Sommaire pour February 2024 de Jazzwise

Snarky Puppy, Courtney Pine and Dee Dee Bridgewater unveiled for Cheltenham Jazz Festival 2024 Programme The 2024 edition of the Cheltenham Jazz Festival, which runs from 1 to 6 May at various venues in the picturesque Cotswold Spa Town, has unveiled its first tranche of high-profile names. Among the biggest headliners confirmed are multi-Grammy Award winners Snarky Puppy who, having last appeared at the event in 2017 at the Town Hall, will headline the 2,200 capacity Big Top on the Sunday night. Led by founding bassist/composer Michael League and London-born keyboardist Bill Laurance, this concert will be part of the band’s European tour and follows other large-scale UK Snarky shows, including Wembley Arena in 2022 and Royal Albert Hall in 2019. Further high-profile jazz headliners announced include legendary British saxophonist…

In celebration of the memory of renowned trumpeter Roy Hargrove, Jazzwise and the Hargrove estate are offering readers the chance to win a short-sleeve and long-sleeve shirt emblazoned with Roy’s classic Jazzwise cover from 2003. The Hargrove estate is managed by Roy Hargrove Legacy LLC, a company founded by Aida and Kamala Hargrove, his wife and daughter in 2020 to extend Roy’s legacy and celebrate his contributions to jazz and beyond. Among other things, they have shepherded two posthumous archival album releases, In Harmony via Resonance Records, and The Love Suite: In Mahogany via Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Blue Engine Records. They have also launched an official Roy Hargrove website and merch store, www.royhargroveofficial.com, featuring items bearing iconic images of Roy. The collaboration here with Jazzwise was part of RHL’s…

Step back sadly with us now to Croydon’s Fairfield Hall in February 1964, then the proud epicentre of the town’s cultural hopes, where the National Jazz Federation was holding a benefit concert following the untimely death of renowned British harmonica ace, Cyril Davies. Starting out on banjo with Steve Lane’s Southern Stompers in the early 1950s before falling under the spell of Chicago harmonica giant Little Walter, Davies began playing with Alexis Korner and Chris Barber while holding down a panel-beating day job. He formed Blues Incorporated with Korner and saxophonist Dick Heckstall-Smith in 1961, a highly regarded and magnetic vanguard for the British rhythm and blues explosion to follow. Fame, however, eluded Davies' purist stance and gruff personality; and following Blues Incorporated’s 1962 Decca debut, R&B From The Marquee…

A major new book published this month focuses on over 300 albums from what’s now referred to as ‘the Golden Period of British Jazz’ from the 1960 and 70s. Labyrinth-British Jazz On Record 1960-75 by Richard Morten Jack is a 375 page, large-format hardback that focuses on all the key albums on both major and independent labels of a time when boundary-breaking and experimentation first broke through in UK jazz. Labyrinth’s large format has allowed for near full-size reproductions of both the front and rear sleeves of original pressings of each album, beginning chronologically with Tubby Hayes' Tubby’s Groove on Tempo (1960) all the way through to Nucleus' Alleycat and Don Rendell/Joe Palin Trio Live at the Avgarde Gallery Manchester (both from late 1975), and taking in such sought after…

With tickets on sale for La Linea, the London Latin Music Festival which returns to the capital on 12 April; Pizza Express Soho’s annual Latin Music Fest already booking artists for later in the year; and Ezra Collective winning the Mercury Prize (the first jazz group to do so, beguiling the awards ceremony audience with the hypnotic Latin rhythms of ‘Victory Dance’), the conversation between jazz and Latin rhythms suddenly seems to have gone up a few notches. The closer you look, the more you realise the extent to which this compelling combination continues to be a winner with audiences. Largely unreported, but perpetually fashionable – a quick snapshot of the current London scene might include the proudly feminist Colectiva, the accomplished Alex Wilson and Omar Puente, Eliane Correa and…

