Online gig: Anthony Kerr, the Art of the Vibes, Ronnie Scott's

Vibes, double bass and drums are a format that you don't often hear these days as a unit. Add piano and in the past you would have got a sound as durable and significant as the Modern Jazz Quartet. Anthony Kerr, whose style bears a surface …

Published: 26 Apr 2021. Updated: 3 years.

Vibes, double bass and drums are a format that you don't often hear these days as a unit. Add piano and in the past you would have got a sound as durable and significant as the Modern Jazz Quartet. Anthony Kerr, whose style bears a surface resemblance to the MJQ's Milt Jackson, live streamed with bassist Jeremy Brown and drummer Ed Richardson from Ronnie Scott's last night.

Opening with tunes by Coltrane, 'Lazy Bird' and 'Wise One' (the more effective of the two), a sprightly Mingus interpretation ('Nostalgia in Times Square') early on too the set changed gear a few times and was most interesting on tackling Brad Mehldau's 'Unrequited' where Kerr showed that he can be more modernist than you might imagine if you only know his work from playing with Georgie Fame. A slightly shy leader as a player he certainly knows how to stretch out and there was a lot of mobility to the trio's rapid canter through their impressive set. Highlight? The bouncing take on Chick Corea's 'Bud Powell' ringing in the air. Watch the stream here

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Soul wins for best original score at the Oscars

Soul wins for best original score at the Oscars announced last night. The score was composed by Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste. Released online at Christimas the music actually doesn't figure as much as you'd think it would. However, Tia …

Published: 26 Apr 2021. Updated: 2 years.

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Soul wins for best original score at the Oscars announced last night. The score was composed by Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste. Released online at Christimas the music actually doesn't figure as much as you'd think it would. However, Tia Fuller, who provides the real saxophone sound behind the hard to impress bandleader Dorothea Williams (above left) steals the show in the fictional Half Note when hero Joe (voiced very warmly by Jamie Foxx) finally fulfils his dreams and plays a significant gig after years as a middle school teacher as he attempts to come back from the dead. Soul also won for best animated feature. For jazz pianist Jon Batiste it's quite a year with We Are also released, a two-way flow of reflection and celebration in the crossover traffic where soul, pop and a certain groove crackle in the night air ('Adulthood' in particular a shoulder swaying highlight). Photo: Disney/Pixar