UK Jazz News: What originally drew you to make a film about Artie Shaw?

Brigitte Berman: I had interviewed Artie Shaw for my documentary on Bix Beiderbecke and we ended up having a very long conversation, as you always do with Mr. Shaw. Even though I had filmed such a long interview with him, I ended up using less than a minute of that interview in the BIX film.

Watching that extraordinary interview and seeing what a charismatic personality Shaw was, and how he had led such an extraordinary and complex life, I decided that I wanted my next feature documentary to be about him. But I knew that he would first need to see my work and be convinced that I was indeed a good filmmaker. That’s why I invited him to a private screening of my BIX film in Los Angeles, after the film was invited to screen at Filmex, the then Los Angeles International Film Festival. The private screening took place just a few days prior to the Festival screenings.

UKJN: And why did he accept to let you make it?

BB: After seeing the BIX film, which he really loved, he took me out for lunch and over lunch he asked me what I would be doing next. And I replied: “I’d like to make a film about you Mr.Shaw.” I knew that he would ask me why I wanted to make a film about him and I replied that he was a perfect bookend for my BIX film. Bix Beiderbecke was the artist who could never say “no” to anybody, which is part of the reason why he died so young. Fans would drag him off to speakeasies and ask him to play and he would play and drink late into the night and early morning.

To quote Louis Armstrong: “…he [Bix] never could say ’no’, and that’s what hurt him…they killed the goose that laid the golden egg.” And yet Bix was a wonderful wonderful cornetist – his playing came right out of his heart and his soul. By comparison, Artie Shaw was the direct opposite of Bix – he said “no” countless times – to his bands, his wives, to the music business. Artie Shaw was also a great artist, but he was a survivor, never afraid to say “no” to anyone.

Shaw liked what I told him and agreed that I could make a film about him. I was overjoyed! The process of making this film took 3 1/2 years. The first time I showed Shaw the finished film was in New York City with his then girlfriend, and Artie Shaw loved the film.

In one of the newspaper interviews when Shaw was asked by LA Daily News journalist Kirk Honeycutt about Shaw’s response to the film after seeing it for the second time at Filmex – as the Los Angeles International Film Festival was called at that time, Shaw remarked: “The first time was overwhelming. It’s strange to see yourself through someone else’s eye. But the film has the merit of truth.” Indeed, he loved the film again the second time that he saw it, and he praised it to the press and to the audience.

However, after I returned to Toronto, several days following the Filmex screenings, I started to get calls from Artie Shaw saying that I needed to make some changes to the film. Lose your narration, he said, he no longer liked the fact that it was a woman narrating the film. You can understand that, can’t you, he asked me, it sounds too whimsical. Then Shaw wanted me to cut out his listening to the recording of the tune called “Summertime” – no one wants to watch me sitting there like a lump on a log, listening to my own music. Get rid of it. Then Artie Shaw wanted me to shorten the footage of Helen Forrest singing “I have Eyes To See With”. He grumbled that I showed her on camera singing the song for far too long. No one really wants to watch the singer in a jazz orchestra, he told me, and he insisted that I shorten that sequence. Every time Shaw came up with a new change, I gently tried to tell him that it was too late, the film was completed. Eventually we would have long arguments over the phone that always ended the same way, with me insisting that his demands were unreasonable, that he had already publicly stated that the film spoke to the truth about him, and with Artie Shaw hanging up, angry that I would not do what he asked me to do.

When the film was nominated for an Academy Award, all his demands for changes suddenly stopped. Once again Artie Shaw was happy with the film.

UKJN: What happened? Why were screenings of the film stopped?

BB: After my film won the Academy Award in March 1987, that’s when Artie Shaw decided that the film had become a commodity and that therefore he should own the controlling interest in the film. I was shocked when I received his phone call one afternoon, a few days after the Academy Awards. Single-handedly I had raised all the money to make the film myself, and instead of buying a house with the earnings I made as a producer with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, I had made a feature-length documentary. Also, he insisted that I did not have his co-operation to be making the film. Of course that was not true, I did have a personal letter from Mr. Shaw in which he clearly gave me his permission.

Even though Shaw had never before even mentioned wanting a percentage of the film, he now demanded a controlling interest. My lawyer and I agreed to offer him a percentage of the film – but it was not enough. He loved the film, it had won the big award, and now he decided that he wanted to “own” and thus be able to control the film. Of course, I could not hand the film over to him and so I had no choice but to say “no” to Mr. Shaw. This led to his law suit that lasted for almost fifteen years. And during that entire time the film was not available. Nor did I want to watch the film or bring it into distribution during that time, as well as for a number of years afterwards.

It was all too painful.

UKJN: That sounds like a lot of strain…

BB: It was a horrific strain. When I said ‘no’ to Artie Shaw after he wanted a controlling interest, that was a very very difficult and scary thing for me to do. I felt like David up against Goliath. Thankfully I had obtained a hand-written letter from Artie Shaw on his personal letterhead, in which he stated that I had his permission to make this documentary about himself, and that letter became the major exhibit during the trial in Toronto. Artie Shaw was very surprised to hear of the letter’s existence, he did not remember it, but he had to admit that yes, it was a letter in his own handwriting, and it became the major exhibit during the trial. I can never thank Polly Haynes, one of the interviewees in the film enough for warning me about Artie Shaw after I had interviewed her for the film – make sure that you have everything in writing. Her words were very wise indeed and I’m glad I took her words to heart.