Landmark Recording Excellent Good Average Disappointing Mina Agossi + AGE7 Lonely Whales Alchimie Records ARCD/LP06 (CD, LP, DL) Mina Agossi (v), Marc Charrière (ky, sound design), Fabien Miezianowski (g) and Eric Jacot (b). Rec. July 2023 “But is it jazz?” is a question that one is often tempted to ask, especially when listening to albums for review in Jazzwise. Well, on Lonely Whales, vocalist Mina Agossi and her collaborators, the trio AGE7, produce the perfect riposte in the form of second track ‘All Music Is Jazz Music’, which deploys interview clips of the likes of Louis Armstrong and Nina Simone as Agossi, beginning from a tone of gentle reminiscence, builds the tune to a bold and stirring climax. AGE7, featuring keyboardist and sound designer Marc Charrière, whose previous credits include…

Sardinia Candid CCD33112 (CD, LP, DL) EDITOR’S CHOICE Chick Corea (p) with Orchestra da Camera Della Sardegna conducted by Simone Pittau. Rec. 2018 Sardinia opens with a performance of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.24 in C Minor K491 in full – 'Allegro', 'Larghetto; and 'Allegretto'. It is preceded by what the liner notes call a ‘Mozart Intro,’ performed a cappella by Corea. It is not particularly Motzartian in conception or harmonically related to the late 18th Century (containing rootless extended harmonies courtesy late 1960s Bill Evans, McCoy Tyner and Herbie Hancock). The reason Corea chose to preface his concert performances in this way was explained to me in interview in January 2006: “I always found it uncomfortable playing a piano concerto, where the orchestra begins and they play the tutti and…

Earthness Edition Records EDN1229 (CD, DL) EDITOR’S CHOICE Jasper Høiby (b), Noah Stoneman (p) and Luca Caruso (d). Rec. date not stated As one-third of the fabled Phronesis, Høiby was at the forefront of a mini-movement that championed the unapologetic re-introduction of ambitious complexity into the European scene. Now 15 years on from the release of Green Delay he’s hitting a fresh purple patch. Alongside his Planet B and Fellow Creatures projects, he’s also leading a new trio project under the name of Three Elements, of which this is the first instalment. The idea as announced is for each release to feature Høiby alongside a different piano and drum team, enabling him to explore into all different corners of his favourite format. For this iteration he’s picked a pair of…

Dear Frances Stunt STUCD23052/STULP23051 (CD, LP, DL) EDITOR’S CHOICE Julia Werup (v), Svend Erik Lundeqvist (p), Johnny Åman, Matthias Petri, Niclas Campagnol (b), Thomas Blachman (d, prog) and Andreas Kleerup (v). Rec. date not stated An underappreciated downside of the Covid pandemic and its associated lockdowns was the fact that a lot of albums got lost. One of the best platters of 2020 was vocalist Julia Werup’s The Thrill of Loving You, but it slipped out unnoticed. Unfortunately I didn’t get to hear it until late 2021, but fell in love with this brilliant covers set in which the Swedish poet and singer – daughter of renowned author and jazzerJacques Werup (1945-2016) – created startling versions of jazz standards in collaboration with musical and life partner Thomas Blachman. Thrill was…

Live From The Northwest, 1959 Brubeck Editions BECD2310001 (CD, DL) Dave Brubeck (p), Paul Desmond (as), Eugene Wright (b) and Joe Morello (d). Rec. 4 and 5 April 1959 This is a significant snapshot of the Dave Brubeck Quartet, in excellent fidelity, that numbers among Brubeck’s finest live albums – not as breathlessly absorbing as Jazz at Oberlin (1953) where Desmond was on fire, or as mesmerising and as the two volumes of Jazz at the College of the Pacific (1953), or the forceful, confident declamation of The Dave Brubeck Quartet at Carnegie Hall (1963), but an important live date that can mentioned in the same breath. Relaxed and at one with themselves and their repertoire, it’s an album where the spotlight reveals important detail thanks to sound engineer Wally…

Fast-rising US singer Samara Joy will return to the UK in the Spring for a full tour that will include a high-profile headline show here, when she plays London’s Roundhouse as part of the ‘In the Round Festival’ on27April. First signed to UK-based Whirlwind Recordings for her eponymous 2021 debut, her 2022 Verve follow up, Linger Awhile, earned her two Grammys – for Best Jazz Vocal Album and the coveted Best New Artist award. Her eagerly awaited follow-up is rumoured to be due out on Verve in the latter half of this year. Just 24 years old, Joy is still getting used to this recent success, commenting: “I’m still very much a student, even though I’ve graduated. So this is only the beginning… there is much, much more to come.”…

