Table of contents for March 2025 in Jazzwise

For the latest breaking news visit www.jazzwise.com Billy Cobham, James Brandon Lewis and Georgia Mancio to headline Cheltenham Jazz Festival '25 This year’s Cheltenham Jazz Festival runs from 30 April to 5 May 2025 with organisers confirming a strong line-up for the Town Hall, Arena and Parabola Arts Centre as part of the full festival programme. The Friday night gets grooving with Afrobeat-jazzers KOKOROKO in the Town Hall, while Guy Barker brings his Soul Jazz Summit to the Big Top with his Big Band and BBC Concert Orchestra backing guest singers Emeli Sandé, Vanessa Haynes, Tommy Blaize, Lucy-Anne Daniels and Curtis Stigers. Chief among the heavyweight names announced is iconic drummer Billy Cobham, who will perform at the Town Hall (3 May) with his Spectrum 50 band following his triumphant…

Verve Records has announced a new and never-before-released live concert album from the ‘First Lady Of Song’, Ella Fitzgerald. The Moment of Truth: Ella At The Coliseum, will be released on 28 February on all formats and the title track ‘The Moment of Truth’ is out now and can be streamed on all digital platforms. The recordings were mixed and mastered in stunning clarity from the original analogue multitrack tapes, resulting in pristine high-fidelity audio typically unheard of for a live concert recording of that era. The Moment Of Truth: Ella At The Coliseum was recorded at the Oakland Coliseum on 30 June, 1967, and was recently unearthed in the private tape collection of Verve Records founder Norman Granz. The album spans nine tracks, most never heard before, and features…

Bassist and composerAvhishai Cohen is set to return to Ronnie Scott’s for another of his supercharged three-night residencies from 17-19 March. The bassist’s trio once again showcases two prodigiously talented younger players with pianist Guy Moskovich and drummer extraordinaire Roni Kaspi. They will all combine on music from Cohen’s 2024 album Brightlight, which matches his mastery of odd-meter grooves with lyrical melodies and explosive group interaction. Ronnie’s March programme is packed with more top names that include the final two nights of popular singer/saxophonist Curtis Stigers’ weeklong residency (24 Feb-2 Mar); followed by US/UK singer Madeline Bell with Ian Shaw on piano (3-4 Mar); pianist Sullivan Fortner’s Trio (5 Mar); soul-funk diva LiV Warfield (6 Mar); US sax great Bill Evans and the Vansband All Stars that feature Gary Husband…

It’s a busy time for Mack Avenue as the label announces a new partnership with storied imprint Strata-East. This news was followed by the announcement that Exceleration Music has now acquired Mack Avenue – which will be part of the larger music group that also owns Candid Records. The partnership with Strata-East begins with the release of a digital-only anthology, Strata-East: The Legacy Begins, which brings together iconic tracks that embody Strata-East’s “commitment to artistry and creative freedom”. Featuring the explosive brilliance of Charles Tolliver and Stanley Cowell, the soulful expressions of The Heath Brothers, Charlie Rouse, Shamek Farrah, Pharoah Sanders, and others, the collection showcases cult classics from the label’s deep catalogue while honouring the extraordinary artists who shaped its legacy. Following the partnership announcement in early January came…

To me, Martin was not just a manager and record label owner, but like a second father and one of my closest friends. His influence on my life over the past 13 years has been profound, from being best man at my wedding; to guiding my career through countless significant moments. I first met Martin at a London gig I was playing as part of a Dave O’Higgins/Eric Alexander Quintet tour in 2012. Martin was still in marketing at that time, and after the gig he was gently teasing Eric about his outdated website. Martin had a very clever way of delicately alerting you to things that needed improving with good humour and sometimes even trick you into thinking it was your idea to improve it! It was around this…

Back in 2019 pianist Elliot Galvin and his trio – with Tom McCredie’s bass and Corrie Dick drumming – took themselves off to the Artone Studio in Haarlem, Netherlands, to make a defiantly anti-modern statement. The album they made – ironically named Modern Times – was recorded by cutting direct to the master disc, a vintage technique made obsolete by the invention of magnetic tape. It was said to be "a quiet protest against the overproduced, changing world we live in" and Galvin followed it up with 2020’s Live In Paris, a simple, solo recording of an improvised performance from 2018. So far, so back to basics, but any sense of a retro trajectory evaporates with the 2025 arrival of The Ruin, a complex electro-acoustic collage album created through intense…