Eventually the trial took place in Toronto, Canada, and it lasted for one week. At the end of that week in court, Artie Shaw walked over to my lawyer, Doug Turner, shook his hand and said: “Next time, I’m going to hire you!”

Three months later, we learned the results – that Artie Shaw had indeed lost his law suit.

He then took his suit to the Ontario Supreme Court where the case was dismissed within five minutes. Shaw then sued me from California, in federal court in Los Angeles. Eventually, almost fifteen years after the nightmare had initially begun, Shaw lost that lawsuit as well. Over the 15 years, Shaw used every opportunity available to him to delay and complicate the proceedings and to add to my legal expenses. One of the things that Artie Shaw would engage in after he quit playing the clarinet, was various lawsuits with a dozen different companies or people at the same time, often just for the “fun of it”. To Shaw suing someone was a sport, like ‘going fishing’. It was a nightmare for me.

UKJN: What will be different about the new version?

BB: I’m now thrilled that I decided to restore the Artie Shaw film. I had to do it – the film is part of history – as is the Bix Beiderbecke documentary.

In order to create as good a restoration as possible, the lab got the original 16 mm picture out from the Archives, scanned it to 4K and then we did a new colour timing of the film. The film looks spectacular indeed. I also did a few minor edits to make the film a bit sharper in the editing.

And it sounds spectacular as well, because my sound designer, Daniel Pellerin, completely re-mastered the sound track and brought it up to today’s standards.

UKJN: Apart from the London screening, how will people be able to see it?

BB: The film will come out on Blu-ray in the United States and in Canada, and people will be able to purchase the Blu-Ray on line this summer. This London screening will be special screening to give jazz aficionados and jazz enthusiasts in London a chance to see my film on a big screen with an audience. And I will be there and will do a q&a after the film. Hopefully I will be able to make a deal with a European distributor to show the film theatrically in the UK and other European countries and to bring it out on Blu-ray and have it made available in mainland Europe as well.

116 minutes. Starring: Artie Shaw, Polly Haynes, John Wexley, Lee Castle, John Best, Helen Forrest, Buddy Rich, Mel Tormé, Mack Pierce, Frederic Morton, Evelyn Keyes. The Playground Theatre is in Latimer Road London W10

The post ‘Artie Shaw – Time Is All You’ve Got’ first appeared on UK Jazz News.

Chris Biscoe: Tony Kinsey was the last representative of a remarkably talented generation of innovators who introduced and consolidated post-war jazz and bebop in the UK.

Way Out West, the group of musicians promoting jazz in west London, was especially fortunate to count two of these figures in its membership. Eddie Harvey, the slightly older of the two, made the transition from the 1940s New Orleans revival into the modern jazz scene. Tony Kinsey sprang, fully formed it seemed, into the modern jazz scene, playing with the Johnny Dankworth Seven when only twenty years old.

Through the 1950s and ‘60s he led many small groups, including the quartet with which Joe Harriott made some his first recordings, and groups with Ronnie Ross, Bill Le Sage and Peter King. One of the photos I have seen at Tony’s house was from his residency at the Flamingo Club, and shows Duke Ellington stars Paul Gonsalves, Jimmy Hamilton and Jimmy Woode sitting in with the quartet. This was also the period in which Tony toured with such jazz legends as Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald.

Peter King was the soloist with the quartets which Tony presented for Way Out West, followed by Sammy Mayne and a rare contemporary appearance by Tony Coe on alto sax. Tony often featured his own very melodic compositions, which, to my ear, had a surprising English quality. The fact that he was a prolific songwriter, writing his own lyrics, may be the clue to this quality in his writing. At the same time, his compositions, particularly for big band, are very definitely in a modern jazz vein.

Starting in the 1950s, Tony developed his writing for big band, and also created contemporary non-jazz compositions, particularly for string quartet. The big band writing became increasingly important and resulted in several suites, including Anatomy of a Jazz Festival, The Thames Suite, and The Embroidery Suite. I was fortunate to be invited to play baritone sax on the premier of the Embroidery Suite, and on the 2016 live recording. Demonstrating incredible stamina, Tony assembled the band, provided all the music, rehearsed, directed and played in the band during its only rehearsal on the afternoon of the concert, and played flawlessly throughout the two hour concert.

Tony had a stroke during the late 2010s, from which he recovered very well, but he struggled to meet his own exacting standards, and didn’t perform again. He remained as interested in and dedicated to jazz as ever, and continued to write. In 2024, with support from Way Out West, we played a big band concert premiering a new composition, and once again featuring The Embroidery Suite. On a cold January day, Tony sat through the entire rehearsal, occasionally coming over with suggestions, particularly to raise the tempo on a couple of pieces. (Tony loved fast tempos, and had the hands, feet and brain to play with remarkable relaxation at tempos many struggle with). He then attended the concert and sat in the front wearing one of the most elegant suits I’ve ever seen.