Welcome to the first issue of Jazzwise in 2024 – and it’s appropriate that this month’s cover star, the sublime trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire is back with a new album that’s a reaction to our unstable times. Owl Song is his attempt to create a peaceful space – an island of sonic tranquillity if you will – away from the assault on the senses that is our daily lives. And with this hugely significant year ahead of us, which The Economist has already dubbed “the biggest election year in history” thanks to more than 60 countries (including the UK and US), representing half the world’s population (some four billion people, holding regional, legislative, and presidential elections. It’s disconcerting for sure – and since the pandemic threw everything we know up in…

NAME: Anatole Muster INSTRUMENT: Accordion + MIDI Accordion EXPERIENCE AND INFLUENCES: At 22 years of age, Basel/London-based producer and accordionist Anatole Muster has already gained critical praise from both musicians and fans alike. His unique approach to modern jazz has been featured by Jamie Cullum on BBC Radio 2, and has opened doors to collaborations with genre-bending heavyweights including Louis Cole, Tennyson, Hadrien Feraud and Kiefer. Anatole has just finished producing his next album which will be released early this year.. THIS FUTURE MOVER SAYS: “Music is a powerful gift – it gives us the ability to stir people’s emotions, make them dance, make them feel uplifted, relaxed or nostalgic. Inspired by the musicians who deeply moved me, I strive to share that same magic. Improvisation amplifies this experience, providing the…

The Los Angeles-born multi-instrumentalist grew up on the West Coast, and already in the 1950s he had attracted the attention of both Clifford Brown and John Coltrane. Dolphy’s 'underground' reputation didn’t earn adequate exposure on record until he joined fellow Angeleno, drummer Chico Hamilton in 1958. Yet even Chico’s appearance at Newport that year did little for Dolphy, since the movie Jazz On A Summer’s Day edited out his flute solo on ‘Blue Sands’ in favour of the leader’s mallet marathon. Once Eric settled in New York, however, he started recording under his own name, but also successfully straddled the ground between advanced tonality and freer styles, working with Mingus, Coltrane, Oliver Nelson and many others. Recorded 25 February 1964 and often considered his masterpiece, Out To Lunch! was his…

The winners of the Scottish Jazz Awards 2023 were announced on 7 December 2023 at an awards ceremony hosted by award-winning violinist Seonaid Aitken, at the Savings Bank venue in Glasgow. The winners across six categories included Rising Star, Vocalist, Instrumentalist, Band, Album and Critic’s Choice, were honoured for their outstanding contributions to the genre. Over 3,000 votes were cast for the shortlisted nominees in each category, while the brand-new Critics’ Choice Award was chosen by a panel of press and promoters from across the country. The winners of the 2023 Scottish Jazz Awards were: Rising Star Award – Kimberley Tessa; Best Instrumentalist Award – Ewan Hastie; The Fionna Duncan Best Vocalist Award – Marianne McGregor; Best Band Award – corto.alto; Best Album Award – Marram by Matt Carmichael; Critics’…

• ROYAL ACADEMY JAZZ DEPT ANNOUNCES SPRING PROGRAMME Students from the Academy’s Jazz department are set to collaborate with Kansas Smitty’s clarinettist/saxophonist Giacomo Smith, who will conduct the Royal Academy Jazz Orchestra in a concert on 31 January celebrating the centennial year of the great Thad Jones. The Royal Academy Jazz Festival also returns to celebrate its 10th year (14-15 Feb) with students performing in special line-ups led by RAM alumni Laura Jurd, Jim Hart and Kit Downes, while celebrations to mark International Women’s Day (8 March) will see leading jazz musicians Nikki Iles and Ingrid Jensen join the Academy Jazz Orchestra for a concert at London’s Vortex Jazz Club. For full details visit www.ram.ac.uk/tickets • EMMA RAWICZ AND JAY PHELPS FOR NEWHAMPTON ARTS CENTRE JAZZ NIGHTS Wolverhampton’s Newhampton Arts…

