Acclaimed saxophonist and bandleader Alex Garnett (above centre) is set to release his second solo album, Andromeda, on Whirlwind Recordings on 26 January 2015, with its official launch on 16 January at the 606 Club, Chelsea as part of an extensive UK tour. The follow up to his widely-praised 2011 solo debut, Serpent, the forthcoming album also features Garnett’s new Bunch of 5 band that includes the fiery hard-bop inspired US tenorist Tim Armacost alongside a powerful rhythm section of pianist Liam Noble, bassist Michael Janisch and drummer James Maddren.
With a reputation as a fearsome soloist on his weekly appearances with the Ronnie Scott’s All Stars band, Garnett is also widely respected as a session musician and sideman who’s worked with Wynton Marsalis, Pete King, Scott Hamilton and Van Morrison. With Andromeda Garnett and Armacost very much capture the energy and excitement of classic twin-tenor frontlines of the past with the pair sparking off one another on many incendiary solos. The original material on the album is inspired by a variety of sources, including Garnett witnessing a life-changing Benny Golson gig in the 1990s, his interest in astronomy, the demands of fatherhood and his long-standing love of comedy – all combining to create a fresh take on the timeless hard-bop sound.
Jazzwise is pleased to exclusively offer a track from the new album to download free – a burning take on the classic Irving Berlin song ‘I’ve Got To Keep My Love Warm’
Click here to download the track as a high-quality WAV file
Garnett and his band set out on a UK tour in early 2015, playing the following dates: Fleece Jazz @ Stoke by Nayland Hotel, Colchester, Essex (9 Jan); Herts Jazz @ Campus West, The Campus, Welwyn Garden City (18 Jan); *Official Album launch venue* 606 Club, 90 Lots Rd, Chelsea, London (19 Jan); Dempseys, Upper Kincraig St, Cardiff, Wales (20 Jan); St James Social Club, Swansea Jazzland, St James Crescent, Uplands, Swansea (21 Jan); The Coronation Tap, 8 Sion Place, Clifton, Bristol (22 Jan); Wakefield Jazz Club, Eastmoor Rd, Wakefield (23 Jan); The Cube Deda, Chapel St, Derby (6 Feb); and The Progress Theatre, The Mount, Christchurch Road, Reading (2 April).
See the video of ‘Her Tears’ below and click here to pre-order the album from the Whirlwind Recordings website
Acclaimed Norwegian saxophonist Marius Neset returns with a new album, Pinball, on 2 February 2015 on ACT, his second for the label following his debut recording Lion with the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra in April 2014. The band on the album is similar to the one featured on Birds, his second album on Edition Records that received several five star reviews, with Pinball featuring British musicians Ivo Neame and Jim Hart, alongside a Swedish rhythm section of Phronesis drummer Anton Eger and bassist Petter Eldh, plus additional musicians including the saxophonist’s talented sister Ingrid Neset on flute, cellist Andreas Brantelid and violinist Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen.
Neset’s masterful use of rhythm features prominently on the Loose Tubes-esque material that contrasts the piano and vibes with the strings and flute on playful yet complex tunes, matched also by his incendiary sax work. Neset follows the album release with a series of UK dates: Purcell Room, London (18 Mar); Turner Sims Concert Hall, Southampton (19 Mar); Crucible Studio, Sheffield (9 Apr); CBSO, Birmingham (10 Apr); Lakeside Arts Centre, Nottingham (15 Apr); Seven Arts Centre, Leeds (16 Apr) and The Capstone Theatre, Liverpool (17 Apr). See the February 2015 issue of Jazzwise for an exclusive interview with Neset about the album.
– Mike Flynn
For more info go to www.actmusic.com
The poignant final album from revered trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, who died on 8 September, Songs For Quintet is set for release on ECM Records on 12 January 2015 – just in time for what would have been his 85th birthday on 14 January.