RIP Tony Kinsey

Pete Hurt: I first met Tony through Way Out West, and struck up a friendship with him. I occasionally went round to his house where he would talk about his life, and play recordings he’d done with various bands big and small. He told one story about the time he was touring with Billie Holiday at a venue with a particularly dodgy PA system. After a few attempts to sing with the mic cutting out, she stormed off the stage, leaving the backing trio to their own devices. He also showed me a scrapbook he’d put together, documenting the period in the ’50s and ’60s when he was a well-known ‘face’ and would get regular mentions in the press and on the radio.

I managed to play with Tony a few times with various Way Out West groups, but as the years rolled on Tony experienced various medical problems and became increasingly frail. His last big event just over a year ago, with which WOW was involved, was a concert of his big band music in Hampton, not far from where he lived. Tony was insistent that he was going to play drums with the band, but he hadn’t played for some time and was physically not up to it in the end. He came to the rehearsal and made suggestions about our playing. The evening was a fitting tribute to him.

He lived a long and busy life, and was a well-regarded and respected musician and man. He’ll be missed.

Emily Saunders: Tony Kinsey was a phenomenal musician, drummer, composer, and great friend to me. Over the years we had countless conversations, alongside countless garden chats during the pandemic, reminiscing about live music and his musical career performing with golden stars of jazz including Ella Fitgrerald, Sarah Vaughan, Ronnie Scott’s band, along with his friendship with Buddy Rich, and Tony’s love of composing for big bands, as well as TV and film, including the BBC over decades, for example the theme tune for the BBC kids TV programme Willo the Wisp. Throughout our friendship he’d always ask me about my composing and singing work, he loved my stuff which meant the world to me. He was so incredibly supportive. I’ll always be hugely grateful to Tony and will miss him dearly.

Gary Willcox: I first became aware of Tony Kinsey when I was a young boy, living with my family and learning the drums. He lived a mile up the road from us and my Dad’s involvement in music, and the musical life of the area, brought him into contact with Tony.

At one time I’d lost direction in my drum studies and had enough of lessons. At my Dad’s request, Tony came over and listened to me play, and gave some generous appraisal and advice.

Later, my Dad promoted a concert by Tony’s Big Band which contained many jazz legends from the ’50s and ’60s: Jimmy Deuchar, Hank Shaw, Pete King.

More recently I was thumbing through the liner notes of a Joe Harriott box set, and noticed Tony was playing drums on many of the tracks, illustrating how prevalent Tony was in what’s often looked back on as a ‘Golden Era’ in UK Jazz.

Tony also mentioned how he’d been to New York in the 1940s and 1950s, on the cruise liners. He went many times, 30 or 40 times, he couldn’t remember exactly. He said on these trips he’d seen Charlie Parker’s band with Miles Davis and Max Roach, and later with Red Rodney and Roy Haynes, several times. These last details caused me to stare into the distance in a misty-eyed fantasy, and I realised what a connection Tony had, and in fact was, to an essential era of jazz music.

Last year, Way Out West put on a concert of Tony’s music, and the skills as a composer and arranger which enabled him to expand his career into film and television were very apparent. 

Tony was the last of his post-war generation – Ronnie Scott, Tubby Hayes, Joe Harriott, Johnny Dankworth, et al – all now fabled in history.

Kate Williams: It was a privilege to play in a concert in late January 2024 in which an augmented Way Out West performed Tony Kinsey’s Embroidery Suite, and a new piece for big band. Despite illness in his later years, he continued to write and arrange music. Tony played an active part in the afternoon rehearsal that day, and both his astuteness and energy were formidable (for a person of any age, let alone one in their 90s!).

In addition to Tony’s great musicianship, I will always remember his lucidity, dry wit and warmth. He will be greatly missed. RIP Tony Kinsey.

The post Tributes to Tony Kinsey (1927-2025) first appeared on UK Jazz News.

UK Jazz News: What has been your motivation in setting up this new venture?

Sara Colman: You can’t have too many jazz workshops for young people now can you!!??

Nurturing and offering opportunities to new generations of jazz musicians is what it is all about. Not to mention the importance of helping generate new jazz audiences too. 

UKJN: And the faculty looks VERY classy …

SC: It really is!! Wonderful musicians who are all also composers and top-class educators. It’s a group of folks who are really committed to what they do and who want to share that with young people.

For the participants, it’s an opportunity to learn from a team of musicians who are both very experienced and active in the jazz community. In our faculty the credentials of the teachers are not only impressive from a jazz point of view, but also the range of their experience is really interesting.

From an Associate Artist at Wigmore Hall and fresh from presenting her music with the NDR Big Band in Germany (Trish Clowes)…to a drummer extraordinaire and orchestral arranger of Gospel Revisited Project and Steve Banks’ ‘Emboldened’ (Jonathan Silk)

From a top spot at Love Supreme Festival 2025 with his Big Band (Dan Casimir)…to appearing with Coldplay on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury in 2024 (me!);

From being a super in-demand pianist and running three big projects including our duo Ribbons, Sarson Drift with Nick Walters and appearing at Jazzahead! in Germany 2025 with her new trio, Aurum (Rebecca Nash)…to a sell-out performance this month of his project ‘Emboldened’ with GSMD Jazz Orchestra and Choir at The Barbican (Steve Banks).

Not to mention our administrator-in-chief and top trombonist with The Young Pilgrims amongst others, Richard Foote! Phew!! 

