One of my top tracks from 2016

The fabulous Kandace Springs with one of my favourite tracks, written with Coltrane in mind and beautifully recorded originally by him.

This version includes the scrumptious trumpet of Terence Blanchard. He's done some great work this year and my ear seems drawn to the trumpet recently, with other players including Theo Croker and Farnell Newton. Oh, and Guy Barker, of course.

Hitchin's famous black squirrels

So pleased to see this pair of black squirrels this morning. Also pleased the dog missed them.

Just because it's invisible, doesn't mean it's gone

There's a house in this fog at the bottom of the field.

There's also a chunk of Bedfordshire away in the distance.

You can usually see for miles from the top of this field but just because the fog is thick doesn't mean the world has disappeared.

That's a metaphor, that is. And a beautiful shot of sunshine trying to break through.

Have a very Happy Christmas, wherever you are

A weekend of listening to old friends

I may have found my favourite album of 2016 - review to come in due course.

Meanwhile, Sunday night meant Guy Barker's Big Band with friends at the Royal Albert Hall. Another review on its way.

[Update]: click here for the review

Happy Birthday to a legend

Wishing Mr Bill Ashton OBE a happy 80th birthday was a great pleasure. A bunch of musicians who've been part of NYJO (the National Youth Jazz Orchestra) got together to help do it in style. Of course, many of the NYJO alumni couldn't be there because they're busy, working musicians.

Name BBC's Strictly Come Dancing, the Royal Variety Performance and many other notable musical events and bands of all genres and there'll be a NYJO connection somewhere.

When Bill created the band in the 1960s, he probably didn't realise the success it would bring to many of the people who grew up with Saturday morning rehearsals and gigs around the UK and the world.

So, it was a pleasure to be one of the people repaying the debt, including band leader Pete Long (front left) and trumpeter Simon Gardner (back, right behind Bill). Plus Simon's son, also a phenomenal trumpeter and a current member of the band.

Happy Birthday, Bill!

Theo Croker – we’re not drinking the Kool-aid

Theo Croker and his band are not being taken in. It was reassuring to meet this group of young Americans just days after Donald Trump became President-Elect. These men are not fooled by any of it. In a reference to the Jonestown tragedy in 1978 where mass suicide involved poisoned soft drinks, Theo and his band emphasised just how savvy they are.

Of course, Croker’s 2016 album – Escape Velocity – is evidence enough of free-thinking and creativity. It is a stunning collection of tunes that show Croker’s trumpet and the whole band’s skills beautifully.

Real life is there in every tune. Social media is part of their everyday life – all these musicians are active and engaged with the world. That engagement is clear in the music, which mixes electronic wizadry and production values with musical ability and performance that is exceptional.

It was fascinating to be given the opportunity to meet trumpeter Theo Croker, Kassa Overall (drums), Michael King (keys), Eric Wheeler (bass), Anthony Ware (saxes) and Ben Eunson (guitar). Interviewing this democracy in miniature was an interesting event as they filmed it for themselves, just as I recorded the sound. Taking it all in is obvious in the album, too. “The music is all about people and the world we experience as we travel around,” Croker said.

Next time, I’ll catch the live show, too. “When we go into the studio, we want to create something different to what you’ll hear live,” Croker said. Certainly, there’s an honesty and a transparency – these men are living today and making the most of every moment. Perhaps that’s what Escape Velocity is about – finding the speed to live better and not to believe the lies.