One of our early 80s heroes, the one and only Howard Johnson, just announced two shows in the UK this October, with more shows possibly in the can. Howard was the co-founder of the group Niteflyte, which recorded two albums in 1979 and 1981 before he went solo with his still totally impeccable “Keepin’ Love…
Sam Wills, the UK-based singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose debut album “Breathe” garnered a five-paw review back in 2021, is back with a new single and the announcement of his first headlining tour throughout Europe. His “We Both Know”, released last week, is in heavy rotation here. The smooth and subtle track with its poignant…
Lots of great new music out there from our favorites: Durand Jones & The Indications will release their new LP “Flowers” on June 27th. Two singles are already out in the spheres and both sound promising and refine their highly original sound: the easily flowing midtempo soul swayer “Flower Moon” and the equally soothing “Been…
Our sweet and lovely Gina, the puppy who was the inspiration behind this blog’s name, went on her last walk this past Wednesday. Gina had accompanied us for the last 15 years of our lives and she was the greatest companion you could wish for. She had chosen to live with us when she frequently…
So here we are again at the world’s biggest jazz fair in Bremen. We’re looking forward to meeting lots of old and new friends, live showcases, the club night, and so much more. This year, there is going to be an evening with Dutch LGBTQ+ artists at Himmelssaal. Presented by Buma Cultuur and That Jazz…
I still remember seeing singer/songwriter Ledisi perform for the first time. It was way back in 2000 in San Francisco at a tiny little bar/café. At the time, she had just released her debut album “Soulsinger”, a set of brilliantly executed neo soul songs which still resonates up to this day. On April 25th, Ledisi…
One of the most pivotal moments last Monday at Amsterdam’s Paradiso happened during a guitar solo medley by guitarist Jubu Smith: among the three tracks he played was “Sweet Thing” by Rufus featuring Chaka Khan. And the whole crowd sang the lyrics out loud. No offense here but this is something that would never ever…
jazzahead!, the world’s most significant annual Jazz convention and festival, will be back in Bremen this year. From April 24th to 26th, there will be showcases from artists from this year’s partner countries France, Spain, and Switzerland, as well as overseas and Africa showcases, European showcases, and the German Jazz Expo with new and upcoming…
Los Angeles-based singer Sy Smith, who released her five-paw reviewed album “Until We Meet Again” about a year ago, will come to Europe for a few select dates. So far, only three gigs are confirmed in the UK and Germany. Sy will also play with trumpeter Chris Botti on his Caribbean Sea cruise on February…
It’s been a pretty amazing year re:live concerts. We’ve been visiting some great festivals again this year: as usual, North Sea Jazz in Rotterdam stands out as one of the best. It was also our second time at Rockit in Groningen and we’ll make sure to come over again next year. Also, for the first…