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Showing posts from May, 2025

In conversation with composer Vonn Vanier

Welcome to the latest episode of Harmonious World, in which I interview musicians about how their music helps make the world more harmonious. For this episode, I was joined by  Vonn Vanier , ahead of the release of his fascinating debut album Dawn . Thanks to Vonn for allowing me to share clips from Dawn , which has a fascinating selection of styles and creativity. 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."

Another brilliant Blue Note release - 'Words Fall Short' from Joshua Redman

One of the stand-out albums of 2023 was sax player Joshua Redman's debut on Blue Note Records and he's done it again this year with his second release on the iconic label.  ‘ Words Fall Short ’ - out on 20 June - follows beautifully from 'Where Are We?', which I reviewed in 2023. Redman's second album on Blue Note marks a moment in time with the band leader’s remarkable new outfit. Alongside his quartet of Paul Cornish (piano), Philip Norris (bass) and Nazir Ebo (drums), Redman has called on some exceptional talent in the shape of Melissa Aldana (sax) and Skylar Tang (trumpet). There’s also the wonderful voice of Gabrielle Cavassa, who helped Redman breathe life into the 2023 release ‘Where Are We?’ There'll soon be a full album review on KindofJazz.com

Ferg's Imaginary Big Band: Live at Ronnie Scott's

At the end of a lively and exuberant performance that filled the stage with musicians and the air with very real performances, Leeds-based Fergus Quill's Imaginary Big Band spilled out onto Frith Street and blasted passers-by and fine diners with their experimental arrangements. Frith Street comes to life Led by bandleader and bassist Fergus Quill, this disparate group of young musicians performs arrangements of tunes, free improvisations and a plethora of compositions by Quill and other members of the band. Although I was aware of Quill's work - he won the Musicians’ Company 2022 Tina May Jazz Award  - I only found out about the Ronnie Scott's gig by chatting with pianist and composer Nico Widdowson in Watford last week. Widdowson won the Tina May award in 2024. This is no ordinary big band. There's no Glenn Miller or Billy Strayhorn. And that's OK. Because there's plenty of Quill and Widdowson: this is music of the 21st century with a VERY big band - six sax...

Ute Lemper joins me to discuss 'Pirate Jenny'

Welcome to the latest episode of Harmonious World, in which I interview musicians about how their music helps make the world more harmonious. It was a real delight to chat with  Ute Lemper : I was assistant to the Producer of The Wall: Berlin 1990 and Ute sang on stage for that performance. Her latest album is Pirate Jenny, a celebration of revolutionary composer Kurt Weill's 125th birthday this year. If you get a chance to hear Ute sing live, please do take it - if you're in the UK, she's appearing at the  Cadogan Hall  on Friday 13 June and I hope to be in the audience. Thanks to Ute for allowing me to share clips from Pirate Jenny and you'll want your headphones on to experience the delights of her voice(s)! 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 singl...

Alice Zawadzki: Live at Watford Jazz Junction Music Festival

The last Saturday night of Watford Jazz Junction Music Festival 2025 was the most amazing world premiere of a jazz suite composed by singer and violinist  Alice Zawadzki . I was fortunate enough to be present for the first run-through, when this incredible group of musicians came together and made creative contributions to the form and structure of ‘Invented Folklore’. Alice Zawadski and her band The evening began with kinetic wonderment from tap dancer Petra Haller and pianist Tom O’Brien in a rendition of jazz standards and free improvisation. A truly unique experience, since no two performance could ever be the same. Following that, Zawadski and her band were truly entrancing in their creative and collaborative renditions of the violinist and vocalist’s stunning compositions. The compositions allowed each musician the freedom to improvise and come together in ensemble sections that seemed effortless but clearly can only happen when you know and understand both the writing and yo...

Mark Kavuma supported by Oscar Lyons: Live at Watford Pump House

Another delightful evening with Watford Jazz Junction Music Festival at the Pump House Theatre, this time with award-winning trumpeter Mark Kavuma supported by another rising star - Oscar Lyons. The Mark Kavuma Quintet Oscar Lyons Quartet The evening began with Oscar Lyons (piano) with George Johnson (tenor sax), Zaki Osahn (bass) and Ananda Brandao (drums) with an impressive set of original compositions proving that the young jazz world is thriving and producing outstanding music. While they may lack the experience, they absolutely have the chops, with each musician performing with a frenetic energy when required and a beautiful calm of freedom and respect for the creativity and improvisation of each other. Percussive piano melds into gentle melodies: intensity and speed ebbs and flows. Clearly, these musicians have done their preparation and enjoy working together, with simplicity and complexity each handled brilliantly. Following a break, the stage was prepared for Mark Kavuma (tru...

