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‘The Way Appears’ is a delightful concoction of new music from cello duo India Gailey and Leah Plave. Composers took inspiration from the concept of emergence and The Way Appears marks a decade of Gailey and Plave’s collaborative relationship, including new works from Adam Vincent Clarke, Cris Derksen, Emily Kennedy, Leilehua Lanzilotti, Matthias McIntire, Kelly-Marie Murphy and Jeff Reilly. Beginning with Emily Kennedy’s Triptych, the album allows the two cellos to perform equally, weaving their melodies around each other that is almost transcendental and improvisatory. Each of the compositions tells a different story and takes the instruments on a different journey of tone and approach. By the time we reach Kelly Marie Murphy’s The Way Appears, the two musicians are almost in attack mode, with a directness and momentum that is vivid and visceral. These are two distinct cellists who nevertheless collaborate on these exciting new compositions that show their instrument at its most expressive. The concluding track - Cris Derkson’s The Bee and Her Wildflower - takes us close to nature and the two cellos weave their lines in a dance that mimics the insect bobbing around the bouncing head of the flower. The final moments bring us all to rest and perhaps that is truly the appearance of the way. Each of these new compositions tell a different story and take us in a different musical direction and we hear the cello played by two virtuosos in perfect collaboration. India Gailey and Leah Plave’s ‘The Way Appears’ is out on 30 October on Redshift Records

The truly outstanding and virtuosic sax player Jess Gillam is releasing ‘Shine’ and it demonstrates once more her ability to create music that crosses all genres. Gillam’s influences and musical references come from everywhere all at once: Shine includes the effervescent single Shine You No More by Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen of the Danish String Quartet and then the Kate Bush Jig of Life from her original, groundbreaking Hounds of Love album. Talking of influential women in music, the third track on this album is Barbara Strozzi’s Che si puo fare from 1664, before the haunting Tabhair dom do lámh by Ruaidhrí Dall Ó Catháin. Then we move to Bach’s Flute Concerto, with the 1st Movement, Allegro Assai before jumping to the 20th Century for Sidney Bechet’s delicious Petite Fleur and (in a somewhat meta fashion) Barbara Thomson’s A Tribute to Sidney Bechet. We then proceed via Joni Mitchell and Corelli to Gillam’s simply beautiful Bowie tribute with Life on Mars and her own composition with Sam Becker & Leif Kaner-Lidström: Prelude to Hildegard that leads us to the final track, Hildegard of Bingen’s Spiritus sanctus vivificans. Gillam is, above all, a fine sax player. The fact that she chooses to perform music from a variety of contexts simply adds to her appeal. In 2016, she became the first saxophonist to reach the Finals of BBC Young Musician of the Year. She received a Classic BRIT Award, a The Times Breakthrough Award nominee and was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list 2021 for Services to Music. But she has never forgotten her roots and she continues to be influential in the music scene of her hometown of Ulverston. With Shine, Jess Gillam is establishing herself as a fine, influential musician rising above all the awards and recognition. ‘Shine’ by Jess Gillam is out now on Decca Records

The latest OVO theatre production takes place in the partially-refurbished barn in Verulamium Park and the official launch event brings new life to both the 17th century structure and Shakespeare’s magnificent ‘Macbeth’. From the opening of this production in the round, the three witches - "weird sisters" - are with us, at times participating and often observing with the audience the combination of mysticism, witchcraft and fate that drives the characters. These three remarkable actors (Maisie Armah, Grace Bassett and Flora Squires, above) first appear from beneath the central, circular stage, bringing the first hints of this very physical, sexually-charged production. As the play progresses through murder, intrigue and more murder, the final scenes leave young, menacing men in charge, brought to this moment by all that they have observed and experienced in the machinations of Macbeth (Ludovic Hughes) and Lady Macbeth (Emma Wright) et al. The wonderful production is directed by OVO’s Artistic Director and Chief Executive, Adam Nichols. Not just a visionary director of individual plays, he is also the driving force behind the project to refurbish The Barn. At the official opening, he said: ““It is a dream come true, to see The Barn finally open - and to such an overwhelmingly warm and positive reception. We are incredibly excited to have a space in which we will be able to nurture emerging theatre talent from all backgrounds as part of OVO’s new rep company. “I am enormously grateful for the support of our local community here in St Albans, the wider theatre industry and the amazing generosity of over 80 investors, without whom this project would not have been possible. And to the incredible OVO team, who have backed my crazy idea, poured everything into making this new theatre happen over the past few years. I couldn’t be prouder.” The inaugural Autumn/Winter 2026 season features Macbeth (until 8 November), The Winding Stair (13–15 November) and Mark O’Sullivan’s wonderful production of A Christmas Carol (4–30 December 2026). There’s more to come at The Barn, so check out what OVO is up to and support the continuing theatre and refurbishment project

