2012 Review

Some great live Jazz:

Troyka at Royal Festival Hall

John Mclaughlin at Barbican

Parkitel Trio in Chatham

Theo Travis in Rochester

plus so many more

And on record

Pat Metheney / Chris Potter Unity Band

Diana Krall - Glad Rag Doll

And surprisingly Bryan Ferry The Jazz Age

Contando is a great new album by the Bobo Stenson Trio. Intense, personal, richly textured instrumentals that achieve angularity and easy listening at the same time. 

AMY WINEHOUSE

Pop has found a jazz rehab at last. Real grooving soul.

One to rediscover - Wardell Gray's original recording of Twisted from the early fifties - Jazz hot hard and simple (with a twist)

The great studio recordings of Bird - I have 2 versions of Star Eyes on CD the later recording with a young Miles on horn is a truly supreme piece of a concentrated 3 minute piece of sound art

Charlie Parker with strings - power and beauty, livewire and dream meet the challenge of sound to heal and revitalise. late night or early morning sonic caress.

Listening to Countermoon by Donald Fagen and wondering can good music and art really be the only and best response to evil. Forget weapons of war, get that groove flowing that all races can respond to, tension can be explored and defused..... magic. What the taleban need is music to penetrate their souls not hot metal from American bombers.

The Vibe festival at Bedgebury, Tunbridge Wells on 26 August was a Stormy open air event when the skies did indeed open. But great sets inside rain from JTQ with James hammering his Hammond, and a Latin afternoon Vibe from Snowboy.