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...

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...

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."

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...

It was a pleasure to interview trumpeter Muneer Nasser for Harmonious World back in March 2023, and then to review his book in August the same year. The combination of accomplished musician and fascinating historian and writer on telling his father’s story is engaging and now Muneer has released his latest quintet album: ‘ Blue House Session ’. This album takes Muneer and his trumpet around the musical world and there’s something for everyone, from originals to covers, such as Miles Davis’s All Blues and the standard Polka Dots and Moonbeams . Recorded in the summer of 2023 with a stunning band that allows the trumpeter to shine alongside the others: Elijah Easton (tenor sax), Allyn Johnson (piano), James King Jr (bass) and John Lamkin III (drums). Alongside his trumpet, Muneer grabs the flugehorn from time to time, and he almost seems more at ease on the slightly larger and more mellow horn. Muneer’s musical talent comes from a lot of hard work, but also, genetically, via his bass-p...

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 ...

Welcome to the latest episode of Harmonious World, in which I interview musicians about how their music helps make the world more harmonious. Me with Pete Chambers in the 'Ghost Town' car It is a real pleasure to end 2024 with this interview featuring  Pete Chambers , journalist and curator of the impressive  Coventry Music Museum . I'm a great believer in the need to both embrace the music that influences us and to celebrate emerging artists. Pete and I discuss both the historic place of Coventry in music but also the future: successful artists continue to come out of this part of the UK. 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 conversation took place in the lobby of London's Kings Place concert hall and it was great to chat with  Catriona Bourne  about her jazz, classical and folk influences. Her debut album  Triquetra  came out in October and features her on harp, flute and voice, as well as writing, arranging and producing. Thanks to Cat for allowing me to play clips of a couple of her 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."

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 offers something a little different - a snapshot of the world of songwriters and an insight into an international music competition. The  International Songwriting Competition  is an annual song contest that offers aspiring and established songwriters to have their songs heard in a professional international arena. Joe explains something of the aims and mechanics of the competition. I'm delighted that Harmonious World has become one of the  ISC's industry partners . The track at the start and end of this conversation is the Harmonious World theme tune, performed by pianist and composer  Joe English . 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 harmonio...

Lineup is still to be announced, but the dates have been revealed for next year's Watford Jazz Junction Festival . The 2024 edition was spectacular, and we're looking for another wide range of music - something for everyone between 10 and 18 May 2025. And the music starts even before that, with a special performance from the amazing Orphy Robinson on 28 February 2025 . Meanwhile, WJJ are running a crowd funder to ensure that their free event around Oxhey village on 18 May remains free to the audience, with artists paid to perform. Please contribute if you can.

Welcome to the latest episode of Harmonious Worl d, in which I interview musicians about how their music helps make the world more harmonious. This conversation took place between sets at  Cambridge Jazz Festival  a couple of weeks ago, when  Dennis Rollins  was working as composer, conductor and artistic director with the  Cambridge University Jazz Orchestra . It was a real pleasure to chat with Dennis and I hope we can fit in a more lengthy conversation in the near future. His passion for education knows no bounds, and you can experience his wisdom wherever you are in the world at  funkytrombone.com Thanks to Dennis for allowing me to play clips of a couple 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,...