Polish Jazz Titans Assemble in London

September 8, 2025

Why put on the first-ever Polish Jazz Festival in London, and why now? After all, London is already well supplied with fine British-Polish jazzers like the guitarist Artie Zaitz and saxophonist Emma Rawicz. Not only that, but the West London venue Jazz Cafe Posk��based in the Polish cultural centre��has been running jazz gigs for years.

John Taylor: Tramonto

by Neil Duggan
September 5, 2025

British pianist John Taylor (1942-2015) possessed a remarkable talent for eluding the global recognition his skills warranted. A former house pianist at London's Ronnie Scott's club, Taylor probably achieved his widest acclaim through Azimuth, the group he formed with vocalist Norma Winstone (his wife) and trumpeter Kenny Wheeler. His trio recordings with drummer Peter Erskine and ...

Robin Porter

ROBIN PORTER is an award-winning saxophonist and composer based in London, renowned for his versatility, musicality and expressive sound. A sought-after instrumentalist, he has performed at many of the UK’s most prestigious venues, captivating audiences with his artistry and individuality.

Robin’s primary creative outler is his contemporary jazz trio ‘Aspyrian’, a dynamic project blending original compositions and improvisation with the sincerity of soulful songwriters and grit of alternative bands. Under his leadership, Aspyrian has released two acclaimed albums, earned two Help Musicians awards, and toured the UK twice, bringing their distinctive sound to stages nationwide.

Instrumental Debut From Kai Craig Offers A Compelling Story Of The Passion For And Commitment To The Rich History Of Jazz

July 19, 2025

For Kai Craig, music is a pathway reaching deep into the past and far into the future, spanning generations and international boundaries with ease. The young drummer/composer has already dived deep into the jazz tradition, assisted by the mentorship of Martin France in his native UK and US legend Gregory ��Hutch�� Hutchinson in Europe and the ...

Kai Craig

Born in Brighton, UK (2000), Kai first picked up sticks at the age of 2 and began studying with his father at the age of 6. Kai’s musical inspiration was sparked by hearing recordings from his father’s record collection. His early exposure to a wide range of music, and the playing styles connected to them, enabled him to develop his initial understanding of music, and planted the seed from which his own playing approach grew.

Kai moved to London aged 18 to study at the Royal Academy of Music, from which he graduated in 2022. He is grateful to have been mentored by Gregory Hutchinson since 2020. In the past, he is also honoured to have studied with Kenny Washington, Tyshawn Sorey, Marcus Gilmore and Francesco Ciniglio and enjoyed opportunities to work with the likes of Soweto Kinch, seamus blake, Raynald Colom, Géraud Portal, Francesco Cafiso, jon gordon, Romain Pilon, Kit Downes, Graeme Blevins, Nigel Price, Ivo Neame, Franck Amsallem, Stan Sulzmann, Giacamo Smith, Gareth Lockrane, Laurence Cottle and Anders Jormin. Whilst in London, Kai performed at venues such as Ronnie Scott’s, Pizza Express Dean Street, The Vortex and The 606, with select performances at the Royal Albert Hall, Birmingham Symphony Hall and the Southbank Centre. 

Jim Watson: Calling You Home

by Neil Duggan
July 3, 2025

Pianist Jim Watson's wide-ranging career has seen him collaborate with an amazing array of artists across the jazz and pop genres, including Manu Katche, Kurt Elling, Sting, Richard Bona, Chrissie Hynde and Meshell Ndegeocello, to name just a few. This versatility bears fruit in both his compositions and choice of covers on his solo album Calling ...

The Hot Jazz Vagabonds

Jazz in Nazi Germany: The Music That Wouldn��t Die

by Joe Alterman
June 29, 2025

This article was originally published on Moment Magazine. Music, at its core, is freedom. It cannot be caged by ideology or controlled by propaganda. The Nazis understood that, which is why they tried so desperately to suppress it, to twist it, to erase it. And yet, even in those darkest of times, music found ...

Lorenzo Bellini: Source

by Neil Duggan
June 26, 2025

Source marks the sophomore release from Italian pianist Lorenzo Bellini. After graduating from Boston's Berklee College of Music in 2021 with a performance major, Bellini formed lasting partnerships with his quartet members: guitarist Luca De Toni, bassist Matteo Padoin and drummer Andrea Dionisi, all fellow Berklee alumni who join him on this release. Following his time ...

Vincenzo Virgilito: precondition

by Richard J Salvucci
June 15, 2025

Vincenzo Virgillito is a Sicilian bassist, trained in Italy, living in London. He has been exposed to a wide variety of influences including John Coltrane, Jaco Pastorius, and Pink Floyd. For the record, he trained as an accountant, so if he were required to find the mythical “day job," he would be in good shape. From ...