And all super-friendly, lovely humans too! 

UKJN: Who is eligible?

SC: We welcome all instrumentalists and vocalists aged 11-18, focusing on Birmingham and the surrounding areas. You may already have experience playing jazz although don’t necessarily need to have explored jazz before – if you have a curiosity about it, or you’ve heard some jazz that you like and you’d like to find out more about this kind of music, the New Sounds Jazz Workshop can be an experience that enables you to do that, and to connect you with other like-minded young musicians.

UKJN: What do you say to people scared by the idea of improvising? 

SC: I think everybody probably starts off being a little bit scared! Because it feels like such a big and unfathomable thing at the beginning. The most important thing to say is that we are operating a very supportive and nurturing environment. You’ll be put into a group of no more than eight participants who are at roughly the same level of experience as you. We teach everything by ear so no need to worry about music reading and the focus is very much on listening, getting inspired, and trying out ideas. Also, we’ll be talking about where ideas come from, what to listen out for and how to communicate and interact with others in your ensemble in a musical way. Everybody starts somewhere in their improvising journey, and this can be a brilliant and fun start to yours!

UKJN: Are you able to offer assisted places so people aren’t kept away by cost? 

SC: Here’s the best bit……It is FREE!!!! 

All the places are fully funded so that there are absolutely no barriers to anyone taking part.

With the generous support of various organisations, we can fund this pilot at no cost to the participants.

UKJN: Where will it be?

SC: We’re lucky to have the support of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire who are offering us their excellent and accessible facilities, including the Eastside Jazz Club! There, participants can watch performances from some great RBC student ensembles as well as their workshop leaders having a jam during the lunchtimes.

UKJN: When is it?

SC: The workshop is running for three days: Monday 14th – Wednesday 16th April 2025, 10.00am – 4.00pm.

UKJN: How do people apply?

SC: By clicking on the link below – and by filling out a simple application form. (Applications close 10 March!)

Or if you have any QUESTIONS, you can email us at  newsoundsjazz@gmail.com 

The post New Sounds Jazz Workshop in Birmingham first appeared on UK Jazz News.

They are three fourths of The Empress, an all-female saxophone quartet, whose debut album Square One will be released 21 March via Cellar Music Group. (Due to her touring schedule, Baratz couldn’t make the call; this column plans to catch up with her ASAP.) Square One is rounded out by the rhythm section of pianist Steve Ash, bassist Joey Ranieri, and drummer Pete Van Nostrand. Links to pre-order Square One and the artists’ websites can be found at the end of this article.

“I just want to show that we can also play this very hardcore music,” Pureum Jin, the nexus for the formation of the Empress, explains in Square One’s liner notes. The obvious connotation: in straight-ahead jazz, it’s rare to find a four-woman saxophone line.

But the adjective ‘hardcore’ is arguably most interesting. For Jin, it opens a sort of Pandora’s box.

“There are a lot of great female players on the scene, but somehow, they’re still underrated,” Jin says. “That’s why I want to play with a very raw intensity, with skilful improvisation. To show the people that women can play. So, maybe it’s a little aggressive; it’s kind of hardcore for me.”

For her part, Lauren Sevian plays the bari, which skews masculine as far as jazz’s current representation goes.

“On one hand, I embrace these definitions, because that’s what we’ve been taught,” she says of Square One, recorded at the hallowed Van Gelder Studio. “On the other hand, I challenge all of those definitions. So, I think this group is a great representation of both filling and challenging that stereotype.”

Read on for more of Jin, Sevian, and Terakubo’s reflections on Square One, a burning program of originals (Michael Lutzeier’s ‘Instant Composure’ and ‘Reminiscing’) as well as standards like ‘But Not For Me’, ‘Stablemates’, and ‘Milestones’.

UK Jazz News: Where’d the name The Empress come from?

Pureum Jin: Lauren picked the name.

Lauren Sevian: I think we were brainstorming, actually, what would be a cool name for the group, the front line of the four female saxophonists. I was just thinking of strength and grace – those kinds of qualities.

PJ: I really like the name because I wanted something very intense, but not, like, a warrior thing. Something fresh is good for women.

Erena Terakubo: Literally yesterday, I translated what ’empress’ means. [Laughs]

UKJN: How did you four creatively gravitate to each other?

PJ: It’s all my connection. I’m sure all three girls already knew each other as well. 

But I met Lauren when I did an artist residency at the University of Virginia, when I was living there. I had a chance to invite her as a guest artist to play with me. Chelsea sat in with me at a gig I played in Charlottesville. And I think Erena and I moved to New York City at almost the same time.

ET: Pureum was running a jam session at the International House, a little space right next to the Manhattan School of Music.

PJ: It’s kind of a dorm, actually – a bunch of international students live there. But there’s a small area in the basement, where they have a piano and other music gear. So, we would sometimes play there, and I asked [Erena] to come in.

Erena was a really precious friend for me, because we play the same instrument, and we’re both from Asia. Again, we moved to New York at almost the same time. Besides Chelsea, we all went to MSM at different times. So, that’s how I met all of them, and I gathered them together because I thought it would be a really interesting, fun group.

UKJN: University aside, which schools of the saxophone would you say you all came from?

