of Blue. He went on to graduate with first class honours from the Guildhall School of Music, as well as winning the Chartered Surveyors’ Prize.  As a sax player, Braysher cites influences including Charlie Parker, Lester Young, Sonny Rollins, Stan Getz, Lee Konitz and many more, but has certainly developed a unique sound, all his own, with this latest album That’s Him: The Music of Kurt Weill. 

The post The Music of Kurt Weill’ first appeared on UK Jazz News.

“I like the element of surprise, drawing people in with something familiar to listen to and then throwing in a few curveballs,” says leader Michael Lamb. The programme for this very special performance will include brand new arrangements for the evening’s special guests. Founded in 2003 by Michael Lamb (trumpet player, bandleader and chief arranger/composer).

The new album, Strictly Smokin’ and Friends, features impressive performances by leading British musicians including Bruce Adams, Alan Barnes, Paul Booth, Polly Gibbons, Gareth Lockrane, Mike Lovatt, Mark Nightingale, Ross Stanley and Anthony Strong. “During the grim mid-covid days, chatting on zoom,” Michael says, “the band hit upon the idea of putting together a crowdfunding campaign for a series of albums, taking inspiration from the famous photograph ‘A Great Day in Harlem’, and exploring the intricate relationships between the various jazz icons pictured in the image.” Beginning with Harlem ‘58, which explores the musical and personal stories of a number of those pictured in the photograph, the group then recorded Strictly Smokin’ Big Band Sings Ella Fitzgerald.  Strictly and Friends marks the third and final recording in the series for this busy and innovative ensemble. 

“Many people have this image of big band music being stuffy and old but that’s not the case,” says Lamb. “It’s often contemporary and cutting-edge – there’s space for musicians and writers to cut loose. I love the big band format, there’s so much you can do with it.” The bandleader also explains, with candour, that “the pressure is unreal sometimes, especially when it gets busy. But because we get to play so much different music with so many people, it feels really worthwhile and it’s always great in the end. As soon as you’re up there, it’s so nice to know that the band is in safe hands with everybody, all twenty of us listening and reacting to each other like a trio or a quartet. Sometimes when we’re playing, I’ll just sit back and think, this is so cool, it’s just lush. I love it.” 

Realising that “the attraction of a big band is not enough anymore,” Lamb describes some of his creative bandleading process: “Certainly in the Northeast, we find we need a show, or a hook. I had an ultimate lightbulb moment whilst looking at the ‘Great Day in Harlem.’ Everybody knows that picture, it’s iconic. So many brilliant musicians and connections. Each musician links to the next and to the next. And that’s how this series of albums and our crowdfunding campaign were developed.” 

Having started SSBB during sixth form, Michael Lamb has kept the band and their music vibrant and fresh for twenty-one years. “The scene is different up here. It’s not possible to put a gig on at a moment’s notice and know there will be some people available. But actually that means that it’s more reliable musically and logistically, because we work together all the time, we’re turning around a new show every six weeks. We rehearse weekly because we have so much to get through. There’s a really nice, social dynamic. Our drummer Guy Swinton has been with us for 18 years and lead tenor Jamie Toms for 16 years. People stay with the band. The only reason people leave is because they’re moving away. I’m really proud of that.” 

“I like the element of surprise, drawing people in with something familiar to listen to and then throwing in a few curveballs,” Lamb says. “The recording process for these albums was a bit of an experiment. For Ella, we had a whole orchestra with us. Each album was recorded in one day sessions in 2021. By the time we got to recording Strictly and Friends, we’d already done two sessions under covid-conditions, so this felt a bit more relaxed. Lots of the guests have home studios, laid their parts down and sent them back to us. With that, we realised that not only did we have a brilliant new album, but we had a whole set of fantastic play along tracks as well. These are now going to be available on our website for people to play along or sing, which is a great added bonus.” 

As mentioned above, the guests on Strictly and Friends are a veritable Who’s Who of the current UK jazz scene. Ross Stanley’s organ and the brass blasts on ‘Cool Struttin’’ add power and an insouciant swagger to Sonny Clark’s immortal tune; flute king Gareth Lockrane adds cool accents to George Duke’s ‘Daisy Mae’; and there’s a mighty new Art-Pepper-inspired arrangement of Rollins’ ‘Airegin’ featuring Alan Barnes on tenor. Also featured are new interpretations of ‘Sweet and Lovely’ (featuring Mark Nightingale), ‘Pete Kelly’s Blues’ (featuring Bruce Adams), ‘Devil May Care’ (featuring Anthony Strong) and ‘Love For Sale’ (featuring a stunning turn by Polly Gibbons on vocals). The original composition more than holds its own among this exalted company – saxophonist Paul Booth’s ‘Twitterbug Waltz’ exudes confidence with its fluent, insistent grooves.

With everything geared up for the 17th May Strictly and Friends show at The Fire Station, Michael Lamb and the Strictly Smokin’ Big Band have a packed touring schedule later this year as well, performing their Ella and Ellington show. All details at the website (linked below)

The post Smokin’ Hot Big Band. New album, ‘Strictly Smokin’ and Friends’ first appeared on UK Jazz News.

UKJazz News: Are you excited to be coming back to Herne Bay for the Jazz Festival Benefit with Blue Spirits? 

