Jazz festivals have been sprouting up in all corners of the country for the past decade in cities, towns, villages and deep in the countryside. Hayne Barton, in Devon is one of the more recent rural arrivals and over the weekend of 17-19 August launches its fourth festival with a line-up that includes Jacqui Dankworth, the Liane Carroll Trio, Anita Wardell, Louise Parker, Steve Kaldestadt, Digby Fairweather and his Half Dozen, Karen Sharp, Roz Harding, Alan Barnes, Bruce Adams, John Etheridge and many more.
19.06.07

Jazz musicians like never before are embarking on cross genre projects that stretch and rethink the notions of their musical approaches. The latest project in this regard is the teaming up of singer Jacqui Dankworth and the Brodsky Quartet for a special concert as part of the UBS Eclectica series at LSO St Luke's In London on 13 March. Dedicated to bringing culturally diverse internationally renowned artists from a wide range of different music genres to LSO St Luke’s, the concert sees Dankworth perform live with the quartet following her appearance on their album Moodswings alongside Sting and Sir Paul McCartney. 16.02.07

Renowned jazz educator and "you-can-improvise" US jazz guru Jamey Aebersold returns to London for an exclusive gig this month as part of the annual Jazzwise summer school week.

03.07.06

Hardly out of the papers this week out on the town with new girlfriend Sophie Dahl, Jamie Cullum gets back to work tonight at the Forum for a so-called "electro" gig with brother Ben, singer Mark Murphy and drum and bass star Roni Size. In the autumn he's out on the road again playing piano in a back to front formation with his bassist Geoff Gascoyne who leads the band plus Cullum drummer Seb De Krom and guests. 07.09.07

The George IV pub in London's Chiswick is hosting regular high profile Jazz Talent jam sessions from next month on the last Monday of each month. 13.02.06

Sitting in the unlikely setting of LSO St Luke’s in London, a converted 18th-century Hawksmoor church, five years into its new life as a music and education venue, it’s hard not to think of what Thelonious Monk would have made of it. His image flickering and distant, voice muffled and humorous and even the sound of his feet, dancing around a distant room, filling the church and beaming out into the air as part of Jason Moran’s In My Mind project last night. 21.05.08

Pianist and bandleader Jay "Hootie" McShann, died on 7 December at the age of 90. Born in Oklahoma he was influenced early on by Earl Hines but developed his own blues-influenced style over the years. Best known for giving Charlie Parker his first big break, McShann was well known on the Kansas City scene in the 1930s and 40s, helping to establish the Kansas City sound. Charlie Parker made his first commercial recordings with McShann in 1941, the year the band scored a hit with Walter Brown's vocal on 'Confessing the Blues'.  11.12.06

Outstanding young jazz musicians have been invited to apply for the 2006 Peter Whittingham Award. 28.09.06

The John RT Davies Collection of jazz, blues and dance music from the first half of the 20th century is set to move to a permanent home at the University of York. 15.05.06

A protest will take place tonight at the Royal Albert Hall in London where the MOBO Awards are being held. Organised to show the jazz community’s dismay at the award organisers’ decision to drop the jazz category from this year’s ceremony trumpeter Abram Wilson will front a 10-piece band to include past-MOBO winner Soweto Kinch. 20.09.06

Following the shock announcement that GCap’s theJazz DAB station will close at the end of next month, Guardian Media Group Radio has made a surprise announcement that it plans to relaunch Jazz FM on DAB in London and the north west. A relaunch is hoped for later this year subject to agreement from regulator Ofcom. 29.02.08

Radio station Jazz FM will be relaunched later this year as a DAB station. The Local Radio Company, run by Jazz FM former chief exectutive Richard Wheatly has signed a three-year licensing deal with Guardian Radio to run the station GMG bought Jazz FM several years ago, relaunching it as Smooth FM, but retaining the rights to the name.
01.07.08

Mulgrew Miller, Avishai Cohen, Tina May and Polar Bear are on the bill for next month's Aberdeen Jazz Festival which runs from 8-12 March at local venues that include the Music Hall, Blue Lamp, Rusty Nail, The Tunnels and Lemon Tree. For tickets and info phone 01224 619769 or go to www.jazzaberdeen.com
16.02.06

Snape Proms runs from 1-31 August with a programme that ranges from classical, jazz and folk music as well as poetry recitals, exhibitions and salsa dance classes. This year’s line up includes Jazz Jamaica, Claire Martin, Antonio Forcione, Alex Wilson and the Jacques Loussier Trio. 09.07.07

