Hilary Seabrook - writer, podcaster, musician

Just announced is the full line-up for this year's EFG London Jazz Festival 2024 ! From 15-24 November, you'll be able to catch a selection of the incredible music on offer in the capital’s biggest celebration of jazz and live music. The full programme is organised into a number of strands to help us all negotiate our way through such a huge selection of events:  Icons ,  Jazz Visionaries ,  New Creations ,  Homegrown ,  Beyond Margins ,  Voices ,  Beyond Borders ,  Celebrating the Jazz Clubs  and  Free & Family . There are some real icons, like  Pat Metheny ,  Jamie Cullum ,  Song Yi Jeon with a special appearance by Dianne Reeves ,  Charles Tolliver Presents Max Roach @ 100 ,  Meshell Ndgeocello  and  Imelda May + Bernhofft. For me, one of the most exciting strands is Beyond Borders, which showcases music from all corners of the earth, celebrating unity with the power of music. Discover the likes of  Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 + FaceSoul,   Cimafunk + Desta French ,  The Jo

Pianist Simon Mulligan joins me for the latest episode of Harmonious World . A transatlantic performer, Simon is British but lives in the United States. It was a delight to be introduced to him by friend of the podcast William Susman , and I interviewed Simon just around the corner from the 606 Club in London's Chelsea Harbour. Thanks to Simon for allowing me to share some of his tracks alongside our conversation. Thank you for listening to Harmonious World. Please rate, review and share: click on the link and subscribe to support the show. Don't forget the Quincy Jones quote that sums up why I do this: "Imagine what a harmonious world it would be if every single person, both young and old, shared a little of what he is good at doing." Support the show Thanks for listening to Harmonious World. You can support the show by  becoming a subscriber .

Venturing into our local independent cinema away from a rainy Sunday afternoon to watch  the marvellous’Lee’ was definitely a prime example of pathetic fallacy. With moments of joy, this is a dark expression of the life of the remarkable photographer Lee Miller, starring Kate Winslet. ‘Lee’ was produced with the full support of Miller’s family and it is a brutally honest portrayal of a complex woman who in her time produced some of the most iconic representations of the Second World War, particularly in her images of the liberation of Dachau.  This is far from a comfortable piece to watch, but it’s deeply moving and Winslet’s portrayal of the photographer feels genuine and respectful. Miller never really enjoyed the success she deserved for her work in the final months of the Second World War, and it was her son who discovered her photos in her English home after her death in 1977. Without his work, we might never have known the story of this remarkable woman.  Gazing at the photos his

For the latest episode of Harmonious World , I'm joined by pianist and composer   Phil Merriman : his album   The Roots Beneath   came out in the spring and it's a loely collection of tunes that sit somewhere between instrumental contemporary jazz and modern classical music. Thanks to Phil for allowing me to share some of his tracks alongside our conversation. Thank you for listening to Harmonious World. Please rate, review and share: click on the link and subscribe to support the show. Don't forget the Quincy Jones quote that sums up why I do this: "Imagine what a harmonious world it would be if every single person, both young and old, shared a little of what he is good at doing." Support the show Thanks for listening to Harmonious World. You can support the show by  becoming a subscriber .

Aiming to be the UK's first sustainable outside theatre, The Living Theatre in the tiny village of Whitewell is well on its way, with brilliant and professional actors, directors and backstage crew. This week, they're performing Macbeth  and the Sunday matinee performance managed to dodge torrential thunderstorms that brought pathetic fallacy to life in the hours running up to the start. The Living Theatre Founded in August 2020 - perhaps not the ideal time to begin any creative endeavour - The Living Theatre has clear aims: “To develop a professional working community theatre in a rural open space with access to industry experience for all whilst promoting mental well-being, community engagement and personal development.” The Living Theatre's production of Macbeth  (it couldn't have been more different to Friday's Present Laughter !) was dark and effective, with the two protagonists supported brilliantly by Duncan, Malcolm, Banquo, Macduff et al. This is a really

There is a wonderful programme that allows cinemas across the UK to screen productions from London as part of NTLive from the National Theatre. This week, I was entranced by Present Laughter by Noel Coward, originally performed at the Old Vic, another of our fine theatres. We're particularly fortunate in Hitchin to have several theatre spaces, including The Richard Whitmore studio (named after one of the UK's most esteemed newsreaders and journalists, who lives in Hitchin). Twice a month, it is taken over by Hitchin Films for screenings of some real treasures and often for NTLive events. Present Laughter is a delightful, farcical comedy with some very deep messages, hidden beneath the hilarity. The play revolves around the indiscretions and career of Garry Essendine (played here by Andrew Scott), an actor who is somewhat self-obsessed - his surname is an anagram of 'neediness'. I love Coward's play on words. Apparently, the ideas behind Present Laughter  were for

When I heard the sax playing of Bjorn Arko with Billy Cobham at Love Supreme in July, I was determined to find out more about his background and playing. That led to an interview and the latest episode of Harmonious World .  Bjorn Arko on stage with Billy Cobham Thanks to Bjorn, you can hear a couple of his most recent tracks alongside our conversation and he tells me there's a new album in the pipeline. Thank you for listening to Harmonious World. Please rate, review and share: click on the link and subscribe to support the show. Don't forget the Quincy Jones quote that sums up why I do this: "Imagine what a harmonious world it would be if every single person, both young and old, shared a little of what he is good at doing." Support the show Thanks for listening to Harmonious World. You can support the show by becoming a subscriber .

I'm a little late to the party on the work of composer, saxophonist and clarinettist Tom Thorp , who hails from Manchester and brings the album on tour across the UK this autumn. Tom Thorp (centre) with Ilumetris Tom tells a story of discovering an unusual part of the landscape where he walks his dog. Like many musicians and composers, the inspiration led to immense creativity and now there's a new acoustic project called Ilumetris and the album  Here, There Be Monsters . This is a strong album with some amazing performances from Tom himself, alongside Neil Yates (trumpet and Flugelhorn, Andy Stamatakis-Brown (piano), Grant Russell (bass) and John Arnesen (drums). There are also some spoken word passages from Prof. George Walkden. Listening to the album, there's no credit for bass clarinet, but I'm sure I spotted some and assume it's from Tom. The fine sounds of contemporary jazz and classical music combine in Tom's writing and playing - sometimes together on th

Welcome to September, which here in the UK is starting to feel decidedly autumnal. Check out some of these venues and events below, especially those featuring past guests on the Harmonious World podcast: Monday 2 September: Pizza Express, Dean Street, Soho London W1 The concert debut of The Pocket Ellington, a seven-piece celebration of the Ellington repertoire with Alan Barnes (reeds), Tony Kofi (tenor), Simon Finch (trumpet), David Lalljee (trombone), Dave Green (bass) and Winston Clifford (drums). As well as clever adaptations of Ellington classics the group also plays music from arranger/composers influenced by the Duke, including Mingus, Monk and Gil Evans. Click here for tickets & info Thursday 12 September: Piano Bar Soho, Carlisle St London W1D 3BT Marvin Muoneke with the Alex Webb Trio. A rare London date by this remarkable jazz vocalist, who toured recently with the Down For The Count Orchestra. Expect spine-tingling versions of the great jazz ballads as well as plenty of