Category Archives: Concert And Event Reviews

Tommy Smith

Concert Review: Spirit of light by Tommy Smith, featuring Kurt Elling

And the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra and Cappella Nova

Date: December 17, 2017
Venue: St Mary’s Cathedral, Edinburgh, Scotland

Review and photographs by Fiona Mactaggart

Rugged up against the bone-chilling cold in the Scottish capital’s visually and acoustically impressive St Mary’s Cathedral, the full-house audience seem aware they are in for something special. The two-part concert begins with a clear as ice spoken introduction from esteemed New York – based jazz singer and previous collaborator with Tommy Smith and the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra (SNJO), Kurt Elling. With appropriate gravitas, Elling explains that this concert will be “a modern meditation on the delirium that visits us at this season”, and that it would be no regular jazz gig.

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SoSaLa

The Long Hiatus has Broken: SoSaLa Returns

“I went to see the musician, Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi of SoSaLa a few nights ago, and I must say, that I was totally impressed by his honesty and sincerity.
That’s perhaps one of the things that is missing in many practitioners of the music.
It was quite refreshing to experience his concert presentation.
Billy Harper

PS. It is sometimes good to get “outside of oneself” and see what someone else may be experiencing about his music.”

Date: December 20, 2017
Venue: CA Music Room (NY)

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Simon Nabatov

Concert Review: Simon Nabatov Trio @ The Galway Jazz Fest (Ireland)

Date: October 8, 2017
Venue: Galway Jazz Festival (Ireland)

Review by Fiona Mactaggart (Photograph by sus)

An award for ‘friendliest festival’ might well go to the Galway Jazz Festival, this 4-day long event utilizing an eclectic range of venues and heaving with musical treasures. Tonight the venue is an up-market restaurant, the musical fare a veritable aural banquet offered by the new trio of pianist-extraordinaire, Simon Nabatov.

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Emil Brandqvist Trio

Emil Brandqvist Trio (Sweden) bringing a breath of Swedish fresh air to the Galway Jazz Festival

Venue: Black Gate Club at the Galway Jazz Festival (Eire)
Date: October 5th, 2017

Review by Fiona Mactaggart

The subdued lighting of the basement venue is well suited to this thoughtful and measured set, the small space only intensifying the calming effect of the delicate and beautiful melodies traced by pianist Tuomas A Turunen over a web spun by drummer and band leader, Emil Brandqvist.

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Lo'Jo 5

Concert Review: From the Desert to the Cafe’ with Lo’Jo

Lo'Jo logoDate: November 12th, 2017
Venue: Joe’s Pub (NY)

Concert Review by Joe Yanosik & Claudia Yanosik
Photographs by Claudia Yanosik

The two dozen or so patrons that attended Joe’s Pub last Sunday for a concert by the French band Lo’Jo were treated to a unique and wonderful blend of world music styles and sounds.  The venue was only half full, understandable for an early afternoon (12:30PM) show, and the audience seemed to be mostly comprised of French expats and longtime fans, but the band gave everyone there a show to remember.

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