Aaly Trio Sustain Silkheart Comprising Mats Gustaffson (saxes, flute, harmonica), Peter Janson (bass) and Kjell Nordesen (drums), this trio worships at the temple of Ayler, Kirk and the AEC. As such, they're uncompromising and unruly but also accessible, rhythmically bang on (the bass playing is superb) and extremely astute with their use of space and dynamics. (KW) Almufaraka Master of Disorder Circum-Disc I really wanted to like this avant-garde quartet (Peter Orins on a bewildering variety of percussion, with the voices of Maryline Pruvost, Patrick Guionnet and Gäelle Debra) more, because the thinking behind the project is sound, but the music doesn't really go anywhere. (KW) Strat Andriotis Exits Dektria Records A dab hand with the Fender Stratocaster, guitarist Andriotis wrote all the tunes here, performing them with two…

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Brighton’s historic Dome concert hall and associated venues, including the newly refurbished Corn Exchange and Dome Studio Theatre, have announced a raft of new jazz bookings as part of its 2025 Contemporary Music programme. Together We Stand presents a night of new jazz from independent labels New Soil, Bridge the Gap, Jazz Re:Freshed and Women in Jazz featuring Mercury Prize nominated corto.alto, Scottish nine-piece Rebecca Vasmant Ensemble and the West African Mandé-influenced Balimaya Project (Corn Exchange, 28 Feb). Acclaimed singer Georgia Cécile will be performing songs from her forthcoming new album City Girl at the Corn Exchange on 20 March and the same venue presents a night with Manchester’s Gondwana Records on 27 March hosting an eclectic line-up featuring composer and saxophonist Jasmine Myra, electronic duo Svanesborg Kardyb and Portico…

Few figures in jazz tower quite so tall as our cover star this month, Ron Carter. He’s the epitome of elegance - not just in his savvy sartorial choices, but also in his bass playing’s long lines that leap effortlessly across any sonic terrain that appears before him. Our December issue highlighted the newly issued Miles In France recordings, with Carter turbocharging the playing of Herbie Hancock and a frighteningly talented 17-year-old TonyWilliams. It served as a timely reminder of Carter’s unwavering bass work, steadfast between rhythm section and the fireworks of Coleman, Shorter and Davis. So when a newly minted album featuring this Bass Boss and the Arbenz twins landed in my inbox just three weeks ago it seemed like the ideal chance to speak to Carter and get…

NAME: Flo Redmonds INSTRUMENT: Sax and flute EXPERIENCE AND INFLUENCES: Flo picked up saxophone aged 10, inspired by the band Madness. It ended up sticking, and 13 years later she has played with Binker Golding and Moses Boyd at the Southbank Centre, and recently with Cassie Kinoshi’s Seed at The Barbican. She also tours the UK and EU regularly with punk rock band Snuff. THIS FUTURE MOVER SAYS: "The largest appeal of jazz and improvising for me is the legacy of collaboration with various genres. I have always been drawn to a variety of soundworlds, having been raised on everything from punk rock to Motown, hence I'm keen to continue infusing my own music with these influences, to create my own distinctive sound." See Flo Redmonds play Ronnie Scott’s Future Movers…

The start of Ellington’s 1940 contract with RCAVictor is often heralded as a breakthrough, and not just for the superior sound quality it afforded. In mid-February, he’d done his last Brunswick session, which marked the arrival of Ben Webster in the sax section, and the other major acquisition was bassist Jimmie Blanton, who’d been there since November 1939. On 6 March, the first Victor session included a couple of forgettable vocals (vocals were the best-sellers for most bands in the Swing Era), a ballad feature for cornettist Rex Stewart (‘Morning Glory’) and two instrumental masterpieces. The famous ‘Jack The Bear’, named after an early stride-pianist, not only lets you appreciate the excellent Blanton-powered rhythm section but eventually turns into a bass feature, with other short contributions from Duke’s array of…

