Hilary Seabrook - writer, podcaster, musician

With apologies for the quality of this interview , where technology between the UK and Russia wasn't always reliable, but this is nevertheless a great interview with an outstanding sax player,  Igor Butman .     We had a fascinating discussion about his music and the bridge he is constantly building between Moscow and New York. His new album -  Only Now -   is available now. I cannot recommend it highly enough and I hope the two tracks I've included here give some indication of the quality you'll enjoy. And if you have ever considered a trip to Moscow, this time next year will be the time to go, when Igor is set to help celebrate 100 years of Russian jazz with a concert at the renowned Bolshoi Theatre on 1 October 2022.       Thanks to Igor for allowing me to play extracts from  Only Now  alongside our conversation.

Another blast from my past - I discovered on interviewing guitarist  Chris Standring  that we were undoubtedly in the same room or on the same stage in the past.     His album -  Wonderful World -   is out now and it's a delightful collection of jazz standards accompanied by stunning strings.  We discussed my two favourite tracks -  Green Dolphin Street  and  Autumn in New York  - and it's great to play extracts from both to accompany our conversation. I hope you enjoy listening to our chat, especially as we deviate into name dropping our mutual friends.       Thanks to Chris for allowing me to play extracts from  Wonderful World  alongside our conversation.

So, today I finished the London to Brighton bike ride for the second time. The first was in 1986, and I'm proud that I managed it again.     Luckily, I had a great team alongside me and it was a lot of fun (apart from the rain, which descended as I approached the ride towards Ditchling Beacon!).     Here's some proof that I was actually there.

It was such a joy to interview singer  Carmela Rappazzo  for the latest episode of Harmonious World .     Love and Other Difficulties  is a wonderful album (including pianist Oscar Rossignoli, who was a guest on episode 69) and it was a pleasure to discuss it and New Orleans in general with Carmela.     Thanks to Carmela for allowing me to play extracts from  Love and Other Difficulties  alongside our conversation.

This latest episode of Harmonious World features composer, arranger and sometime keys and bass player Sacha Puttnam .     Out shortly is Sacha's album  Spirit of Cinema  with the Classic Film Orchestra. This is a superb collection of Sacha's compositions that pay homage to just a few of David Puttnam's superb films. This was a great conversation - there's a lot to learn about Sacha's approach to music.       Thanks to Sacha for allowing me to play extracts from  Spirit of Cinema  alongside our conversation.

One of the joys of hosting the Harmonious World podcast is the artists I'm discovering and  Patricia Barber  is definitely a great new find to add to my list.     With not one, but TWO albums out now, there's lots to discover, alongside Patricia's amazing back catalogue.  Higher  is a collection of original tracks, while  Clique  collects together some of the standards Patricia is used to adding to her set, as she explains during our conversation.     Thanks to Patricia for allowing me to play extracts from  Clique  alongside our conversation.

In a delightful conversation with cellist  Bion Tsang , we explored some of the reasons for Bach's long-lasting appeal.     Bion has just released a double CD collection of Bach's cello suites.  Alongside Bion's own undeniable talent, the sonorous, rare Stradivari cello combine with the acoustics of the Bastyr Chapel, Seattle to produce a wonderful album.     Thanks to Bion for allowing me to play extracts from the album   alongside our conversation. You can hear the Prelude from Suite no 1 in G major at the start, and the Gigue that finishes Suite no 6 in D major at the end.