John Etheridge: Absolutely. I remember the first time at Herne Bay Pier, just after the lockdowns in 2021. Everything the festival managed to achieve that year, against the grain.  It was really nice. In fact, Herne Bay is crucial in my family’s history. My grandparents ran away to Herne Bay to have my dad in 1912, which was quite scandalous at the time. 

UKJN: You have toured with Stephane Grappelli, Soft Machine and Blue Spirits for many years… How do you find the flexibility to swap from one role to another? 

JE: It’s not something I intended to happen but it works for me. This month, I’ve done a solo tour with Kit Holmes, a Django / Stephane style acoustic set with Chris Garrick, and Bristol Jazz Festival with singer Vimala Rowe. In fact, I’ve been mixing it up since I first auditioned for Stephane Grapelli. I was playing with Soft Machine and Diz Disley asked me to audition for Stephane Grappelli.  I was then asked to do the world tour, and had to go to Soft Machine and explain – and they said go ahead. That set me off on this path of doing lots of things. The same thing happened with John Williams. He said, let’s do a duo! And I was like, you’re John Williams, how’s this going to work? But we did it. You fight through the nerves and do it. That’s what I’ve been doing ever since. 

They’re all the ‘real’ me, but my heart is in the jazz/rock fusion genre, like the new Blue Spirits album. Seems like we’ve been playing together forever; there was always talk of doing an album, but playing live is the main thing for me. It’s taken us twenty years. This band has existed the longest time in history without recording! And this is really me, I am the leader of Blue Spirits, as well as it being a collaborative creation. I do like getting the balance as both leader and collaborator. Being the leader is a responsibility of a particular kind.

UKJN: Do you put on a different ‘hat’ with contrasting groups? 

JE: My mother used to ask “Do you ever take the wrong guitar?” 

Playing solo, hot club or accompanying, all have different requirements. I adjust quite quickly – it’s a psychological thing. If I’m the front man, as when I’m playing with Blue Spirits, my job is then to BE the singer as I’m presenting the melody and the song. Maybe that’s why I’ve played in all these different areas. I have difficulty when the improvisational quotient is low. I prefer to react spontaneously to what’s going on. In jazz,  you’re meant to have a style which is relentlessly there – always the same. I think that’s great, but it hasn’t been like that for me. 

UKJN: What type of guitar do you use? 

JE: I don’t take a great barrage of guitars anymore. I used to chop and change – I’d take six guitars – but not now. My main instrument is an electric made by Martyn Booth in Suffolk. I can get a sound out of the Booth that suits any gig, because I’m comfortable with that guitar. My acoustic is a Collings, from Texas – they’re both great instruments. There are two types of guitar players – I’m essentially an electric guitarist, but I play acoustic guitar as well. 

UKJN: What sort of amp do you prefer? 

JE: I use a Two-Rock Valve Amp, plus a pedal which imitates a ‘65 Fender Deluxe Reverb, to create the sound that everybody used until the early ‘70s. Wes Montgomery would have used something similar. It gives a very good imitation. If you’re someone like Pat Metheny you’re better off on a transistor amp, because it speaks quicker, but a valve amp is particularly good for sustain and timbre and tone. 

UKJN: Tell me about that Sting quote “I never wanted to be a star, I wanted to be a respected musician like John Etheridge”

JE: I met Sting in Newcastle in the late ‘70s. I was playing with Soft Machine and there was another band playing called Last Exit. The bass player had a bumblebee t-shirt, that’s why he was called Sting. I had forgotten about that gig, and then I was on tour with Stephane Grappelli and opened up The Guardian, and there was an article on Sting just as the Police were becoming big. I read “I never wanted to be a star, I wanted to be a respected musician like John Etheridge.” I went, what? Have I met this guy? I knew Andy Summers very well (the guitarist in The Police ); I wondered if he had spoken with him. And then later, I did something with Sting, went round his house, and asked about the quote. He said, “You don’t remember, do you? I was in Last Exit, and you were in Soft Machine. But the wheel turns…” They were getting very, very big by then. We did a workshop together apparently too. 

UKJN: How are things going with this latest version of Soft Machine? How was it for the band continuing after John Marshall passed away? 

JE: John was not well enough to perform, on and off, for a long time. I remember playing with him at Ronnie Scott’s in June 2022. Ronnie’s was like his second home. He was sat there, at 6pm, in the dressing room saying “I can’t do it.” But he got up on stage and played fantastically well, and I thought, “this is it, this is probably the last time with John Marshall.” He lived for another year. I insisted we make another record; he wanted to do it. He managed three of the five days recording ‘Other Doors,’ and that was it – someone I’d worked with since 1975, one of the great drummers of our era, and a very personal loss for me. We are playing at Ronnie’s on 10 April and we are dedicating the show to him. 

Now, we’ve finally got Asaf Sirkis and it sounds so fantastic, I’m determined to continue. I like being part of something, to be part of a band that plays democratically, an institution like The Soft Machine. The commitment on stage from everybody is amazing. The longer we can keep it going the better. I guess I’ll be the next one… hopefully not for a bit though!

UKJN: Who are your favourite guitarists? Is there anyone coming up and showing promise? 