The Watford Jazz Junction (WJJ) festival returns for its fourth edition from 10 to 18 May with a packed programme of leading UK names. Things kick offwith Incognito’s soulful vocalist Vanessa Haynes who performs herAretha Franklin show at the Watford Palace Theatre (10 May), while the following morning at Halsey Hall, award winning UK jazz doyenne, Elaine Delmar (below), performs live and then discusses life in music with Jazz FM presenter, Ruth Fisher (lunchtime, 11 May). Watford’s Pump House Theatre is a new addition among the festival’s venues and presents concerts from Grammy-winning saxophonist Tim Garland (below), London-based trumpeter Mark Kavuma, blues harmonica player and singer Errol Linton, and a special festival collective led by violinist and singerAlice Zawadski, preceded by tap dancing jazz musician Petra Hallerwho provides the festival’s…

French-born, London-based soprano and composer, Héloïse Werner is the Wigmore Hall’s associate artist for the famous venue’s 2024-25 season, and is known for her envelope-busting mix of classical forms, theatrical performances and improvisational techniques. It’s little wonder the 34-year-old occupies a unique space between genres and this spring she teams up with Mercury-nominated, ECM-signed pianist Kit Downes and a trio of cutting-edge contemporary musicians for a unique two-part concert at the Wigmore Hall on 9 April. Set to feature a programme of world firsts, new arrangements and fresh musical combinations, Jazzwise caught up with Werner to find out more about her musical background – and her plans for the concert. How would you describe your approach to blending classical and jazz vocals with improvisation? “I am a classically trained musician…

It’s great to see the Jazz FM Awards coming back this year – how will it be different to previous years? Nick Pitts: Yes – it’s really exciting that it’s back after a bit of a hiatus. The big difference is that the Jazz FM Awards ceremony has a new home in KOKO [in Camden, North London] – a place where we can take what we have achieved so far and supercharge the show to the next level, and that the Awards returns to the front end of the year rather than October where it has been since 2020. Moving it earlier in the year brings two positive outcomes… firstly, it allows the nominees and winners to benefit from their involvement in the summer touring season and shout about it,…

At six feet four inches, bassist Ron Carter cuts an imposing figure on the bandstand. He casts an equally monumental shadow over jazz history, with a storied career that few in jazz can match. One of the most respected bassists of all time, a National Endowment of the Arts Jazz Master, he has appeared on more than 2,200 recordings during the course of a 75-plus year career. Yet as jazz writer Will Friedwald once pointed out in the pages of The New York Sun, “If Carter were recruited by NASA to be rocketed to Mars and become the first jazzman to perform on another planet, he would still be most famous for one thing: having played in Miles Davis’ ‘second great quintet’ of the 1960s.” While such a compliment might…

Yazz Ahmed A Paradise in the Hold Night Time Stories ALNCD/LP77 (CD, 2LP, DL) EDITOR’S CHOICE Yazz Ahmed (t, flhn), George Crowley (b cl), Noel Langley (t), Ralph Wyld (vb, mrba), Samuel Hällkvist (g), Naadia Sheriff, Alcyona Mick (p), Dudley Phillips, Dave Mannington (b), Corrina Silvester (perc), Martin France (d), Natacha Atlas, Brigitte Beraha, Randolph Matthews, Jason Singh and Alba Nacinovich (v). Rec. date not stated British-Bahraini trumpeter Yazz Ahmed has long used her dual cultural heritage as inspiration for her music. Since 2011’s confident debut, Finding My Way Home, Ahmed has combined instrumentation like the darbuka drum, electronic samplers and horns to produce artful compositions that draw on Arabic quarter-tone scales as much as jazz improvisation. Yet, it’s Ahmed’s latest, fourth record, A Paradise in the Hold, that most…

Roy Ayers Ubiquity Tear To A Smile/Mystic Voyage/Everybody Loves The Sunshine/Vibrations/Lifeline Robinsongs ROBIN78T (3 CD) Roy Ayers (vb, v, perc, ky), Steve Cobb (d), William Allen (b), Calvin Banks, James Mason, Chuck Anthony (g), Chano O’Ferral (perc), Justo Almariao (ts), John Mosley (t), Philip Woo (ky), Chicas, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Edwin Birdsong and Sylvia Cox (v). Rec. 1975-77 Given the huge reissue programme that the music of Roy Ayers has undergone since the 1990s, the ‘rare groove’ era he decisively helped to shape, it may seem excessive to package five of his albums yet again. However, A Tear To A Smile, Mystic Voyage et al are quite simply the choice entries in his discography, and hearing them together, yet again, on this triple CD set is by no means an…