Recorded in December 2013 at London’s Abbey Road studios, and produced by Manfred Eicher and Steve Lake, the album features regular Wheeler collaborators saxophonist Stan Sulzmann, guitarist John Parricelli, bassist Chris Laurence and drummer Martin France. Fittingly it marks Wheeler’s return to the label that released some of his most cherished recordings including Gnu High, Deer Wan and Angel Song. Due to ill health the sessions for Songs For Quintet were the last time Wheeler was able to play with other musicians and as such he couldn’t perform as part of a planned celebratory gig after the recording.
From early listens the album showcases Wheeler’s impeccable compositions that always match strong melodies with intriguingly inventive structures – all of which is devoured by the vastly experienced band. Wheeler, playing flugelhorn throughout, sounds strong on material that’s surprisingly uptempo and driving, although solo duties often fall to Sulzmann and Parricelli. The compositions are drawn from Wheeler’s recent past and include a fresh approach to ‘Old Time’ (an Azimuth trio favourite) alongside a new take on ‘Nonetheless’, a piece first heard on Angel Song.
Other tracks include ‘How It Was Then’ (another Azimuth piece from 1994), an aptly titled waltz-time piece ’A Pretty Liddle Waltz’, the tango-fuelled ‘Sly Eyes’, the intricate yet flowing ‘Jigsaw’, and ‘Canter No. 1’, which is a bass feature for Laurence before giving way to a powerful Sulzmann solo. See the February 2015 issue of Jazzwise for an exclusive interview with Stan Sulzmann talking about the recording of the album.
– Mike Flynn
– Photo by Tim Dickeson
For more info go to www.ecmrecords.com
Piano legends Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea come together for a rare duo performance when they play London’s Barbican concert hall on Monday 6 July 2015 following a series of US concerts in the spring. The two pianists first dueted together in 1978 when they performed a series of acoustic duo dates and released An Evening with Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea In Concert for Columbia, and Corea Hancock for Polydor, then their respective record labels.
Interestingly these acoustic concerts came at a time when both were riding high on the crest of the jazz-rock wave, with Hancock’s Headhunter’s band and Corea’s Return To Forever. These acoustic duet concerts included classic pieces such as Hancock’s ‘Maiden Voyage’, Corea’s ‘La Fiesta’ and a jointly written tune ‘The Hook’, and while they have not recorded together since, they have played the occasional duo date. Chick Corea has recently released the widely acclaimed piano trio three CD set Trilogy, which was voted in the top five albums of the year in the Jazzwise Critics Poll, while Hancock has recently published his revealing autobiography Possibilities.
– Jon Newey
Tickets for this historic collaboration are available from www.serious.org.uk/chickandherbie
Jazz FM have announced a series of special Christmas period programmes with guest presenters including singer Jacqui Dankworth and bassist Alec Dankworth, US bass star Marcus Miller and soul-funk diva Candi Staton, with each presenting a special seasonal edition of Jazz FM’s regular programmes. Vinny Marino’s TransAtlantic Jazz gets things underway (6-7pm) on Christmas Eve, followed by Dinner Jazz with Helen Mayhew (7-10pm) and Sarah Ward’s Christmas Collection (10pm-1am).
The big day itself features Ella Fitzgerald In Concert, recorded in 1991 with the Count Basie Orchestra, broadcast from 1-2pm, followed by Christmas Day with the Dankworths that will feature three hours of hand-picked tunes (2-5pm), broadcast live from The Stables – the venue founded by their parents in 1970.
Regular presenter Jamie Crick follows this with Christmas Day Requests (5-7pm) with two hours of music selected by listeners, presenters and musicians before Grammy Award winning bassist Marcus Miller then lays down some jazz, funk and fusion classics in a special edition of Dinner Jazz from 7pm on Christmas Day. Following this a week later on New Year’s Eve popular soul-jazz singer Candi Staton gets the party started as a guest host on an epic eight-hour edition of Funky Sensation (6pm-2am) alongside regular presenters Jeff Young, John Osborne and Mike Vitti.
– Mike Flynn
For more info go to www.jazzfm.com
