The UK's first DAB jazz station, theJazz, emerges from its test transmissions on Good Friday with a full launch. The station has just confirmed the line-up for the station. Many of the broadcasters hired by the theJazz are refugees from Smooth Fm, including Mike Chadwick and Campbell Burnap, while former Smooth broadcaster Helen Mayhew, most recently a presence at BBC Radio 3, moves to the station for six shows per week. Musicians Courtney Pine, Ramsey Lewis and Jamie Cullum also have shows on theJazz while veteran Top of the Pops DJ David "Kid" Jensen is also on the roster.
26.03.07

The Spice of Life, one of the most centrally located clubs in London, nestling in the basement of the Spice of Life pub at Cambridge Circus, has announced details of its programme for February. First up tonight is singer Lauren Derwent plus the Jonathan Idiabonya Trio in a double bill with Damon Brown and the Minimum Trio. Tomorrow it's Osian Roberts and the Steve Fishwick Quintet followed on Sunday afternoon by the Hot Orange Big Band. Next week it's a Jazz Poetry Love on Valentine's Day with the William Blake Klezmatrix featuring poet Michael Horovitz and on 15 Feb it's the regular Dune night with Tomorrow's Warriors performing a tribute to George Benson. 07.02.07

Veteran pianist, composer and educator Dave Brubeck is to be this year's recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Jazz Awards to be held next month. A full list of the nominations and some winners for this year's awards was made at a special concert last night when some of the nominees, including Claire Martin, Soweto Kinch and Martin Taylor performed short selections. The announcement that Dave Brubeck is to receive this special award was made by drummer Billy Cobham who then joined Kinch and Guy Barker plus rhythm section for a rendition of Thelonious Monk's 'Off Minor'. 08.06.07

Sixty this year and a recent recipient of the international award by Birmingham Jazz bassist Dave Holland appears at the Adrian Boult Hall on 19 November. 13.11.06

While the dates for his European tour this summer have not yet been released, Herbie Hancock has revealed his band for the tour. Speaking exclusively to Jazzwise yesterday from Los Angeles, Hancock said that his touring band will be expat English bassist Dave Holland, US drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, Beninese guitarist Lionel Loueke, all of whom feature on River: The Joni Letters plus saxophonist Chris Potter. Both Colaiuta and Loueke appeared with Hancock at the Roundhouse in London in 2006. 27.02.08

Just round the corner from the Palace Theatre in London's West End where Spamalot is currently playing, tucked awayin the basement room of the Spice of Life pub is one of London's most organic and lively jazz scenes. It's a great place to catch new and upcoming acts and one or two more established names. The programme this month includes Gui Tavares' Brazilian Jam (13 June), Dave O'Higgins (14 June), the Simon Walker Big Band (17 June, lunchtime), Seulja (20 June), Gary Crosby's Nu Troop (21 June), Tomorrow's Warriors Jam (24 June, lunchtime) and Iain Mackensie and Pete Churchill (27 June). 13.06.07

23.01.07

Saxophonist Dave O’Higgins and his new quartet take a fresh look at classic hard bop with his ninth solo album, In The Zone, released next month on Jazzizit records. Cut live in the studio last year, the album features pianist Tom Cawley, bassist Sam Burgess, drummer Sebastiaan de Krom plus trumpeter Martin Shaw on some tracks. It includes a mix of standards and original compositions, that says O’Higgins "reference the great saxophonists: Parker, Rollins, Gordon, Shorter, Henderson and Coltrane." 25.02.08

Two Welsh pianists have just returned from a tour of the Balkans. Geoff Eales and the Dave Stapleton Quintet (pictured) played prestigious concerts at the Zagreb Composers Jazz Festival in Zagreb, Croatia, and at the Belgrade Jazz Festival, Serbia. The pairing also played in the Serbian towns of Indjija and Sabac. Funded by Welsh Arts International, the tour started in the Croatian capital of Zagreb where both artists' concerts were filmed for broadcast on Croatian TV early next year. 
05.11.07

Pianist David O’Brien is the winner of this year’s Peter Whittingham Jazz Award. The £4,000 award will be used to fund a London-based Plasmatronic Jazz Festival, a collaborative project fusing live music with simultaneous live on screen visuals. 22.12.06

After tonight's show in London iconoclastic guitarist David Torn takes the group that released Prezens last year to Leeds venue Seven in Chapel Allerton. Travelling north tomorrow after the concert tonight at the Vortex which is being recorded for BBC Radio 3 Torn's quartet features altoist Tim Berne, keyboards player Craig Taborn and drummer Tom Rainey. It is on tour in Europe and these three concerts are the only ones scheduled for this country. 14.01.08