JE: I’ve heard amazing people coming up. In this country, Rob Luft blew me away.  Mike Outram, Mike Walker, John Parricelli, Pete Oxley, and Phil Robson are the guys (now quite venerable themselves!) who came up after the British greats of my era, like Jim Mullen, Louis Stewart, and Dave Cliff. And my list of major influences: Hank Marvin, Django Reinhardt, Charlie Christian (my Dad’s favourite!), Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, John McLaughlin, Allan Holdsworth, John Scofield, Wes Montgomery – the list is endless.

UKJN: Where do you get your enthusiasm? 

JE: Playing in a lot of different contexts helps my enthusiasm, definitely. Two types of people retire – session guys and classical musicians. I’m seventy-six and I wouldn’t say I get bored easily. The jazz musicians I know are the most intelligent, quick-witted, high-grade people in the world.

Kai Hoffman is Founder and Director of the Herne Bay Jazz Festival, now in its seventh edition, to be held on 16th, 17th and 18th August, 2024.

Herne Bay Jazz Festival CIC is raising funds in partnership with The Kings Hall, Herne Bay for their non-profit, multi-day seaside music event to be held on 16/17/18 August 2024, bringing the best of UK talent to venues across this beautiful coastal town. 

All proceeds from the evening’s show will benefit the 2024 Herne Bay Jazz Festival.

PROGRAMME for 20 April: Herne Bay Jazz Festival Benefit Concert featuring John Etheridge Blue Spirits Trio plus an opening set: Special Guests from the Canterbury scene including Kai Hoffman / Geoff Mason / Francis Knight and more 

The post John Etheridge interview – Benefit Concert for Herne Bay Jazz Festival first appeared on UK Jazz News.

Featuring ten original compositions, Being Human celebrates positive aspects of humanity including passion, courage, love, persistence, heart, soul, curiosity, faith and joy. In his album review (link below) Bruce Lindsay writes of the “a recording that’s characterised by genuine, empathetic, human interaction,” and “immediately engaging positivity.”

Featuring bassist Alon Near and drummer Lukasz Zyta, the album explores life-affirming ideals whilst addressing a troubled, divided world. With an exquisite collection of optimistic, deeply felt compositions, Being Human is dedicated to people who’ve inspired Arriale, including climate activist Greta Thunberg, National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman and Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai. 

UKJazz News: Being Human “focuses on qualities we all share that define our humanity.” How did you come to select the inspiring individuals to whom many of the tracks on “Being Human” are dedicated? 

Lynne Arriale: After finishing  the compositions, I thought about people who represent the human qualities that the tunes reflected.  The dedications are to those who I feel have made a profoundly positive impact on our world and who  embody  the traits that inspired the music.

UKJN: Your trio includes international performers Alon Near on bass and Lukasz Zyta on drums,and makes a change in personnel from the three previous Challenge Records recordings. Would you like to tell us about your process in selecting these musicians? 

LA: I have been so fortunate over the years to have performed and recorded with amazing musicians, such as the members of my previous trio, Jasper Somsen and E.J Strickland. The opportunity arose to play with Alon and Lukasz, and I knew we would have excellent chemistry.

UKJN: With an international band like this, was the album recorded in consecutive sessions? Where was it recorded? 

LA: The album was recorded  in New York at Samurai Hotel Recording Studio over two days. 

UKJN: Your recent recordings are influenced by world events including Covid 19, the war in Ukraine and the worldwide immigration crisis. Do you see it as part of your mission, to help humanity process these events?

LA: We are living at a time when there is so much for all of us to process, it can feel overwhelming. I am a believer in the power of music to reach people on an emotional, intellectual, and spiritual level. My goal has always been to connect with people through music. If our music can help in even a small way; I’ll be happy. I wish I could do more to ease the pain and trauma that so many people are experiencing. 

UKJN: Considering the challenging, global issues behind some of your material, your music comes across as persistently optimistic. What drives your positivity? 

LA: I always want to deliver a positive feeling and message in my music. That doesn’t mean that I don’t struggle;  I do. But I want to convey uplift and hope. At the end of the day, hope and positive energy is what keeps us going, even when we face tremendous adversity. And, everywhere around us, we witness people overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles and still staying positive. This doesn’t mean denying feelings of frustration and hopelessness. I think we need to allow ourselves to feel what we feel, but then, we have the power as human beings to shift gears, so to speak, and transform our energy into action and a positive frame of mind.

UKJN: Would you like to tell us a little bit about your writing process in general?

LA: I start with an idea, write it on manuscript paper and then come up with different options regarding what needs to come next. The opening phrase is extremely important, because I want to engage the listeners immediately. Sometimes I write many opening phrases, hoping to find one that I think will be a good beginning to the composition. This process is highly subjective, as there could be infinite possibilities for “what needs to come next.” From a craft perspective, I ask myself questions like “should the next phrase be a varied repetition of the original phrase or motive, or should it be a contrasting one?” I also work with harmonizing and re-harmonizing the melodies; there are unlimited possibilities for the harmonic structure of the piece. I  think about if the melody tells a story and keeps my attention; and if there is organic variety in how the rhythm of the melody unfolds – and by that I mean just the rhythm, not including the notes. 

