Hilary Seabrook - writer, podcaster, musician

One of my favourite albums of 2025 so far comes from trumpeter Brandon Woody and his band Upendo on Blue Note records. Brandon Woody and Upendo (c) Jamie Sandel Newly-signed to Blue Note Records, acclaimed trumpeter and composer Brandon Woody is releasing For The Love Of It All on 9 May 2025. Woody says: “It’s a huge honour to be a part of this label’s legacy. I am excited to begin this new era in collaboration with Blue Note.” “Brandon is one of those rare artists who possesses both a vibrant vision and the chops and knowledge to manifest it,” says Blue Note President Don Was. “As such, he is a natural exponent of the Blue Note ethos and we’re proud to welcome him to the family.” You can read my album review on KindofJazz.com

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 discuss  Bespoke Songs  with soprano  Fotina Naumenko . This new album features four works for soprano and mixed instrumental ensembles. The compositions were commissioned by the singer and feature the works for four composers, each based on lurics by female authors. Thanks to Fotina for allowing me to play tracks from  Bespoke Song s 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."

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 great pleasure to chat with pianist and composer  Sultan Stevenson , discussing his engrossing new album,  El Roi , as well as his nomination as Breakthrough Act of the Year in this year's  Jazz FM Awards . Sultan is out on  tour , so do try to catch him when you can. And we're all keeping our fingers crossed for the announcement of the 2025 Jazz FM Awards later in April. You can also  listen to my conversation  with sax player Soweto Kinch, who I interviewed at the end of 2023 and who appears on  El Roi . Thanks to Sultan for allowing me to play tracks from  El Roi  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 ...

For many years, when jazz was less mainstream and accessible, it was often Jamie Cullum who was cited as the hope for British jazz. When he released 'Twenty Something' in 2003, it was certainly the first time that other people were talking about the music that I was enjoying listening to. At 40, I suddenly could have conversations with people about jazz without them thinking I was weird. Now Cullum is being honoured with the Impact Award at the 2025 Jazz FM Awards. Although Cullum has always been on my wishlist for guests on Harmonious World, I was delighted to interview pianist and composer Sultan Stevenson , celebrating his new album El Roi  and also his nomination for Breakthrough Act in the same awards. If talking about Cullum made me a little bit cool in 2003, then chatting with Stevenson in 2025 may be ramping up my credibility a little. This year’s ceremony will be hosted by Ben Bailey Smith (AKA Doc Brown) and nominees for the 2025 Jazz FM Awards include (of course) Ez...

I'm delighted that there's a new cover for Harmonious World . Thanks to Cassy Paris for the new profile pic and to Richard Cave for the re-design. There are so many musicians producing outstanding work at the moment and it's difficult to keep up, but I'll keep trying, I have big plans for Harmonious World in the coming months - just search wherever you get your podcasts or click here . Of course, it would be great if you could subscribe , share etc.

An extraordinary gig at the marvellous Pizza Express in London’s Dean Street: Jo Harrop at her best with her band for the launch of her vinyl album ‘ The Path of a Tear ’.  Paul Edis (piano) with Jo Review in detail now on KindofJazz.com

Welcome to the latest episode of Harmonious World, in which I interview musicians about how their music helps make the world more harmonious. For the first episode in season 20, I am joined in conversation by pianist  Chris Gall . We discuss his brand new album  Impressionists Improvised , a solo piano exploration of works by Debussy, Ravel and Satie alongside some original tracks. This is a beautiful combination of classical music that many of us are familiar with, interpreted with improvisions by a brilliant pianist. Thanks to Chris for allowing me to play tracks from Impressionists Improvised 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."

Welcome to the latest episode of Harmonious World, in which I interview musicians about how their music helps make the world more harmonious. This episode features the highly talented jazz singer and songwriter Mette Juul . I interviewed her in September 2023 for  episode 174 , discussing her previous album Celeste. Her new album - Thank You & Other Stories - is essentially about luck. It's also about how we are all connected and the significant impact we can have on each others' lives. She also sings about trying to accept some of the darker sides of life and embracing our imperfections. Thanks to Mette for allowing me to play tracks from Thank You & Other Stories 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 you...

Welcome to the latest episode of Harmonious World, in which I interview musicians about how their music helps make the world more harmonious. I was fortunate in meeting this week's guest - saxophonist and composer  Matt Carmichael  - before we spoke for the podcast. He was performing as part of Ensemble C with my guest from  episode 263  Claire Cope and hearing him live and with a different group of musicians was fascinating. You can read my review of that gig  here . Thanks to Matt for allowing me to play tracks from his latest album - out on 28 March - Dancing with Embers 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."

Every once in a while, music hits my inbox and jumps straight onto my regular playlist. That was true yesterday when I heard Polish guitarist Marcin for the first time: his collaboration with pianist Hayato Sumino  on Stevie Wonder’s ‘I Wish’ brought incredible energy into my ears and my life. Describing musicians as social media sensations can often mean more emphasis on the influencing than the music, but this is absolutely not true of these two artists. There is a vibrancy and virtuosity from both musicians that comes from extensive musical studies across all genres of music. Their version of ‘I Wish’ takes the Stevie Wonder classic and blows it apart with this extraordinary live recording. Marcin discusses the arranging and performance process: “Working with Hayato on ‘I Wish’ was one of the most challenging and fun experiences. We arranged the song in about two hours at Hayato’s studio in Tokyo, and two days later we were already recording it live in the studio! It was the fi...

