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Mike Westbrook: London Bridge Live In Zurich 1990
by Chris May
Viewed from the other side of the Atlantic, Mike Westbrook is probably Britain's best kept secret. A composer, pianist and tubaist--above all, composer--Westbrook's recording career began in the late 1960s. Since then he has released upwards of fifty albums, spanning jazz rock through jazz and contemporary-classical fusions such as the 2 x CD London Bridge Live In Zurich 1990. Westbrook's albums have been performed by lineups ranging in size from trios through to, in this case, an eleven-piece jazz orchestra ...
read moreMike Westbrook Orchestra: Catania
by Ian Patterson
A major figure in British jazz since the late 1950s, composer-pianist Mike Westbrook continues to write, perform and record at a rate of knots which would leave contenders half his 83 years on the ropes. Four albums since 2016, including--after a gap of forty years—not one but two solo piano recordings, are testament to the creative fire that continues to burn inside him. This previously-unreleased live recording from Sicily in 1992, captures the twenty-three-piece Mike Westbrook Orchestra in truly scintillating ...
read moreKate Westbrook: GRANITE
by Roger Farbey
Over the years, Kate Westbrook has recorded an impressive number of albums with her husband Mike; from 1975's For The Record onwards. She's released a clutch under her own name too, including Good-Bye Peter Lorre (2005), Cuff Clout (2004) and The Nijinska Chamber (2006)--all on Voiceprint Records. Without doubt, her vocal delivery is stylised and idiosyncratic, arguably reminding listeners of renowned German interwar cabaret and theatrical singers such as Lotte Lenya and Marlene Dietrich. However, she's not just a one ...
read moreIn Memory of Lou Gare
by Duncan Heining
Best known for his work with the experimental, avant-garde collective AMM Music, Lou Gare began his career in jazz in the early 1960s, playing in one of Mike Westbrook's early groups. In more recent times, in Devon, he reconnected with Westbrook and became a stalwart member of Westbrook's orchestra and an inspiration to its younger musicians. I was fortunate enough to see Gare with the band on two occasions and remember with fondness the quiet drama of his presence and ...
read moreGRANITE
by Duncan Heining
GRANITE is Kate Westbrook's fourth solo album, though saying so seems quite an artificial point given her partnership with husband Mike Westbrook over so many recordings. As he is quick to point out, Kate's texts are crucial to the shaping of compositions and projects. That said, GRANITE is Kate Westbrook's most ambitious record to date, its libretto matched perfectly by some of the most intriguing music her partner has created during his long career. In fact, these performances ...
read moreMike and Kate Westbrook: The Serpent Hit
by Duncan Heining
Mike and Kate Westbrook have a reputation for tackling big subjects--war, European history, life and death and the nature of art and creativity. With The Serpent Hit, they turn their attention to perhaps the grandest subject of them all--the fall from grace and the loss of paradise. This beautifully packaged CD features a gorgeous cover painting by Kate Westbrook that could easily have sprung from the wall of a 14th century Italian church. We start with this because ...
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