Nominations announced for the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Awards 2026

The full list of nominees is as follows:

Jazz Vocalist of the Year

Heidi Vogel; Lucy-Anne Daniels; Marvin Muoneke

Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year

Joe Webb; Yazz Ahmed; Deschanel Gordon

 

Jazz Album of the Year

“The Shieling” - Fergus McCredie; ‘Sema4’ - ARQ;  “Alleviate” - Donovan Haffner; “Riversphere Vol. 1” – Iain Ballamy

 

Jazz Ensemble of the Year

Knats; Tom Smith Big Band; Donovan Haffner Band

 

Jazz Newcomer of the Year

Olivia Cuttill; Sylvie Noble; Ursula Harrison

 

Jazz Venue of the Year

World Heart Beat (London); The Sound Cellar (Poole); Church of Sound (London); Jazz Stroud (The Goods Shed); The Bear Club (Luton)

 

Jazz Media Award

UK Jazz News; One Jazz; Richard Williams (The Blue Moment)

 

Jazz Education Award

Jazz at Leeds Conservatoire (Celebrating 60 years); Julian Joseph Jazz Academy; New Generation Jazz  -  Jazz Futures

 

Services to Jazz Award

Nikki Illes; Paul Jolly; Jean Toussaint

Album Review: Tara Minton – The Devil Invites You To Dance (Adhyâropa Records)

Tara Minton (harp, vocals); Miguel Gorodi (trumpet, flugelhorn); John Williamson (bass); David Ingamells (drums); Emilio Yañez Ruíz (percussion); Ernesto Marichales (maracas (Shadow Dance)); Sara Colman, Clare Wheeler (vocals (En Otra Vida))

Tara Minton creates a world outside of what we’re used to, laces it with Mexican flavours and invites us in. She was, clearly overwhelmed by her first visit to Mexico City in April 2023 that it drove her to return 3 months later, borrow a harp, immerse herself in the City’s culture and write this album in a two week blaze of energy. Lyrically strong, albeit subdued in performance, the album works through allusion and sinuous rhythms to create moods and emotions and it’s these dark atmospheric moments that give this music its subtle power

 We open with the opening title track delivered as a whispered, seductive poem over a slithering, insidious, pulsing bass line. The lyric is full of temptation and the most romantic, intoxicating, fantastical dreams of escape through a Faustian bargain with a particularly Machiavellian devil.  Gorodi adds piercing trumpet to substantially raise the temperature. If you wondered what sultry sounded like, here it is! El Colibri, by way of contrast is much more of a song of daylight; a multi-layered flowing piece of sunshine with Minton’s harp doing most of the dancing whilst wordless vocals swoop and soar; an increasingly forceful invitation to hip mobility. Iztapalapa is snatches of a quiet, intense fury intermingled with more elegant, desperate passages that seem to be feeling for something out of reach. A desperate romantic yearning infuses Minton’s voice on Cariño before a beautiful trumpet solo, little more than a breeze, adds to the romance.

Jazz on the Tyne Previews the Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music 2026

In the latest edition of the podcast, presenter Colin Muirhead previews the Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music in company with the festival’s producer and artistic director, Wesley Stephenson.  You’ll hear music featuring festival acts Arun Ghosh, Get The Blessing, Dilettante, John Pope Quintet, Alex Hitchcock, Manon McCoy, Nisha Ramayya/John Garner/John Pope, Raymond MacDonald, Zoë Gilby, Andy Champion, Zoe Rahman, Jeppe Zeeberg, Harper Trio, and ATFK.

You can listen to the show anytime HERE.

Plus, you can request music for future programmes, pass on news or leave feedback by emailing Colin at jazz.tyne.hive@gmail.com or by heading to www.jazzonthetyne.org.

More on Ralph Hutchinson

My continuing research on trombonist Ralph Hutchinson has taken a new twist in this Tommy Sampson film.