From the opening “I’m Ready” of the title track, it is clear that ‘Eclipse’ from Darius Blair and Niko Huber is right up there with the best of modern jazz in our post-pandemic world. Eclipse comes from the Blair/Huber duo which began at the start of those lockdowns that were both disastrous and inspiring for creativity. The duo’s inspirational output is brought to the world by Leiter today. These nine brief tracks are all built around melodies, often - as in Chasing Down Lessing Street - with sax and guitar echoing and mirroring each other. When we reach Titan, we are presented with simplicity and beauty that feels deeply moving, including subtle percussion touches from Khadim Seck. There’s a great sense of collective skill and connection. We are told that Blair (sax) and Huber (guitar) have a laid-back approach to their creativity, steeped in mastery of their instruments. Blair says: “I really believe in the magic of music and when you create that special atmosphere, when you can hear a pin drop, that’s as rewarding as it gets.” Given they often rehearse in armchairs, Huber adds. “Sometimes people ask why we play like this, but it’s best to chill out, then see what works.” Throughout Eclipse, less is definitely more. Both sax and guitar sing with their own voices and this debut album promises much from the Blair/Huber pairing. Find out more about ‘Eclipse’ here

Coined by some as ‘Guitarmageddon’, an ordinary Wednesday night was transformed into a joyous celebration of jazz guitar as part of a series celebrating the 50th anniversary of London’s 606 Club. Dunachie, Luft, Brown, Parracelli, Taylor, Price and Mullen As the musicians were preparing for this wonderful night, I recorded a very special episode of Harmonious World featuring conversations with 606 club owner Steve Rubie, as well as the superb guitarists Jim Mullen, John Parricelli, Nigel Price and Rob Luft. These outstanding musicians were joined by a brilliant rhythm section of Liam Dunachie (piano), Jeremy Brown (bass) and Mark Taylor (drums). I interviewed Steve in October 2024, Nigel in October 2025. Rob was one of my earliest guests in July 2020 and then again live in July 2024. Steve said: “Well, no 606 Club Festival would be complete without the guitar of Jim Mullen and I thought it would be nice to build a gig around this veteran of the scene. And I have to say, it wasn’t difficult. So this evening we have not one but four great guitarists, all from different backgrounds, closely associated with the Club and keen to play with Jim and each other. With ages spanning from 30s to 80s, this promises to be a brilliant night of guitar-led music, which a guitarist friend of mine has christened “Guitarmageddon”! The night was well-orchestrated by Steve, with each guitarist performing a solo and a duo with each of the others. The solos were Leroy Anderson’s Serenata (Jim Mullen), Duke Pearson’s Jeanine (Nigel Price), Rob Luft’s own Gayetski in honour of the great Stan Getz and Alfredo from John Parricelli. The duos were inspired choices, with solos from the lead players but also from the rhythm section: The Jigsaw (Rob and John), Gentle Rain (John and Nigel), The Duke (Rob and Jim), Full House (aptly, by Jim and Nigel), Ready and Able (again, aptly, by Rob and Nigel) and finally We’ll Be Together Again (Jim and John). The two sets each ended with everyone together - Miles Davis’s Four before the break and George Benson’s On Broadway to end the night. Both performances showed how well these four musicians listened to each other - and worked collaboratively with the rhythm section. No-one wanted the night to end, but we all left with at least one great ear worm (mine was Four). Check out the incredible line-up for the 606 Club’s 50th anniversary