19.06.08

A host of big names including South African trumpet icon Hugh Masekela, Jools Holland and Jazz Jamaica (pictured) are to appear at next month’s Coventry Jazz Festival, which runs from 22-26 May, joining Randy Brecker, Martin Taylor and many others including Liane Carroll and Alan Barnes.  07.04.08

Pianist Trevor Watkis (pictured) and trumpeter Abram Wilson’s Quartet are among the musicians taking part in a special event on 1 April in the Clore Ballroom at London’s Royal Festival Hall, to celebrate the life of Dr Martin Luther King who was assassinated on 4 April 1968. The great civil rights leader’s son Martin Luther King III is to speak as guest of honour. 27.03.08

Pianist Geoff Eales and singers Claire Martin and Ian Shaw are to perform a one-off concert in aid of Welsh learning disability charity Mencap Cymru. The jazz event is to be held on Wednesday 26 September 2007 at the Coal Exchange in Cardiff just days before the well-known venue closes its doors for a long-term makeover. 10.09.07

The fearless guitar improviser Derek Bailey died on Christmas Day 2006 aged 75. In a tribute to him, BBC Radio 3's Jazz on 3 presents a special show on 20 January at 11.30pm with Jez Nelson talking to musicians who knew and performed with Bailey, including Pat Metheny, as well as airing archive recordings of Bailey's music. 04.01.06

Remember Smooth FM? The London station that once was Jazz FM, until it changed its name and format last year but has suffered in the competitive chase for mainstream radio ratings since, has a glimmer of brighter news for jazz fans. 08.08.06

Actor Jack Shepherd's jazz-themed play Chasing The Moment is set for a revival at the Arcola Theatre in London from 23 January-24 February. Set in an east London jazz club, four talented musicians battle it out to define themselves in the world of jazz and in the eyes of each other. 05.01.07

Jazz Services has announced the recipients of its National Touring Support Scheme grant for January-March 2007. Artists to tour during next year’s first quarter with support from the National Touring Support Scheme are Andrew Fawcett’s Italian Connection; The Neil Cowley Trio; Tom Cawley’s Curios; Paul Booth Quintet; Coates-Edwards-Ryan Trio; Karen Sharp Quintet; Finn Peters’ Su-ling; Simon Rose; The Meier Group; The Osian Roberts/Steve Fishwick Quintet; Julian Siegel Trio; Ballantine/Shaw Band; Kate Williams Quartet; Pat Crumly Quartet and Andy Davies Quartet.
23.11.06

The Christine Tobin band, Dave Stapleton quintet and Trevor Watts/Jamie Harris duo are among the 12 bands to have qualified for the Jazz Services national touring support scheme running from April to June. Now in its 15th year the scheme offers grants to both up and coming and established bands who have five or more gigs confirmed during the three-month period and who have applied to Jazz Services. 29.01.08

Saxophonist Jim Tomlinson and author Kazuo Ishiguro’s song, ‘The Ice Hotel’, written for Stacey Kent’s Blue Note album Breakfast On The Morning Tram, has won first place in the jazz category of the International Songwriting Competition. The ISC received an entry of over 15,000 songs from songwriters in 100 countries. The five and a half minute lead-off track on the album which was released last autumn is one of several tracks the pair collaborated on for the album including ‘I Wish I Could Go Travelling Again’ and ‘So Romantic’. Nagasaki-born British writer Ishiguro (pictured) is a longstanding fan of Stacey Kent and has penned sleevenotes for her. He won the Booker prize for his 1989 book Remains of the Day. 14.04.08

A good night for perennial Grammy favourite Pat Metheny and expat UK bassist Dave Holland who both scooped Grammys at last night's ceremony in Los Angeles. 09.02.06

The co-author of the Penguin Guide To Jazz Recordings Richard Cook died of cancer at the weekend aged just 50. One of the most internationally known British jazz writers, Richard was an author of books on Miles Davis, a jazz encyclopedia and the history of Blue Note records as well as co-author, with Brian Morton, of eight editions of the Penguin Guide. 28.08.07

Perry Louis and the Jazzcotech Dancers perform at the Jazz Cafe in London on Saturday for a show that marks 10 years of their club night at the Camden venue. 01.06.06

Jazzwise to the power of 10, the week-long festival at Pizza Express Jazz Club in London, got underway in some style last night in front of a packed club. Opening the festival the Finn Peters Finntet snaked their way to the stage before developing an intriguing mix of post-modern jazz styles characterised by the saxophone and flute lines of leader Peters and backed intriguingly by guitarist David Okumu, pianist Nick Ramm and the rest of the band. 27.03.07