Billy Marrows is a man with a lot on his mind. He’s a guitarist, composer, arranger, leader of a progressive contemporary big band that includes many of the best and brightest of his musical peers, and now he’s about to launch another project that’s at once reaching outwards towards a wider meaning, and inwards, to a space very close to his own heart. ‘Penelope’ is the first single from the album of the same name, a suite of music written by Billy in response to a deeply affecting family sorrow. The song was named after Billy’s mother: Penny Marrows was diagnosed with cancer in March 2023, and during her illness Billy and two of his cousins would visit and play music that Billy had written for her. Such was the…

Machito & His Afro-Cubans - The Machito Collection 1941-52. A superb value (£10) 2-CD set on Acrobat, containing all the bangers from this period in decent sound and with an informative booklet. Mario Bauzá – Tanga. A great 1992 album, currently out of print, but easy (and cheap) to find secondhand. Contains the definitive version of the much-covered title track. Irakere – The Best of Irakere. This 1994 compilation on Columbia/Sony is the perfect introduction to Chucho Valdés’ awesome group. Cuban Blues: The Chico O’Farrill Sessions. The O’Farrill material has been reissued countless times but this 1996 double-disc on Verve ticks the boxes for comprehensiveness, sound and value. Cal Tjader Mambo Quintet – Ritmo Caliente!. The 1955 classic released by Fantasy, is a good starting point, but all of Cal’s…

Owl Song Nonesuch 0075597905977 (CD, LP, DL) EDITOR’S CHOICE Ambrose Akinmusire (t), Bill Frisell (g) and Herlin Riley (d). Rec. 7-8 March 2022 Ambrose Akinmusire’s first four studio albums were musically restless, deploying hip-hop textures, sometimes jagged classical strings and rapped passages which intensely responded to racist violence. His extraordinary gigs were, meanwhile, starker and more pregnant with mystery, the trumpeter’s nightly devoted search drawing you in. Meditative fifth LP On The Tender Spot Of Every Calloused Moment (2020) brought these versions of Akinmusire closer, and 2023’s self-released solo recording, Beauty Is Enough, signalled a full switch into the trumpeter’s essential, unvarnished self. He heads further in with Owl Song, his first trio album, and first recording with Bill Frisell (a regular live collaborator) and Wynton Marsalis’ drummer Herlin Riley.…

Cloudward Nonesuch 0075597902334 (CD, LP, DL) EDITOR’S CHOICE Mary Halvorson (g), Adam O’Farrill (t), Jacob Garchik (tb), Patricia Brennan (vib), Nick Dunston (b), Tomas Fujiwara (d) with Laurie Anderson (v). Rec. date not stated Halvorson plays in a dizzying array of set ups. So, it’s a pleasure to see how she’s maintained and nurtured the band that so illuminated 2022’s extraordinary Amaryllis. While the writing for that sextet occurred in the thrall of Covid lockdowns, Cloudward marks a leap forward into a new, more intuitive world. Unlike Amaryllis, Cloudward was thoroughly road-tested, so there’s an intimacy, a confidence this multi-gifted band has in its relationship with this often complex, yet ever-accessible music. Where Amaryllis had reams of polyphonic sections with all the band playing simultaneously, many of Cloudward’s songs have…

Abdullah Ibrahim 3 Gearbox Records GB 1591 (CD, LP, DL) Abdullah Ibrahim (p, v), Cleave Guyton (picc, f, ss, as) and Noah Jackson (v, b). Rec. 15 July 2023 The last two Gearbox releases by Abdullah Ibrahim are by his octet Ekaya (The Balance, 2019) and solo piano (Solotude, 2020). This charming album sits instrumentally in between those, with Ekaya’s multi-reed player Cleave Guyton and its versatile bassist/cellist Noah Jackson forming a trio that explores a variety of textures and timbres. Recorded at London’s Barbican Hall, both before and during their summer 2023 concert there, we get a variety of instrumentation – Ibrahim’s piano framing a long bass and flute duet in Ellington’s ‘Solitude’, Jackson exploring ‘Giant Steps’ as a solo bass feature, and the chamber jazz fusion of flute,…

