The Jazz Podcast

Send us your thoughts! John founded Crown Lane with his wife, back in 2007, and has ensured the business stays ahead of changes in the industry. He loves eating out and spending time with his boys and foster daughter. Today he joins the show to tell us about how he set up and sustains the studio as well as all the brilliant events he runs in the community. Support the show

Send us your thoughts! Robin tells us about his new single, I'm Coming Home, which is out now! Support the show

Send us your thoughts! Winner of the 2018 BBC Young Jazz Musician of the year, Xhosa Cole is an embodiment of the success of numerous community arts programmes in Birmingham including the Midland Youth Jazz Orchestra, Jazzlines Ensemble, and Birmingham Music Service. Having grown up in Handsworth and first played the Tenor at Andy Hamilton's Ladywood Community Music School, he's now among a long legacy of Birmingham Saxophonists including Soweto Kinch and Shabaka Hutchings. Xhosa has performed twice at the BBC Proms, composed music for the Ripieno Players - a Birmingham-based string orchestra, recorded saxophone for Mahalia’s debut album ‘Love and Compromise’, and completed a 22 date UK tour. Xhosa Also received the Parliamentary Jazz Award for ‘Best Newcomer’ in 2019 and Jazz FM 'Breakthrough Act of the Year'. Crown Lane StudioDiscover South London’s hidden gem for musicians. Crown Lane Studio is a stunning multiroom complex.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us your thoughts! As a finalist in the BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year 2020, winner of the Rising Star category in the 2019 British Jazz Awards and three-time nominee in the Parliamentary Jazz Awards, Alex is known to be one of the most in-demand and versatile saxophonists to have emerged on the British jazz scene.Praised for her intelligent ear for harmony and a deep knowledge of repertoire across a broad spectrum of styles, Alex's sound is steeped in the tradition of bebop. Her total respect for the heritage of the music can be heard in a fiery, melodic approach inspired by the likes of Phil Woods, Cannonball Adderley and Vincent Herring. As a bandleader, Alex's quartet features some of the UK’s finest musicians: David Newton, Dave Green and Steve Brown. In summer 2022, she released her latest album “Only A Year” and since then, her quartet have toured extensively around the country, appearing at jazz clubs and festivals including Swanage Jazz Festival and Scarborough Jazz Festival.Crown Lane StudioDiscover South London’s hidden gem for musicians. Crown Lane Studio is a stunning multiroom complex.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us your thoughts! Hailing from the North Coast of Scotland, bassist/composer Ali Watson journeyed to London to pursue his studies in music, returning to his homeland in 2022 to establish himself in Glasgow’s vibrant jazz scene. Driven by a desire to craft music that served as an escape and antidote to the relentlessness and overstimulation of modern life, his debut album ‘Terrarium’ is set to release on November 26th.Watson describes his music as ‘complex yet melodic’; drawing on Contemporary Jazz, Scottish Folk, Impressionist Classical music and his heroes in Aaron Parks, Kit Downes and Larry Grenadier to make his own distinctive imprint on modern Scottish Jazz. Beginning most of his compositions on the upright piano in his mother’s home, Watson finds the safety and seclusion he experiences there enables him to enter an uninhibited and spontaneous state of mind, unaffected by the rest of the world. Led by lyrical folk melodies, colourful harmony, intimate instrumental textures and gently propellant grooves, each of Watson’s nine deeply personal compositions are interpreted and performed by his quartet with maturity, personality and feeling. Support the show

Send us your thoughts! Support the show

Send us your thoughts! Tigran Hamasyan is considered one of the most remarkable and distinctive jazz-meets-rock pianists/composers of his generation. A piano virtuoso with groove power, Hamasyan seamlessly fuses potent jazz improvisation and progressive rock with the rich folkloric music of his native Armenia.In addition to awards and critical acclaim, Hamasyan has built a dedicated following worldwide, as well as praise from Herbie Hancock, Brad Mehldau and the late Chick Corea. “With startling combinations of jazz, minimalist, electronic, folk and songwriterly elements…Hamasyan and his collaborators travel musical expanses marked with heavy grooves, ethereal voices, pristine piano playing and ancient melodies. You’ll hear nothing else like this” (NPR)Support the show

Send us your thoughts! Support the show

Send us your thoughts! Tom is based in Manchester, UK. He studied Saxophone and composition at the Royal Northern College of Music and the University of Manchester. His classical training from Rob Buckland (saxophone), Camden Reeves and Gary Carpenter (composition) continues to inform all of his original work, which blends his distinctive voice as an improviser, with a characteristically genre bending compositional flare that absorbs the language of contemporary classical, popular and jazz styles.He studied Jazz with Steve Berry and Tim Garland under a scholarship kindly granted by The Kinder Family Trust and with sponsorship from The Royal Society of Musicians.Tom now works internationally as a performer and composer of Jazz, Classical and Commercial Music. Tom has performed at venues which have included The Royal Albert Hall, Royal Exchange Theatre, Colston Hall, Glastonbury Festival, King’s Place London, Band on the Wall, The Royal Philharmonic Hall and the world famous 100 Club as well as for various TV/Radio platforms. His professional life involves work in a variety of disciplines such as session touring and studio work, theatre pit work, multi-instrumental positions and original jazz projects. He accepts commissions from Classical performers for new works, as well as composing for commercial briefs including Film/TV and arranging.Support the show

Send us your thoughts! Joan Hutton is a performer, composer and educator residing in Minneapolis. Joan’s diverse interests have taken her from jazz, free improv and funk to classical, chamber music and pit orchestras. She has released two jazz albums featuring her original music, with co-leader Sue Orfield, on Shifting Paradigm Records: “Take That Back” (2022) and “Splash” (2024.) She is a member of the Ancia Saxophone Quartet, which has recordings out on the Naxos and Albany labels. Joan teaches a large studio of private students around the Twin Cities and is the saxophone and clarinet instructor at Augsburg University.Support the show