With thousands of jazz musicians building their own network of contacts online through the ever-growing My Space community, Jazzwise has now started a My Space page that will soon feature exclusive content, sounds and pictures not available in the monthly magazine.
10.05.06

Breakfast with Brad Mehldau, lunch with Lionel Loueke, dinner with Denys Baptiste? Well maybe not quite but Jazzwise can promise a stimulating, educational and enjoyable experience as an intern at the magazine’s humble offices in sunny Streatham, south-west London.  11.10.06

Breakfast with Brad Mehldau, lunch with Larry Coryell, dinner with Denys Baptiste? Well, maybe not quite but Jazzwise can promise a stimulating, educational and enjoyable experience as an intern at the magazine’s humble offices in sunny Streatham, south-west London.  20.11.06

The All Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Group has announced details of the nominations for this year's awards. Paul Gambaccini will host the awards to be held at Westminster next month during which singer Liane Carroll will perform.
24.04.06

Celebrating the new wave of Indo-Jazz, Soho jazz institution, the Pizza Express Jazz Club, is set to host Indo-Jazzwise, presented by Jazzwise in association with Serious, over two nights on 30-31 May featuring double bills each night by key exponents of Indo-jazz. 23.04.08

The dates for the Jazzwise Summer School 2007, now in its 23rd year, are confirmed from 29 July to 3 August at Richmond Adult Community College in Richmond, Surrey. Widely acclaimed as the best short jazz course in Europe, it will feature a world class faculty headed by acclaimed US jazz educator Jamey Aebersold. The 2007 Summer School also marks a major new association with Yamaha-Kemble Music (UK) Ltd who will be offering two trumpet and two trombone scholarships worth £500 each. Yamaha will also be providing keyboards and drum kits for use during the week. 
15.11.06

Jazzwise editor/publisher Jon Newey has been named Jazz Journalist of The Year at the 2006 Parliamentary Jazz Awards held on 10 May in The Terrace Pavilion in The House of Commons. 12.05.06

Jazzwise scooped Jazz Publication of the Year at the 2007 Parliamentary Jazz Awards held in the House of Commons last night, while Jazzwise writer Stuart Nicholson won the journalist of the year award. Organised by the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Group (APPJAG) and sponsored by PPL the awards, now in its third year, was hosted by Paul Gambaccini and attended by a star studded audience of MPs, Peers, musicians, promoters, record companies, club owners, press and jazz industry folk.

Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Tessa Jowell MP gave a keynote speech before announcing Gwilym Simcock as winner of the Jazz Musician of the Year award while former Conservative Chancellor, Kenneth Clarke MP hit the laughter buttons with riotous tales involving Deputy PM John Prescott and their shared love of jazz.
25.04.07

Looking barely a day older than his classic mid-1970s album covers – all scarecrow black hair, Red Indian necklace, sleeveless T-shirt and toned biceps – Jeff Beck kicked-off a rare week-long season at Ronnie Scott’s last night with such a sonic boom that ear plugs were readily available on the reception desk. Not that this was anything so crass as cranium shaking metal thunder though, but an absolutely jaw-dropping display of the most exciting, imaginative and inspirational jazz-rock guitar witnessed in years. An utterly individual and unique talent that has made him, along with John McLaughlin, the prime, though somewhat reclusive, influence on jazz-rock players of the past three decades. 28.11.07

In a coup for Ronnie Scott’s Jeff Beck has announced 6 shows in 5 days running from November 27th to December 1st. Bringing his fearsome world-class band to the club the amazing line up includes iconic drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, keyboardist Jason Rebello, and young female rising star of the bass guitar Tal Wilkenfeld, performing a wide selection of material over the week. 23.10.07

The annual prize for young jazz musicians awarded by the Worshipful Company of Musicians, an ancient livery company of the city of London that has its roots dating back to 1380, goes to vibraphonist Jim Hart who is the latest in a line of winners stretching back to the early 1990s. The prize medal is awarded to an outstanding instrumentalist who has been recommended by a selection panel and who impressed an audience at the Pizza On The Park who voted for the winner. As part of his prize Jim will have a gig with his own band at Pizza on the Park on 18 March. He will be given a mastered recording of the gig (courtesy of sponsorship by a generous donor) and will be presented with his winner’s cheque and medal. 11.01.07

