The bass that really sings

Subtle performance from the perfect pairing

More podcast interviews and great jazz

Sax and guitar grooving ‘In a New Order’

Collaboration and existentialism

Violin and clarinet in harmony

Still Waters running deep through the Vortex

Celebrating Scotland as the birthplace of jazz (maybe)

Exuberant jazz from the Netherlands

Piano, sax and drums at the soul of Mammal Hands

European jazz in waters that run deep

An extraordinary gig at one of my favourite venues

Setting the stage for big jazz anniversaries at Cheltenham

Lockheart and Muoneké do more than pay tribute

A gospel-infused hybrid tribute

Understated, dynamic dexterity

Maria Schneider is a true musical genius and it was such an honour that I was able to interview her for Harmonious World in 2020. Now she has released a new EP - ‘American Crow’ - that is an extension of her wonderful album ‘Data Lords’. Schneider says: “Every time I hear my band play, I witness the magic of listening. A true jazz improvisor thrives on listening ... Jazz shines a light on what we are allowing to slip away in our brittle and fractured world, making our art f

I love it when music is combined with the spoken word and there’s a beautiful selection of poetic monologues that accompany each of the movements of ‘The Forgotten Stories Suite’ from the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra . Composed by multi-instrumentalist Sean Irvine , the album allows the orchestra to range around emotional personal stories, with vocals from Karly Epp and narration of the monologues from Quinn Greene. The opening Forgotten Stories monologue introduces us to the con

Complexity and simplicity of faith and jazz

The musician-led Stoney-Lane Records always delivers new and interesting music and once again they have introduced me to a new artist - composer, pianist and vocalist Lucy Mellenfield . If you want somewhere to start, I recommend the gradual build-up of layers on Like a Feather before the track finishes once more on nearly-solo piano. From the opening notes, this songwriting and composition flits effortlessly between jazz and folk - and who needs to put music in genre boxes