Giuseppe Millaci Double Portrait Hypnote Records Born in Sicily, Millaci is a young bassist and composer influenced by Ray Brown, Dave Holland and Marc Johnson. Accompanied by French pianist Amaury Faye and Belgian drummer Lionel Beuvens, he’s created an attractive musical landscape, bubbling with dynamics, intricate interplay and wispy, charming melodies. (KW) Omri Mor Melodies of Light Soul Song Pianist Mor teams up with bassist Yosef Gutman Levitt for a lovely, meditative collection of tunes, with cellist Yoed Nir and percussionist Joca Perpignan guesting. The result is an album that doesn’t sound like anything else, with its mix of Israeli, Arab, Argentinian, Spanish and klezmer music. Compelling. (KW) Simon Moullier Trio Inception Fresh Sound New Talent Highly-rated vibist Moullier, drummer Jongkuk Kim and bassist Luca Alemanno tackle standards by the…

Mingus Takes Manhattan New Land NEWLANDX004 (4LP, DL) Charles Mingus (b, p), Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Yusef Lateef, Booker Ervin, Charles McPherson (reeds), Pepper Addams (bs) and Dannie Richmond (d). Rec. 1961-1962 As far as titles go, nothing could be more appropriate for a character as brilliant and turbulent as Charles Mingus. The military connotations of Mingus Takes Manhattan call to mind his ability to stick it to the man, and if the bassist-pianist-composer-lyric writer was capable of slaying the notoriously racist governor of Arkansas with a tune, then he was arguably more than ready to run riot at New York’s Birdland club in a string of dates form the autumn of 1961 to the spring of 1962. This sumptuously packaged 4-LP box set features Mingus ‘greatest hits’, above all the…

Getting down with the Duke… I looked in vain for my brother Clive and my mother in the photographs of the audience for Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concert at Great St Mary’s, Cambridge (Jazzwise 291). We were all present for that memorable occasion, and while your then undergraduate correspondents were interviewing Ellington, my brother was showing Harry Carney around the magnificent King’s College chapel. In 1967, Clive was in his final year reading English at King’s, and it was at his fireside in a room overlooking the river, that the Wilmer family drank whiskey with the great man, who always carried a warming ‘jug’ in his overcoat pocket. No photographs, unfortunately – something I always regret, but time was limited. Howard Gannaway’s photos show the church choir ranged behind the orchestra,…

Three exciting UK-based artists are among those announced for this year’s Jazzahead! music expo and trade fair which takes place at Messe Bremen, northwest Germany from 11 to 13 April. These include rising pianist Sultan Stevenson, whose debut album Faithful One received favourable reviews on its release in March last year, while two artists from the burgeoning Scottish scene have also been selected: Acid Jazz-signed groove-led group Mama Terra and folk-influenced saxophonist Matt Carmichael. They were among over 800 applications submitted for the showcases, and were assessed, then selected by five international juries, who whittled this huge number down to the 40 acts who will be performing at the showcase concerts for Jazzahead! 2024. The three British Isles artists are part of the European Showcase night alongside new bands from…

1 A Night at the Opera by Queen (1975) “I listened to this over and over again when I was eight years old. I learned all the songs at the piano, and played along with it as much as I could. There are a lot of contrasts in this music, a fabulous musical journey that has so many moods and colours in it, and probably was a big inspiration for my composing when I was a kid.” 2 Heavy Metal Be-Bop by The Brecker Brothers (1978) “This was such an enormous inspiration, both Michael Brecker´s extraordinary playing, but also the compositions. The energy and groove of this live record really blew me away.” 3 The Survivors’ Suite by Keith Jarrett (1977) “A fantastic record with a fantastic band. Four musicians who sound…

Iconic British jazz-rock group Soft Machine return on 2 February with a new limited-edition vinyl 7-inch single, ‘The Dew at Dawn’ b/w ‘(Slightly) Slightly All the Time’, as part of indie label My Only Desire’s ongoing Brit Jazz 45s series. This features brand-new recordings of favourite Brit Jazz tunes from 1960s and 70s by contemporary bands. The Softs' single is a tribute to one of the greats of British jazz – trumpeter Harry Beckett – whose ‘The Dew at Dawn’ is paired with a new take on a favourite Softs tune (from 1970’s classic album Third) on the B side. The current Softs line-up is led by guitarist John Etheridge, a Soft Machine member since the mid-1970s, and veteran former Gong saxophonist Theo Travis. The band now also includes bassist…