LS: As far as the baritone saxophone is concerned, I’ve listened to a lot of Pepper Adams, so I’m definitely coming from that type of sound. But as to what I’ve transcribed the most, it would have to be a toss up between Pepper Adams and Atlantic[-era] Coltrane.

UKJN: I love that era of Trane. So underrated.

LS: I really agree. [1964’s] Coltrane Sound is my all-time favourite Trane record. I mean, any Trane, right? But for me, there’s something really special about that era that I felt so connected to.

ET: Cannonball [Adderley], Charlie Parker, Sonny Stitt, and Phil Woods are who I transcribed the most.

PJ: I started to play jazz because of John Coltrane. When I first heard his music, I was really shocked – What was that? What was that? – because before that, I had just started playing saxophone in a classical [context]. I didn’t know much about jazz. But that’s how I started getting interested in it.

I also love all the alto giants: Charlie Parker, J-Mac. But my first love in jazz was Coltrane.

UKJN: How did you guys come to work with Steve, Joey, and Pete in the rhythm section?

LS: I had never played with Steve or Joey. Pete, I had known for several years and played with a little bit, but not a ton. But I felt like it was pretty seamless. I thought they were all excellent choices, and it was great making music with them.

ET: I can’t believe Joey is only 21, or something.

LS: An old soul.

UKJN: Can you talk about the standards you chose?

PJ: I mean, creating something fresh and new is a really important task and part of being a musician. But at the same time, I get a little tired of playing original compositions. I just want to play jazz, and I feel like a lot of jazz fans also feel the same way.

Recently, there’s been a lot of new creations: new songs, new music, new bands, blah, blah. I want to capture that raw intensity in jazz – relying on the improvisation skills of the individual players, while still focusing on the ensemble.

That’s why I chose to include classic, well-known tunes in the band, and I hope people like it as much as I do.

LS: The arrangements [by Michael Lutzeier] were extremely challenging, at least for me, especially as a bari player. I was trying to navigate some of these parts, thinking, Wow, these were written by a bari player, so I’d better get my act together.

But I had a great time. I felt really comfortable. I don’t know, everyone’s different – but if I’m at a session and I feel uneasy or nervous, that’s a very bad sign. But I felt comfortable with the studio; I felt comfortable with the sound; I felt comfortable with everyone that was on the project. So, for me, the vibe was way up.

And I think the product speaks for itself. Just listening to what I’ve heard so far, I’m so excited about it. It was a great couple of days.

The post Mondays with Morgan: Pureum Jin, Lauren Sevian, Erena Terakubo first appeared on UK Jazz News.

UK Jazz News: What is the best advice you received about balancing/juggling parenthood and career?

Gillian Margot: The best advice that I received was from my sound engineer, tour manager and dear friend Terry, who picked up the phone and called me during my first few months as a new mom. I was in Los Angeles with our baby and Geoffrey was on tour. Terry called me from Toronto to see how I was doing and said flat out, “There is no balance, momma. You have to go with the flow.” If I’m honest, that may have been the only parenting advice that ended up making sense. Trying to impose too much structure can be totally counterproductive. I’m a natural improviser, and so it worked for me.

Geoffrey Keezer: For me, it wasn’t spoken advice as much as just observing musicians I was with on the road who had kids at home. Seeing how they would take time to call their families every day. Some guys would fly home to New York from Europe in the middle of a tour to attend their kid’s birthday party, then take a redeye flight back to Europe and make the gig the next night.

UKJN: What information or advice do you wish you’d received but didn’t (and had to learn through trial and error or on the go)?

GM: (laughs) Everything else!

UKJN: Your top tip(s) for other parents in jazz:

GK: My tip would be to find any and every way you can to earn income without having to tour constantly. Find and create sources of passive income, royalties, teaching, or whatever you have to do to be around your kids more. They grow up SO fast – it’s a cliché because it’s true. Another reality is that with kids, getting anything done like practicing, writing arrangements, booking gigs/travel etc takes a LOT longer, due to the constant distractions and your focus being pulled in multiple directions all the time. Children need and deserve their parents’ time and attention, and they always take top priority no matter what else is going on. But sometimes I’m like “Dude, you’re gonna have to figure out this Lego thing on your own, I gotta finish a big band chart!”.

GM: Everyone, whether you know them or not, offers advice on how to parent your child. And while having a lot of options to consider is never a bad thing, and I’m the kind of person who likes to gather a lot of information and do research, your best bet is to stay open to the reality that there’s going to be a lot of trial and error. I didn’t have my parents around to assist me because they both died before our child was born. So I knew that I’d have to figure out a lot of things on my own. If you’re lucky enough to have parents, mentors, or someone with experience closeby who is willing to be there for you, then don’t take it for granted. Other than that, with all the stress that comes with parenting, my top tip would be to always lead with love.

UKJN: Best general travel/gigging/tour-with-child advice:

GK: If your spouse is a member of the band and you’re bringing your child with you on the road, get two hotel rooms! Then you and your partner can alternate who gets to sleep with the kid, while the other gets the night off (and potential for real sleep). Two artists = two hotel rooms in the contract. As tour budgets rarely allow for bringing a full-time nanny along, we mostly rely on local babysitters in each town, which we often find by researching childcare services online. But we have sometimes gotten results simply by asking local friends, musicians, or the promoter if they happen to know of anyone who babysits. Quite often somebody on the staff of the venue/festival/etc knows somebody who knows somebody. It really does take a village.

