jon3 ticks the boxes and jlu does fusion [that might be good]

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

Maggie Nicols & Les Diaboliques

This week we feature a vocalist who has been at the vanguard of British free improvisation and who has starred alongside a young Piers Brosnan in a Celtic rock musical. Don't worry, we'll be focusing on her work in the former category, and featuring her all-female improvising trio Les Diaboliques in concert.

Maggie Nicols shares her rich musical story with trombonist Gail Brand in a warm and enlightening discussion covering her early career as a strip-club singer in 1960s Soho, her discovery of free improvisation through John Stevens' Spontaneous Music Ensemble and the struggle to open up improvisation to female performers.

Les Diaboliques is a modern-day amalgamation of all the elements of Nicols' long and under-recognised musical life. The performance draws on unfettered free improvisation, cabaret and blues, woven together by Nicols' extraordinary voice – capable of producing everything from a sort of avant-garde take on The Queen of the Night, to soulful, earthy melodies. The interaction with pianist Irène Schweizer and bass player Jöelle Léandre is incredible too. All three have such a varied language that they can follow each other anywhere, whether it's comping under unscripted banter or an impromptu mashup of I Should Care!

Monday 30th is also the first UNESCO International Jazz Day. To celebrate, the programme is introduced by a very special guest, and ends with some music we've unearthed from Japan, which really has to be heard to be believed.

Jazz Line-Up brings pumpin' jazz/fusion from the fantastic New York electric bassist, Janek Gwizdala, fresh from world-touring with the likes of ex-Miles Davis guitarist Mike Stern and top jazz/funk trumpeter Randy Brecker. Janek is here as part of a massive Euro-Tour, with an all-star band:
BOB REYNOLDS (sax, New York) who's performed with Brian Blade, Tom Harrell, Richard Bona and rock star John Mayer...'One hell of a saxophonist!' Michael Brecker
GARY HUSBAND makes an outing on keyboards, but is also known for drumming with John McLaughlin, Jack Bruce, Robin Trower, Allan Holdsworth and Level 42
LOUIE PALMER (drums, London), who studied with world-famous Dave Weckl - 'Most exciting and proficient' says Thomas Lang; And Steve White's quoted as saying 'the real deal'.

well let me know what you make of it all ......

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

janek g has an interesting website

liking the gig a lot very tight and capable band ...

great gig and unmissable for jazbos of a certain ......

[handsomefortune]

thanks for the extra info calum da jazbo, i hope jon3 is good tonight....jez is a reknowned feminist of course, can't wait for his book on this! it was a good prog last week i thought.

i haven't listened to jlu - was going to abstain for good tbh, after last week's dire programme, more 'confused' rather than offering a 'fusion', which i wrote a snotty post about, but (wisely) decided not to post.

not sure i'll exactly race, in a hurry to listen to jlu this week, but will begrudgingly try to fit it in maybe. of course, sobbing about the loss of my absolute fave 'jazz library' will take up quite a lot of listening tme (and hankies) probly. i am gutted tbh....bluddy loonies at the beeb want locking up.

[Serial_Apologist]

Gail told me she was chuffed with the Ms Nicols interview. V much looking forward to that part of the prog.

[Alyn_Shipton]

I'd take the Janek Gwizdala gig seriously. I first heard Bob Reynolds when he was a 19 year old kid at Berklee. He is an astonishingly good saxophonist, and has gone on to considerable maturity since then. I did his first media interviews for the BBC World Service when he was still a student and I was doing a programme on Berklee, and when I heard him again at Montreux a few years later, he'd really developed - although he was beaten in the sax competition by somebody called Soweto Kinch....

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

I'd take the Janek Gwizdala gig seriously

yep it is seriously good and Mr Reynolds is entrancing