Composer, guitarist Ruta Di launches ‘Onwards & Upwards’ in London on 24 October and she’s put together a collection of compositions that expresses much, often in in vocalising without words. The brief opening track - Auguries of Innocence - features fragments from the William Blake poem with Ruta and drummer Finn Genockey responding to the words. From these opening moments, it is clear that this is a voice-driven collection of tunes and the opening of Song for My Grandmother, where the vocal melody says more about loss than words could. This tune in particular features a delicious arrangement where the full sound of horns balances with the voice and more delicate guitar lines. Across this positive album, Ruta’s voice and guitar work well with her collection of musicians - Jakub Cywinski (double bass), Giovanni Crescenzi (bass guitar), Finn Genockey (drums), Alan Short (flute, alto sax), Duncan Eagles (tenor sax) and Leo Richardson (baritone sax). On the cover of Stevie Wonder’s Too High, Di uses sutartinės-inspired vocal textures and harmonies to connect Lithuanian folk traditions with the original music. Similarly on the final, title track, she evokes something of faith and hope in the guitar melody and groove that bring in the band and voice. Everything about this album leads to this ending, leaving us with a sense of musical positivity. ‘Onwards & Upwards’ is available on Bandcamp

The multitude of gigs on offer at this year’s Cambridge Jazz Festival include international heavyweights, stars of the UK’s thriving scene and some fantastic local talent. Now in its 12th year, the festival includes more than 40 events in two weeks across the whole city. As well as British stars like Andy Sheppard, Jean Toussaint and Emma Rawicz, the festival brings international musicians including Delfeayo Marsalis together with Eric Alexander and the extraordinary Lizz Wright. Artist in Residence is composer, educator and sax player Josephine Davies, while the brilliant Fergus Quill is also throwing his composer, bass player and educator hats into the ring. Past guests on Harmonious World who will be appearing include Tim Boniface and James Pearson. If you are anywhere near the East of England from 12-23 November, check out the fabulous music that is on offer around Cambridge. Find out all about this year’s festival at cambridgejazzfestival.info

Award-winning Scottish pianist Fergus McCreadie brings to life the Scottish landscape in his second album - 'Cairn'. Using his regular trio of David Bowden (bass) and Stephen Henderson (drums), McCreadie achieves a collection of tracks fusing jazz and classical influences with an originality that couldn’t hail from anywhere else. Scotland flourishes in all its beauty in the sounds of these nine tunes. McCreadie established himself as one to watch with both his debut album Turasi and a finalist slot in the BBC Jazz Musician of the Year in 2018. He’s been nominated for many awards and collected the Best Instrumentalist accolade at the October 2020 Scottish Jazz Awards. Now, in Cairn, McCreadie uses his prodigious skills as a composer and as a pianist to convey the listener across the highlands and lowlands, with a sense of purpose and direction. Arranged by the trio, each of the tracks is complex in its simplicity, fresh yet mature. They take intricate musical structures and scales, combined with traditional jigs and ballads with exceptional improvisation. The shame of 2021 is that it will still be weeks - if not months - before live performances of Cairn are possible. Cairn is available now on Edition Records. The cover of each format - LP, CD, digital album and single - features a different picture of a rock, collected by Fergus in the Scottish highlands. Together, these rocks constitute a cairn. *** This review was originally posted on KindofJazz.com ***

There is something deeply immersive about Max Richter’s new album ‘While the Flood Rages’. From the opening, seemingly incessant pulse of recorded ocean waves, we are lead into ‘Wave After Wave’ and onwards through this wonderful music. While The Flood Rages derives from Richter’s collaboration with Wayne McGregor on MaddAddam - a co-commission between the National Ballet Of Canada and the Royal Opera House inspired by Margaret Atwood's MaddAddam trilogy. Rather than a direct soundtrack, ‘While The Flood Rages' functions as a standalone companion work. Richter says: "I took the material apart and created a trajectory that makes sense just through listening. It's a different way to reach the same destination." Richter’s music is always transfixing and this collection - 15 tracks in three acts - centres around the title track, which embodies the composer’s style and introduces themes which recur periodically. Vastly, hugely cinematic and full of dynamics, While the Flood Rages somehow allows us moments of peace in which to simply ‘be’. There is a reason that the Ivors Academy is presenting Max Richter will be presented with an Ivor Novello Award for Innovation 17 November: he is a truly innovative composer. The same day is National Album Day in the UK and Richter is an Album Champion. Certainly, his music is often best listened to as a whole, rather than dipping in and out. As composer, arranger and orchestrator, Richter brings a sense of collective creativity where no instrument is simply filling musical space and where the use of electronics reminds us of the technology all around us - for good or ill. While the Flood Rages is an album you’ll want on repeat and on loud. ‘While The Flood Rages’ by Max Richter is available from 16 October