GM: Nurture the relationships and connections that you make while touring. Those presenters, venue owners, and other industry people that you meet are, more often than not, very understanding of parenthood if you let them see you as a parent. These are the people that are going to continue to help you find childcare, activities for your child, and make sure your child has a good time while you’re on the road.

UKJN: What is one way that figures or structures in the jazz industry could better support parents who are working jazz musicians?

GM: The more visible we allow ourselves to be as working musicians who have children, the better it is for our community, our audiences and the industry at large, to get used to seeing our many dimensions.

GK: For the most part, venues where we perform and schools where we teach are very understanding and supportive.

GM: Yes, it doesn’t seem to throw anybody off when they find out that we have whole lives outside of our performing personas.

UKJN: What has surprised you about becoming a parent and remaining engaged with your professional activities and ambitions?

GM: There were two big surprises for me. One is how much greater perspective I have on everything that I do professionally as well as personally. Our child is witness to what our lifestyle is like as musicians, and I’m hyper aware of how anything that we might do, say, create, record, or decide will be perceived and interpreted by him. Maybe it’s my way of considering younger audiences and future generations. But when I was younger, I never would have guessed that I would pay so much attention to that. The second thing that surprised me is how much more driven and committed I am. I think I initially fell prey to the stereotypes about women and half-expected that I might take more of a step back from my career after becoming a mom, but I had no desire to slow down. If anything, I have dug into things way deeper and become a better musician. I have no desire to hide or downplay the fact that I’m also a mother.

UKJN: What boundaries have you set for yourself as a parent in jazz (could be related to travel/touring, riders, personal parameters, child care decisions, etc.)?

GK: Gillian and I try as much as possible to only tour together (as a duo, or as co-bandleaders) during times when our child’s school is on break. When he was a baby or toddler, it was a little easier to just pick up and go on tour as a family any time. But once they’re in school, it’s important for them to have a routine and good attendance. There’s so much that a child can learn about the world by traveling, but I never wanted to be the kind of itinerant musician that dragged his kids around everywhere. Some of our musician friends with kids can leave them with family for a short time when they go on tour, but unfortunately we don’t have that luxury.

GM: Well, I’m going to refer back to the separate hotel rooms. I should qualify this by explaining that we’ve always done this – continued to uphold our professional relationship even after we became a couple. Many people assume we would have one room as a family, but we are two individual artists requiring our respective individual spaces to prepare for performance, which is really important. 

Gillian and Geoffrey’s new album of duets, simply titled Gillian Margot & Geoffrey Keezer will be released on their label MarKeez Records on May 23, 2025.

(*) Parents in Jazz was started (first as ‘Mothers In Jazz’) by vocalist Nicky Schrire in August 2022. The initiative aims to create an online resource for working jazz musicians with children, those contemplating parenthood, and jazz industry figures who work with and hire musicians who are parents. The insight of the musicians interviewed for this series provides valuable emotional, philosophical and logistical information and support that is easily accessible to all. “Parents In Jazz” shines a light on the very specific role of being both a parent and a performing jazz musician.

The post Parents In Jazz: Geoffrey Keezer and Gillian Margot first appeared on UK Jazz News.

It’s always great to have references of people with similarities with you, like being a mum in the same profession.”

To me, motherhood has been the situation where have I connected the most with other women. It has made bridges and let beautiful feminine energy flourish through compassion, understanding, love and help. It’s been probably the nicest thing that has happened to me to nurture my “feminine energy”, let’s say. And also to start having more girl friends which I didn’t have much before, so it’s also improved my life.

I have received a lot of advice, and had great meetings and conversations with other women in my profession, and that has led me to reflect that before becoming mothers maybe we may saw each other like fellows…but also, in this old fashioned way, it was as if we also saw other similar woman as a threat. Sometimes I didn’t feel so welcomed by other women – and, I’ll admit it, sometimes also didn’t actually have that much interest myself in being friends with some… – but motherhood has changed that.

In Spanish there’s a word for this help between women: Sororidad. I don’t know how it is in English… But I reached out to so many women in music when I first became pregnant, and I received so much feminine love that now I feel more full and loving others, I learned so much and met all the power in others.

I’m mother to 2 boys and probably the most important thing I want to pass on is the respect for others, especially women…and to try to make my man emotionally responsible.”

Christoph Mallinger and Andrea Motis. Photo credit: Kaothic Alice

The post Andrea Motis first appeared on UK Jazz News.

UK Jazz News: What first drew you to Shelly Manne? 

Matt Skelton: I discovered jazz through big band music having seen the Glenn Miller Story when I was around 10 or 11.  This experience led me towards Basie, Ellington and so on where I heard the great soloists and rhythm section players who have gone on to be such an inspiration to later generations of jazz instrumentalists and composers.

I first heard Shelly Manne on a Woody Herman compilation LP when I was about 12 or 13. He just completely knocked me out. What I can now describe in detailed terms, beyond my first visceral reaction, are the combination of his cymbal beat, feel, sound, language and creative spirit, always a great ensemble player, whatever the forces or context.