Send us your thoughts! Darius and Cathy join the show to share their lifetime of work and achievements. With a new book and film Playing The Changes as well as a rerelease of The Jazzanians iconic album We Have Waited Too Long theres so much to catch up on! Support the show

Send us your thoughts! In a world which celebrates the virtuosity of the individual, HLK’s vision has been to develop their ensemble virtuosity, compelled by a unified vision. The music comprises precise notated sections, moments of conversational interaction and room for individual improvisation. It is a delicate but powerful balance. This unique, interdependent rhythmic language has required unparalleled commitment, but yielded astonishing results. The Trio’s music is celebrated for being emotionally and cerebrally challenging yet accessible, captivating audiences young and old across the UK and mainland Europe.HLK have completed their second recorded volume: ‘Anthropometricks’. Their unique musical relationship with Dame Evelyn Glennie has evolved and the results captured in five of the eight compositions on the album. Two additional artists have also been invited into the fray. British Cellist Natalie Clein’s rich tone and melodic interpretation add a wealth of texture. Varijashree Venugopal contributes a spell-binding vocal performance, including an incredible improvisation on the title track. Today Rich Kass, Rich Harrold and Ant Law join Rob Cope to chat about the new album. Support the show

Send us your thoughts! Sam joins Rob Cope to tell us all about his brand-new album. We chat about the music, the influences and the key decisions behind the project.Support the show

Send us your thoughts! Loren’s began her career as something of a prodigy at age 13, when she won a songwriting contest, gaining national attention. Before she was 19, she did a stint in Nashville, soaking up that city’s ancestry of great American songwriting. She recorded her first album at 20, and from there she was off and running, recording successive albums that garnered awards, Billboard recognition and an international following that has sent her touring around the globe, including stops in Korea, Africa, Japan, Canada and the Caribbean, to name a few locations. Her records regularly make “best of” lists, and her sublime talents as a vocalist are attested to by several albums hitting the #1 slot on Canadian and Japanese jazz charts. Today she joins the show to tell us all about her new album. Support the show

Send us your thoughts! Swedish artist, Vidya talks to Tara Minton about her new album, Adi Shakti. Support the show

Send us your thoughts! Professor of the Practice in the Department of Music at Duke University, Anthony Kelley joined the Duke faculty in 2000 after serving as Composer-in-Residence with the Richmond Symphony for three years under a grant from Meet the Composer, Inc. He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Duke University, and he earned a Ph.D. in Musical Composition from the University of California at Berkeley.In 2021, Kelley was appointed as Composer in Residence for the North Carolina Symphony. His major works for symphony orchestra include: Spirituals of Liberation (commissioned and  premiered in 2022 by the North Carolina Symphony, with Evan Feldman and Michelle Di Russo, conducting); the piano concerto, Africamerica (premiered in 1999, by the Richmond Symphony with piano soloist, Donal Fox and George Manahan, conducting); and The Breaks (commissioned and premiered in 1998 by The American Composers Orchestra under the direction of Gerard Schwartz). The Baltimore, Detroit, Atlanta, Oakland East Bay, Marin (CA) and San Antonio symphony orchestras have also performed Kelley’s symphonic music.Among his awards and honors are the Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Institute and Academy of Arts and Letters, and composition fellowships from the North Carolina Arts Council, the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation.  Some of his other work includes his soundtracks to the H. Lee Waters/Tom Whiteside film, Conjuring Bearden, (2006), and Dante James’s film, The Doll (2007), explores music as linked with other media, arts, and sociological phenomena. A recording of Kelley’s work, Grist for the Mill (commissioned by the Mallarme Chamber Players), was released in August, 2009 and is available for purchase on iTunes.Support the show

Send us your thoughts! Our guest host Martin Hummel interviews Rob Cope about his new album, Gemini which is out now. Rob chats about his influences and inspirations and Martin does a stunning job in the captains chair. Support the show

Send us your thoughts! Music has been an integral part of Martin’s entire life. Since his early days as a musician, Martin staged concerts as a teenager (featuring Elton John), worked in various music clubs and was a DJ/Music Director in professional radio.  For 17 years, he was responsible for Pepsi-Cola’s international communications, where he worked with the likes of Michael Jackson, Madonna, Tina Turner, The Spice Girls, Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Robbie Williams and Pink, amongst many others. He's founded Ubuntu Music, one of the great labels for new music and jazz and today he shares his thoughts on running the label with us. You will often find him at live shows, whatever the time of the day or night, looking for the next Bird, Dizzy, Esperanza, Charlie, Miles, Ron, Ella, Art or Chet.Support the show

Send us your thoughts! As a band leader and co-leader he is responsible for much of the output of the groups; Lammas, The Underground Orchestra, Storms / Nocturnes (feat. Joe Locke and Geoffrey Keezer), Acoustic Triangle, the last few years of Bill Bruford’s Earthworks, and The Lighthouse Trio, (feat; Gwilym Simcock and Asaf Sirkis). This final group makes a 20th anniversary come-back tour and release during 2024! Today we chat to Tim about his new album, Moment of Departure. Support the show

Send us your thoughts! Kirk is a musician and writer based in Portland, as well as being a multi-instrumentalist he makes a music podcast, Strong Songs and produces and co-hosts the Triple Click video game podcast.Today he joins the show to chat to Rob Cope about all things podcasts, jazz as well as a look into music in video games. Support the show