Django Bates Beloved – Confirmation

Django Bates' 2010 trio album, Beloved Bird, was a revelation. Its audacious dismantling of Charlie Parker's compositions only to reform them into startling new, shifting forms was exciting and inspirational. Now the same trio (with Petter Eldh on bass and Peter Bruun on drums) are back with a new album, Confirmation. This time there are …

Ben Webster – Stan Tracey: Soho Nights Vol 2

It’s an irresistible combination: thanks to a new release of previously unissued tracks we can witness the pairing of two giants of jazz - the great American tenor saxophonist Ben Webster and the magnificent British pianist Stan Tracey. This second volume featuring these two musicians, both recorded live at Ronnie Scotts' club in London, is …

Ronnie Scott and All That Jazz

I managed to catch some of the two programmes featuring the great saxophonist Sonny Rollins on Friday night; both shown as part of BBC Four's jazz weekend. The second programme looked particularly interesting, with Sonny on fine form at Ronnie's back in 1974. I didn't get as far as the jazz bagpipes (not played by …