One of the UK's foremost drummers and bandleaders, Jon Hiseman, who founded the innovative and influential jazz-prog band Colosseum in 1968 and played extensively across the jazz, prog-rock and session worlds died from cancer on 12 June, aged 73.
No greater sign of changing times comes than in this declaration: "The last time we were here I couldn't see the audience through the smoke.
The Harrogate International Festival, which has been running for over half a century, has a strong and eclectic line-up of jazz names all appearing within its splendid Spielgeltent venue as [art of the festival's music strand.
Voting is now open for the 2018 Parliamentary Jazz Awards, which will take place at PizzaExpress Live, Holborn in London on Tuesday 16 October 2018.
A previously unreleased session by the classic John Coltrane Quartet, Both Directions At Once – The Lost Album, recorded in March 1963, is to be released by Impulse! records on 29 June with the full co-operation of the Coltrane Estate.
This venue has deep historical resonance for black music in Britain.
The Norwegian brass-band tradition, which first evolved in that country with the onset of railway construction in the 19th century, is very much alive and kicking, particularly on the western side where Hilde Marie Holsen was raised.
The streets of Brighton have been overflowing with music fans thanks to this year's Great Escape Festival, whose ever more eclectic programming even expanded beyond it's indie rock remit to include some 'New Thing' jazz artists.
What better way to celebrate the conferring of an honour than to invite a crowd of chums to Ronnie Scott's and then to offer them the company of great musicians and ply them with plentiful food and wine while they wait to greet you? These generous preliminaries preceded the arrival in the club last Friday of Nigel Tully MBE, hot-footing it from the Palace, with distinguished spouse Professor Deborah Cunningham on his arm, medal in hand, and with a smile that lit up the room.
After years of going to jazz gigs and being the youngest person in the room by a good quarter of a century, I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see a (too) cool, 20-something festival crowd lose it over a virtuosic bass solo.
