Coup for Georgia Cécile who makes it to no. 3 in the official UK jazz and blues chart as profile soars

Quite a coup for singer-songwriter Georgia Cécile whose Only the Lover Sings makes it to no. 3 in the new official UK jazz and blues chart as the quality retro soul and classic award winning jazz singer's profile soars. It's rare that a relative unknown homegrown artist charts to rush as high as this up the sales chart or get into it at all. Highlight of Only the Lover Sings (Grimey Limey) first listens suggest is the Jessie Ware-like quality that Cécile brings to the ultra-lush 'He Knew How to Love'. But think the soulful spirit of Lulu deliciously too and so intact on 'Always Be Right'. The heart of the record is in classic jazz vocals. 'Harpoon', vocal against tumbling drums at the outset is the album's biggest achievement as the mood becomes Ellingtonian and in the lyrics an image that twins petroleum light with cherry lips are waiting to burn in delight leaps out of the mix in the slow-dance. Scottish jazz continues to experience an amazing year. Read more

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An additional record to add to the marlbank list of best jazz albums of 2021 on the next and final update in a few months. (Latest list, the two-thirds-through compiled recently snapshot is here). It's obvious why. Well beyond sheer instrumentalism which there is wherever you listen, a group sense (ditto) there's also wit. Seven years since the release of Riverside, the wonderful Chet Doxas-Dave Douglas record that got the essence of Jimmy Giuffre to the very marrow, retro fiend Doxas' Mark Twain tribute 'Twelve foot blues' has an airy, dancing, quality to its feel. An all-star setting that finds the tenorist with pianist Ethan Iverson and double bassist Thomas Morgan it's interesting hearing Iverson playing against Doxas who is a very different player stylistically to the Warne Marsh-ian Mark Turner heard memorably on Temporary Kings. ‘Lodestar (for Lester Young)’ is another highlight of the drummer-less record. It's unusual to hear a jazz album that works without a drummer (and coincidentally there was no drummer on the even more depopulated Temporary Kings). Iverson goes ''classical'' at the beginning of 'The Last Pier'. Listen how the section then changes to jazz as Doxas who can play very softly coaxes the trio along in laidback fashion. Morgan acts as the secret weapon of mass instruction throughout. Out now

Coup for Georgia Cécile who makes it to no. 3 in the official UK jazz and blues chart as profile soars

Chet Doxas, You Can't Take It With You, Whirlwind ****