Album Review: “Sun” – Lara Eidi. Words: Sammy Stein.

Lara Eidi is one of life’s polymaths. Known for her genre-bending style and captivating presence, she describes herself as a jazz/folk/vocalist/songwriter/pianist/educator/workshop leader. She created the songwriting podcast ‘The Notes Between’ and was a founder of the educational music platform Phonica Music Coaching.   As if this is not enough she is also a sought-after vocal …

Album Review: “Rags And Ragas” – Charu Suri. Words: Sammy Stein.

Composer and pianist Charu Suri has released ‘Rags and Ragas’ and she has achieved a beautiful and well-crafted merger of two cultures. A raga is a modal scale, usually performed at a specific time of day. There are hundreds of such ragas found in India and here Suri introduces us to just a few of …

Album Review: “Greek Street Friday” – Ian Shaw. Words: Sammy Stein.

I first heard Ian Shaw in 2021 when I reviewed Hannah Horton’s album ‘Inside Out’ on which Shaw was the guest vocalist on tracks ‘Frozen Light’ and ‘Breathing Out’. Horton told me, “I mentioned I was recording a new album and he (Shaw) offered to take a listen and then wrote the lyrics for ‘Frozen …

Album Review: “Kairos” – Izumi Kimura and Gerry Hemingway. Words: Sammy Stein.

‘Kairos’ is the new release from Izumi Kimura and Gerry Hemingway. Kimura is a pianist, originally from Japan, but now residing in Ireland. She has released several recordings, notably with contrabassist Barry Guy, trumpet player Artur Majewski (Vasco Trilla, Foton Quartet), and drummers Ramon Lopez and Gerry Hemingway. Much of Kimura’s work focuses on the …

Album Review: “The Ages” – Richard Davies. Words: Sammy Stein.

The Ages | Richard Davies (bandcamp.com) Richard Davies has followed up ‘A Pagan Landscape’ and ‘Travel Without Movement‘ with another interesting and thematic release with ‘The Ages.’ Exploring combinations of sounds, Davies extends his curiosity through a series of tracks, creating a mesmeric and at times, thoroughly absorbing album. The tracks are titled simple RD …

Album Review: “Diary Of An Artist In Love” – The Muse Frequency. Words: Sammy Stein.

‘Diary of an Artist in Love’ The Muse Frequency is an artist, lyricist, and producer working with musicians around the world to create profoundly moving spoken word tracks that fall within the New Age and meditation music genres as well as lyrics for musical productions. TMF has also written and directed for theatre, audio stories, and …

Live Review: Too Many Zooz, London Jazz Cafe 3rd July 2023. Words: Sammy Stein.

Too Many Zooz are NYC-based trio Leo Pelligrino on baritone sax, Matt Muirhead on trumpet, and David Parks on drums.  London’s Jazz Café was the perfect venue for the trio, the crowd was enthusiastic, and the space was large, packed, and atmospheric. After the first set by pianist/rapper Harvey White who topped his piano playing, …

Single Review: “Loud Love” – Iris Harley. Words: Sammy Stein.

Iris Harley is a vocalist who has been influenced by iconic figures like Nat King Cole and Ella Fitzgerald. Following her dream to express her feelings in music and lyrics, she began writing her own songs. Her previous release, the wonderfully fluid ‘Love Your Vibe’ (well worth checking out on Bandcamp – see link below) …

Copasetic Foundation Celebrates Ten Years. Words: Sammy Stein

May 2023 marked the tenth anniversary of the founding of the Copasetic Foundation. What began as an informal vehicle for jazz and related music words and music productions has grown to become an established, non-profit collective that creates and produces live music and theatre shows, to promote the understanding and appreciation of jazz and related music via …

Album Review: “It’s All We Have” – Diana Torti and Sabino de Bari. Words: Sammy Stein.

Diana Torti is a singer, improviser, and composer based in London. She has performed in jazz clubs, theatres, and international festivals. Her CD “On A Cloud” (2019, SLAM Productions) was nominated among the best jazz vocal releases of 2019 by The New York City Jazz Record. Torti is also a lecturer and researcher and has …