Umbria Jazz is a brand and like all brands it’s judged by its success – in this instance success is measured by the size of the audience and the number of tickets purchased.
One of the biggest French summer Festivals enjoyed the hottest weather for many years and as a result massive crowds enjoyed the predominantly outdoor venues from lunchtime to the early hours of the morning.
Guitarist and educator Brad Shepik’s compositions have attracted sufficient attention in the US for a transcription of a solo from one of his pieces, ‘Carbonic’, from his Human Activity Suite (aimed to increase awareness of manmade climate change), to be printed and analysed in the January 2010 issue of Downbeat magazine.
Singer and composer Zara McFarlane played to sold-out crowds at Pizza Express Jazz Club in London’s Soho on 18-19 July, presenting a well-crafted set of originals from her second album, If You Knew Her, in a performance that became more gripping over the course of the two nights.
In Michael Chabon’s 2012 novel Telegraph Avenue, the fictitious jazz guru Cochise Jones is tragically killed when his Hammond organ slips out of the boot of his car and squashes him.
One of the biggest French summer Festivals enjoyed the hottest weather for many years and as a result massive crowds enjoyed the predominantly outdoor venues from lunchtime to the early hours of the morning.
Soweto Kinch’s gig is nearing its climax when he finds himself playing between two implacable walls.
As Ramon Valle explains, the Ritmi in the title of this excellent festival in the small but utterly charming Latvian capital means rhythm and the programming remains true to that criterion in this 15th anniversary edition of the event.
Swanage’s format is well-established and well-understood.
Thomas Rees is swept away by glamour, history and stand out performances from Jason Moran, Avishai Cohen, Justin Kauflin, Lorenz Kellhuber, and D’Angelo’s band of jazz heavyweights at this year’s Montreux Jazz Festival There’s something otherworldly about Montreux.
