Alex Hitchcock, Dream Band: Live in London, Whirlwind ****

Another addition to our best-of UK and Ireland releases this year with a chance this week to hear the full album of November release Dream Band: Live in London (Whirlwind). Recorded at the Vortex last year it is remarkable how UK saxist Alex …

Published: 12 Oct 2023. Updated: 56 days.

Another addition to our best-of UK and Ireland releases this year with a chance this week to hear the full album of November release Dream Band: Live in London (Whirlwind). Recorded at the Vortex last year it is remarkable how UK saxist Alex Hitchcock manages to cram three bands into a conception that shows his compositional prowess to the max. And the fact that even with all the different personnels the flow is there and the whole thing makes sense and fizzes in this live club setting. Kit Downes, Lewis Wright from Empirical (excellent on 'Momentum'), Ant Law, Alex Ridout, Mark Kavuma, Rob Luft, Marc Michel, Conor Chaplin, James Copus and more are here (vocals from Liselotte Östblom are also factored in) - the style loosely a long way from the source ''post-bop'' with lots of contemporary touches and fine balladic pasages as on the bonus track 'Differentials'. In no way does all this sound overly retro. The sinewy, involving, guitar lines from Ant Law are also a firm highlight.

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Swing jazz guitar in focus this autumn with the release of Harry Diplock Trio and Friends

It's not often we dip our toes into swing jazz guitar but certainly hearing Harry Diplock at Ronnie's a few years ago was a welcome return to the idiom for us and it's good to hear Harry has a new album, Harry Diplock Trio and Friends, this autumn …

Published: 11 Oct 2023. Updated: 57 days.

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It's not often we dip our toes into swing jazz guitar but certainly hearing Harry Diplock at Ronnie's a few years ago was a welcome return to the idiom for us and it's good to hear Harry has a new album, Harry Diplock Trio and Friends, this autumn from which the pleasurably jaunty Quintet of the Hot Club of France repertory number 'Rose Room' above is drawn. Personnel on the album include Remi Oswald, Pete Thomas, Giacomo Smith, Joe Webb, Kourosh Kanani and Matt Holborn joining the stalwart of the London Django Collective who is originally from Devon. Album release date is 20 October.