Love Now Pay Later’ from Jo Harrop is the latest collection of tunes from one of the UK’s favourite singers. This latest release from Jo was recorded in Los Angeles, produced by Grammy-nominated Chris Seefried and includes contributions from an impressive band: Chris Seefried (guitars), Deron Johnson (piano), Jonny Flaugher (bass), Denny Weston Jnr (drums). Backing vocals come from Lady Blackbird and Ava Seefried. The title track is a cover of a 1969 soul classic from Clydie King and Jo sets the tone for this soul-based collection of covers and original songs. Writing credits for the originals go to Jo herself, as well as Chris Seefried, Jamie McCredie, Paul Edis and Hannah V. All of that collective collaboration results in a relentlessly soulful and sumptuous album. Tracks like Mr and Mrs Discreet lets both Jo’s voice and Seefried’s guitar fly. Once we get to Smoke Inside a Jar, we have the addition of the beautiful backing vocals of Lady Blackbird: this was rightfully the Track of the Week on Jazz Fm on its release in July. Old Friend is another original track that brings us a pared-back arrangement and allows the soft tones of Jo’s voice to shine through. What we are left with is She Carries On - a lovely ending to what is a stunning album. You can find out more from my Harmonious World interview with Jo in May 2021 and reviews of her performances at Pizza Express Live for the release of The Path of a Tear in April 2025, at Watford Pump House in September 2025, The Cowshed in June 2026 and West Side Jazz in September 2026. Meanwhile, don’t miss out on hearing more from Jo as she has been chosen as October’s Artist of the Month at the UK’s Caffe Nero. I reviewed the ‘Love Now Pay Later’ album launch on 8 October for UK Jazz News. Check out the album on Bandcamp

Inventive and innovative pianist and composer Nico Widdowson joined me for a chat about his new album ‘On Fools and Clowns’ for an episode of Harmonious World and it was only right that I should review the album, too. This is a truly wonderful album - holding the vinyl is always that opening point on discovering new music, even though I’ve heard several of these tunes before. The cover art shows Nico standing in the waters of the Thames, soaking wet and with the dome of St paul’s Cathedral behind him. Perhaps he’s being a fool, or a clown, and perhaps he’s just being Nico. Each of the 11 tunes on this album reflect the man he is and the pianist he is becoming. It both pays tribute to his heroes - Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington and Willie ‘The Lion’ Smith among others - and traces his own journey to London (albeit not literally down the Thames). All the compositions are self-penned, except ¿Who Shot Pinetop? by Fergus Quill and Maple Leaf Rag by Scott Joplin. Together with his trio of Joe MacLaren (bass) and Jordan Hadfield (drums), there are additional drum parts from Charlie Hutchinson. From the glorious On Fools and Clowns title track to the covers and the gorgeous To Those I Love, Nico’s writing, arranging and piano playing shine through. Listen to my live chat with Nico for Harmonious World to find out more about the drive that has brought this album to life. ‘On Fools and Clowns’ from the Nico Widdowson Trio is out now on Trash City Records

Pianist Joe Hill has brought together a classy jazz quintet to celebrate the centenary of the births of both Miles Davis and John Coltrane. The Joe Hill Quintet @rw_crowley With Luke Vice-Coles (trumpet) and Tom Smith (tenor sax) channeling their inner Davis and Coltrane, the evening included a selection of tunes representing some of the most groundbreaking jazz of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Joe, Tom, Mirko and Luke @rw_crowley Alongside Luke and Tom were Joe Hill (piano), Mirko Scarcia (bass) and West Side Jazz impresario Dave Tandy (drums). Just as in the originals, these tunes range from fiendishly difficult and virtuosic to the simply beautiful. The quintet’s version of If I Were a Bell was a great rendition of the Loesser tune made into a jazz standard on the 1958 album Relaxin’ with the Miles Davis Quintet. Similarly great performances came on My Funny Valentine and the marvellous Airegin in the first set. Opening the second set with Four and then the classic Milestones was great programming for an audience that was clearly appreciative of the Davis/Coltrane approach. Particularly outstanding were this quintet’s interpretations of All Blues and Someday My Prince Will Come. Luke and Dave @rw_crowley One of the best features of this evening of fine jazz was the way the musicians shared musical ideas and referenced themes and licks directly from the originals. There was genuine collaboration between these impressive players. Get your tickets now for more great music from the West Side Jazz Orchestra (4 November)