UKJN: How did you start out? Was it always jazz? Have you always been a composer?

LA: I started playing at age 3 or 4 on a plastic toy piano. I heard songs off the radio and would play them by ear. I refused to take a nap unless music was playing. My mother would play songs from Broadway musicals. I remember the first tune I learned by ear was Moon River. I begged my parents to let me study, but they asked a local piano teacher, and she said I was too young, but I kept asking, and she took me on as a student. There was no jazz played in the home I grew up in. I did continue to play by ear, even though I was studying classical music. When I was 25 and finishing up my master’s degree with Rebecca Penneys at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, I was walking down the street, and I heard a voice in my mind saying “you should study jazz.”  I took some lessons at the Conservatory, and my first teacher, Tony King, put Round Midnight in front of me and told me to play it and then make up new melodies.  I said, “you’re kidding, I get to do that, is that jazz?”  And he said, “that’s the beginning!” At that moment, my world changed, and I realized that I wanted to learn to play this music. I didn’t start composing til later, before my first recording in 1993. I started with two or three originals on that album and over the years have moved towards recording mostly my own original music.  

UKJN: You are at the forefront of inspiring women in the jazz world. What is your take on gender in the industry?

LA: I am thrilled that there are so many amazing, successful jazz musicians who are women. I think we have a very long way to go, but there’s been great progress. At the end of the day, in my opinion, music is beyond gender and beyond categorization. Music has a life force all its own. 

UKJN: Do you have any plans to come back to London? 

LA: Yes, our group will be at Pizza Express on April 8-9, with Alon Near (bass) and Lukasz Zyta (drums). We are so looking forward to playing there again. I have very fond memories of performing at this wonderful jazz club over the years!

UKJN: With your impressive discography, is the next album’s inspiration for 2026 already in the works?

LA: Yes. I have just started work on it, and I’m hoping to do a lot of writing over the summer, because the next three months are very busy with touring. It takes time to find inspiration and have compositions unfold.

Lynne Arriale Trio will be at Pizza Express, Dean St, on 8th and 9th April 2024

The post Lynne Arriale – new album ‘Being Human’ first appeared on UK Jazz News.

When the only jazz club in the city of Calgary closed, instead of saying ‘Oh that’s too bad,’ BuckingJam Palace founder Lisa Buck “decided to light a candle rather than curse the darkness,” and opened up her home with husband Tom for a series of house concerts in 2015. Nine years on, BuckingJam Palace host a concert series, has a registered charity foundation and membership program, and recently created a documentary called “Change the Tune,” now touring film festivals worldwide. In addition, Lisa Buck’s artists’ management agency focuses on “supporting women and others from under-represented communities, including emerging artists.” 

“I am a great example of how to stumble into a career,” Lisa says. “Our son was bitten by the jazz bug in school and our house became filled with the sounds of rehearsals and jams. My husband, Tom, and I came to realise Calgary lacked the infrastructure to host touring jazz artists so we decided to hold concerts and provide musicians with accommodation. Truthfully, I knew very little about jazz in the beginning and it has been an incredibly rewarding journey learning to love the music and to connect with the gifted artists who play it.” 

“It’s easy to picture a patron of the arts as a member of a wealthy elite. The truth is that many of us have assets that we can leverage to be grass-roots supporters. In my case, it was a living room and dining room that were a reasonable size and had great acoustics—and extra bedrooms that we could offer to touring artists. At some point, you just jump in: book a concert, take cash at the door, build a mailing list one person at a time. Tom and I knew we had created something sustainable when we no longer had to buy a ticket for a concert in our own living room!”

Initially started as a concert series, BuckingJam Palace has evolved to include a foundation and advocacy group for musicians. “Artists are our culture creators and it’s weird that we value their art while being unconcerned that many cannot earn a living wage.  We established a non-profit in 2019 and were granted charitable status in 2022. This has allowed us to access grants for projects such as our documentary ‘Change The Tune’ and our animated video,’Toones.’ The idea of jazz can be intimidating—and that’s a shame because it keeps people from exploring the music. So it’s part of our approach to educate the audience we want to attract by finding creative ways to introduce people to jazz. The process of establishing the charity really helped define what BJP is all about. During a strategic planning session, our board members surprised themselves by realising that our passion had less to do with jazz and more to do with helping shape a culture where musicians are paid fairly and treated with love and respect. We have an incredibly enthusiastic community in Calgary that realises there is a direct relationship between the ticket prices we charge and our ability to pay artists properly and they are happy to be part of that effort.”

“The other advocacy work BJP does is around gender equity and diversity in music. It dawned on me one day that if I booked only the artists who were contacting me, our entire season would be white men. Representation is key: you have to “see it to be it” so we work hard to book female bandleaders and performers and support educational initiatives that encourage women.” 

“We have hit capacity in our current venue so have started a “BJP in the Wild” series where we host jazz in other spaces. Our concerts sell out and tickets are hard to get so we want to better serve the community by presenting in slightly bigger spaces and offering more concerts. That’s a challenge in Calgary: there just aren’t affordable, intimate spaces with a decent piano and good acoustics. I get a lot of requests from musicians from all genres asking to record or rehearse in our space so we’d love to have a venue we could share with the wider community. A collaborative space to host the creative energy of many artistic practices: that’s the dream.”

