Moving house
I’ve decided to move on from this Tumblr blog and relocate myself to a new site. I’ve really enjoyed writing here but more and more over the past couple of weeks I’ve had gigs and people have googled me either before or afterwards. That web search comes up with this website which is not always ideal. Most people don’t care about which YouTube video I’ve recently posted. So my new website will (hopefully) be a more professional place as well as somewhere that I can continue to write and blog.
So thank you very much to everyone who has visited this site. There were far more of you than I ever thought there would be.
I look forward to seeing you over at my new site.
All the best.
So, what’s she like?” began Pete Williams … This was the moment we cheered more loudly than any other. We cheered because no one has written a song like This Is What She’s Like before or since. We cheered for the 12 scintillating minutes it portended. And, perhaps without even fully realising it, we cheered to atone for the hostility that greeted Don’t Stand Me Down, the 1985 album from which it came.The Guardian
A short clip of me playing ‘Fly Me To the Moon’ with Ian Shaw
Dexys: What’s she like Kev? (Taken with Instagram at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire)
BADBAD … GOOD?
There’s lots of talk around the jazz corner of the Internet about a certain Canadian band.
BADBADNOTGOOD are certainly creating a lot of waves as they go but I’m not sure for the right reasons. This article from NOW magazine literally left me frothing at the mouth for a myriad of reasons. I can’t really pick out any specific bits. It’s just top quality bullshit. Has the author ever listened to Jazz?
Thankfully Peter Hum is around to offer a calm and level headed critique.
I still have more listening to do but so far I found their bold claims over the top, in spite of what so-called “sonic prophet” Giles Peterson would like you to think.
Also just because it’s a rock influenced piano trio does not mean the comparison to TBP needs to be made. They are, at least for the moment, mere shadows of The Bad Plus.
Read and listen. It is, at the very least, interesting.
Saxophone (Taken with instagram)
Glasper’s ‘Black Radio’ - Review
I wrote a review of Robert Glasper’s Black Radio for the student newspaper, The Mancunion. If you don’t read the review please just listen to the album.
Its bloody excellent.
Sonny Rollins - Beyond the Notes
A film on iPlayer about Sonny Rollins’ music built around his 80th Birthday concert. I was absolutely sick with jealously when I heard who turned up on this gig - Christian McBride, Roy Haynes, Jim Hall, Ornette Coleman (The first time they ever played on stage together!) and Roy Hargrove. Now you can, and should, watch this gig. Just beautiful music. This is why we have BBC 4.
I was lucky enough to see Sonny Rollins several years ago and I hope to have that opportunity again. I found it a truly inspirational experience
Stop what you’re doing and watch this!
Rober Glasper and ’Smells Like Teen Spirit’ is just the dream team. 8 mins 15 secs is so intense.
Eat your heart out Nirvana.
I've Got You Under My Skin: Why I love Jazz
A little something I threw together for our student newspaper. The original title (above) must have been a bit too wordy. I would also point out that I do not endorse the labelling of a bass player and a saxophone player as a “typical jazz combo”. That would be more of an ‘unusual credit-crunch jazz combo’
