Of the three jazz all-rounders brought together by Kings Place for its eXplorations mini-series, Alex Wilson – composer, pianist and Latin Jazz evangelist – is the most idiosyncratic, and his gig was suitably individual. After opening with the second ever performance of his Concerto for Kora & Piano, the second half was split between Wilson’s… [Read more…]
January 30, 2012 by Catherine Marks
This concert at Kings Place was part of eXplorations, a three-night run of concerts with collaborations between trumpeter Jay Phelps, saxophonist and rapper Soweto Kinch, and pianist Alex Wilson. Soweto Kinch split his gig in two, with the first half featuring his most recently released album The New Emancipation. After opening with the soulful ‘Trying… [Read more…]
January 23, 2012 by Culture Capital
This article was written for Independent blogs. Standing at the bus stop the other day, I bumped into an acquaintance who had been working outside London for the last few years. When I asked how he liked living in Bristol, and then Liverpool, he reeled off a list of positives before saying, “but culturally, there… [Read more…]
January 16, 2012 by Catherine Marks
From January 26th – 28th Kings Place will play host to three jazz stars. Over three nights Jay Phelps, Soweto Kinch and Alex Wilson will each play their own concerts and also collaborate with each other on stage. Canadian-born Trumpeter Jay Phelps appears on the 26th to direct a suite for big band with special… [Read more…]
January 6, 2012 by Culture Capital
A version of this article was originally written for Londonist. If the church of St-Martin-in-the-Fields stood in nearly any other London location it would be the focus of its surroundings. But with Nelson’s Column and the National Gallery on its doorstep and the through-route from the West End running along its front steps, it has to… [Read more…]
January 3, 2012 by Catherine Marks
A visit to the Neil Cowley Trio’s website at the moment is particularly worth the click as it currently features an excellent ‘making of’ video for their new album. The band rehearse, experiment and record in the studio, playing in a tight-knit formation, frequently interrupted by moments of insincerity. It’s a great introduction to this… [Read more…]
December 23, 2011 by Catherine Marks
I’ve always described Portico Quartet to others as being the jazz version of Radiohead, and I think this might be their Amnesiac album. I’ve been looking forward to the release of their eponymous third LP – keen to see how the change in band line-up and the move towards looping and electronics would alter their… [Read more…]
November 20, 2011 by Catherine Marks
“I don’t like jazz” is something that I hear a lot from fellow music enthusiasts who haven’t yet forayed into the world of jazz. Hearing this more and more recently, and having recently read Josh Jennings’ article ‘Rejuvenate Jazz Someone… Anyone’ on his excellent British Jazz Blog, I was prompted to put this article together.… [Read more…]
November 13, 2011 by Catherine Marks
Simultaneously poppy, jazzy and swinging, Dutch singer Caro Emerald’s debut album has done well in the UK. This month her album is re-released as a platinum edition and her live date at Shepherd’s Bush in December is already sold out. On the face of it, this is an album of jazz-era inspired song, but its… [Read more…]
October 11, 2011 by Culture Capital
This article was written for Londonist. With dozens of events a day all over town, picking just ten gigs at the London Jazz Festival (11 to 20 November) isn’t simple. Neither does the dizzying array of styles and regional music on offer help. Themes this year include a look at the roots of American music… [Read more…]
January 31, 2012 by Culture Capital
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