I was delighted to learn that Swansea Jazz Club is back in action! Artistic director Dave Cottle has revived the club after the COVID-19 hiatus, with a busy autumn (2021) programme, featuring many top UK jazz artists. Dave has been presenting live jazz in the city for 25 years, including the Swansea International Jazz Festival … Continue reading
Category Archives: Music
Short films project finds success in competitions
A series of short screenplays, known as The Annalium Project (featured in this blog earlier this year), has been finding success in international competitions. The project’s creator (my pal) Robert Lancey had been hoping to have started filming the first film ‘Sssss’ by now, but the continuing COVID-19 pandemic has kept that on hold until … Continue reading
A jazz-fusion opus in the key of ‘i’
Billed as ‘music like you have never heard before’, pianist Anders Helmerson leads bassist Lukasz Chula and drummer Juan Meija as the Anders Helmerson Trio to present ‘the world’s first opus in the key of i’. To my unsophisticated ears, the lead track at least is a glorious mix of piano-led jazz fusion with elements of prog rock, though … Continue reading
Live debut for Sarah Moule’s new album
Live in-person performances have been a rarity lately, so I was delighted to hear that Sarah Moule will be appearing at Pizza Express Jazz Club, Soho later this month. The gig on Wednesday 30th June marks the premiere of her new album Stormy Emotions, which I reviewed earlier this year. She will be performing with … Continue reading
Reflecting on Mrs Noah via Zoom
An updated version of the Noah’s Ark story told with an environmental message and a feminist twist live via Zoom! That describes the recent production of Mrs Noah Fights Back! from Untamed Productions. It was an ambitious project, but it worked brilliantly, and I thoroughly enjoyed the performance I saw [April 17]. I asked Poppy … Continue reading
Mrs Noah Fights Back – with music, jokes, and a serious message
A community of actors, formed in lockdown, is presenting an online production with jokes, music, and a serious message about the environment. Mrs Noah Fights Back! is an environmentally reimagined Noah’s Ark – with a feminist twist, which was originally performed as a piece of street theatre. Continue reading
Inventive touches for a new video on the ‘Magic’ of love
The latest R&B video from my transatlantic friends and near-namesakes at True Weltch Media was recently released (or ‘dropped’ as I need to start saying). Magic is a romantic song, featuring a trio of New Jersey artists – two of whom I’ve featured before, Jo Rivers and Mytus, along with Raq, all from the city … Continue reading
Stormy Emotions – top-notch musicianship and vocals do justice to poetic lyrics
Talented British jazz vocalist Sarah Moule has a new album on the way – Stormy Emotions is an uplifting collection of songs written by her husband Simon Wallace and the late, great American poet and lyricist Fran Landesman. Sarah spent 18 years working with Simon and Fran, and with this album introduces 10 previously unrecorded … Continue reading
Festivals link up for lockdown online
Four of Wales’ best-loved festivals have joined forces in lockdown to create Gŵyl 2021, a free, online festival of music and comedy. The best of Festival of Voice, FOCUS Wales, Other Voices Cardigan, and Aberystwyth Comedy Festival have been captured over recent months in Wales and internationally within coronavirus guidelines, to create an event which will be available across the UK at http://www.bbc.co.uk/gwyl2021 … Continue reading
Mytus ‘gets back’ in her video debut
Mytus, an exciting new R&B talent from New Jersey, has released her first video. Get Back was released (or ‘dropped’, as they say nowadays!) last week [February 5th 2021]. Queen Mytus, to use her full title, a rising singer-songwriter, based in Camden, NJ, said: “My intention in creating music is to always uplift, inspire, bring … Continue reading