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
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
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
A new film about medieval knights, the supernatural, and a dragon was always going to interest me. When it comes from a studio specialising in horror, then it interests me even more. And this is the case with Dragon Knight. Scottish genre house Hex Studios are the people behind the project, having previously given us … Continue reading
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
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
When artist Mari reveals to her PhD student boyfriend that she can hear his thoughts, he decides he must think in images to maintain balance. As he opens himself up to imagination and memory, his world loses its characteristic rationale. That’s the intriguing premise of the forthcoming short film by Thomas Riordan, Visions of Beulah. Continue reading
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
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
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
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