March of the Octopus – Ben Wilcock & John Rae (Thick Records TH020) Wellington-based Scottish drummer John Rae and New Zealand-born pianist Ben Wilcock follow their internationally acclaimed Splendid Isolation album with March of the Octopus, a suite of original compositions ranging from reflective solo piano pieces to quintet explorations, on Friday 28th November. RecordedContinue reading “Leading NZ Jazz Musicians Launch New Quintet Album”
Tag Archives: jazz
Pianist Launches Celebration of Brazilian Genius Egberto Gismonti’s Music
Pianist Paul Harrison launches Encontros, a personal celebration of the music of Brazilian composer Egberto Gismonti’s music, at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh on Friday 5th September. One of the leading players on the currently vibrant Scottish jazz scene, Harrison was first attracted to Gismonti’s work after hearing Choro, Gismonti’s homage to the popular, intricate musicalContinue reading “Pianist Launches Celebration of Brazilian Genius Egberto Gismonti’s Music”
Louis Stewart’s I Thought About You Reissued at Last
Dublin-based Livia Records reissues Irish guitar master Louis Stewart’s all-star 1977 recording, I Thought About You on 29th May. Long deleted and much sought after in its original vinyl form, I Thought About You features Stewart with the American rhythm section of bassist Sam Jones and drummer Billy Higgins and leading European pianist John Taylor. ItContinue reading “Louis Stewart’s I Thought About You Reissued at Last”
Testimony Bears Witness to Solo Saxophone Mastery
Saxophonist Phil Bancroft releases Testimony, an improvised suite forsolo saxophone, as the 6th release on his Myriad Streams platform onFriday 25th April. Recorded during lockdown in 2021 in a barn on the smallholding he andhis wife, Jude, had recently moved into, Testimony was musicallycompletely unplanned and spontaneous. “I was exploring the amazing acoustics of theContinue reading “Testimony Bears Witness to Solo Saxophone Mastery”
SNJO Looks East for Spicy Queen’s Hall Adventure
The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra expands its horizons with a concert entitled 21 Spices and featuring the sensational Indian percussionist Trilok Gurtu at the Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh on Sunday 30th March. The son of vocalist Shobha Gurtu, a legendary figure in Indian classical music known as the Thumri Queen, Trilok Gurtu has won an international reputationContinue reading “SNJO Looks East for Spicy Queen’s Hall Adventure”
Saxophonist Revisits Golden Sands at the Queen’s Hall
Helena Kay returns to the Queen’s Hall in Edinburgh on Thursday 13th February for the second in a series of four concerts that the saxophonist has been invited to curate by the venue. Promoted under the Jazz Thursdays banner, the concert features Kay’s quartet revisiting the saxophonist’s internationally acclaimed second album, Golden Sands, with support fromContinue reading “Saxophonist Revisits Golden Sands at the Queen’s Hall”
Brian Molley Quartet and the Asin Langa Ensemble – JOURNEYS
Brian Molley/Saxophone – Asin Khan Langa/Voice and Sarangi – Tom Gibbs/Piano – Bhungar Khan/Khartal – James Lindsay/Double Bass – Sadik Khan/Dholak – Stuart Brown/Drums – Latif Khan/Bhapang and Morchang Internationally acclaimed Scottish group Brian Molley Quartet release their latest album, JOURNEYS, in collaboration with the Asin Langa Ensemble from Northern India on Friday 7th FebruaryContinue reading “Brian Molley Quartet and the Asin Langa Ensemble – JOURNEYS”
Saxophonist Bancroft Launches New, Personally Groundbreaking Album
Scottish saxophonist Phil Bancroft releases Finding Hope (When All Seems Lost), the debut album by his new trio, The Beautiful Storm, on his Myriad Streams platform on Monday 16th December. Featuring Bancroft’s long-time colleague, the consistently inventive guitarist Graeme Stephen and the Delhi-based tabla master Gyan Singh, the new group explores a range of musicalContinue reading “Saxophonist Bancroft Launches New, Personally Groundbreaking Album”
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