Articles by Martin Longley

Festivals Talking

Moers Festival Interviews: Lakecia Benjamin

by Martin Longley
May 22, 2026

The last day of the Moers Festival is also the Monday holiday of Whitsun, still marked in Germany, even if it's dormant in England, but still technically observed in the USA, although not granted a public day off work. As a climax of both the five-day festival and the (Pentecost) holiday, the NYC alto saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin will storm the Moers castle, filling this main stage with extreme jazz hyperventilation, patterned with some elements of funk, hip-hop and poetic-narrative rhyming. ...

Festivals Talking

Moers Festival Interviews: Evi Filippou

by Martin Longley
May 18, 2026

The annual tradition of the Moers Festival is to appoint and import an Improviser In Residence, who subsequently dwells in this German city's dedicated weirdo music apartment, right in the center of the community. Just a few years back, the housing was in a different parkside location, so this new venue has the advantage of being more accessible to its potential audiences when performances are organized. Moers is situated not so far from Cologne, and the festival has been running ...

Live Review

Live From Tallinn: The Necks, Phlox & The Jimi Tenor Band

by Martin Longley
May 2, 2026

The Necks Paavli Kultuurivabrik Tallinn, Estonia April 25, 2026 The Necks revel in their improvisatory nature, but they do observe a handful of self-imposed parameters. Their free-form excursions customarily evolve over the span of around an hour, and their gigs usually involve a pair of sets, mostly navigating contrasting approaches. Here they are at Tallinn's major alternative venue, which adopts a standing-space stance, just as if we're inhabiting a rock gig. This eternally-running Australian trio ...

Festivals Talking

Jazzkaar Interviews: Jason Hunter

by Martin Longley
April 30, 2026

Miles At 100 is now all-pervasive, as we celebrate the centenary of that shooting star pioneer of jazz trumpet. The currently-running Jazzkaar festival in Tallinn, Estonia, is also contributing to the retrospective rush, presenting a specially-conceived gig on Friday May 1st, assembled by the Stateside trumpeter Jason Hunter. Hunter was raised in Los Angeles, but has now become an honorary Estonian, moving to Tallinn around 15 years ago. He's become embedded on the scene, leading his own band ...

Festivals Talking

Jazzkaar Interviews: Donny McCaslin

by Martin Longley
April 25, 2026

Tallinn's nine-day Jazzkaar festival is one of Europe's finest, always strengthening its line-up via visiting Statesiders, native Estonians and a spread of acts from around the continent. One of its climaxes in 2026 will be the appearance of tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin, striking out with his powerful and stable quartet lineup, and concentrating on 2025's Lullaby For The Lost album, released by the mighty British label Edition Records. With records by Chris Potter, Dave Holland, Ben Wendel and Kurt Elling ...

Live Review

Tallinn Music Week 2026

by Martin Longley
April 18, 2026

Tallinn, Estonia Various Venues April 9-12 2026 It is desired to prepare in advance. There are so many artists performing at Tallinn Music Week, so many venues taken over by record labels, promoters and/or festivals, that an attendee's valuable shape-shifting time will be preserved wisely by giving as many acts an advance Bandcamp spin as possible. Over several years of visiting TMW, it becomes possible to anticipate which stages will offer the most exciting sounds, based ...

Live Review

Maerz Musik 2026

by Martin Longley
March 31, 2026

Silent Green/Saint Elisabeth-Church/Haus der Berliner Festspiele Berlin, Germany March 22-24, 2026 Every March, this extended Berlin festival opens up around a multitude of venues, presenting moderne works (often premieres) that involve bulging orchestras, chamber ensembles, small groups or solo performers. Maerz Musik frequently inches towards electronics or free improvisation, with few limits on its new music range. Your scribe was in town for a thin three-day slice, involving great variety even within this corral.

Live Review

Babel Music 2026

by Martin Longley
March 30, 2026

Le Plateform / Cité De La Musique Marseille, France March 19-21 2026 In the end, the Dock des Suds venue didn't get demolished soon after the 2025 Babel Music weekender. Instead, it has been reborn (and re-bought) as Le Plateforme, looking pretty much unchanged. Therefore Babel (previously known as Babel Med, with a history stretching back two decades) maintained its habitual structure and atmosphere. This prime global music festival operates on multiple levels, balancing local artists ...

Live Review

Jazz Juniors 2025

by Martin Longley
October 12, 2025

Jazz Juniors Cricoteka Krákow, Poland October 2-4, 2025 What is happening with today's youth? The annual Jazz Juniors competition (and accompanying festival) assembled its usual eager participants, vying for cash and concerts in prizes. For this 49th edition, six acts appeared at the very suitable Cricoteka riverside venue, allotted very brief spans to reveal their talents, for maybe 20 minutes and two or three numbers (this being jazz). The entrants are selected in blindfolded fashion, ...

Live Review

Ostrava Days 2025

by Martin Longley
September 21, 2025

Ostrava Days 2025 Ostrava, Czech Republic August 21-30 2025 Close to the beginning of this moderne music festival in the old coal-mining capital of Czechia, its Minimarathon Of Electronic Music is an inevitable highlight of each edition. Lordy knows what a full-on marathon would be like, but this mini-version is substantial enough, spanning 2pm until 1am. Often itinerant, this time it rears its tape-heads up in a new venue (new since the preceding 2023 Ostrava Days ...