Albums that influenced me: Salisbury Suite by the Stan Tracey Octet

The second in this series of albums that influenced me. I spent my late teens and early twenties completely immersing myself in jazz. My friends thought I had lost my mind! My guide to navigating this new musical landscape was found in the local public library - my oasis of calm, and a place of …

Interview: Mornington Lockett to front special Herts Jazz Festival concert in celebration of Bobby Wellins

My interview with Mornington Lockett was originally published in London Jazz News.   One of the highlights of this year’s Herts Jazz Festival is a concert put together by one of the UK’s most accomplished jazz saxophonists, Mornington Lockett, in celebration of the music of one of his heroes, the late great Scottish saxophonist, Bobby …

Bobby

Tonight, it feels like the world is nervously holding its breath. As the presidential election votes are being counted, I find I can't sleep. A thought has popped into my head - "at least Bobby doesn't have to worry about all this..." As well as bringing back the terrible sadness of his sudden passing, just a …

Herts Jazz FILM Festival 2016: John Akomfrah on Stan Tracey

This is the third in a series of posts about films being screened in the first ever Herts Jazz FILM Festival (HJFF), which takes place on 16-18 September and 2 October in Welwyn Garden City. The festival showcases compelling films that all have a distinctly jazz flavour. Timed to complement the Herts Jazz Club’s well-established and prestigious annual Herts …

Herts Jazz FILM Festival – flyer and promo video with a rather special soundtrack

The flyers for my film festival have arrived and I'm very pleased with how they've turned out. A big thank you goes to Sally Stray who designed the wonderful logo, and Kay Hill who designed the leaflet as a whole. I've also put together a quick promo video which features a Stan Tracey Quartet backing track (with Clark Tracey's …

TUBBY HAYES: A MAN IN A HURRY: Interview with the film’s producer Mark Baxter

  This is a #HJFilmFest related post. The new Herts Jazz FILM Festival takes place at Welwyn Garden City Cinema on 16-18 September 2016 with a special gala evening on 2 October. It will showcase compelling films that all have a distinctly jazz flavour. Timed to complement the Herts Jazz Club’s well-established and prestigious annual Herts Jazz …

The shadow of a smile: a personal reflection on Stan T

What to say? How to say it? Ever since the sad news of his death at the end of last year, I've wanted to set down my thoughts about Stan Tracey. It has proved impossible. How do you find adequate expression for the beauty of his music and the quality of his character, when so …

Reminded of Laugharne

Last year my wife and I had a very enjoyable holiday in the Welsh town most famous for its association with the great poet Dylan Thomas: Laugharne. I was reminded of this when I came across two items related to Thomas. Firstly, I was reminded by this short article that Stan Tracey's quartet are playing …

Herts Jazz Festival 2012

Some brief notes... Alyn Shipton says* in his 5 star review of the Herts Jazz Festival in The Times:- This young festival is only in its second year, but it deserves already to be ranked as one of Britain’s finest and most high quality jazz events. Shipton quite rightly focuses on what was the highlight …

It doesn’t get much better than this – the Herts Jazz Festival 2012…

As well as the Cambridge Film Festival, I am also very excited about the upcoming Herts Jazz Festival, which is taking place at Campus West in Welwyn Garden City over the weekend of 14-16 September. The host of this event - Herts Jazz Club - holds a very special place in my affections. It is …