International Women's Day 2025 was pretty much all about the special episode of Harmonious World featuring pianist and composer Claire Cope , followed by the launch of Claire's album 'Every Journey' with her Ensemble C . Every Journey  is a truly stunning album and the launch event at Jazz Cafe Posk gave a packed audience the chance to enjoy a few of the tracks. Beginning the evening with the album's title track allowed Ensemble C to show the dynamic range and instrument combinations that make Every Journey  such a special collection of work. Cope has a unique ability in grouping instruments in this 11-piece ensemble to create a vast array of colour. Dynamically, there were some very impressive passages that built imperceptibly from a relative silence to filling the whole venue. Creating such an exceptional sound from these 11 instruments has taken skill, with Cope acknowledging the inspiration from musical forebears such as Kenny Wheeler and Maria Schneider. When ...

Welcome to a special International Women's Day 2025 episode of Harmonious World , in which I interview musicians about how their music helps make the world more harmonious. I'm delighted to be joined by pianist and composer Claire Cope - her Ensemble C has a new album out today, called Every Journey. Thanks to Claire for allowing me to play tracks from Every Journey alongside our conversation. I hope you enjoy those tracks, and particularly Home, which ends the podcast and which really encapsulates that feeling of being where you feel most at home, or the people that bring that feeling. 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."

Welcome to the latest episode of Harmonious World, in which I interview musicians about how their music helps make the world more harmonious. Guitarist Pritesh Walia joins me today from California, to discuss his debut album - Hopetown . This is an impressive first album, with original compositions and an inventive arrangement of The Beatles' Blackbird, a clip of which you can hear as we discuss the tune. Thanks to Pritesh for allowing me to play tracks from Hopetown 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."

Welcome to the  latest episode  of Harmonious World, in which I interview musicians about how their music helps make the world more harmonious. It's always interesting to talk to someone with a passion for a specific musical topic and I'm joined here by Thomas J Morris , who has an incredible history alongside some of the world's finest orchestras: his book Always the Music: How a Lifelong Passion Framed a Future for Orchestras is well worth a read and we discuss some of the ideas within it. 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."

A few days spent in the North Wales sanctuary that is Gladstone's Library helped me complete my first novel. Now, that novel is ready for beta readers to pick apart before I officially launch my Kickstarter to publish it.

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 bassist Adam Ben Ezra , who has a new album out at the end of February. Heavy Drops is a fascinating creative collection of ten original tunes that focus on the double bass. Thanks to Adam for allowing me to share tracks from his album 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."

There’s a subtle change afoot with my blog, alongside the podcast Harmonious World - from now on, both will focus on music that makes the world a better place. There are no genre barriers and I will be reviewing albums and live performances. It has always been my aim to bring a positive spin wherever possible and to help spread the word on great music. So, if you are looking for new music to listen to, regardless of the genre, then you’ve come to the right place. Since starting Harmonious World, I have interviewed some incredible musicians and in the first season I was lucky enough to speak to both Laila Biali and Maria Schneider . Take a listen and let me know what you think. When I was a teenager, I loved classical music, but the first piece of music that I was really aware of was George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue  and that famous opening solo is what persuaded me to begin learning the clarinet. If Gershwin had been writing fifty years later, he might have been writing for jaz...

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 pleasure to interview  Ineza , discussing her latest album,  Women's Words, Sisters' Stories  with pianist, composer and arranger Alex Webb and a great band. I first saw Ineza and Alex perform this repertoire back in October 2023 and you can read a review of that gig  here . I've also reviewed the album  here . This album also features Charlie Pyne on bass, whose own album Nature is a Mother is reviewed  here  (Charlie is on my list for a live podcast episode soon!) Thanks to Ineza for giving me permission to play extracts from Women's Words, Sisters' Stories 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...

Welcome to the latest episode of Harmonious World , in which I interview musicians about how their music helps make the world more harmonious. In this episode, I chat with singer-songwriter   Avery Hill   about her latest album:   The One Who Remembers . The art of storytelling is important to Avery and that comes across in her music. Thanks to Avery for giving me permission to play extracts from her   The One Who Remembers   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."

Happy New Year! Welcome to the latest episode of Harmonious World, in which I interview musicians about how their music helps make the world more harmonious. This first episode of season 19 features a conversation with saxophonist and composer  Emma Rawicz , who I saw twice at the end of 2024 - once with her own band at  Kings Place  and once at  Ronnie Scott's with Laila Biali  (who you can also hear on  episode 246 ). It was great to chat with Emma about her experiences as a musician and also about her forthcoming projects, particularly a duo with pianist and composer Gwilym Simcock. More of that to come! Thanks to Emma for giving me permission to play extracts from her 2023 album Chroma 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 and receive some great freebies! Don't forget the Quincy Jones quote that sums up why I do this: "Imagine what a ...