Jazz Meets Dancehall – Great Review!

Posted by on Sep 2, 2022

Our event ‘Jazz Meets Dancehall’ on August 6th was a really roller-coaster!  Just two days earlier Claude Deppa had phoned with the dreaded news that he had Covid.  What’s to be done? After a frantic day of ringing round we were extremely fortunate that none other than Byron Wallen was free and ready to step into the breach! ‘Free’, yes, but teaching on a summer-school in Cardiff right up to the end of Friday.  Heroically he trained it up to London just in time to connect with our other guest Annie Whitehead and make it to the venue on time! It was worth it anyway because Byron took to the programme beautifully and the whole thing went really well.  You can see how well from the following review in the Leamington Courier by their esteemed veteran music critic Clive Peacock. Thanks to In The Moment for helping to organise and Warwick Town Council for financial...

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New video – ‘Pearly Light’.

Posted by on Oct 8, 2019

New video – ‘Pearly Light’.

Our new video – ‘Pearly Light’ – is now up to watch! It’s been a while since we videoed ourselves. This track is a lucky combination of some super shots by photographer Mark Ludbrook (@sportsshots) and some live recording, both caught while we were at Chesterfield Jazz Club in March 2019....

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Harping On About Alina…

Posted by on May 10, 2019

Harping On About Alina…

Pardon me for harping on about Alina (Bzhezhinska) and Tony (Kofi), but our concert with them on Sunday 5th May was too good to let it simply disappear into ‘past events’. We knew Tony of course – Neil and I had both worked with him before. Alina and the harp as an instrument were much less familiar, although preceded by her fulsome reputation. We listened to her music, went to see her perform, and dusted off our Alice Coltrane CDs. Tony and Alina kindly agreed to play some Interplay tunes as well as bringing their own material. I proposed numbers that might suit a Coltrane-inspired programme. ‘Gratitude’, ‘Spanish Step’, ‘Slow Flame’ and ‘Rising on Thermals’ all made the cut with McCoy Tyner’s ‘Contemplation’, leaving me with the delightful task of re-arranging them for the expanded line-up. We rehearsed the new charts and studied Alina’s parts, some of which were a few notes with one-line instructions. They would depend entirely on our finding the right feel on the night. On the afternoon before the gig we worked through the whole programme – and were delighted to find there was a natural sympathy between us. Alina was clear about what she wanted and we were happy to provide it. Tony’s virtuosity in the front line seemed to throw Alan and Richard’s abilities into sharper relief, not leave them in the shade. Before the concert Alina, prompted by Matthew Wright from In The Moment, talked engagingly and humorously about her musical development and growing engagement with jazz. It is integral to In The Moment’s approach to offer insights into the music alongside its performance, and the audience enjoyed Alina’s openness and honesty. Then came the concert. Alina and Tony set out their stall with the opening sequence; ‘Wisdom Eye’ and ‘Blue Nile’ by Alice Coltrane, and Alina’s tenderly hopeful tune ‘Spero’. We supported them in our characteristic way, with Dave’s percussion in particular laying out textures and colours differing from their usual arrangements, and to which Tony and Alina readily responded. Several Interplay tunes followed, memorable for me especially for Tony’s storming solo on ‘Gratitude’, before the first set culminated with a moody and muscular ‘Dahomey Dance’. A different vibe opened the second set: Dorothy Ashby’s bright Soul-Jazz anthem ‘Action Line’, featuring electric bass and Alan’s flute. Alina then gave an ethereal aura to ‘Rising On Thermals’, sensitively accompanied by Neil with...

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Alan Wakeman – another ‘milestone’!

Posted by on Oct 27, 2017

Interplay saxophonist Alan Wakeman recently reached a milestone birthday this year. Matthew D. Wright has written about his considerable track record and his continuing contribution to jazz, and this appraisal appeared recently in Jazzwise Magazine. http://www.jazzwisemagazine.com/breaking-news/14735-westbrook-and-wakeman-line-up-with-the-uncommon-orchestra-for-a-bigger-show               Many Happy Returns...

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Norma Winstone with Interplay for JazzDay ’17!

Posted by on Feb 5, 2017

Norma Winstone with Interplay for JazzDay ’17!

Interplay’s guest for international Jazz day this year is none other than the great British jazz singer Norma Winstone! Norma’s career spans a good five decades, since she emerged with the explosion of original British jazz in the 1960s. Her celebrated partnership with pianist John Taylor and trumpeter Kenned Wheeler produced some of the most elevated jazz of its time. Since then Norma continues to work in Britain and abroad making new music with many different artists and gathering awards. It is therefore really exciting that Norma will be in Leamington on May 1st to join Interplay. Songs by Adrian Litvinoff will feature in the programme as well as carefully selected standards and instrumentals. The event, an In The Moment promotion, will take place as last year in The Restaurant, Jephson Gardens. For further information and tickets please go to https://interplayjazz.co.uk/event/international-jazz-day-concert/...

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Alan Wakeman – on the mend!

Posted by on Oct 27, 2016

Alan Wakeman – on the mend!

Some people may have heard that Alan Wakeman is off the scene at the moment. In fact he has been under par for quite some time, and in the summer was diagnosed with a significant heart problem. Recently Alan had the surgical procedure he needed, and he is now convalescing.  He has been advised not to play the saxophone for at least three months, but in other respects he is hoping to be out and about within that time. We all wish him a full and steady recovery. Please send Alan any messages via his Facebook page In the circumstances we felt that Interplay should take a holiday until Alan is ready to gig again, which we hope will be not too far into 2017. At the very least we are planning something special for International Jazz Day 2017 at the end of April. Thanks for your...

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Interplay review in Jazzwise Online

Posted by on May 19, 2016

Interplay review in Jazzwise Online

Interplay’s gig with John Etheridge has been reviewed in May’s Jazzwise Magazine. Thanks to Matthew Wright for the well-chosen words! The title is: ‘John Etheridge, Si Hayden and Interplay Salute International Jazz Day’ Check it out online – just follow this...

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