It all works out at the Endea day!

[Serial_Apologist]

Sat 27 July

Mr Goldblum goes radical for this final episode:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00215gx

New Generation Artists Prom, including an inviting Cross-selection (ho! ho!) of young talent, including some already heard on Soweto Kinch's 'Round Midnight - Soweto hosts this event. Leave the wireless on for the following programme, featuring Scots pianist Fergus McReadie's trio in the first part.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0021bsc

Sun 28 July

http://www.alynshipton.co.uk/blog

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0021bsv

Centenary Prom celebrating Sarah Vaughan, introduced by Claire Martin. What about the choice of singers, I hear you cry?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0021bsz

Mon 29 July - Fri 2 Aug

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0021b7m

[eighthobstruction]

....listened to an edition [not live] of Soweto Kinch Round Midnight last night .....a strange mix of music , generally thin gravy....

[Ian Thumwood]

It is interesting to read some of the comments about Round Midnight. A couple of my friends who are big jazz fans had made similar negative comments. There is a lot of negative remarks that I continue to hear about the current uk scene which is reflected in programmes like Round Midnight. I find it intriguing that the criticisms all say the same thing and that is that older jazz fans are being alienated by the lukewarm offering. There are too many groove oriented groups which comes across as an update if the same watering doesn't of jazz in 1970s Fusion.

[eighthobstruction]

It is interesting to read some of the comments about Round Midnight. A couple of my friends who are big jazz fans had made similar negative comments. There is a lot of negative remarks that I continue to hear about the current uk scene which is reflected in programmes like Round Midnight. I find it intriguing that the criticisms all say the same thing and that is that older jazz fans are being alienated by the lukewarm offering. There are too many groove oriented groups which comes across as an update if the same watering doesn't of jazz in 1970s Fusion.

....not even that some of it is just jazzed up klesmer with banjo flava and weak sax....nobody is going to turn on for this....I am an eclectic listener, I know when something has musical value....I cannot believe that Soweto listens to any of this....closed hi-hat going through the motions jazzy chicksinger sequin stuff...I want it to be good, but it is not....

[Ian Thumwood]

8 O

If you read reviews across a variety of publications or websites there seems to be a 'house style ' where jazz of a few particular styles are favoured. I find that somewhere like All About Jazz will have a particular remit and you then find somewhere else like Jazz Journal considering the music totally differently. It is often hard to imagine they are all considering the same scene. Everyone in the media seems to have an agenda with the result that a lot of weaker music gets a platform . The worst culprit for this is Chris May but , by and large, there seems to be so much coverage these days which has grown out of the writing of Stuart Nicholson who was fixated with European jazz 25 years ago. This was when the rot set in yet

All of this reflects both the music and general way of life these days. I don't think jazz has been this poor or irrelevant as it is now since the late 1970s. The likes of Chris May would have you believe otherwise. Round Midnight just reflects the fact that so much of today's scene is pretty lightweight fusion that would not have had much truck 40 years ago.

[Serial_Apologist]

8 O

If you read reviews across a variety of publications or websites there seems to be a 'house style ' where jazz of a few particular styles are favoured. I find that somewhere like All About Jazz will have a particular remit and you then find somewhere else like Jazz Journal considering the music totally differently. It is often hard to imagine they are all considering the same scene. Everyone in the media seems to have an agenda with the result that a lot of weaker music gets a platform . The worst culprit for this is Chris May but , by and large, there seems to be so much coverage these days which has grown out of the writing of Stuart Nicholson who was fixated with European jazz 25 years ago. This was when the rot set in yet

All of this reflects both the music and general way of life these days. I don't think jazz has been this poor or irrelevant as it is now since the late 1970s. The likes of Chris May would have you believe otherwise. Round Midnight just reflects the fact that so much of today's scene is pretty lightweight fusion that would not have had much truck 40 years ago.

Your last sentence is amply confirmed by tonight's Prom gig from The Glasshouse [sic!] - two outfits, the first playing a slick Fusion in which all the soloists perform one-dimensional pyrotechnical identikit solos with no relief from a relentless tempo; the second, Theon Cross's band, starting out promisingly before launching into what must be the most banal "jazz tune" since C Jam Blues. (That was tongue-in-cheek then, but this is supposed to be now!) Cross had joined in towards the end of the opening band's final number, creatively breaking up the rhythmic monotony in ways that grabbed the attention for the first time since ones listening went on auto pilot. While these guys are obviously talented, if little or no originality can be detected in the early stages it does not bode well, especially given the fact that the improvising vocabularies have been around so long mastering the moves is to be expected, if not exactly desired. There seems to be an awful lot of showing off and superficial spectacle but little added value. Very disappointing - I'm writing this as the performance proceeds, not feeling I am missing out on anything by not giving it 100% attention. .

[Serial_Apologist]

Jazz Record Requests shifts to 5.30 - I could have extended my walk in the park: plenty of beauty there to appreciate today! At the moment there is awful unscheduled stuff on R3, which sounds like instrumental arrangements of 19th century light opera, the sort of thing Schoenberg did to make a living in his early days, and then the Sunday afternoon service.

Edit: music by one of the few composers of ecclesiastic music on the latter I can not only stomach, but offer Howells of approval.

[Jazzrook]

Jazz Record Requests shifts to 5.30 - I could have extended my walk in the park: plenty of beauty there to appreciate today! At the moment there is awful unscheduled stuff on R3, which sounds like instrumental arrangements of 19th century light opera, the sort of thing Schoenberg did to make a living in his early days, and then the Sunday afternoon service.

Yes, dreadful dross on R3 at the moment. I was looking forward to JRR which was scheduled for 4pm according to the ever reliable RT.

JR

[Alyn_Shipton]

Slightly surprised S.A. That you did not notice the time change for JRR - both your link at the top of the chain and my blog made the point it was 17.30.

[Serial_Apologist]

Slightly surprised S.A. That you did not notice the time change for JRR - both your link at the top of the chain and my blog made the point it was 17.30.

I should have checked, Alyn.