As well as their sold-out concert series, BJP have begun to host a variety of collaborations including JazzCamp for Girls in association with JazzDanmark, the first cooperative session of its kind in Canada, with the aim of creating confidence around improvising. “JazzDanmark has been presenting these workshops across Europe since 2014 and this was the first time they came to North America. The whole experience was amazing,” Lisa continues. “I have huge respect for JazzDanmark for funding this program to help not just their own youth, but aspiring musicians in other countries. We intend to continue this collaboration along with another annual workshop which involves the Calgary chapter of Women Band Directors International.” 

Having spoken in 2022 with LJN about The Ostara Project (link below) , Lisa reports that this “super-group of Canadian female jazz musicians is thriving. Their debut album was nominated for a JUNO in 2022 and the group undertook a cross-Canada festival tour in 2023. A tour to the Yukon and British Columbia in March 2024 includes three days in Vancouver to record an instrumental album—Roots— and a vocal album—Wings. As the band manager, I am in the midst of the joy and challenge of planning a tour to Europe for 2025.”

The documentary “Change the Tune,” about gender equality in jazz, is currently finishing the rounds of film festivals. “We are starting a push to get it into classrooms. At thirty minutes long, it is a nice length to present in a class session with time for discussion. Anyone with an interest in seeing or showing the documentary can contact me by email via our website and I will be happy to send the link,” Lisa says. 

Lisa Buck became a passionate advocate for women in music following a personal experience of gender-based harassment during the early years of their concert series. “I was concerned that speaking out could have an impact on our foundation and our ability to book musicians, but realised  if I, who had essentially nothing to lose (don’t want to play our venue because we won’t put up with predatory behaviour? NO problem) was feeling conflicted, imagine how female musicians feel whose livelihoods might be severely compromised if they speak out. So that’s part of how I see my role in the music industry: speaking up because I have nothing to lose.”

“I believe it is an exciting time to be a woman in the music industry. Finally, FINALLY we are talking about systemic barriers and creating initiatives to address them. Women are going to continue to claim the space that is rightfully theirs and that is going to benefit everyone. Because it’s not just about fairness: it’s also about quality. It’s great to have a day that celebrates women and spotlights female creativity, but I look forward to when we don’t need a day dedicated to this, when it’s a given that women’s voices are fairly represented in our culture.”

“The music industry is just better when there is a diversity of voices. One of the most powerful tools you can have is a network, so build that with people whose values and spirits resonate with your own. If you are  struggling to get a seat at the table, then build your own table and make it fabulous.”

The post #IWD2024 – Lisa Buck first appeared on UK Jazz News.

Asha Parkinson is a woman with strong ideals, on a mission to connect cultures through the power of music. A jazz saxophonist, she is forging her own compositional path, blurring boundaries between classical, jazz and world music. From the age of fourteen, Parkinson’s pursuit of the “universal love which connects everything” has seen her creating a wide variety of projects, from the cross-cultural Voices Beyond Division choir to her ‘Encounters’ suite with female Arabian poets. She is currently preparing for her second album release, entitled Possession. 

Originally from Kent, Parkinson grew up in a musical family with a powerful female role model in her mother, an accomplished pianist and music lecturer. Raised with the belief in a holistic musical education, Parkinson was immersed in music from an early age, beginning the piano at age six. She elaborates: “We always listened to a lot of music at home, from Stockhausen to gamelan.” 

At twelve, Parkinson achieved Grade Eight on the piano and the saxophone. As her interest in improvisation began to grow, she joined the National Youth Jazz Collective before eventually auditioning for the Purcell School. “It was at Purcell that I discovered I really loved composition,” she says. “I didn’t think I could become a first-study composer at first, but then I got really into it and discovered my need to translate ideas into notation. Also, I really wanted to compose, because I had this idea that I was going to write a choral piece that would bring together children’s choirs from Islamic, Christian and Jewish backgrounds, alongside a chamber orchestra and Arabic instruments – which became the Voices Beyond Divisions project. Being in the Purcell environment helped focus my ideas into an award-winning project.” Parkinson was a recipient of the Diana Legacy Award for her humanitarian work on Voices Beyond Division. 

After Purcell, Parkinson moved on to study at the Guildhall.  It was here that she founded Kalpadruma (meaning ‘tree of life’), her “mixed ensemble bringing together classical and jazz musicians, where I could write material with elements of improvisation and collaborate with musicians from various world music traditions. Initially, it was Indian specialist musicians, then Arab, Greek and Flamenco. I could absorb other cultures through music; to reach out and create an authentic sound world going beyond those genres.” 

Graduating from Guildhall during the pandemic, Parkinson went on to become a Jazz South Breakthrough Commission artist. The work she created, ‘Encounters,’ is a cross-cultural collaboration with female Arab poets including Maram Al-Masri as well as Syrian musicians. “‘Encounters’ explores the nature of being a woman in places that are affected by wars,” Parkinson explains.  “I think we all encounter misogyny in different ways across the world. It’s really interesting having dialogues with women who are in different cultures, cultures more influenced by orthodox religion, and seeing how many more limitations there are. There’s a shared female identity which exists in the female peace movements, like the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, connecting women from around the world in pacifist dialogue. In my work, I am always trying to connect to universal love; I find ideas in everything.”

