Happy Birthday John Surman!

Celebrating the birthday of UK jazz saxophonist John Surman with a couple of interviews and some dazzling performances. 

That time the John Surman Trio played Prague in 1970

Since it's saxophonist John Surman's birthday today, we're celebrating with two 1970 clips, the first, his trio and second with Friedrich Gulda & Kenny Wheeler. 

Happy Birthday Karin Krog!

Celebrating Karin Krog's birthday with a great version of "Caravan" feat. Kenny Drew, Jan Garbarek, NHØP and Jon Christensen.

Happy Birthday Mat Maneri

Celebrating Mat Maneri's birthday with clips from his Transylvanian Folk Songs project involving Lucian Ban and John Surman. 

Mike Westbrook's original Citadel/Room 315 performance surfaces

The 1974 debut performance of Mike Westbrook's Citadel/Room 315 suite with John Surman has finally been released by My Only Desire Records. 

The debut performance of esteemed pianist/composer Mike Westbrook's 70s jazz masterpiece 'Citadel/Room 315', recorded live in 1974. Featured soloists throughout the album are the iconic saxophonist John Surman plus a crack team of Sweden's top jazzers.

The original RCA recording of 'Citadel/Room 315' is an hour-long suite of eleven tracks, beautifully composed and arranged by Mike Westbrook that is rightly considered to be one of the high-points of Brit-jazz from that era. Mike was commissioned by Sveriges (Swedish) Radio to write the work with Surman as lead soloist. He then travelled to Sweden to perform and conduct it for the first time, live in concert. This recording has never been released until now and presents a wildly different recording to the later LP, the rawness and freedom of the playing contrasting strongly with the more polished studio album.

Surman - playing baritone and soprano saxophone, plus bass clarinet - is in sumptuously freewheeling form throughout, soaring between wild expression and wonderfully controlled playing, perfectly complimenting Mike's compositions that gracefully move from jazz-rock, ballads, to tightly composed orchestral themes and more avant-garde moments.

Backed by the 16-piece Swedish Radio Jazz Group led by saxophonist Arne Domnérus and Argentinian trumpeter Americo Bellotto, the group comprised the finest players on the Swedish scene, including trumpeters Bertil Lövgren and Håkan Nyquist, saxophonist Lennart Åberg, guitarist Rune Gustafsson, pianist Bengt Hallberg, bassist Georg Riedel and drummer Egil Johansen.

Mike Westbrook's Love and Understanding is available from My Only Desire Records on vinyl as a limited edition 2LP gatefold (500 units worldwide) and 'mini-LP' gatefold CD remastered by Caspar @ Gearbox Records from the original master tapes with sleeve notes by Daniel Spicer (Jazzwise, The Wire). Listen to "Love and Understanding," "Bebop de Rigueur" and "Construction" below followed by the album credits.







Mike Westbrook’s Citadel/Room 315 
Recorded live in concert March 28th 1974 at Folkets Hus Södertälje, Sweden
Composed and arranged by Mike Westbrook
Produced by Bosse Broberg

Personnel:
Mike Westbrook (conductor, electric piano)
John Surman (baritone and soprano saxes, bass clarinet)

The Swedish Radio Jazz Group: 
Arne Domnérus (alto saxophone, clarinet)
Claes Rosendahl (tenor saxophone, flute)
Lennart Åberg (tenor and soprano saxophone, flute)
Erik Nilsson (baritone saxophone, bass clarinet, flute)
Americo Bellotto (trumpet)
Bertil Lövgren (trumpet, flugel horn)
Jan Allan (trumpet, alto horn)
Håkan Nyquist (trumpet, flugel horn, French horn)
Lars Olofsson (trombone)
Sven Larsson (bass trombone, tuba)
Rune Gustafsson (guitar)
Bengt Hallberg (piano)
Georg Riedel (bass)
Stefan Brolund (bass guitar)
Egil Johansen (drums)
Jan Bandel (drums, vibraphone, percussion)

Happy Birthday Harry Beckett!

Remembering Barbados-born British jazz scene kingpin Harry Beckett on his day with Rolly's Tune.