It was during the late 1980s that John Surman (above) conceived of the idea of augmenting his regular working trio of Chris Laurence (double bass) and John Marshall (drums) but, wanting to avoid the obvious harmony instruments such as piano or guitar, decided on a brass choir and asked John Warren to arrange for it.
In these turbulent times small things can provide a reassuring sense of constancy.
This year's 25th anniversary edition of the EFG London Jazz Festival begins tonight and runs for 10 days and nights until 19 November, kicking off with the 10th edition of the Jazz Voice opening night gala at the Royal Festival Hall.
Though it may have escaped many of the thousands of people who attended last week's Tampere Jazz Happening, an event recently applauded for its programming by the EJN (European Jazz Network), the presence of pianist-composer-educator Muhal Richard Abrams was felt in very perceptible ways.
For his third and final edition of Jazzfest Berlin, the veteran English music critic Richard Williams programmed a strong contingent of British artists, as well as commissioning several new works from Stateside composers.
This year's EFG London Jazz Festival kicks off its milestone 25th edition this Friday 10 November for 10 action-packed days and nights with over 300 gigs across the capital.
Saxophonist Tommy Smith takes his latest project home this month with a concert on 11 November in Craiglockhart church, Edinburgh, just two miles from where he grew up on the outskirts of the Scottish capital.
Some festivals cram everything into a single weekend, but Enjoy Jazz, in the south west of Germany, is an epic affair, beginning on 1 October, and still in progress now, until 11 November.
The third edition of the Brewin Dolphin Cambridge International Jazz Festival, runs from 11-26 November with over 80 gigs and workshops at 25 venues around the city.
The first names have been announced for the 22nd edition of the 2018 Cheltenham Jazz Festival, which runs from 2 to 7 May next year, and includes some sizable US jazz talents.
