Pat Thomas incontrò la Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra per la prima volta l'anno scorso, appunto a Glasgow, e ne nacque un bell'omaggio a Thelonious Monk ora riportato da Scatter: Celebrating Monk. In programma tra le altre cose c'era un curioso brano contenente frammenti di ogni singola composizione monkiana (Every Thelonious Monk Tune in 10 Minutes), oltre a una speciale dedica a un altro grande, Brian Wilson, a pochi giorni dalla scomparsa. Scrive Raymond MacDonald, sassofonista e fondatore dell'ensemble, proprio a proposito di GOK (cioè God Only Knows): "This piece is a tribute to Brian Wilson, who passed away two weeks before the concert. Not necessarily an obvious choice for inclusion in a jazz festival, however, Brian Wilson’s unique compositional voice and immense influence over generations of musicians gives him a similar status to Thelonious Monk within the musical firmament. My own musical identity was partly forged in the 1980s in the indie pop world of Glasgow where Brian Wilson was, and remains, one of the doyens of the local scene. I devised this piece to commemorate his 60th birthday in 2002."

https://scatterarchive.bandcamp.com/celebrating-monk

E Chris Searle è domani sera a Londra al Cafe Oto per presentare personalmente Global Groove: Words of a Jazz Cosmos, la più recente raccolta di interviste e recensioni musicali prodotta da Jazz in Britain scegliendo tra centinaia di suoi scritti pubblicati via via negli anni sul Morning Star. L'incontro pubblico, atteso e piuttosto raro, fa da apripista al concerto del trio di Pat Thomas, Olie Brice e Gary Willcox promosso anch'esso dall'etichetta di John Thurlow e Pete Woodman con un cd fresco di stampa, The Day After.

Tonight sees the release of two works by Jazz in Britain artists and affiliates: The Day After from the trio of Pat Thomas (piano), Olie Brice (double bass) and Gary Willcox (drums), plus writer Chris Searle's new book, Global Groove. 

Each artist on The Day After is a bandleader / solo artist in their own right and has great experience playing as part of small groups, large ensembles, using electronics and collaborating with artists & musicians from other countries. Their eclectic backgrounds, shared love of modernism within tradition and individual drives combine to create an exciting and thoughtful trio.

'Global Groove' is Chris Searle's fourth book on jazz, following 'Forward Groove' (2008), 'Red Groove' (2013) and ‘Talking The Groove’ (2024). Throughout its pages he mixes his reviews with dozens of interviews with jazz veterans, established virtuosi and younger musicians - who Art Blakey called 'new stars of the jazz firmament'. He shows how through more than a century of its existence, jazz has grown hugely in its internationalism and inclusiveness, always remaining a campaigning and evolving music with its aims rooted in a quest for freedom, popular justice and astonishing, boundary-breaking artistry.

https://www.cafeoto.co.uk/events/jazz-in-britain
https://jazzinbritain1.bandcamp.com/global-groove

Chris Searle presenta ai lettori del Morning Star l'album in solo di Mike Westbrook (1936-2026) uscito appena in tempo per il suo novantesimo compleanno, The Piano In The Room And The Blues, riportando un commento dell'affezionato Chris Biscoe: "I think he liked to see himself as ‘the piano player in the band’. He was particularly fond of setting the scene, whether it be extended introductions to trio pieces, or playing several choruses at the start of a band piece. This wouldn’t be a ‘solo’ but, as in the start of On Duke’s Birthday, a build-up and preparation for the band to enter. I don’t think I ever heard him play a solo in the middle of a piece." Da sottoscrivere in pieno è anche la conclusione di Searle: "Here Mike is alone with his keys, but there is no solitariness. Solo virtuosity, emotional depth, imaginative empathy with all humanity all ring out in a record of unique musicianship from a man whose strength of sound pealed through the second half of the 20th century in so many forms, from Blake’s minstrel and the people’s brass bandleader to a true orchestral troubadour of freedom. This album gives yet another expression of his protean genius."

https://morningstaronline.co.uk