In Memory Of Mike Westbrook 1936-2026

Episode Playlist With the death of Mike Westbrook just recently announced I want to pay brief homage to one of the towering figures in European jazz. I deliberately reference Mike’s European lineage because while so much of his work speaks to his deep immersion in...

Can you name these Jazz Legends?

Episode Playlist For every Miles Davis or John Coltrane- both of whom are celebrating their centenaries in 2026-for every Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Parker, Mary Lou Williams, Ornette Coleman or Sonny Rollins whose reputations and legacies within and beyond the jazz...

Alto-itis

Episode Playlist The instrument most elementally linked to jazz is unquestionably the saxophone. Full disclosure – I write as an alto player who was drawn to that member of the sax family all those years ago because it seemed to embody the quintessential soul...

A World Beyond Jazz

Episode Playlist Jazz has sat at the centre of my musical life for more than 60 years now. I am proud of my attachment to this unique music, its history, culture, language, its radicalism and outsider status, its complexity and its immediacy.  Its capacity for...

2025 Stand out Gigs & Recordings

Episode Playlist Gigs For the first time in a while all my live listening this year, 25 performances in all, has been in London. No bad thing given the amount of creative talent active within the capital and the conveyor belt of top musicians playing here. As you will...