Nico Widdowson, Tim Garland, Gwilym Simcock: Live with Watford Jazz Junction

Wednesday night brought a breathtaking, extraordinary night of unbridled jazz of which Watford Jazz Junction Music Festival should be proud. Nico Widdowson with his trio Programming is notoriously difficult for jazz festivals and the work done by the team at Watford Jazz Junction has proved that finding solutions is not just possible, but is also incredibly satisfying. Audiences enjoying more than one night of this year's music festival have experienced jazz of extraordinary variety and at an internationally high quality. Wednesday was the highlight so far for me and is up there on my list of best gigs.  Opening the show was Nico Widdowson (piano) with Joe MacLaren (bass) and Jordan Hatfield (drums). From the opening musical onslaught, this was an exciting and invigorating set. Widdowson proved why he won the Musicians' Company Tina May award in 2024 as musician of the year. Interestingly, Tim Garland (of whom more later) won the award in 1997. Avant garde jazz can be difficu...

Janet Evra and Ilario Ferrari: Live at Watford Pump House

Watford Jazz Junction Music Festival 2025 continued in fine style on Tuesday with performances from singer and bass player Janet Evra , followed by pianist and vocalist  Ilario Ferrari in the intimate setting of the Watford Pump House. Ilario Ferrari with Charlie Pyne and Katie Patterson The team at Watford Jazz Junction have done an excellent job in selecting a variety of musicians to perform at this year's festival, and it's a delight that they've managed to put on so many shows this year, with the last few being held at the Pump House theatre. After shows with Harry T Pope, Vanessa Haynes and Elaine Delmar, this evening at the cosy Pump House took our jazz in another direction, to continue exploring the genre with Evra's bass trio and Ferrari's piano trio. Janet Evra was joined by Will Buchanan (guitar) and Jamie Joiner (drums) in a selection of original tunes and some beautiful covers - notably Baby I'm a Fool  by Melody Gardot and Blondie's Call Me . Th...

A live conversation with Dave Keech ahead of his EP launch

Welcome to the latest episode of Harmonious World, in which I interview musicians about how their music helps make the world more harmonious. I have known trombonist  Dave Keech  for several years and it's exciting to hear some of his own new music - his EP  Tokyo  comes out in October. In our live conversation, Dave and I discuss the tracks and musicians on Tokyo and I hope you enjoy listening in. Thanks to Dave for allowing me to share the single Americanology from the EP, which was released in April. Watch out for more singles to come! 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."

Elaine Delmar: Live and in conversation with Ruth Fisher

Proving that great singers can be both understated and bold, the legendary Elaine Delmar thrilled the audience with her exceptional and cool trio at a brunch hosted by Jazz FM and One Jazz presenter Ruth Fisher . Someone asked me recently about my favourite gig so far of 2025, and it was too hard to decide, and now another one has been added to the list of truly staggering gigs. I have heard Elaine Delmar sing before, but was simply stunned by her performance on Sunday lunchtime as part of the Watford Jazz Junction Music Festival . At the age of 86, Delmar puts many younger singers in the shade with her ability to take the audience’s heart strings and rip them right out with her emotional arrangements of some classic songs, like Don’t Sleep in the Subway and Send in the Clowns . She has an innate ability to sing gently and expressively and demand your full attention. Delmar’s band is just very special:  Barry Green (piano), Simon Thorpe (bass) and Bobby Worth (drums). They have a...

Vanessa Haynes: Live at Watford Palace Theatre

Saturday night saw the gala night to kick off the Watford Jazz Junction Music Festival that runs across the town from 10-18 May. Singer Vanessa Haynes presented her selection of Aretha Franklin favourites with an impressive 10-piece band. Opening the night - and the whole festival - was singer Harry T Pope , with his talented young band. While Pope focused on a number of engaging and heart-felt originals (plus Stevie Wonder's Superstition ) Haynes produced fabulous personal renditions of Franklin classics including Chain Of Fools,   Respect  and I Say A Little Prayer. Best arrangement of the night goes to Vanessa and her backing vocalists Mary, Chloe and Belle accompanied by pianist Tom O'Grady on ( You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman . Alongside Haynes vocals and Wurlitzer piano, her band was right on point throughout the show: Tom O’Grady (piano and Hammond), Tiago Coimbra (bass), Al Cherry (guitar), Martyn Kaine (drums), Sam Ewens (trumpet), Paul Bo...

'Heartbeat Drumming' from Manuel Pasquinelli

Improvisation is often inspired by the feelings and emotions of the artist at the time of the performance, and that is more than especially true of the debut solo album from Swiss drummer Manuel Pasquinelli: 'Heartbeat Drumming' is all at the pace of his own heart, in real time. There is something mesmerising and engaging about this album - one track lasting 37 minutes and all recorded in one take. Swiss drummer Manuel Pasquinelli is widely recognised as the drummer for Sonar and their collaborations with David Torn. Over the past 12 years, he has also gained acclaim as a composer and bandleader with his own group, the AKKU Quintet, and for his work with duo Schrödinger’s Katze. He says: “Playing the drums in this way is an intense, I’d even say transcendent experience. I take my heart as an unsteady natural metronome, while constantly adapting the pace of my drumming. Connected to my inner beat, I am simultaneously suspended between total freedom and total dependence at the sa...

