As a jazz journalist, there are writers I look up to—experts in the field, whose expansive knowledge and well developed tastes make them widely acknowledged
I haven’t done anywhere near as much social dancing as I expected to, lately. When social distancing prevented it, I thought I would die without
One facet of my working life which I may not have shared with you before—for there’s been no reason that I should, up to now—is
Some musicians aspire to awards. Many wish to walk out on the world’s biggest stages. Others hope to headline festivals one day. For recording debutante
The first two times I listened to Russell Welch’s new album, I was busy doing something else. Doing what, you ask? As it happens, I
Oh, this one’s going to be divisive—that’s what I thought after listening through I Get Along, the new offering by London-based vocalist Lucinda Fosker. A
As half of acoustic jazz and blues duo The Washboard Resonators, percussionist Jack Amblin no doubt feels most at home on the little stages of
I first heard this record on the same day I was scheduled to interview the lady on its cover. Isobel had only recently come to
I’m always in two minds about whether to call a jazz tune a “banger.” On the one hand, I’d like to think I’m a bona
By the time I sat down for a chat with Meschiya Lake, in mid-October, I’d been keen to meet her for a long time—since 2019
The High Standards’ latest release is a four-track EP called My Josephine, which isn’t much music to review. Fortunately the band completed a full-length, self-titled
Recently I’ve been thinking about what it means to be a British jazz fan. I’d heard a lot about the drive for authenticity, which seems
Few serious scholars believe that famous boast, made by the notoriously braggadocious Jelly Roll Morton, in which he claims to have single-handedly invented jazz. But
Guitarist Leo Forde has been living and working in New Orleans since 2014 but, I was pleased to discover, he’s one of ours—a Brit (although,
Most of the pro jazz musicians I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing have majored in music at college. This seems like a smart move: if
Over the last decade, many British bands, clubs, pubs, and hotels have been offering evenings of “authentic” Jazz Age entertainment. Since 2013, event organizers have
When I first saw a punk folk band called Holy Moly and the Crackers, I wished I could get married again just to have them
Describing themselves as “a band for dancers and listeners alike,” Australian outfit Andrew Dickeson’s Blue Rhythm Band have been delighting swing fans around their native
If there’s one thing my Sherrie Tucker-inspired scribblings—to which I collectively refer as “my forgotten ladies”—have revealed, it’s that behind many of history’s greatest jazzmen
Are you a Hollywood producer seeking the perfect soundtrack for your next nostalgic blockbuster? Well, I think I may have found it. If I could
It’s been a good while since I listened to any big band swing: my playlist has been all duos, trios and small combos for the
Singer-songwriter Tia Brazda burst onto the jazz scene ten years ago, with a debut EP which topped the Canadian iTunes jazz charts. Her full-length debut
Stretched out with my eyes closed, atop a lounger in my backyard—on a day which could only be described as alarmingly barmy, for Britain in
One of the great things about jazz, as I’m sure many fans will agree, is that the tunes stand up very well however they are