Singer Alison Burns makes her debut this month with new release Kissing Bug. She’s in good company: the album is produced by Martin Taylor (who also happens to be her father-in-law) with a strong band including Martin, trumpeter Guy Barker, pianist David Newton, bassist Ewen Vernal, accordionist Jack Emblow and drummer James Taylor (her husband). The title track, a lesser known Billy Strayhorn tune, is complemented by a range of familiar standards from the golden era of jazz with material by George Gershwin, Cole Porter and Jerome Kern, among others. 08.03.07

23.06.08

The Norfolk and Norwich Festival which runs from 4-19 May is a general arts festival but this year its jazz and world music content is stronger than ever before with a range of UK and international talent. The line up includes the Guy Barker Jazz Orchestra (Norwich Playhouse, 5 May), Bobo Stenson Trio (Norwich Playhouse, 6 May), Julian Joseph and Mark Latimer (10 May, St Peter Macroft), John Surman (Norwich Cathedral, 12 May), Acoustic Triangle (16 May, Norwich Cathedral), Jacqui Dankworth (17 May, Norwich Playhouse) and Dennis Rollins with a specially commissioned collaboration with the Bigger Sky chorus (19 May, St Andrew’s Hall). 19.03.07

This year's Marsden Jazz Festival, now in its 16th year, is held between 12th and 14th October with a strong line up of new and established talent. Based in Marsden’s attractive stone-built village, this quiet West Yorkshire community sheds its sleepy reputation to become an essential stop on the burgeoning UK jazz festival circuit. Trombone master and festival stalwart Dennis Rollins graces the impressive bill on three occasions, on opening night with Ben Crosland’s Crusaders tribute band, Chain Reaction; also presenting a masterclass on Saturday afternoon and with a headline show with Badbone and Co. on Sunday. 
02.10.07

15.08.07

This year’s Wigan International Jazz Festival, which runs from 13-22 July, kicks off with a Swing Big Band Weekend from Friday 13-Sunday 15 July at the Lowton Civic Hall followed by a week of concerts at the Tetley’s Lounge, JJB Stadium. A free fringe festival will showcase local big bands and youth orchestras, the Bulmer's Chilled Out Jazz series will present free concerts at The Boulevard and Chicago Rock Café and lunchtime jazz sessions take place at Wigan Cricket Club. In addition to the music events there are also a number of Jazz Education Seminars being held throughout the festival. Highlights include: Swing Dance Workshop, Jay Craig Orchestra (13 July); Midland Youth Jazz Orchestra, Elmhurst College Big Band (14 July); Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra, SHAPE Jazz Orchestra (15 July); Dennis Rollins’ Badbone & Co (16 July); Thilo Wolf Big Band (17 July); Alan Barnes’ Tribute to Horace Silver (18 July); Shakatak (19 July); Wigan Jazz Club Big Band featuring Phil DeGreg (20 July); Martin Taylor Freternity (21 July) and Jazz In the Park (22 July)  15.06.07

This year's Marsden Jazz Festival, now in its 16th year, is to be held between 12th and 14th October with a strong line up of new and established talent. Based in Marsden’s attractive stone-built village, this quiet West Yorkshire community sheds its sleepy reputation to become an essential stop on the burgeoning UK jazz festival circuit. Trombone master and festival stalwart Dennis Rollins graces the impressive bill on three occasions, on opening night with Ben Crosland’s Crusaders tribute band, Chain Reaction; also presenting a masterclass on Saturday afternoon and with a headline show with Badbone and Co. on Sunday. Other highlights include accordion master Richard Galliano and his Tangaria Quartet, multiple award winning singer Liane Carroll; and True Colours Choir featuring Marsden’s very own Unity Voices. 
05.09.07

The programme for this year’s Scarborough Jazz Festival, taking place in the Yorkshire seaside town from 28-30 September, has been unveiled. Centred on the Scarborough Spa on the South Bay, recently refurbished to the tune of £3.75m, the programme this year has a strong UK flavour plus an international surprise. Stan Tracey’s Octet, the Tony Kofi Trio, Alan Barnes, Martin Taylor, Dave Newton, Steve Waterman and Dennis Rollins are some of the top British names booked while visiting American drummer Richie Barshay, who has recently been touring with Herbie Hancock, brings his Roundtable band to Scarborough.
29.06.07

JB Horns alto saxophone legend Maceo Parker will tour the UK in May with trombonist Dennis Rollins in his band. Rollins’ jazz funk ethos is a perfect match for a man whose time with James Brown, in the company of Pee Wee Ellis and funky trombone man Fred Wesley, provided just one of the important influences in Rollins’ musical philosophy especially with the hard touring Badbone and Co. 18.03.08