Encouraged from a young age, Parkinson explains: “I grew up with a storyteller as a dad. I find a lot of inspiration from stories and poetry. For example, on the new album, Possession, there are ideas from stories that my dad told me, ideas from Huxley, Tolstoy, Rumi. Ideas that you read and you’re not thinking ‘That’s really fascinating,’  you’re thinking, ‘That really explains a lot!’” She chose Swedish singer Rebecka Edlund to voice the original lyrics on this latest album, describing Edlund as “open-minded and hardworking when it comes to learning my songs, with a real sense of being a holistic musician and singer, with that big personality to get the message across.”  

“The influence of having studied Arabic scales and rhythms has really seeped through into my core compositional voice. One of the tracks on the new album is my setting of the original Aramaic Lord’s Prayer, which I’ve been fascinated with for a long time, as the message is very different from the modern version. There is no gender to God, there’s no sense of sin, it’s more ‘keep us to our true purpose’ instead of ‘daily bread,’ it’s ‘give us wisdom and understanding for our daily needs.’ It felt much more like an equal dialogue, rather than a very submissive message.” 

Alongside performances with Kalpadruma at venues including Ronnie Scott’s, Parkinson is a freelance saxophonist with groups like the National Youth Jazz Orchestra (NYJO) main band. “I have worked on various ventures including the Hermeto Pascoal project, the Amy Winehouse series and more recently arranging music for NYJO’s Blue Note shows. NYJO is also supporting me in part for the new Kalpadruma album.” 

When asked for her take on International Women’s Day, Parkinson says: “I think it’s really important. It helps to create new role models for young women, demonstrating that there are people they can look up to and see themselves in in male-dominated professions, like being a woman in jazz. Also, I think it’s vital for women to gain recognition as part of the team, not just as a star player, but as an equal member of a group.” 

In her early twenties, Parkinson is a young woman brimming with ideas, and explains that Kalpadruma, with its flexible lineup, would lend itself well to national and international touring. “I would love to collaborate with women across the world, as well as to take these projects into schools, introducing kids to our cross-cultural music and creating tolerance.” 

Asha Parkinson will be releasing Possession with Kalpadruma on Ubuntu Records in July 2024, with support from Help Musicians.

This article is published simultaneously in the following European magazines, as part of an operation to highlight young jazz and blues female musicians: Citizen Jazz (France), JazzMania (Belgium), Jazz’halo (Belgium), London Jazz News (UK), Jazz-Fun (Germany), Giornale della musica (Italia), In&Out Jazz (Spain) and Donos Kulturalny (Poland).

The post #IWD2024 – Asha Parkinson first appeared on UK Jazz News.

UKJazz News: I see you’ve been busy with many different projects since your 2022 album release Signo de Fuego. What are you working on at the moment? 

EC: Signo de Fuego was a monster project, composition and arrangement-wise. Afterwards, I needed to focus on other people’s music for a while to recharge my batteries.  I’ve been concentrating on projects which allow me to have a creative input but where I am not solely in charge, for once – and it’s been very refreshing. Currently I’m MDing for 19-piece mambo / latin jazz / early salsa orchestra New Regency Orchestra and for soulstress Elli Ingram.  I’ve also been collaborating creatively with a range of artists such as Amyra León, Intervention and various theatre productions. I’ve received a grant from PRS Women Make Music to put together my next album, which will be a fairly abstract and experimental take on all things Afrocuban – probably my least “salsa-sounding,” most adventurous endeavour so far – but realistically the release won’t be until 2025. Meanwhile, I’ve teamed up with Barcelona-based Cuban vocalist Yadira Ferrer to bring to the UK a Cuban repertoire that has largely been skipped over and that represents our generation;  it’s what we know as “música alternativa”, a mix of timba, jazz, funk and other genres that saw its peak in 2000-2015. We’ll be playing two shows on June 22nd at Pizza Express Jazz Club as an 8-piece. I’m also doing an assortment of Cuban-centric smaller shows here and there with my usual team.

UKJN: I understand you do plenty of touring. Are you away at the moment?

EC: I’m currently in Prague about to start a 2.5 month tour as a soloist with the World of Hans Zimmer. We have another 1.5 month tour towards the end of this year too. The rest of the time, I’m looking forward to playing my home scene in the UK with Elli, NRO and my own various projects.

UKJN: And how is the PhD going?

EC: It’s going! My PhD project looks to improve conditions and agency for musicians who play for tourists in urban areas of Spanish-speaking Latin America. The two cities I’m doing my main research in are both going through challenging moments politically. When your country and livelihood are, metaphorically speaking, on fire, whatever happens in or around tourism is not the priority, so I’ve decided to take it slow and let my research develop naturally. It’ll take longer than the 3 years I expected, but it means I get to research over a longer period of time than the present-day situations in Cuba and Argentina, and I can continue making music in the meantime.

UKJN: What do you do to recharge? 

EC: I find it really hard to fully disconnect – I was quite the workaholic in my twenties so I have to be proactive about resting and recharging and still don’t do it anywhere near enough. Exercising, meditating and eating well are all important, but I feel like the most efficient recharge is a good day / night out with friends that I feel I can fully be myself around. I immigrated to the UK on my own and so did most of my close friends, so we are each other’s family. Humans are social animals, we need each other.

