Posts Tagged Jazz
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August 28, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
Patricia Barber: Clique
Patricia Barber Clique Impex Records Vocalist and pianist Patricia Barber has both honeyed-warmth and icy-cool in her voice. It’s ageless too. And some two decades on from her last set of standards, Clique arrives as a reminder of all that was special about listening to her music – discovering it in the last 90s and […]Archive
August 27, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
John Coltrane: Another Side of John Coltrane
John Coltrane Another Side of John Coltrane Craft Recordings John Coltrane’s spiritual quest occupied the second half of his recording career and is impossible to not hear and feel through every note squeezed from his soul as he takes jazz in his hands and blows so hard as to make several new genres within each […]Archive
August 19, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
Kevin Hays, Ben Street & Billy Hart: All Things Are
Kevin Hays, Ben Street & Billy Hart All Things Are Smoke Sessions Records A wonderful intergenerational trio here releases a wonderful record that is cut from a couple of live-streamed (audience-free) gigs made late last year. Drumming legend Billy Hart had just turned 80.Archive
August 4, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
Adam Nussbaum: Lead Belly Re-imagined
Adam Nussbaum Lead Belly Re-imagined Sunnyside One of my favourite records from recent years was the somewhat surprise-debut from Adam Nussbaum. The stalwart sideman has been the safest pair of hands – with either sticks or brushes – behind a great many legends (John Scofield, Michael Brecker, Dave Liebman, Paul Bley, John Abercrombie) but for […]Archive
July 12, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
In Praise of ‘A Love Supreme’
My brother arrived home from university with The Stardust Sessions and A Love Supreme. These two albums were life changing. I carried on playing sport, going to school. In so many ways life was the same – but life was never really the same for me after hearing The Stardust Sessions and A Love Supreme. Those albums were […]Archive
July 8, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
Miley Cyrus Should Play Anita O’Day In A Biopic
I’m a big Anita O’Day fan and b) I’m currently on a massive Anita O’Day kick (though I might argue that I’m always on a Anita O’Day kick). And I’m also re-reading her autobiography. It’s such a great read – what a life, what a monstrous talent. What tremendous confidence she had when she took […]Archive
June 30, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
In Praise of José James
Music – these days – is free as the breeze. We don’t need the double vinyl gatefold to enjoy the latest and greatest. We can find more of the old-old stuff online now than was ever the case digging in stores. And I’ve always been across as many of the formats as I can be. […]Archive
June 20, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
Bill Kwan: No Ordinary Love – The Music of Sade
Bill Kwan No Ordinary Love – The Music of Sade Ikeda Music Bill Kwan discovered singing late in life – he’s a doctor by trade. But over the last decade he’s created an interesting set of albums, often taking a pop, rock or indie song (Beck, Bjork) and turning it a lighter shade of jazz. […]Archive
June 14, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
Gig Review: The Nathan Haines Octet (June 12, Wellington)
The Nathan Haines Octet Opera House, Wellington, 8pm Saturday, June 12 Headlining this year’s Jazz Festival The Nathan Haines Octet – and, yes, we all know how lucky we are to be seeing anything in this climate, so no issues about an all-local line-up for this year’s festival, but also Nathan Haines is an internationally […]Archive
June 13, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
Gig Review: Michael Houstoun and The Rodger Fox Big Band ft. Erna Ferry (June 12, Wellington)
Michael Houstoun and The Rodger Fox Big Band ft. Erna Ferry Opera House, Wellington, 2pm Saturday, June 12 The once unlikely pairing of classical pianist Michael Houstoun and big-band stalwart Rodger Fox is now an annual event. They’ve even sewn up the same slot too – an afternoon show and always to a packed house. […]Archive
June 11, 2021 by Simon Sweetman