Continuance Mack Avenue MAC1208 (CD, DL) EDITOR’S CHOICE Joey Alexander (p), Theo Croker (t), Kris Funn (b) and John Davis (d). Rec. March 2023 In 2014, when he was 10, the Indonesian piano prodigy Joey Alexander caught the ear of Wynton Marsalis, and the resulting Jazz At Lincoln Center gig made him an 'overnight sensation' in the view of the New York Times. He’s made seven albums since, consistently confirming that his imaginative fluency is about mature emotion and insight as much as keyboard touch. Continuance, like 2022’s Origin, features an all-original tracklist, and composition turns out to be an art to which this remarkable performer has already brought the same craftsmanship, musicality and knack for subtle reshaping of familiar materials as he’s been demonstrating as a pianist for a…

Amin Al Aiedy Shams Musiques en Balade Jazz modes melt into Arab maqams on this bewitchingly moody brew of global jazz-fusion with Franco-Iraqi composer, bassist and oud player Amin Al Aiedy at the heart of things with empathetic backing from pianist Vincent Forestier, drummer Matheo Ciesla, and bassist Jean Waché. Fans of Dhafer Youssef and bass boss Avishai Cohen will find much to enjoy here in the potent blend of polyrhythms and fiery improvisation. (MF) Chien Chien Lu Built In System: Live In New York Giant Step Arts Taiwanese vibraphonist Lu is clearly a talent to watch, on the evidence of this, her stirring second album, on which she composed all eight tunes. Mentored by Jeremy Pelt (who guests here on trumpet, playing very assertively), she combines virtuosity with retro…

At PizzaExpress Live - In London PX Records PXRCD1008 (CD, LP, DL) EDITOR’S CHOICE Anaïs Reno (v), Pete Malinverni (p), Dave Green (b) and Josh Morrison (d). Rec. 2023 As anyone who heard Swiss-born, NYC-based vocalist Anaïs Reno’s debut album, Lovesome Thing, will know, her musicality at the age of 16 (having co-arranged all of the material with pianist Emmet Cohen) was nothing short of remarkable. Reno’s follow-up release on PX Records, which opens with one of Cole Porter’s most memorable standards, ‘It’s De-Lovely’, from his 1936 musical, Red Hot and Blue, merely serves to confirm all of her great qualities: flawless pitch, impeccable time feel and a pleasingly rich timbral quality. The 11-track live album includes powerful versions of Irving Berlin’s ‘SupperTime’ and Charlie Parker’s ‘Yardbird Suite’, with the…

Landmark Recording Excellent Good Average Disappointing Geri Allen & Kurt Rosenwinkel A Lovesome Thing Motema MTM0430 (CD, LP, DL) RECOMMENDED Geri Allen (p) and Kurt Rosenwinkel (g). Rec. 2012 The passing of Geri Allen in 2017 robbed the jazz world of a hugely talented composer-improviser and source of inspiration to many contemporary players. While the Detroit pianist left an impressive catalogue of studio recordings she was also an excellent live performer, and this 2012 concert with star guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel at the well appointed Philharmonic De Paris is a timely reminder of both her compelling individuality and ability to create a dialogue of equals. Indeed, the artistic empathy between Allen and Rosenwinkel makes this programme of standards and originals a ‘wish you were there’ affair. Their takes on Strayhorn’s ‘A…

BBC RADIO 2 88-91 FM and DAB Jamie Cullum show (Tues, 9pm) BBC RADIO 3 90-93 FM and DAB J to Z (Sat 5pm) The best in jazz - past, present and future (20 Jan) The best in jazz - past, present and future (27 Jan) The best in jazz - past, present and future (3 Feb) The best in jazz - past, present and future (10 Feb) The best in jazz - past, present and future (17 Feb) The best in jazz - past, present and future (24 Feb) Jazz Record Requests (Sun, 4pm) Freeness with Corey Mwamba (Sat, Midnight) BBC RADIO 6 MUSIC DAB Gilles Peterson, Sat 3pm JAZZ FM DAB, Sky, Alexa, smartphone, tablet and online at jazzfm.com (Mon – Fri) 6am-6.30am Business Breakfast, 6.30am-10am Jazz FM…