MARK TURNER wallows in the virtuosity of Swansea Jazz Festival openers, Simon Spillett and Pete Long

HEARING the Bolton-bred clarinettist Arun Ghosh and his quintet, live again at the Vortex in Dalston, with the communal sounds directly outside the venue of Gillett Square’s talkers, declaimers, drinkers, skateboarders, eaters and dominoes virtuosi accompanying every note they created, was a wonderfully restorative musical post-pandemic experience.
They were playing tunes from their new album Seclused in Light. The beautiful melodism of Surrender to the Sea and Sister Green and the rampaging Sidney Bechet-like verve and rhythmic upsurge of cityscape sounds like Fiveways and Hanji!, fused in a surge of now-times sonic vision which made the heart and brain of Dalston shudder with joy.

CHRIS SEARLE encourages you to go hear a landmark performance, and introduces some of the musicians

CHRIS SEARLE hears the ordeal of the Palestinian people in the improvised musicianship of a UK jazz trio

Reviews of the Neil Charles Quartet, the Freddie Hubbard Quintet, and the Olie Brice Quartet

CHRIS SEARLE speaks to Chris Laurence, bassist and bandmate of saxophonist TONY COE