Articles by Ian Patterson
Bévort 3: A Cup of Joe
by Ian Patterson
Tributes to jazz's most celebrated figures often take the form of interpretations of their work. Not so with Danish saxophonist and composer Pernille Bévort, who raises her cup to tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson on eight original tunes. Henderson's So Near So Far: Musings for Miles (Verve Records, 1993) is one of Bévort's touchstone album picks, and while the Dane is no Henderson clone, she shares some of his stylistic traits. Chief among these are Bévort's rhythmic agility and an inventive ...
Continue ReadingMarilyn Mazur's Shamania: The Birds Are Early Out
by Ian Patterson
A modern tribe of female voices--ten in all--that thrives on exploring the rhythms of body, voice and instruments. Shamania, founded in 2015 by drummer, percussionist and composer Marilyn Mazur, brought together kindred spirits from Denmark, Norway and Sweden. From the album Rerooting (CYH Records, 2022), “The Birds Are Early Out" captures the fearless exploratory spirit of a unique ensemble.Vocalist Josefin Cronholm, alto saxophonist--vocalist Sissel Vera Pettersen, trumpeter Hildegunn Øiseth--who doubles on goat horn--tenor-soprano saxophonist Lotte Anker, trombonist Lis ...
Continue ReadingRemembering Marilyn Mazur: Percussion Shaman
by Ian Patterson
Marilyn Mazur, the trailblazing Danish drummer, percussionist, composer and bandleader, who enjoyed an extraordinarily varied career, has died at the age of 70. In over fifty years working in jazz and improvised music, Mazur collaborated with Alex Riel, Wayne Shorter, Gil Evans, Charlie Mariano, Jon Balke, Dhafer Youssef, and Jan Garbarek, amongst many others. She holds the distinction of being the only woman ever to play in Miles Davis' band. Mazur was born in New York City in ...
Continue ReadingUkrainian Jazz Media: Unwavering Service
by Ian Patterson
Though the history of jazz in Ukraine dates back to the second decade of the 20th Century, jazz media in Ukraine was slower to develop. While this article's primary focus is on today's jazz journalists, independent proselytizers and advocates, it would be remiss not to mention some of those who paved the way. Several figures have been key in developing Ukrainian jazz media and promoting jazz nationally and internationally. Prominent among these is Leonid Goldstein, who celebrated his ...
Continue ReadingTommy Halferty's Whirlpool At Scott's Jazz Club
by Ian Patterson
Tommy Halferty's Whirlpool Scott's Jazz Club Tribute to Miles Davis' In A Silent WayBelfast, N. Ireland January 16, 2025 In the centenary year of Miles Davis' birth, homages will take many forms. There will be the inevitable re-releases, box sets, books, and an ocean of opinion pieces. Concerts paying tribute to jazz's greatest chameleon are sure to visit most of the significant waystations of the trumpeter's storied career. But when the dust settles on 2026, it is likely ...
Continue ReadingLafayette Gilchrist & New Volcanoes: Move With Love
by Ian Patterson
There is no escaping one's formative years when music--and much else--leaves an indelible mark, like a tattoo on the soul. For Lafayette Gilchrist, the jazz, hip-hop, funk and soul he imbibed growing up in Washington D.C. has been at the heart of New Volcanoes since its launch in 1993. In the intervening years, Baltimore-based Lafayette has slipped back and forth between New Volcanoes, solo piano and contemporary jazz ensembles of various sizes. Originally a sleek quartet, New Volcanoes' personnel and ...
Continue ReadingJorge Vistel At Dock Street Jazz Club
by Ian Patterson
Jorge VistelDock Street Jazz Club Belfast, N. Ireland January 11, 2026 It took Jorge Vistel just one trumpet solo--a hypnotic four minutes of deft lyricism and technical bravura--to signal to the audience that it was in for a treat. Such a balance of emotional heft and virtuosity made it easy to conclude that music is in the blood of the Cuban trumpeter. Maybe too easy. To be sure, growing up in Santiago de Cuba, Vistel was ...
Continue ReadingUsein Bekirov: Free Way Deluxe
by Ian Patterson
Labels, reductive at best, prove especially slippery when applied to Lviv-based pianist-keyboardist Usein Bekirov. Ethno-jazz, ethno-fusion, jazz-funk--all these titles and more have followed his music around since his debut album, Taterrium (4Records, 2016). Born in Uzbekistan but raised in Crimea from the age of eight, Bekirov has drawn variously on his Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar roots, as well as Balkan and Azerbaijani folk music, alongside modern jazz-fusion. Previous collaborators have included fusion luminaries such as trumpeter Randy Brecker; saxophonist Ada ...
Continue ReadingJohn Scofield & Dave Holland: Memories Of Home
by Ian Patterson
"Jazz is best when it's completely carefree. The only problem is when you care about the music more than anything in the world--how do you get carefree?" John Scofield raised the conundrum in a a 2023 interview, though you suspect he has been working out the riddle his entire career. Ditto bassist Dave Holland. On Memories Of Home, the revered guitarist and double bassist strike the perfect balance between care and carefree on a set of texturally rich compositions that ...
Continue ReadingThe Philosophy Of Jazz
by Ian Patterson
The Philosophy Of Jazz Kevin Le Gendre 105 Pages ISBN: 978 0 7123 5503 2 British Library 2025 If you had to recommend just one book on jazz history to a neophyte, which would it be? Ted Gioia's The History of Jazz (Oxford University Press, 1997) is rightly regarded as a definitive account, but at nearly 600 pages it may deter readers looking for a lighter introduction. What if ...
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