This piece was originally written for Independent blogs. There was a similar blog post on the Guardian today too. World music. To some it’s a long-defunct marketing invention, a crude catch-all for bringing global folk styles – and numerous dodgy attempts at fusion – under one pointless umbrella. Questioning the validity of the term is… [Read more…]
March 19, 2012 by Culture Capital
Pizza Express Jazz Club is not what you’d call a spacious venue. Tables and chairs take up a lot of room and the stage area is tight to say the least. So it is a marvel that the Dean Street Club manages to squeeze two grand pianos into the club each year for its annual… [Read more…]
March 14, 2012 by Culture Capital
This article was originally written for Londonist.com. Ask a Londoner to name a jazz venue in town and chances are the answer will come in the form of a certain Soho joint with an unforgettable name and a cool sign. Open since 1959, Ronnie Scott’s is, by a long stretch, the most renowned jazz club… [Read more…]
February 27, 2012 by Catherine Marks
In a recent NPR interview Robert Glasper was very clear that “jazz is the father of hip-hop – without jazz there would be no hip-hop”. But despite this ancestral link, these two genres are rarely put together. Admittedly I saw British jazz/hip-hopper Soweto Kinch play in the capital only last month, but it is still… [Read more…]
January 31, 2012 by Culture Capital
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 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 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…]
October 7, 2011 by Catherine Marks
Although this is Arun Ghosh’s second album, it’s actually his first with a full touring band. Since releasing his critically acclaimed debut Northern Namaste in 2008, Ghosh has built up a great reputation and even featured as cover star for Jazzwise last month. In his Jazzwise interview he revealed that the first album was recorded… [Read more…]
March 23, 2012 by Culture Capital
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