Birmingham has had its ups and downs for jazz clubs over the last decade with a gradual deterioration in club activity with a series of high profile closures. One constant, however, is Jazz at Bearwood Corks Club which has a busy couple of months ahead including a special celebration for local sax hero Andy Hamilton's 89th birthday with the visit of Scott Hamilton on 29th March.  15.02.07

"Derby does it," the slogan has it, but there's more than a grain of truth in the phrase as Derby Jazz Week next week presents a strong list of concerts, celebrating UK jazz and more especially many musicians from the Derby area. Tom Cawley's Curios (21st March), Oriole/Christine Tobin (22 March), Alex Wilson (23 March) Corey Mwamba/Dave O'Higgins/Julian Siegel (24 March) and Phil Robson (24 March) are just some of the artists heading to Derby. 16.03.07

Pioneering free jazz and improv legend Derek Bailey passed away December 2006.  His biographer Ben Watson will be reading from his book Derek Bailey And The Story of Free Improvisation at the Muswell Hill Bookshop in London's Muswell Hill on 16 March at 7.30pm. Phone 020 8444 7588 for more details. 15.02.06

A concert featuring John Zorn, Bill Laswell, Milford Graves and Gavin Bryars is to take place on 17 June at the Barbican Centre in London. It's a tribute to the influential improvising guitarist Derek Bailey who died on Christmas Day last year. For more info go to www.barbican.org 19.04.06

Guitarist Derek Trucks made an extraordinary impact at the Mean Fiddler on London's Charing Cross Road last night. With his full band including Todd Smallie, bass, Yonrico Scott, drums, Kofi Burbridge, organ, clavinet, keyboards and flute and Mike Mattison, lead vocals, Count M'Butu, congas and percussion plus Trucks' wife Susan Tedeschi on guitar and vocals, the evening was a treat for the packed Mean Fiddler audience. 25.05.06

There's a rare chance to catch the extraordinarily accomplished guitarist Derek Trucks at the Carling Academy in Islington tomorrow night. The nephew of Allman Brothers drummer Butch Trucks, Derek plays with the current line-up of the Allman band as well as serving as Eric Clapton's frontline gigging partner. As a leader in his own right he has produced a run of critically acclaimed records for Sony most recently Songlines. Live, he is capable of zen-like composure effortless running through the changes on a John Coltrane tune, or dazzling with his composure on an Indo-jazz fusion routine or delivering a sumptuous slow blues. 10.10.07

The City of Derry Jazz and Big Band Festival, which takes place in Northern Ireland from 27-30 April, has announced its line-up. It includes the return of Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra plus Soweto Kinch, Kenny Ball, Acker Bilk, Jacqui Dankworth and Curtis Stigers. For info go to www.cityofderryjazzfestival.com or phone (028) 7126 7284. 10.02.06

From This Moment On is the title of the new album by singer Diana Krall expected in September. 10.07.06

Last night at the Barbican in London a Blue Note records double bill with Beninese guitarist Lionel Loueke in the first half and singer Dianne Reeves (pictured) as the headliner showed contrasting sides of the current label roster, instrumental and vocals, newcomer and seasoned artist. 10.04.08

Greece's most famous jazz musician Dimitri Vassilakis makes a rare appearance in London on 17 March at Dalston's Vortex club. The saxophonist is based in Athens where he teaches and hosts two national TV shows as well as his own national radio show. He has previously recorded for the Candid label. Dimitri plays the Vortex in the fine company of drummer Gene Calderazzo and bassist Mark Hodgson. 09.03.06

Keyboard wizard Django Bates is set to celebrate Charlie "Bird" Parker’s birthday with a performance alongside drummer Steve Davis and electric bassist Michael Mondesir at the Vortex club in London tonight. Bird would have been 86 today and Bates promises to salute the jazz legend with “a tableau created through extrapolation, deviation, variation and veneration.” 29.08.06

Pianist Django Bates, now living in Denmark where he teaches at the Conservatory in Copenhagen, is making a rare return to these shores next year in the company of the Danish Søren Nørbo Trio. Road hardened with five albums under their belt, the Danes have worked with Bates on the album Debates which is released at the end of January. The updated tour dates are Birmingham Jazz (2 Feb), Leeds College of Music (3 Feb), The Vortex, London (4 and 5 Feb), The Sage, Gateshead (7 Feb), RNCM, Manchester (8 Feb) and Cambridge Modern Jazz Club (9 Feb). 28.11.06

Composer and keyboards player Django Bates has made the shortlist for the prestigious PRS Foundation-backed New Music Award for a work that he will create called ‘Pedal Tones’. Currently a professor at the Rhythmic conservatory in Copenhagen, Bates only occasionally performs in England, most recently at last November’s London Jazz Festival tribute concert to the late Joe Zawinul, a key influence on Bates’ compositional and musical choices. 31.01.08

