Jazz Voice 2023 (Review)
There isn’t always much jazz in Jazz Voice – the opening gala for the annual EFG London Jazz Festival – but there are often a myriad of commanding voices. This […]
Gilles Peterson & Arc Records Announce First Ever Vinyl Release Of Roberta Flack “Lost Takes”
DJ, producer and label owner Gilles Peterson continues his exploration into the Warner archives with the release of Lost Takes, a twelve-track album featuring a collection of demos recorded six months prior to […]
‘Nina Simone – Legacy’ with Josette Bushell-Mingo OBE
Olivier-nominated actress Josette Bushell-Mingo explored her personal relationship with Nina Simone’s music, Civil Rights activism, and unapologetic Blackness with the theatre production Nina – A Story About Me and Nina […]
D’Influence at The Forge (Review)
Emerging in 1989 as self-described “purveyors of the finest UK street soul”, D’Influence now only perform rare one-off shows. A shame, as, though more active in the production space, with credits […]
Singles Round-Up – September ’23
Check out the newest music from Aaron Frazer, Will Heard, Beverley Knight, and OURAA! Aaron Frazer – ‘Bring You a Ring’ A founding member of Durand Jones & the Indications, […]
Meshell Ndegeocello at Ronnie Scott’s (Review)
I once interviewed Meshell Ndegeocello‘s former backing vocalist Sy Smith, whose Sometimes a Rose Will Grow in Concrete is a devastatingly good record. Smith extolled Ndegeocello’s ability to “craft a mood” […]
London Jazz Festival 2023 – Shows to Check Out!
The beauty of the annual EFG London Jazz Festival is that there really is something for everyone. The multi-venue festival caters beyond jazz purists to those who may enjoy a […]
Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions at BBC Proms (Review)
Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin, and now Stevie Wonder: Three (soul) music titans whose repertoires conductor and arranger Jules Buckley has taken to the BBC Proms. Having premiered his own orchestra […]
Dee Dee Bridgewater and the National Youth Orchestra (Review)
Starting at 10:15pm, I wondered whether this late-night prom was past the bedtime for the preternaturally talented musicians (aged 16-19) of the National Youth Orchestra (NYO) Jazz. Yet this Carnegie […]
Laura Mvula at the Boulevard (Review)
Laura Mvula delivers a spellbinding, stripped back set Prior to this intimate residency at Soho’s Boulevard theatre, Laura Mvula last performed at Wembley Stadium opening for Coldplay. What a juxtaposition, […]
BBC Proms, Northern Soul (Review)
It could have jarred hearing the underground music of Northern Soul rendered so properly in the glossy environs of the Royal Albert Hall. But with arrangements from Joe Duddell and […]
Bettye LaVette – LaVette! (Review)
“I ain’t got no plan B / Rhythm and blues in the back of my mind / Champagne and a joint will do me just fine,” rasps Bettye LaVette on […]
Acantha Lang – ‘Come Back Home’ (Review)
I’ve been waiting a few years for this song to be released, ever since I first heard Acantha Lang perform it at Soho’s Pizza Express Live. An anthemic, brassy number, […]
Will Heard – ‘Flashlight’ (Review)
Best known for his guest vocals on the dance track “Sonnentanz (Sun Don’t Shine)” by Austrian electronic music duo Klangkarussell, Will Heard is a London-based singer-songwriter who can boast collaborations […]