The Belfast festival at Queen’s has announced its jazz programme. One special highlight this year is the appearance of saxophonist Joe Lovano’s Nonet playing new orchestrations of Miles Davis’ Birth Of The Cool commissioned by the Monterey jazz festival and the commission was written for the group by Pulitzer Prize-winning jazz composer and arranger Gunther Schuller, who performed on the original Birth of the Cool sessions. 27.09.06

Joe Zawinul, one of the towering figures in jazz, a pioneer of jazz rock with Weather Report and later world jazz has died of cancer aged 75 in Vienna in his native Austria. An enormously respected keyboardist and composer Zawinul worked with Miles Davis at a key turning point in the trumpeter's career and wrote the title track of the album In A Silent Way and played on Bitches Brew before going on to co-found the hugely influential Weather Report. Zawinul later went on to lead the Zawinul Syndicate which introduced a range of African sounds to his broader musical approach and developed the careers of many of its members including bassist Richard Bona.
11.09.07

Ahead of the celebration of their 80th birthdays later in the year Dame Cleo Laine and Sir John Dankworth are to take part in this year’s BBC Proms on 8 August at the Royal Albert Hall performing a new work specially written for the concert which will also feature Guy Barker, Tommy Smith, the BBC Big Band and Concert Orchestra as well as Soweto Kinch. 
17.05.07

Currently celebrating eight years as Oxford’s finest jazz club, The Spin has a busy summer with performances from John Etheridge, Perfect Houseplants and Butch Thomas. Recently nominated as Jazz Venue of the Year at the 2007 Parliamentary Jazz Awards, The Spin is located in Oxford city centre at The Wheatsheaf, 129 High Street and is open each Thursday from 8-11pm. The Spin is run by guitarist Pete Oxley and drummer Mark Doffman and was given a PRS Foundation Award for new music in 2002 and 2003. Dates are: Perfect Houseplants (28 June); Steve Waterman (5 July); Justin Quinn’s Bakehouse (12 July); Damon Brown (19 July); Butch Thomas (26 July) and John Etheridge (4 Aug).  22.06.07

Reeds player John Surman (pictured) and organist Howard Moody appear at the Coventry Jazz Festival which has just announced its line-up. The Coventry Cathedral afternoon concert on Saturday 24 May coincides with the release of new ECM album Rain On The Window and marks their return to Coventry for the first time in five years. The Coventry jazz festival now in its tenth year runs from 22-26 May. 04.03.08

Saxophonist and bass clarinettist John Surman, pianist Stefano Bollani and reeds player Wolfgang Puschnig have been nominated for the Vienna-based European Jazz Prize. Jury members, drawn from 23 European countries, initially nominated a list of 23 European players which was then whittled down to just three, in the quest for the Musician of the Year “who has attracted major attention at a high artistic level in the international jazz field.” 26.07.07

The John Surman Quartet appears at the CBSO Centre in Birmingham on Friday as part of Birmingham Jazz's thirtieth anniversary celebrations. 27.11.06

Pianist John Taylor (pictured) releases a new album on the Italian Camjazz label in January. Titled Whirlpool it features the pianist with bassist Palle Danielsson and drummer Martin France. The trio made its critically acclaimed debut Angel of The Presence, recording it in October 2004.
10.12.07

John Zorn and Regina Carter win “Genius” award US saxophonist John Zorn and violinist Regina Carter are among the 25 new fellows awarded by the MacArthur Foundation and will each receive $500,000. This year’s crop includes journalists, a deep-sea explorer, physicians, teachers, a cosmologist and a sculptor.  23.10.06

Matt and Phred’s, Manchester’s leading jazz club, based at Tib Street in the city's Northern Quarter, has a busy month ahead with highlights next month that include the Stuart McCallum Trio (4 March, 19 March, 25 March), the Jon Thorne Quartet (13 March), the John Ellis Trio (18 March), Steve Grossman (20 March) Rod Lavers Quartet (21 March), Mingus Project (22 March) and The Om Quartet (26 March). 
18.02.08

Tucked away in the vibrant Cornish arts colony in west Cornwall the St Ives Jazz Club goes from strength to strength with an increasingly adventurous booking policy that is attracting some of the top British and increasingly international artists.  01.02.08

US saxophonist Joshua Redman is touring the UK this month to support the release of his album, Back East, released earlier this year. An important figure in contemporary jazz, and son of Dewey Redman, his swinging hard bop style gained him instant notoriety when he arrived on the scene in 1991. His 1998 album, Timeless Tales (For Changing Times) saw him embrace a more explorative approach, combining rock and electronic elements to his writing. 16.11.07

