Many of the best Japanese jazz singers, like Kansai's Masayo Arai, are known only regionally. That goes for a few "good ones" recommended by...

The covering of the King Crimson canon is not a new phenomenon. Adrian Belew recorded several Crimson tracks over his many solo albums. 21st Century Schizoid Band made it the primary raison d’etre of their existence to cover KC songs specifically from that band’s first four albums. The Delta Saxophone Quartet, with guest Gwilym Simcock, recorded an intriguing jazz album of King Crimson covers on Crimson! (Basho, 2016). But largely due to the idiosyncratic nature of Crimson tunes, these covers are not plentiful. Another reason for their paucity is that progressive music is largely, but not exclusively, a male domain (and thereby a bit “niche”). Indeed to paraphrase a standing joke in the King Crimson entourage, there is never a queue for the ladies’ lavatories at a Crimson gig. However, A Romantic's Guide To King Crimson leavens a considerable amount of angularity on these 12 Crimson numbers, spanning the years 1969 to 1995. The Matelottos comprise Pat, drummer with Crimson from 1995 to the present day and his wife Deborah. They are accompanied over the dozen...

Although she did tour, including some travels overseas, Carol Fredette chose to work extensively in the New York area and this, allied to relatively...

Although he played piano as a child, it wasn't until he was 18 and serving in the military in Korea that Freddie Redd seriously...

Inspired by Wes Montgomery and long famed for his unison guitar and scat lines, guitarist George Benson was to have done eight UK shows next month. Due to the pandemic, these have been rescheduled to June 2022. Now aged 78, Benson is renowned for albums such as the 1977 Breezin’, which launched his smooth yet virtuosic crossover style. In his biography he described himself as progressing "from blues cat to blues-jazz cat ... from blues-jazz cat to jazz cat ... from jazz cat to soul-jazz cat ... and from soul-jazz cat to R&B-jazz cat." Serious jazz followers may recall his appearance,...