Gigs of the Year - Steve T

The Blues and Soul review of the Malta Jazz Festival began with a dictionary definition of 'no brainer', so I've excluded the two gigs that would have made one and two on the basis they had an unfair advantage.

For a similar reason I've excluded Paul Edis' Jazzy Christmas gigs.

I've also excluded two exceptional gigs which generally go under the heading of progressive, even though the term jazz now seems to have the same connotations as progressive music had in the early/mid-seventies.  

It doesn't appeal to everyone, particularly those who didn't make it to Sage Gateshead, though one was Steve Hackett, Genesis' guitarist in the early/mid-seventies and you can catch him at City Hall in the Toon next Nov. and you might see where I'm coming from.

I've excluded Swing Out Sister at Cheltenham for a similar reason and one other to avoid a charge of nepotism (actually I've excluded them all to get it down to ten).

1. Kurt Rosenwinkel - Sage, Gateshead, Sept. 28.

2. Xhosa Cole Quartet - Lescar, Sheffield, Dec. 4.  

3. Dan Garel and Friends - Globe, Newcastle, Aug. 18.

4. Rymden - Cheltenham Jazz Festival, May 5.

5. Kamasi Washington –Cheltenham Jazz Festival, May 6 (See photo).

6. Laura Jurd and Friends - Sage Gateshead, Mar. 3.

7. John McLaughlin - Barbican, London, April 23.

8. Triptych - A recording studio somewhere in Newcastle, April 17.

9. Partisans - Scarborough Jazz Festival, Sept. 22.

10. Tony Kofi - Ushaw Jazz Festival – Aug. 24. 

Steve T