Liane Carroll, the James Taylor Quartet, Guy Barker, Roberto Pla's Jazz Orchestra and the Ronnie Scott's All Stars are just some of the artists booked for the third Imperial Wharf Jazz Festival taking place in London from 20-22 September. 24.08.07

Last night at Pizza Express Jazz Club in London, Julia Biel started her set with an a cappella intro into 'History', the final song from her album Not Alone. Her lone voice filled the room with an emotional tension that swamped the patrons of the cellar club. It came as quite a release, then, when Biel’s band struck up their fluttering accompaniment. Oriole’s Jonny Phillips on guitar, Polar Bear’s Sebastian Rochford on drums, Ben Davis on cello, Idris Rahman on woodwind and Jasper Høiby on double bass made for quite a band. 01.09.06

The Canterbury Festival, Kent’s international arts festival, takes place this month with several leading jazz artists on the bill. 04.10.06

Singers may be tripping over themselves to tackle jazz standards these days but few have the verve and spark of a Julia Biel, the award winning singer who is set for some extensive touring this spring. Julia, who was a winner early on in her career of the Perrier Young Jazz Vocalist Of The Year competition, has just been announced as one of the faces of a new print campaign for mobile phone company Nokia. She's due to tour with guitarist Johnny Phillips, flautist Idris Rahman, cellist Ben Davis, bassist Jasper Hoiby and drummer Seb Rochford.
02.02.06

Following on from another great Brecon Jazz Festival the Welsh jazz scene continues to demonstrate its ability to stage well organised jazz events featuring top UK talent. The Pembrokeshire Jazz n Blues festival, replacing its former incarnation as the Fishguard Jazz Festival, starts on August 24th and runs through to August 26th.
14.08.07

The opening concert of the Sage Gateshead’s Jazz Piano Series on Friday 29 September promises a high-octane pairing of Mark Latimer and Julian Joseph.  06.09.06

One of the UK’s leading pianists and bandleaders, Julian Joseph, has composed a specially commissioned jazz opera which draws its inspiration from this year’s 200th anniversary of the parliamentary abolition of the Atlantic Slave trade Act. The opera, Bridgetower: A Fable of 1807, commissioned by the City of London Festival and English Touring Opera and supported by the Arts Council, has been written by Joseph with writer Mike Phillips and is directed by Helen Eastman. It tells the story of violin prodigy George Polgreen Bridgetower, the son of an Abyssianian ex-slave and a Polish servant girl, who studied with Haydn, played with Beethoven and came to live in London in 1789 under the patronage of the Royal Family. The opera opens at London’s LSO St Luke’s from 5-7 July before touring the UK during the autumn.
16.05.07

Julian Joseph’s opera Bridgetower: A Fable of 1807, which recently premiered in London, is set to tour in the autumn. With a libretto by Mike Philips the touring production is directed by Helen Eastman, telling the story of the brilliant black violinist George Bridgetower, who studied with Haydn and played with Beethoven. The cast includes Cleveland Watkiss in the title role, Jacqui Dankworth as Mary Price and English Touring Opera’s singers Jonathan Peter Kenny and Franz Hepburn plus the Julian Joseph Big Band and a choir. 31.08.07

Pianist and broadcaster Julian Joseph plays a solo concert at the St Ives Jazz Club in Cornwall tonight. 16.05.06

New opera by Julian Joseph, Bridgetower, premieres at this year’s City of London Festival. Portraying the story of violin prodigy George Bridgetower’s remarkable journey from a 10-year-old performing in Paris to later moving to London and being adopted by the Prince of Wales. The opera coincides with the 200th anniversary of the parliamentary abolition of the Atlantic slave trade. The festival runs from 25 June to 12 July at various venues as well as in gardens, squares and other locations with a programme that ranges from film, music, art exhibitions and architecture.  07.06.07

After dazzling the Cheltenham audience at last year’s festival, the Julian Siegel Trio has announced details of a forthcoming weeklong UK tour. The collaboration with Greg Cohen – Ornette Coleman’s current bassist – and leading drummer Joey Baron is the latest product of the Jerwood Rising Stars series, which pits young British artists with musicians of global renown. 16.01.07

Juliet Kelly is one of the few UK jazz singers in recent years to have managed to carve out a distinctive style in a very overcrowded field. From the very start of her career, Juliet has developed her own songs and has not been afraid to tackle unlikely material to develop in her own style. 17.03.06