The Herman 2nd Herd band of the late 40s was a powerhouse of great writers, and also soloists and section players (an art in itself): Shorty Rogers, Serge Chaloff, Sonny Bergman, Ernie Royal and Gene Ammons, for example.   These are amazing recordings that have lost nothing with age in terms of music played with daring, fire and passion. Shelly was very much a crucial ingredient of this during his time with the band.

UKJN: And were there decisive Shelly Manne moments in you own professional life?

MS: It was only later when I met Don Rendell during the Guildhall Summer School of 1987 and he recommended the first big band recordings of Dizzy Gillespie’s own big band from ‘46 that I realized where this had come from and that Herman’s band was hugely influenced by these recordings. 

UKJN: For newbies, can you point us in the direction of a couple of tracks and what you admire particularly?  

MS: His range of discography is extraordinary. Hollywood film scores, pop records, orchestral dates and an in-house drummer for Contemporary Records. From the original Pink Panther theme to “Tomorrow is the Question” with Ornette Coleman. Incisive, articulate, perfectly judged interplay and always swinging and supportive. Andre Previn, with whom Shelly collaborated on that classic My Fair Lady record said of him: “He kept time for everyone and never had a bad word to say”. I love that: A genuine polymath whose ways of unselfish collaboration have given a completely unique sound and texture to the world of jazz. Records I’m never far away from include:

• Way Out West with Sonny Rollins with Ray Brown.
• Simple Matter of Conviction with the Bill Evans Trio 
• The 20s Bit with Benny Carter and Earl Hines.
• Lush Life by Nancy Wilson.

And of course, the five volumes of At the Blackhawk records that are the centrepiece of inspiration to my own group. 

UKJN: What stage is the group at, and when do you next appear together? 

MS: This is a newly reformed and revived project. We’ve recently played Dorking Watermill and Market Harborough Jazz. Our next date is the Bear Club in Luton on 26 April. I’m hustling like crazy, currently doing the rounds of emails and calls to see who else might like to have us.

UKJN: And it also sounds like fun… 

MS: We have such a great time playing. It’s a boundless source of joy to share this music with the people in the band and the audiences we meet. 

UKJN: Is there an intention to do an album?  

MS: I’m not intending to record for the time being. The definitive recordings are so great. We’re kinda an ‘in the moment’ band. Come hear us. Perhaps we may record an album if we start playing original arrangements inspired by the transcriptions from the record that frame, with thanks to Tom Smith!

Matt Skelton’s instagram profile has updates, news of appearances and more.

Matt Skelton’s Blackhawk Quintet will be playing at the Bear Club, Luton on Saturday 26 April at 19:00.

The post Matt Skelton presents The Blackhawk Quintet – Celebrating Shelly Manne first appeared on UK Jazz News.

Philippa has had an extraordinary musical career spanning more than three decades. Trained as a classical pianist, vocalist and composer at Chetham’s School of Music, Philippa went on to study a degree in music at Oxford University and was steering towards a career as a film and television composer when she “fell into” singing on the West end. Her pristine classical voice and powerful musical theatre belt ensured Philippa was in high demand as a leading lady. She starred in a number of high-profile roles, including Cosette in Cameron Macintosh’s ‘Les Miserables.’ All of this came to an abrupt end at the age of 27, when Philippa was told that she was “too old to sing on the West End.”

“If you don’t look 18, they’re not interested.”

This feels worlds away from the UK jazz scene, when Norma Winstone is still regularly touring in the UK and Europe at 83 years old, but the reality of musical theatre is there is a diminishing repertoire of roles for woman as they age. Philippa nonetheless faced what must have been a deeply unsettling and destabilizing time with grace and ingenuity, and sidestepped into a career headlining shows on major cruise ship stages. Her audiences were full of praise for her renditions of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Stephen Schwartz, but as someone who had always wanted to write, after so many years performing other people’s songs it felt like “something was missing.” It wasn’t until Philippa was researching royalties for the purpose of releasing an album of musical theatre covers in February 2023 that she realised it would be much more cost efficient to release her own music.

This was the catalyst that Philippa needed. Finally, after nearly 30 years as a successful vocalist and musical theatre performer, the call to write grew too loud to ignore any longer and Philippa penned a number of infectious funk singles, including the hit ‘Funk My Life’. She hit the studio with a carefully curated band of world class musicians, including legends Paul Turner (bass) and Derrick McKenzie (drums). Finally, her obsession for jazz and funk was given the chance to take center stage.

“I’m having so much fun, it probably should be illegal!”

It is worth pausing to remember the Philippa is not solely a vocalist and composer, but also a very fine pianist. Walking in the footsteps of Carol King, Nina Simone and our own Liane Carroll, Philippa’s skill as a pianist might fly under the radar at first due to her impressive vocal fireworks, but actually, she has some serious funk chops!

“It’s just my addiction, I guess. It’s always a work in progress. I want to be learning until my fingers seize up and I can’t play anymore!”

Musical theatre singers are notorious for trying their hand at singing jazz and falling short of the mark, yet Philippa manages to bring an authenticity to her vocal performance that is refreshingly on point. One can certainly hear 70’s funk and acid jazz influences, but Philippa Healey sings like Philippa Healey and no one else. The evolution of an artist – by embracing all of her musical DNA, from Sondheim to Stevie Wonder, Philippa has landed on a sound that is joyously, defiantly all her own.

