Review by John Stevenson Great jazz thrives in Romania with tenor saxophonist Catalin Milea at the forefront of the modern Transylvanian scene. His new album Tetrismatic has certainly won me over this early in the new year. Each track contains a different flavour with tints and tones from a cinematic …
By John Stevenson Whirlwind Recordings has announced the signing of London pianist and composer Sultan Stevenson, who releases his debut solo album Faithful One on March 24, 2023 in CD / DL / and Limited Edition, 180g 2xLP in gatefold artwork. The album features Sultan’s band with Jacob Gryn (double bass), Joel …
Review by John Stevenson London (UK) alto saxophonist Camilla George pays homage to her Ibibio ethnic heritage on Ibio-Ibio (EVER102CD), her third release as a leader. The Ibibio people hail from Akwa Ibom and Cross River states in southeastern Nigeria. Camilla was born in Eket, a coastal town in the …
By John Stevenson As part of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, Tomorrow’s Warriors will be offering the acclaimed Nu Civilisation Orchestra who will present Duke Ellington’s The Queen’s Suite at Queen Elizabeth Hall on Friday 3 June. The evening will see Nu Civilisation Orchestra (NCO) perform a showstopping selection of Duke Ellington’s compositions, …
On composer/producer Robert Burbidge’s brand new recording, respected jazz trumpeter and flugelhornist Kevin G Davy takes centre stage. Though Eleven Squares runs to just over 20 minutes long, its ear-friendly compositions treat listeners to expansive soundscapes. The medium-paced Planets kicks the album off in fine style, throwing Kevin’s trumpet …
Review by John Stevenson On the evidence of his most recent recording, Major Matters, respected Guyanese-born, New York City-based jazz musician Max Gouveia, echoes the long and noble tradition of acoustic jazz bassists such as Percy Heath, Paul Chambers, Tommy Potter and Scott La Faro. Refracting major themes such as …
Scholarship’s industry champions Alec Boateng and Taponeswa Mavunga support with a call to signup to Open Day The Richard Antwi Scholarship has announced it has opened for its 5th round, accepting applications from future music industry leaders from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds with the drive, passion and commitment to make a contribution, and …
By John Stevenson (All images courtesy Emile Holba) Zakir Hussain wowed his Royal Festival Hall audience on 21st November with triumphant sets for the finale of the 2021 EFG London Jazz Festival. The first half of the evening saw the critically-acclaimed Indian tabla master collaborate with sarangi player Sabir Khan. …
By John Stevenson Except for occasional flare-ups of its La Soufriere volcano, the hilly eastern Caribbean island of St Vincent tends to keep a low profile among the least developed but politically stable nation states of the region. Philip Nanton’s pioneering biography, Riff: The Shake Keane Story, chronicles the outstanding but …
By John Stevenson Funded by a joint grant from the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the US National Endowment for Humanities (NEH), Senior Lecturer at City, University of London Dr Tillman Weyde, is the UK lead on a project to develop AI for music information retrieval tools and …
The 19-year-old will be performing at the 2020 EFG London Jazz Festival on November 22nd as part of the #jazznewbloodALIVE2020 showcase, which celebrates new and emerging jazz talent in the UK. He performs alongside Maddy Coombes and XVNGO at Artis, Blackheath, in South East London.
By John Stevenson With the aim to raise £100,000, the #IAMWARRIOR2020 appeal will be matched with funds from a range of trusts and foundations. Tomorrow’s Warriors needs the generous help of donations to keep its acclaimed Learning Programme free for the next generation of UK Jazz musicians, and keep it accessible across cultural divides and barriers, thus contributing …
By John Stevenson Veteran UK Jazz promoter and concept founder of Jazzmo’thology, Ra Hendricks, presents a new radio show on iLive Radio UK called Slipping Into Darkness. Ra takes to the airwaves on April 1st 2020, from 9 to 11pm (GMT) . The one-year-old station, iLive Radio UK, has just …
By John Stevenson As fears around COVID-19 affect public gatherings large and small, around the globe, one of the UK’s most important jazz festivals has been cancelled. The annual Cheltenham Jazz Festival which was slated this year to take place from May 5th to 10th has been called off due …
By John Stevenson With ‘Pure Imagination’, recorded on her own Amber Inn imprint, Amber Weekes amply demonstrates that she belongs to the rich tradition of the jazz diva. Indeed, on her most recent recording, the Los Angeles-based songstress sweetly swings her way into the ears and hearts of listeners. Amber …
By John Stevenson La Linea – The London Latin Music Festival – held from April 15th to May 4th – will be once again celebrating new and daring sounds from across the diverse and increasingly popular Latin music world. Joining Bebel Gilberto, Juana Molina, Tino Contreras, Sara Correia, Melingo, Lina_ Raül Refree and Weyler: Maradona in Mexico for La Linea 20 is the global premiere of Mestizo – a …