Nicole Zuraitis shares her thoughts ahead of the release of 'Siren Songs Volume II'

Welcome to the latest episode of Harmonious World, in which I interview musicians about how their music helps make the world more harmonious. As soon as I met  Nicole Zuraitis  last year, I knew she'd make a great guest and she proved me correct. There was so much to discuss and I hope you enjoy listening in to our conversation about music, her work with the marvellous  Christian McBride  and mutual friend  Nigel Williams  from JazzFM. Thanks to Nicole for allowing me to play tracks from the Grammy-winning  How Love Begins  as well as the upcoming  Siren Songs Volume II  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."

Phil Bancroft: 'Testimony'

Spontaneous jazz can sometimes sound lazy, and that is definitely not the case with Phil Bancroft 's new suite ' Testimony ', which is out now on the saxophonist's own Myriad Streams platform, just a few weeks after the launch of his trio album, 'The Beautiful Storm'. Solo sax has something of an ethereal, other-worldly sound to it, and that is more than ever true of Testimony , which was recorded in a barn during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown in 2021. Completely improvised, the suite nevertheless takes a structure of its own. Bancroft says:  “I was exploring the amazing acoustics of the barn and trying to learn how to make videos for social media. So, I set up some cameras and a nice microphone and thought, ‘Let’s see what happens...’. I improvised with no intention or plan. To be honest, while I was playing, I was feeling that the whole thing was a waste of time, that I couldn’t play, my inner critic was in full flow.” What he recorded in that barn captures t...

Bandcamp Friday - support artists today especially

Since Bandcamp Friday launched in 2020, to support musicians struggling under the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns, fans have paid millions to artists as the platform waives its revenue share. Today the initiative returns, so get buying music! Artists like Harmonious World favourite William Susman promote Bandcamp Friday and often include special offers to entice us all to buy music direct from them. If you can’t buy a physical CD from an artist, Bandcamp is often the best way to support musicians struggling under, and Bandcamp Friday makes that even more important. Wherever possible, I encourage listeners to Harmonious World to stream their music from Bandcamp. On Friday 2 May 2025, Bandcamp won’t take their usual share, meaning more of your money goes directly to the artists and labels you support. Since launching Bandcamp Friday in 2020, fans have paid over $130 million directly to artists and labels through this initiative. That support has helped them pay rent, fufund tours, pres...

Gig listing no 17: May 2025

Festival season is upon us! Monday 5 May: Pizza Express, Dean Street, Soho London W1 Ineza & ‘Women’s Words, Sisters’ Stories’ (‘Fantastic’ – Sarah Ward, Jazz FM) with Alex Webb (piano), Flo Moore (bass) and Katie Patterson (drums). Saturday 10 May to Sunday 18 May: Watford Jazz Junction Festival If you can get to Watford, just north of London, there are some great events planned, including: Vanessa Haynes presents Aretha Franklin; supported by Harry T Pope; Ruth Fisher's Jazz Brunch featuring Elaine Delmar; Tim Garland and Gwilym Simcock; Mark Kavuma; supported by Oscar Lyons Quartet; Errol Linton; Alice Zawadski & friends; supported by Petra Haller; and Jazz Steps presents 30 bands including the Funk City Orchestra featuring Imaani and Mary Pearce.  Click here for tickets & info Sunday 11 May: Pizza Express, Dean Street, Soho London W1 The Pocket Ellington returns to this famous Soho jazz club with Alan Barnes (reeds), Tony Kofi (tenor), Simon Finch (trumpet), David L...

It Takes Two: Live at Soul Mama for International Jazz Day

My first visit to East London’s Soul Mama was to hear ‘It Takes Two’ with Alex Webb and singers Lulu Pierre and Marvin Muoneké. Performing a selection of songs made famous by some of the great duos of jazz - Sarah Vaughan and Billy Eckstine, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles and Betty Carter - Lulu and Marvin did justice to classics from the great American songbook, as well as featuring songs by pianist, arranger and band leader Alex Webb. Soul Mama has forged a place in this little corner of East London, just a few steps from Stratford International station, itself just five minutes by train from St Pancras. It’s a comfortable club created by sax player and so much more to the London jazz scene YolanDa Brown , together with Adetokunbo ‘T’ Oyelola. Famously the most successful restaurant Kickstarter-funded globally, Soul Mama is becoming known for its food as well as its great choice of jazz acts. It Takes Two is a show that you can catch at other venues in coming month...