Lost Marble records, keyboardist and composer Django Bates’ record label, is to release Stormchaser’s Spring is Here… (shall we dance?) in June. It is the last in a quartet of releases by Bates in different band and solo situations that began in the early 1990s with Summer Fruits for the JMT label. Stormchaser is a big band project developed at Copenhagen's Rhythmic Music Conservatory where Bates is a professor of rhythmic music. 14.02.08

Django Bates has written the music for the Globe theatre production of Shakespeare’s satire Timon of Athens which runs from 26 July-3 October. Bates worked with director Lucy Bailey and designer William Dudley two years ago in the Globe’s production of Titus Andronicus. “With Timon of Athens, she says, “we’re after a delicate elusive world of sound – lots of different string feels (the harp and the oud) as well as steel drums to be used in a very different way. Django specialises in the ironic and off-beat, and so Timon of Athens is right up his street.” 04.06.08

Large doubts hang over the New York British Jazz Festival due to take place in New York from 27-29 April. The New York Center, where the key concerts were to be have been mounted, says it has no knowledge of the event and the organisers, Harkit Records, have not been returning calls from musicians booked for the event, including Michael Garrick and Stan Tracey.
25.04.06

Drummer, composer and bandleader Max Roach died peacefully in hospital at 1am today, Thursday 16 August, surrounded by members of his family. Max was one of the last living greats from the earliest days of bebop where, as the house drummer at Monroe’s Uptown House in 1942, and at Minton’s Playhouse, he first played with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. He went on to play with Parker’s Quintet from 1947 until 1949 and contributed to Miles Davis first breakthrough album, Birth Of The Cool, recorded during 1949-50. 16.08.07

Allan Ganley, a giant of UK jazz drumming for over 50 years has died aged 77. Born on 11 March 1931 in Surrey he played with influential dance band leader Ambrose in the 1950s and importantly joined the first John Dankworth orchestra, retaining his link to Dankworth until the end of his life. He had been due to perform with Dankworth as recently as last weekend for a headlining appearance at the Gateshead Jazz Festival. 01.04.08

The BBC Jazz Awards were held last night at the Mermaid Theatre in London and featured a who’s who of the jazz world, reflecting their importance on the UK jazz calendar. Hosted by Paul Gambaccini the winners were: Radio 2 Jazz Artist of the Year: Curtis Stigers; Radio 2 Heart of Jazz Award: Martin Taylor; Jazz Line-Up Award for Best Band: Finn Peters Finntet; Jazz on 3 Award for Innovation: Tom Bancroft; Album of the Year: The Neil Cowley Trio, Displaced; Rising Star: Simon Spillett; Best Instrumentalist: Julian Siegel; Best Vocalist: Ian Shaw; Services to Jazz: Gary Crosby; International Award Madeleine Peyroux and Lifetime Achievement Award: Dave Brubeck.
13.07.07

Drummer Philip “Pip” Pyle died in a Paris hotel room on Monday aged 56. Born in Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire in 1950, he was a key member of the Canterbury scene and played in Hatfield and the North, Gong and National Health, three bands that traced their evolution back to the work of Soft Machine and Caravan. His career, combining progressive rock and jazz, spanned a lifetime’s worth of music. His death came three days after performing with a reformed Hatfield and the North in Holland. 31.08.06

Empirical drummer Shaney Forbes has won a scholarship for new jazz talent sponsored by theJazz radio station and Yamaha. The prize is worth £1,000 and in addition to the cash, Forbes along with the other winners, guitarist Nick Tyson and singer Paola Bottomley, will perform with guitarist John Etheridge and his band at a special gala event at the Palace of Westminster on 18 July in front of an audience of MPs, peers and industry figures.
11.07.07

Mainstream jazz fans everywhere will probably be booking their tickets already for what might prove to be the gig of the year for those with a middle of the road jazz disposition. The place? Well it's got to be the Pavilion Bournemouth on 26 March for a special concert to commemorate the music of Gershwin and Benny Goodman. A 26-piece "all star powerhouse big band" led by Duncan Lamont (featuring Steve Waterman, Tony Coe, Andy Panayi, Art Themen, and Mark Nightingale) will be joined by special guests Sir John Dankworth, Don Lusher, Bruce Adams, Christian Garrick, Elaine Delmar and Judy Carmichael.


10.03.06

Award-winning British jazz label, Dune Records, will release an album by new signing singer Kellylee Evans, says managing director Janine Irons, speaking exclusively to Jazzwise. 14.11.07