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John Taylor: Tramonto
by Neil Duggan
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 bassist Palle Danielsson further cemented his reputation. Tramonto captures Taylor in another trio setting, this time collaborating with American musicians bassist Marc ...
Continue ReadingLouis Stewart: I Thought About You
by Ian Patterson
For jazz guitar fans, and for aficionados of Irish guitarist Louis Stewart in particular, the 2022 relaunch of '70s label Livia Records has been manna from heaven. This is the born-again label's fifth reissue of the great Dublin six-stringer's out-of-print recordings since the series launched with Stewart's other 1977 album Out on His Own (Livia Records, 2023). That album is widely viewed by guitarists past and present as a solo jazz guitar album for the ages. I Thought About You ...
Continue ReadingJohn Taylor: Close to Mars
by Alberto Bazzurro
Nell'approssimarsi del decennale della scomparsa di John Taylor, che ci ha lasciati nel luglio 2015 un paio di mesi prima di compiere settantatré anni, ecco questo notevole album inciso dal pianista di Manchester nell'ottobre 2006 nei mitici Bauer Studios di Ludwigsburg accanto a un'ideale coppia di coéquipiers, oggi purtroppo a loro volta non più fra noi. Taylor era uomo di sintesi (come Steve Lacy, tanto per fare un altro nome), stilistica, nel suo raccogliere diversi input e riassumerli ...
Continue ReadingA Supreme Love
by Duncan Heining
Alan Skidmore is one of the finest saxophonists to come out of the United Kingdom, Europe or indeed anywhere. In fact, it was hearing Skidmore's tenor solo on “Have You Heard?" from John Mayall's Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton (Decca, 1966) that encouraged a young Michael Brecker to take up the instrument. Skidmore had also served his apprenticeship with blues singer Alexis Kornerin the sixties and by the end of the decade was equally well-versed in the blues and in the ...
Continue ReadingPeter Erskine Trio: As It Was
by John Kelman
The box set you hold in your hands features three players who came together in an exceptional group to play some of the most compelling and exploratory piano trio music of the 20th Century's final decade. This threesome, led by Peter Erskine, released four albums recorded between July 1991 and July 1997: 1993's You Never Know, 1994's Time Being, 1996's As It Is and 1999's Juni. That the drummer's critically acclaimed piano trio, also featuring Swedish double bassist Palle Danielsson, ...
Continue ReadingJohn Taylor Sextet: Fragment
by Chris May
The not-for-profit Jazz In Britain label is one of the unsung heroes of British jazz. And if it is being sung, apologies, it deserves to be sung louder. While it is fitting that the musicians who make up London's new alternative jazz scene receive a massive shout out, the players who came before them, who paved the way for British jazz's current explosion, tend to get overlooked. Slowly, this is changing, and Jazz In Britain is in ...
Continue ReadingNucleus: Nucleus Live at the BBC
by Maurizio Comandini
Dio salvi la regina. E la BBC. L'emittente di stato britannica ha capito fin da subito che da quelle belle energie musicali, che spuntavano come l'erba di Hyde Park sotto al tiepido sole di quelle latitudini, passavano le scelte esistenziali e culturali delle nuove generazioni e sin dagli anni sessanta ha dato ampio spazio alla musica, premiando non solo il pop ma anche le proposte più articolate e di nicchia e ha conservato in archivio una buona parte di quelle ...
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