The Jazz Mann | Jazz music reviews and news from the Jazz Mann Ian Mann

Winner of the Parliamentary Jazz Award for Best Media, 2019

Jazz Album Reviews

Orlando Le Fleming

Romantic Funk ; Wandering Talk

This third instalment in the Romantic Funk series represents a worthy follow up to past glories and combines intelligent rhythmic grooves with imaginative, multi faceted compositions and arrangements.

Kevin Lawlor

The Island

Glen Manby

When Sunny Gets Blue

Patrick Naylor

Organza

John-Paul Muir

Home Now

Josephine Davies

Satori : Weatherwards

Henrik Jensen

Above Your House

Jazz Mann Recommended Listening

Perfect Stranger

Unfinished Business

Even after half a century the music still sounds fresh and exciting, qualities that are enhanced by the superb playing of Sansom’s hand picked, all star, contemporary jazz ensemble.

Glasshouse

Silence is a Flower

I continue to be amazed by Glasshouse’s “spontaneous melodic improvisations”. It’s consistently astonishing that they are able to create such moments of beauty out of thin air on such a regular basis.

Scarla O’Horror

Semiconductor Taxidermy For The Masses

An absorbing and rewarding listening experience. I particularly like the melding of conventional jazz instrumentation with the electronics & synths to create a distinctive and convincing group sound.

Asha Parkinson’s Kalpadruma

Possession

Another ambitious cross-genre work from Parkinson. Once again she skilfully combines her many musical, literary and political influences to create a unique ensemble sound.

Live Jazz Reviews

Swing Strings Trio

Swing Strings Trio, Brecon Jazz Club, The Muse Arts Centre, Brecon, 14/01/2025

BMJ Collective with John Close

BMJ Collective with John Close, Black Mountain Jazz, Melville Centre, Abergavenny, 12/01/2025.

Alison Rayner Quintet

Alison Rayner Quintet (ARQ), Shrewsbury Jazz Network, The Hive Music & Media Centre, Shrewsbury, 11/01/2025.

TRYPL

TRYPL, Music Spoken Here, The Marr’s Bar, Worcester, 09/01/2025.

The Jazz Champions

The Jazz Champions, Jazz in Reading, Progress Theatre, Reading, Berkshire, 03/01/2025.

Soultime!

Soultime!, Jazz in Reading, Progress Theatre, Reading, Berkshire, 13/12/2024.

Jazz Mann Features

Fifth Annual Bath Jazz Weekend, Widcombe Social Club, Bath, Sunday 5th January 2025.

Ian Mann enjoys the final day of the Weekend and performances by Ribbons (Sara Colman & Rebecca Nash), Sarost (Mark Sanders, Paul Rogers, Larry Stabbins), and the Huw Warren / Angharad Jenkins Duo.

Fifth Annual Bath Jazz Weekend, Widcombe Social Club, Bath, Saturday 4th January 2025.

Ian Mann enjoys 5 varied performances from Dee Byrne's Outlines, Kevin Figes' 'You Are Here' Sextet, Secret Path Trio, Nani Vazana & the new trio Molecatcher (Iain Ballamy, Rob Luft & Conor Chaplin)

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