Listings are free, but due to space restrictions cannot be guaranteed to appear– expanded gig listings can be found at www.jazzwise.com/gig-guide. To advertise your event, contact Ros McRae on ros@jazzwise.com SATURDAY 1 Edison Herbert Trio Vault, East Row, Darlington 1 Joseph O’Brien Fire Station, High Street West, Sunderland 1 Brass Funkeys Hootananny, 95 Effra Road, London SW2 1 Sam Braysher Quartet Peggy’s Skylight, 3 George Street, Nottingham 1 Luna Cohen Brazilian Jazz Quartet Verdict Jazz Club, 159 Edward Street, Kemptown, Brighton 1 Rebecca Poole (evening) Basil Hodge (lunchtime) Pizza Express Jazz Club, 10 Dean Street, London W1 1-2 Curtis Stigers Ronnie Scott’s, 47 Frith Street London W1 1 Derek Nash 606 Club, 90 Lots Road, London SW10 1 TJ Johnson Band St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Larchfield Street, Darlington 1-2 Great North Big Band Jazz Festival Park View Community Centre,…

The 100 Jazz Albums That Shook The World is an exclusive 100-page definitive guide to the most important and influential jazz albums that have gone on to change and shape the course of the music from the 1920s to the present day. ■ Print-only, premium quality, publication edited and conceived by Jazzwise’s editor-in-chief Jon Newey ■ The first time a fully annotated top 100 jazz album countdown from 100 to No.1 has been published in book form ■ Includes new in-depth editorial on each album from Jazzwise’s acclaimed team of writers, plus in-depth features on the making of the top three albums, a look at the albums that almost made the cut and a guide to buying the featured titles on LP and CD “This superbly written assemblage is an engrossing…

More musings on Mister Mulligan In his letter in the February edition, RayWhitehouse muses on the formation of Gerry Mulligan’s ‘pianoless’ quartet. All the questions he raises are answered in my book The Gerry Mulligan 1950s Quartets (Oxford University Press, 2023). The pre-California chordless quartet is discussed (including a contribution from Peter Ind, who played bass in it); the role of Gail Madden is covered, and there is a photo of her, courtesy of bassist Bill Crow, at Mulligan’s big band rehearsal in Central Park, New York. Ray also asks about the role of the Haig Club, in Los Angeles, and this too is discussed in detail in the book, along with interviews with some of those who were there at the time. My other focus is to explore Mulligan’s…

This year’s Love Supreme Jazz Festival, which runs from 4 to 6 July at Glynde Place, East Sussex, has announced that seven-time Grammywinning singer and virtuoso multi-instrumentalist Jacob Collier will headline the mainstage on Saturday 5 July. Collier studied piano on the Royal Academy of Music’s jazz course and became a viral video sensation 13 years ago with his daring reworkings of classics by Stevie Wonder and George Gershwin, with early fans including Pat Metheny and Herbie Hancock. He’s since gone on to release five studio albums (plus a handful of EPs and live recordings) building a global following, notably in the US. His most recent world tour culminated in a sold-out concert at the 20,000 capacity O2 Arena in London in December last year, which received rave reviews. Love…

Top of the pile this month is the news that Branford Marsalis has moved to Blue Note and releases his debut for the imprint in the form of Belonging, out on 28 March. If the title seems familiar, then that’s because it’s a full-on celebration/tribute to Keith Jarrett’s much-cherished 1974 album of the same name, with his ‘European Quartet’ of Jan Garbarek, Palle Danielsson and Jon Christensen. The latter disc marked its 50th anniversary last year (covered in these pages in our September 2024 issue) and was in fact Branford’s choice for his Turning Point in ourJune 2023 edition – where he revealed how Garbarek’s sound had strongly influenced him. Look out for an in-depth chat with the sax-toting Marsalis in a forthcoming issue… Also, news just in, former Pat…

1 Crescent by John Coltrane (1964) “Among his many great albums like Ballads and Kenny Burrell and John Coltrane, I have to pick Crescent – a beautiful bunch of originals that finds the quartet in dazzling form with playing that goes from tradition to transition.” 2 Speak No Evil by Wayne Shorter (1966) “Recorded by Rudy Van Gelder for Blue Note, this album is, to my mind, Shorter’s magnum opus. This all-star group do full credit to these great originals. As a young journalist in Glasgow I wrote to Rudy Van Gelder hoping to do a biography with a few anecdotes of his favourite sessions. He replied to say he couldn't comply as he was still in the business and didn't want to praise one artist over another in case it…