UKJN: Where do you get your inspiration when you are writing? 

EC: I wish I had a wholesome answer for this but it’s not wholesome at all! Some of my composer friends take a candlelit bath, light some incense and meditate before they write, and then write from a place of peace and groundedness. I’ve tried everything but ultimately it seems like I can only write from a place of rage: if nothing makes me angry, the stuff I write feels like it doesn’t fully catalyse to the level of depth that I want. I think it’s important to accept these things and work with them rather than against them; the Taoists think of it as the Yin and Yang energies. Not everything flows like water from a place of elevated spirituality, and that’s ok; we need the balance between fire and water. I just write from a place of fire.

UKJN: You curate the London Latin Jazz Festival… What are your plans this year?

EC: We are very close to announcing this year’s lineup – I can’t reveal who will be on it just yet but there will be Brazilian funk-jazz fusion, new school flamenco-jazz, the usual improvised collab of Afro-Cuba Jazz Sessions, and more! I think we’ll be on sale by mid-April so keep your eyes peeled as the tickets tend to fly.

UKJN: Any gigs you would like to mention?

EC: Yes! Yadira Ferrer is coming to London to join our 8-piece band that pays homage to the Música Alternativa Cubana of 2000-2015 at Pizza Express Jazz Club on June 22nd. Then I will be at Glastonbury Festival headlining the Glasto Latino stage with my 12-piece Timba fusion orchestra La Evolución. And on August 22nd I’ll be with my Cuban Septet at the King’s Cross summer series playing a mix of originals, Cuban classics and modern covers. The London Latin Jazz Fest will run from October 8th until October 12th this year, and there will be some dates with the New Regency Orchestra announced soon as well.

UKJN: Have you always been a pianist or did something else come first? 

EC: I don’t come from a family of musicians, but apparently I asked for a piano on my 3rd birthday and that was the beginning of everything. I haven’t always been a musician though, in my early years in London I pulled pints, mopped floors, walked dogs, worked in retail… My last job before being a full-time musician was working in tourism in Cuba, which is how I ended up with a PhD topic that centres North-to-South tourism.

UKJN: What is your take on International Women’s Day? How do you feel about gender in jazz and Latin music? 

EC: I hope IWD is a stepping stone that will no longer be necessary a few generations down the line. In the meanwhile, every bit of progress that we make towards gender equality and making the existing issues visible is welcome, and should be celebrated. I think there is a long way to go, but I look at how gender is perceived in music work environments now and fifteen years ago and the change is there, it’s real and it’s noticeable. I wish there had been more women before me in Latin music in the UK that I could look up to and talk to and play with, especially women of Latinx heritage and/or non-cis-het women and femmes. Ultimately, every woman and femme musician is part of how change is created and I’m proud of being part of it, even if it wasn’t always easy earlier on. 

The Latin music scene of the UK needs more women and femmes! I don’t usually teach, but since I would love to play with more women in my “home scene”, I occasionally offer discounted-rate workshops for musicians who are women, Latinxs, LGBTQIA+ and people of Global Majority ethnicities, who want to dive into the world of Latin music. The easiest way to find out more about this is by messaging me on my socials.

UKJN: What would you say to a young woman just starting out in the music industry?

EC: Get good at your craft, find what makes you unique and develop your artistry based on that; and don’t be afraid of being assertive and blowing your own horn a little. We women seem to struggle with taking up space sometimes, and gathering the confidence to speak up assertively; it’s part of how we’ve been socialised from a young age, and this ends up working against us in this highly competitive industry. You don’t have to know absolutely everything about everything and be 200% confident in order to “deserve” taking up a bit of space, having your conditions met, and having your voice heard. Even though progress has been made, we are still a minority and you will most definitely have some unpleasant encounters with The Patriarchy in any of its forms.  It’s not always easy to deal with but we have to keep trying our best to not let this touch us so deeply that it affects our love for what we do. Also, I found that making friends with other female musicians was a game-changer, because we were able to voice our experiences and support each other.

The post #IWD2024 – Eliane Correa first appeared on UK Jazz News.

With her vast knowledge of the jazz musicians and bands who are currently touring the globe, Sarah Weller was made Head of Music at Ronnie Scott’s Club in October, 2023. There are few positions in the UK music industry to equal the authority of her position at the oldest jazz club on the continent. 

With a multi-faceted career, spanning numerous musical genres, Weller was busy and successful as a touring singer and DJ in the soul, blues, and rock world before coming back to jazz, joining the music team at Ronnie Scott’s in 2009. Her singing work saw her supporting artists such as Chaka Khan at Hammersmith Apollo (with the Urban Dwellers) and Limp Bizkit at Brixton Academy (with The Tarantinos), and she had a record played on Pete Tong’s Radio 1 show. As a DJ, Weller has performed for the MOBO awards, Hed Kandi and Jazz FM’s online station ejazz.fm. 