“At the end of the day, we all have something unique to offer. I have to be myself on stage.”

Fans in London will have the opportunity to see Philippa with her original project live on March 12^th at Crazy Coqs Cabaret in London. She is joined by a band of heavyweights, with Nick Costley-White on guitar, Liam Dunachie on keys, Derrick McKenzie on drums and Paul Turner on bass.

The post Philippa Healey first appeared on UK Jazz News.

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.

At this point, most serious jazz fans are familiar with Lil Hardin, and the impetus to elevate her as a musical figure beyond her husband, Louis Armstrong. Let’s drill deeper: as a pianist, when Hardin’s music is under your fingers, what jumps out?

That’s the first thing I asked Caili O’Doherty. “I think she really shines as a composer,” she replied. “I think a lot of people unfairly judged her piano playing; she had a lot of negative criticism [on that front].”

Did this mean she was a weak pianist? Absolutely not, O’Doherty says.

“I think what is reflected is that they didn’t give her a lot of opportunities to improvise. There aren’t a lot of [recorded examples] out there of her actually improvising, shining through the arrangements as a piano player. I think she really shows her lyricism, and how melodic she is, through her writing and compositions.”

From ‘Let’s Call it Love’ to ‘Happy Today, Sad Tomorrow’ and ‘Just For a Thrill’, O’Doherty and company, richly recorded, illuminate a jazz figure overshadowed by Pops for too long, even as she was instrumental in his evolution via her membership with cornetist and bandleader King Oliver.

Read on to learn how O’Doherty came to pay a full-album tribute to Hardin.

UKJN: What was your gateway to Lil’s music?

CO’D: I got into her through Louis Armstrong. I took a class at Queens College on the history of Armstrong, and her name kept coming up.

It wasn’t the first time I had heard of her – I had heard of her many times throughout my undergrad – but she never came up about her piano playing or anything. She was just always taught about in the context of Louis Armstrong’s group, the Hot Five.

[Louis Armstrong historian and author] Ricky Riccardi taught the class. He obviously included Lil in the conversation, although there wasn’t much dedicated to her; he was mainly talking about Louis Armstrong.

But he has since pointed me in the direction of tons of amazing content. I read her unpublished autobiography that they have at Queens College. He’s given me a bunch of interviews to listen to, where she talks about her early life: growing up playing in the church, and being raised by her grandmother.

When she started getting into jazz music, her mom in particular was terrified, because the shows were really late at night, and they were in speakeasies – environments that they didn’t want her in. They were very hesitant of her going out and gigging and stuff.

UKJN: What happened next?

CO’D: Learning about her in class, I became more and more curious. I went into the Louis Armstrong Archives at Queens College, and started digging through some of the charts – and I found a bunch of charts in her handwriting. I was like, Did she write these tunes?

As I dug deeper and researched her and her tunes more, I realized a lot of people actually recorded them – Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin. So, I just fell in love with her compositions.

UKJN: Are there any other Lil Hardin tribute albums out there? I’m not aware of any.

CO’D: I don’t think I’ve seen one, yeah. But since I started this project [highlighting Hardin’s music in performance and on record] in 2018, I’ve played around with it – and now, colleagues have started to play some of her music, which has been really cool.

I did an album release show at the Stanford Jazz Festival [in California], and the trumpeter Andrea Motis was on the project. After we finished, I was so amazed by her music; I had never heard of her. So then, she started including Lil Hardin’s music in her shows.

I’ve worked with different people, and they’ve been exposed to her music and are starting to cover it. I know [vocalist and composer] Thana Alexa covered ‘Clip Joint’, and reached out to me about that. So, through the project, people have started to play her music. That’s the goal, for more people to learn about her music. 

UKJN: How did you choose these Hardin tunes?

CO’D: I wanted to [highlight] a wide variety of her career. So, I chose some more popular tunes, like ‘Struttin’ With Some Barbecue’ and ‘Just For a Thrill’, [the latter of which was] made famous by Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles.

But I wanted to pay homage to tunes that people had never heard of, like ‘Let’s Call it Love’, ‘Let’s Get Happy Together’, and the title track, ‘Bluer Than Blue’. I wanted to dig into her lesser-known charts that people hadn’t been exposed to before.

UKJN: What do you have coming up?

CO’D: My next project is called Suite for Gearoidin. It’s a 13-part suite that I wrote with my quartet for my mom. Instrumental, very original music.

Some of the pieces are very short. They carry through seamlessly without a lot of pauses. There are not a lot of starts and ends; they just kind of trickle into each other. We recorded that last April, and it will come out in 2026.

UKJN: What inspired you to pay homage to your mom?

CO’D: My mom had a really long battle with cancer, and she passed away last May. Toward the end of her life, I wanted to create something for her that was hopeful and uplifting, something that could be a soundtrack for all the things that she was navigating.

Through the process, I found that a lot of people can relate to that. Music, for me, is very healing and therapeutic and calming. It allows me to express what I feel.

In performing the body of work, even now that my mom passed away, I think a lot of people resonate with using music as a tool for healing or dealing with something that life throws at you that is overwhelming.

The post Mondays with Morgan: Caili O’Doherty – new album ‘Bluer Than Blue’ first appeared on UK Jazz News.