Ralph, who died in 2008, the same year as Sampson, left the UK in 1948 where he played and recorded with Muggsy Spanier. The film makes reference to the band playing at the Oxford Galleries in Newcastle. However, the interesting moment is circa 16.50 minutes in. Although Sampson refers to a trombonist from Manchester his reference to the connection with Muggsy makes it obvious that Ralph is the 'bone man in question. Those few seconds when Sampson describes many years later may have prompted Ralph's decision to pack his mouthpiece and head for the States.

At the time he lived in Grasmere Avenue just off Scrogg Rd. in Walker. Lance

Jazz North announces the latest round of New Northern promoters

Today, Jazz North announces the two jazz festivals and six jazz promoters awarded bursaries to present emerging artists in their programmes through its support scheme, New Northern. 

New Northern bursaries were awarded to -

Lancaster Jazz Festival

Leeds Jazz Festival

Jazz Coop, Newcastle upon Tyne

Parrjazz Limited, Liverpool

DJ Lubi Presents, Leeds

Footprints Jazz Club, Sheffield

Scarborough Jazz

North West Music Academy, Barrow-in-Furness

R.I.P. Gene Bertoncini (1937 - August 29, 2026)

Gene Bertoncini sadly left us on Saturday, August 29. The following is an extract from Maurice J. Summerfield's programme notes at a tribute concert to Gene Bertoncini by the New York City Classical Guitar Society in 2008 (see graphic). They are posted with the author's permission. 

I first heard Gene when he played with a pick on a regular steel-string archtop guitar but for many years it has been the nylon-strung classical guitar that has been his first choice of instrument. I was taken aback by his early duo recordings with bassist Michael Moore. For me they achieved everything I was trying to achieve at that time in my own jazz duo, playing on a classical guitar with a string bass player.

Album review: Sam Barsh, Mark Guiliana, Keyon Harrold - Straight08 (La Reserve)

Sam Barsh (keys/synths); Keyon Harrold (trumpet); Mark Guilliana (drums)

Another overlooked gem. This time by a trio of like-minded souls who between them composed all but three of the eleven tracks. Freddie Hubbard's Little Sunflower and two versions of Monk's Green Chimneys being the others.

With the three musicians joined at the hip I'm hesitant to pass individual judgement but, to my ears, Harrold's trumpet playing is what stands out, what makes the album special. His tone and technique hints at tomorrow whilst his yesterday moments hit just the right balance.

Initially I was a tad less enthusiastic about the sounds emerging from Barsh's keyboards. However, the more I listened the more musical those 'noises' become. With Harrold it was love at first blast with Barsh it's a love that gradually matured. Guiliana's intricate drum patterns are like a cyclist's heartbeat in Le Tour at the top of Alpe d'Huez. Throughout he links the other two turning three individual voices into one.

Jazz Score 2026

Listening to the archival Jazz Score on BBC Sounds got me to thinking (always a dangerous exercise) who would be the panelists if it were broadcast live today?

As Digby Fairweather is, to the best of my knowledge, the only survivor from the original participants he would be chosen by rite of passage. Alan Barnes, Pete Long, Nigel Price and Simon Spillett would also be good to provide stories and memories with Andy Hudson curating the affair. Any other obvious choices? Lance

The Tannery Jam Session @ Tannery, Hexham - August 12

© Russell

Living in Northumberland means that it is not as easy as it used to be to pop out from Newcastle to local jazz gigs, but this is more than compensated by the beautiful Northumberland countryside and coast, particularly during a summer like this one.

However, jazz fans exist in all parts of the country so I have found jazz gigs in Rothbury, Warkworth and Hexham and others I couldn't get to in Amble, Alnmouth, Berwick and Blyth.

Having heard a lot about Joe Steels and been to a few of the jazz gigs he has curated at the Queen's Hall in Hexham, the jam session he organises in the Tannery pub seemed like a good opportunity to find out more about jazz in Hexham.

Sunday night @ the Globe: Tango Jazz Quartet - August 30

© Sheila

Having seen the band on several of their previous visits I was primed for an enjoyable evening of tango jazz - a combination of genres that works well. Then the rumble of thunder became a roar and lightning crackled across the sky so I decided to take a 'raincheck' and instead tuned into djazz and watched live concerts by Jamie Cullum and Jazzmeia Horn - I should have braved the weather!*