Weller had “never thought about the possibility of working at Ronnie’s behind the scenes, although I obviously dreamed of singing there. I saw so many inspiring women when I was starting out as a singer in the 90s, such as Betty Carter, Flora Purim and Claire Martin. I always loved singing jazz but my vocal work took me elsewhere, and my day-to-day jobs, whilst always in music, weren’t in jazz until I started working at Jazz FM in 1998, where I worked in the Enterprise Department, releasing jazz and Hed Kandi compilations.” 

“Being part of the music team was like a dream job opportunity,” she continues. “Talent is the best thing about the job. Seeing artists doing incredible things. They raise your life above the ordinary. There have been so many musical highlights over the years but seeing some of my heroes at such close proximity will always be special: George Benson, Marlena Shaw, Terence Blanchard, Wayne Kranz and getting Herb Alpert for a week in 2023.  It took so many years I just couldn’t believe it when it finally happened. To hear him play ‘Rise,’ and sing ‘This Guy’s in Love With You’… wow. I will remember it forever. It’s not only the big stars but seeing people at the start of their careers, putting all their energy into creating something fresh and new. The UK scene is very exciting.  A great show for me is something that makes me feel energised and excited when I leave. It takes a huge team of people to get shows to the stage. We all have our part to play and everyone works their hardest to achieve it. Ronnie Scott’s continues to be what it is because of those people who are committed to music and the history of the club.”

Without doubt, Weller will have seen thousands of artist demos over the past fifteen years at Ronnie Scott’s. With that in mind, she says: “The ability to describe and sell yourself is key. There are always so many artists that present wonderful proposals but a good EPK [Electronic Press Kit] will certainly help to be taken seriously. Concise information that helps us understand them as an artist is paramount.  I would suggest the following for anyone trying to get a gig: a picture of the band, links to music, a link to a live YouTube video, current release plan, links to socials, the line-up they are proposing but most importantly what music are they playing? What makes you stand out from the crowd? Whatever it is, then make sure you get that across in your email.” 

Alongside her busy schedule at Ronnie’s, Weller loves DJing and is a passionate collector of music. “If I’m not listening to music, I want to be dancing to it,” she says. “My first album was a George Benson album and it has been constant since then – three 12” vinyls arrived through the post today.  I can’t remember when I started DJing.  I had a regular slot at the Bug Bar in Brixton supporting the band with another DJ, Leslie Love. I did more when I started at Jazz FM, including shows for the newly launched ejazz.fm. I love sharing new music that I have ‘found’ and hope that like minded people enjoy my choices. I am lucky to DJ once a month at Ronnie’s and we run a night in Herne Bay, Kent called Soul by the Sea. I love dancing so I love going to other DJ nights as well.”

When asked about her take on International Women’s Day, Weller responds: “It’s good to celebrate IWD, especially if it helps women have the confidence to say ‘I am good, I should be playing, I have something unique to say and I’m going to say it.’ We all need someone to inspire us and give us hope. When I was young, I listened to a lot of radio and loved listening to Ranking Miss P on Radio 1. When I started out in music there were not many women in music companies, especially in A&R (artists and repertoire). I did whatever job I could. Being surrounded by other, like-minded, passionate people helps.  I never imagined that one day I would be head of music at Ronnie’s (and I thank MD Fred Nash for the opportunity and belief in me). If I could give advice to someone who would want my job then I would say, be prepared to work hard and be passionate about what you do.  You have to be single minded about the things you love. I am never not at work – I am always connected. I feel privileged to be part of the ongoing history of Ronnie’s, although it feels like a big responsibility at times!” 

The post #IWD2024 – Sarah Weller first appeared on UK Jazz News.

For International Women’s Day 2024, LJN is proud to present another amazing lineup of boundary-pushing women from around the globe. 

In this series, we will be featuring the following artists:

• the brilliant composer & saxophonist Asha Parkinson, whose music crosses multiple genres with humanitarian ideals at its heart (co-publishing with European publications)
• the versatile Katie Patterson, freelance drummer and enthusiastic educator
• Latinx powerhouse Eliane Correa, composer, pianist, MD, arranger and curator of the London Latin Jazz Festival
• Clara Green, Swedish jazz vocalist, composer and educator

We also have fantastic, informative interviews with some of the world’s top jazz club organisers:

• Sarah Weller, Head of Music at Ronnie Scott’s,
• Lisa Buck, founder and director of BuckingJam Palace, Calgary, Canada
• Anna-Marie Schluifelder, who until 2022 was Head of Office and Production at the Unterfahrt Jazz Club in Munich, Germany, and is now a pivotal figure at the brand new Bergson centre. 

Sarah Weller encourages us by saying “be prepared to work hard and be passionate about what you do.  You have to be single minded about the things you love.” 

“The music industry is just better when there is a diversity of voices,” Lisa Buck adds. “One of the most powerful tools you can have is a network, so build that with people whose values and spirits resonate with your own. If you are  struggling to get a seat at the table, then build your own table and make it fabulous.”

Enjoy these inspiring interviews and have a Happy International Women’s Day on Friday!

(*) Photo credits above:  Chris Huning (KH), Broadway Studios (AP), Georg Stirnweiss (AMS), Ronnie Scott’s (SW), Bosphorus Cymbals (KP), Leya Russell (LB)

The post Previewing our 2024 #IWD Features first appeared on UK Jazz News.