This year’s Jazzahead! trade fare and showcase, which takes place over three days and nights from 23 to 26 April in Bremen, Germany, has announced its showcase programme. Featuring 38 concerts by artists from over 20 countries across three stages, this year sees a focus on bands from the partner regions of Spain, France and Switzerland. In addition to Europe, there’s a strong focus on artists from Central and South America as well as Africa. Names announced for the RECONNECT Showcases include: Adèle Viret Quartet (FR), Irene Reig Quartet (ES), Louis Matute Large Ensemble (CH), Manon Mullener 5tet (CH), Marco Mezquida Trio (ES) and more. The European Showcases include three UK artists including Scottish pair Norman & Corrie, the British-born Dutch-based saxophonist Sam Newbould and his Quintet, and dynamic trumpeter…

Over the past 15 years, trumpeter and composer Yazz Ahmed has been using her music to connect with her Bahraini heritage. Finding her melodies in quarter-tone Arabic scales and her grooves in complex polyrhythms, Ahmed’s three albums (2011’s Finding My Way Home, 2017’s La Saboteuse and 2019’s Polyhymnia) have produced a distinct blend of jazz improvisation with the echoes of music from her homeland, providing a sonic trace of her ongoing relationship with a cross-cultural identity. Yet, throughout the span of this recording career, Ahmed has also been working on another project that delves further into her personal history than ever before. Featuring recordings of her family, reinterpreted Bahraini folk music and high-energy ensemble compositions, her latest album, A Paradise in the Hold, has been more than a decade in…

"Kenny Wheeler’s protean compositional vision is captured here on an illuminating new recording. These are scores that were never properly recorded and distributed. They represent the very best of Wheeler’s output from a crucial time in his development. Everything we love about Kenny is found here: gorgeous melodies, surprisingly shifting harmonies, driving rhythms, and an ensemble aesthetic that was unique to his spirit. Nick Smart and John Daversa collaborated with musicians in their respective programs, at the Royal Academy and at Frost School, to polish and perfect these well-honed new performances of Wheeler’s work. Along with collaborators of Wheeler, most notably Norma Winstone and Evan Parker, Some Days Are Better distils his sense of warmth and power, as well as his rare sensitivity, vulnerability, and openness. We are so proud…

Song For Someone: The Musical Life of Kenny Wheeler Brian Shaw and Nick Smart Equinox HB £37.50 Released in time (almost) for its subject’s 95th anniversary, this exemplary biography covers a lot of ground and covers it well. It manages to take in its stride the vast amount of work Wheeler undertook in a long career, and to cast light on the individuality of his playing and writing styles. The authors describe Kenny’s trajectory from his Canadian background to immigrant status in early-1950s UK to his eventual worldwide recognition, including in the US. Starting from his gradual absorption into our local scene, notably with John Dankworth, he not only did mountains of anonymous commercial session-work (examples are given) but at the same time explored the nascent British free-jazz scene. This…

BBC RADIO 2 88-91 FM and DAB Jamie Cullum show (Tues, 9pm) BBC RADIO 3 90-93 FM and DAB 'Round Midnight (Mon-Fri 11.30pm) Jazz Record Requests (Sun, 4pm) BBC RADIO 6 MUSIC DAB Gilles Peterson, Sat 3pm JAZZ FM DAB, Sky, Alexa, smartphone, tablet and online at jazzfm.com (Mon – Fri) 6.30am-10am Jazz FM Breakfast with Nigel Williams, 10am-2pm Danielle Perry, 2pm-6pm Afternoon drive with Simon Philips, 6pm-7pm Jazz FM’s Greatest, 7pm-9pm Jazz FM’s Dinner Jazz with Mark Walker. (Mon) 9pm-10pm Future Jazz with Ruth Fisher; 10pm-midnight Late Nite with China Moses. (Tues) 9pm-10pm Jazz Travels with Rouhangeze Baichoo; 10pm-midnight Late Night with China Moses. (Wed) 9pm-10pm Jazztronic with Dom Servini; 10pm-midnight Late Night with China Moses. (Thur) 9pm-10pm The British Jazz Show with Helen Mayhew; 10pm-midnight Late Night with…