Single Review: “You Are Not Nosferatu” – C-Beem X The Fantom Man

I picked this song as my track of the day because the synth sounds are instantly recognisable to me. The harsh clap (It’s not a snare funnily enough) is a synthetic sound that Cameo have used on “Word Up” and of course the orchestra hit sound was what I judged my synths by back in …

Single Review:-“Every House Gets Dark When The Sun Goes Down” – Project Blackbird

This is the second single from the upcoming Project Blackbird album, and it reinforces what I’ve always known about this band.  They produce damn fine songs.  This starts off with an electric piano bathed in warm chorus, over which trumpet player Jon Read plays a really simple melody over this chord progression – G Maj …

Single Review: “Angel” – Sinead Campbell

Wow. This is the 70s throwback I didn’t know I needed today. This has everything – a glockenspiel, electric piano, flute, guitar run through a wah and drums and bass with a pocket deeper than Elon Musk. But let’s salute Sinead’s vocals here – she goes from playful to straight down the line jazz and …

Single Review: “Japanese Knotweed” – Karolina Wilgus

This new single from Karolina Wilgus is genius. From the way the vocals are arranged over a hypnotising hip hop jazz beat this brings a lot of different things to keep you interested. For one thing, the vocals in the intro have an operatic quality, nicely layered so you can separate the alto, tenor and …

In The Spotlight: Sammy Stein Talks To Charlotte Keeffe

Charlotte Keeffe is one of the most intriguing and interesting improvisers on the music scene. A hugely respected musician, she has an extraordinary ability to take a lungful of air, blow it through a tiny hole in a mouthpiece and create extraordinary music. This year, alongside a kaleidoscope of colourful and talented fellow musicians, Charlotte …

Mr. Bennett's Mind - Photo by Alexa Drew.jpg

Album Review: “Mr. Bennett’s Mind” – Daniel Bennett Group. Words: Sammy Stein

‘Mr Bennett’s Mind’ (Manhattan Daylight Media, 2024) is the 10th studio release from the Daniel Bennett Group. Having reviewed several of their releases, this is a musical progression in the fullest of senses. The album was recorded at the iconic Big Orange Sheep Studio in Brooklyn, New York, and produced by Grammy-nominated producer MP Kuo. …

In The Spotlight: Sammy Stein Talks To Roberta Donnay

Roberta Donnay is a vocalist known for her renditions of vintage songs. Critical Jazz Blog has described her as ‘taking old school jazz and making it new cool,’ and Jazz Times as ‘having a singularly enticing sound.’ Donnay is the leader of The Prohibition Mob, with a mission to explore, celebrate, and promote America’s jazz …

In The Spotlight – Sammy Stein Talks To Germana Stella La Sorsa

Italian singer Germana Stella La Sorsa has been a fixture of the London jazz scene since 2017. She released her debut album ‘Vapour’ in 2021 on 33 Jazz Records and her second album ‘Primary Colours’ is out now on the same label. singing both privately and at Morley College (London Platinum Mind decided the spotlight …