Jazz Articles about Mike Westbrook

About Mike Westbrook

Album Review

Mike Westbrook: The Piano in the Room and the Blues

Read "The Piano in the Room and the Blues" reviewed by Vincenzo Roggero

by Vincenzo Roggero
June 11, 2026

Pubblicato in occasione del novantesimo compleanno e circa un mese prima della sua scomparsa, The Piano in the Room and the Blues testimonia un concerto per piano solo, evento piuttosto raro nella sconfinata discografia di Mike Westbrook, leggendario musicista britannico noto per aver composto musica per ogni tipo di formazione, dal duo a varie combinazioni orchestrali, avventurandosi nei più svariati generi musicali. Il concerto risale al 2006 e l'occasione è fornita dall'esposizione di dipinti della moglie Kate nella galleria principale del ...

Radio & Podcasts

Mike Westbrook 1936 - 2026 & More

by Jerome Wilson
April 29, 2026

About half of this episode is dedicated to the work of pianist and composer Mike Westbrook who passed away on April 11, 2026. Music from some of Westbrook's large and small groups will be played as well as a performance with his wife Kate Westbrook. The show will also feature music from Melissa Aldana, Chico Hamilton, and Curtis Amy among others. Playlist Henry Threadgill Sextett “I Can't Wait Till I Get Home" from The Complete Novus & Columbia ...

Album Review

Mike Westbrook: The Cortège Live At The BBC 1980

Read "The Cortège Live At The BBC 1980" reviewed by Duncan Heining

by Duncan Heining
April 12, 2026

Mike Westbrook turns ninety on 21st March. That would be reason enough to celebrate the man and his astonishing career in music, but add to that the release of the Mike Westbrook Orchestra's The Cortège Live at the BBC 1980 and balloons and bunting would seem in order. The original album is currently missing in action, so this live iteration also restores a major jazz composition to the catalogue. The music's realisation, along with the careful selection by ...

Book Review

Talking the Groove: Jazz Words from the Morning Star

by Duncan Heining
October 12, 2024

Talking the Groove: Jazz Words from the Morning Star Chris Searle (foreword by Mike Westbrook) 394 pages ISBN: #978-1-9163206-7-3 Jazz in Britain 2024 Talking the Groove collects Chris Searle's more recent reviews, articles and interviews from the British socialist daily paper, the Morning Star, acting as a follow-up to Red Groove from 2013. The sheer span of artists covered in this book is astonishing. From the U.S.A, older statespersons like Anthony Braxton, Archie ...

Album Review

Mike Westbrook: Band of Bands

Read "Band of Bands" reviewed by Duncan Heining

by Duncan Heining
July 23, 2024

For over six decades, composer, bandleader and musician Mike Westbrook has pursued a personal vision of jazz inspired by his hero Duke Ellington. That vision rests on the life-affirming, metamorphic potential at the music's heart. Band of Bands, built upon musical friendships old and more recent, is as fine a set of performances as any in Westbrook's long career. Several things impress immediately here. Firstly, though known primarily for their association with Westbrook, the rhythm section of bassist ...

Radio & Podcasts

Mike Westbrook, Prince Lasha and More

by Jerome Wilson
February 8, 2023

This show features several British jazz musicians such as Mike Westbrook and Yazz Ahmed. There is also music from Prince Lasha, Dan Pugach and Dave Douglas among others. Playlist Henry Threadgilll Sextett “I Can't Wait Till I Get Home" from The Complete Novus & Columbia Recordings of Henry Threadgill & Air (Mosaic} 00:00 Schapiro 17 “Tango" from Human Qualities (Summit) 00:55 Dan Pugach Nonet “Love Dance" from Plus One (Unit) 8:44 Host Speaks 14:38 Dewey Redman “Venus and ...

Album Review

Mike Westbrook: London Bridge Live In Zurich 1990

Read "London Bridge Live In Zurich 1990" reviewed by Chris May

by Chris May
November 15, 2022

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 ...