You can always recognise a John Williams soundtrack. There’s always an Easter egg from another. Or just the sheer ferocity. Or the romantic tenderness. It’s hard to pin down a favourite piece by him, but this one stands out. Subtitled Darth Vader’s theme, this is written for the main villain in the original trilogy, what …
Single Review: “Going To Watch The Sunrise” – I’M
This is a fantastic piece of electronica from South East London based musician and producer I’M. Lots of of warped basslines mixed in with a beat that you can’t help but move your feet to. The pitched down vocal sample of “Watch The Sunrise” is simple, but very effective, one of the things that I …
Album Review: “Letters To George” – John Hollenbeck. Words: Sammy Stein
https://johnhollenbeck.bandcamp.com/album/letters-to-george John Hollenbeck is a genre-fluid composer/percussionist, renowned in both the jazz and new-music worlds. He gained widespread recognition as the driving force behind the unclassifiable Claudia Quintet, and the ambitious John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble, groups with roots in jazz, world music, and contemporary composition. He has earned six GRAMMY nominations and has worked …
Single Review: “Pull To Refresh” – Devin Gray. Words: Sammy Stein
Devin Gray is a drummer, composer, and bandleader currently working and living in Brooklyn, New York City. Gray is involved in many musical projects and has worked with innovative musicians including David Liebman, Tony Malaby, Gary Thomas, Ingrid Jensen, Dave Burrell, Dave Ballou, Michael Formanek, Nate Wooley, Stephan Crump, George Garzone, Chris Speed, Drew Gress, …
Album Review: “Cabin 19 Fever” – Wild Card. Words: Sammy Stein.
Wild Card is a London-based jazz combo led by French guitarist Clement Regert with British drummer Sophie Alloway and Australian organist/keyboardist Andrew Noble. Formed in 2011 and with five album releases to their name, the trio is popular on the UK jazz scene and performs regularly, with residencies at prestigious venues including The 606 Club and Ronnie …
Album Review: “You Matter” – Julie Campiche Quartet. Words: Sammy Stein
Harpist Julie Campiche is a truly innovative artist. A pioneer of the jazz harp, she has created her style through the exploration of improvisation, classical and electronic musicand her sound plumbs the depths of classical and jazz techniques. Campiche has performed in clubs and at festivals across Europe. She is curious and always seeking new …
Blog interview: Tania Smith
Hello Tania, how are you? Hi Del, I’m wonderful, Thanks so much for having me. Congratulations on the release of “Jungleflower” how does it feel? It always feels great to release new music. It has been a while between albums, and they were released under the artist names SpaceJunky and Crystal Gypsy. This will be …
Blog interview: Courtney Pine. Words: Sammy Stein.
Courtney Pine has been part of the global music scene for decades. His constantly evolving approach to music, and jazz music, in particular, has made him an endearing and engaging musician. I have seen him perform with artists in different settings, from school halls to large fabled concert venues. Every time, Pine brings to the …
Single Review: “The Comet Is Coming” – CODE. Words: Sammy Stein
The power trio The Comet is Coming, comprised of Dan Leavers ( Danalogue), Shabaka Hutchings (Shabaka), and Max Hallett (Betamax), have released ‘Code’, the first single from their forthcoming album ‘Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam’ which will be released late September on Impulse. ‘Code’ is hailed by their label as an ‘intergalactic head-banger that explores hidden meaning …
Blog interview: Kael Alden
Hello Kael, how are you? Hi, I am doing great, thanks for asking! Congratulations on the release of “How Can You Sit There?” how does it feel? Ya know, it feels really great to finally be able to reveal what I’ve been working on for almost two years! What’s the story behind the song? This …