Welcome to our latest episode of ‘In Conversation With’ featuring music from Hannah Horton! You can find our podcasts at number 9 in the top 60 Best Jazz Podcasts in FeedSpot! In this episode, host Hannah Horton welcomes our special guest, Betty Accorsi ahead of her performance at our final residency night at Jazz Café Posk, London. Tickets available here

 You can listen to the podcast here

I am an Italian saxophone player, multi-instrumentalist and composer, and my home is currently in the United Kingdom. I studied classical saxophone, piano and composition at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatoire in Milan. I was involved in projects spanning from contemporary music ensembles with composer Salvatore Sciarrino to the progressive rock band Psicosuono, which released two albums (Eta Carinae, Metropoli).
In 2018, I moved to London and started an MMus in Jazz Saxophone at Trinity Laban Conservatoire with a scholarship. Trinity's academic environment included leaders in the London jazz scene such as saxophonist Jean Toussaint and composer Bruno Heinen. Searching for a more open-ended approach to artistry and composition, I moved to Goldsmiths University of London in 2019, completing my Master's degree in Performance under the guidance of Mick Foster, Paul Bartholomew and Dr Pete Furniss. I graduated with a distinction presenting a programme of electronic rearrangements of classical music for soprano saxophone and Ableton Live and a jazz quartet performance.    

My main project is the Betty Accorsi Quartet. This was founded with pianist Finn Carter and drummer Scott MacDonald; they were the finest musicians in my year at Goldsmiths and very popular in the South East of London. We are joined by in-demand bassist Andy Hamill (Van Morrison, Martin Taylor, Ibrahim Maalouf). In December 2020 we released “The Cutty Sark Suite”, an album of my compositions blending Wayne Shorter, folk and punk. The Quartet was also part of 2021 Brighton Fringe Festival, playing The Cutty Sark Suite in its entirety on a live-streamed gig.  Our second album “Growing Roots” was be released on the 15th July 2022 featuring pianist Daniel Hewson (Groove Armada, Madonna, Incognito), Scott MacDonald on drums and Andy Hamill on bass.

 Hannah is a British Female Jazz Saxophonist whose music is rooted in jazz, folk and funk. She has performed with many great jazz artists including Ian Shaw, Amy Winehouse, John Etheridge, Tina May, Georgia Mancio, Polly Gibbons, Natalie Williams, Esther Bennett and Irene Serra; and at venues including Ronnie Scott’s, Pizza Express Dean St, The 606, The Pheasantry, Love Supreme Jazz Festival, Royal Festival Hall and The Barbican. She has also toured in Europe and USA with her own and other groups. Her latest album has been going down a storm across the world.

“Hannah makes the big beast of a baritone sax sound like an angel” – Ian Shaw

Welcome to our monthly team news! We like to share some of the work the team have been doing both inside and outside of their Women in Jazz media work and we have all been very busy as always.

For some of our general news, our latest magazine came out on International Women’s Day and is full of inspirational women. Team articles from Sandra Booker Paulette Jackson Kim Cypher Lara Eidi Fiona Ross Esther Bennett and Isabel Marquez You can access the magazine here

Isabel Marquez has been busy curating our Women in Jazz Media playlist features, as always, a brilliant selection of women, do have a listen here and as always, do support by purchasing music when you can. You can also find Isabel’s articles in our latest magazine including Women in Experimental Jazz Today

Hannah Horton’s latest ‘In Conversation with...’ podcast episode features Lara Eidi, which you can find here. Next episode with Betty Accorsi coming very soon!

Migdalia Van Der Hoven’s latest ‘Sticks and Thrones’ podcast episode features Abbie Finn, which you can find here

We also recently launched our ‘Knocking Down The Door Creator Fun with Ashaine White. You can read about it here

Tatiana Gorilovsky shares a few words and several pics ‘about amazing women I was lucky to listen and to photograph in March. I'm glad that several fresh Grammy winners-Samara Joy and Madison Currington visited London.  Brilliant Lakecia Benjamin is also on the big tour promoting her new album. Here are also pics of Tawiah and Tyson, they experiment in combining electronic, folk and techno.

And from the theatric news - if you haven't seen new musical Sylvia with Beverley Knight, you have only one week, they are closing on the 8th of April. The musical is amazing, I saw it yesterday, it's about suffragettes movement, much, much recommended!!!'

Fiona Mactaggart has been spending time trying to build up the Scottish Jazz agency, Jazz Forward. ‘We're currently gradually uploading professionally recorded videos of our bands, as on our YouTube channel and actively seeking more gigs’. But as always, Fiona has been busy writing articles for a range of publications including:

Live review: Ben Shankland Trio

Album review: Poiesis, by Haftor Medboe and Konrad Wiszniewski

Live review: Tele-Port and AKU!

Live review: Dock In Absolute and Dave Milligan Solo

Live review: Daniel Migliosi & Peter Johnstone Trio and Helena Kay Trio

Live review: Meis Bowden Quartet and Kershaw, Stephen, Dick

Live review: Demuth & Wiszniewski Quartet and NooVision

Wendy Kirkland has many great gigs coming up including:

6th Apr – JazzSteps (Bonington Theatre, Nottingham) Get Carter Reimagined with Dennis Rollins MBE - www.jazzsteps.co.uk

17th April – Jazz at the Manor Tamworth with Esther Bennett - Bolehall Manor, Tamworth (pay on door)

20th Apr – Chesterfield Jazz Club with Esther Bennett, vocals  - www.chesterfieldjazz.co.uk

4th May – Guildford Jazz with Marianne Windham (db) feat. Roger Beaujolais - https://www.guildfordjazz.org.uk/listings/wendy-kirkland

18th May – Chesterfield Jazz club with Dean Masser, sax - www.chesterfieldjazz.co.uk

25th May – Wendy Kirkland Quartet at The Musician, Leicester - https://www.ents24.com/leicester-events/the-musician/wendy-kirkland-trio/6688042

27th May – Trio featuring Roger Beaujolais at Monks Eleigh Village Hall - https://www.villagehall.me/post/jazz-the-wendy-kirkland-trio-saturday-27th-may-at-7-70pm

15th Jun – Chesterfield Jazz Club with Vimala Rowe, vocals - www.chesterfieldjazz.co.uk

Ashaine White has launched her new single Right Here. ‘Soulful, dark and melancholic in tone, new single ‘Right Here’ serves as a taster to the future starlet’s work, and showcases her self-described style of ‘grunge soul’ beautifully.’ Alfitutde. You can buy the single here

Diana Torti has a new album coming out on April 7th. You can read all about it here. Also, there will be a preview of the song 'The Extra Something' from the album in the Filomena Campus show on Jazz London Radio (next Sunday at 3:00 pm and Fridays at 5:00 pm.) Diana shares that ‘Filomena is doing a great job with this show especially in promoting mostly female artists’. Thank you and shout out to Filomena! We were also very happy to publish an interview with Diana for our Jazz in Europe column, which you can read here

Hannah Horton is launching the Swinging Cat Club on 29th April. ‘Saxophonist and composer Hannah Horton is back at HAC with a brand-new jazz club that is causing a significant buzz in the jazz industry. Keen to bring international standard jazz music to Haverhill, A-list guests and up-coming artists, Hannah is an artist who has carved her own unique sound and vision over her career. She will be bringing her highly acclaimed quartet which includes Tim Lapthorn on piano, Rob Statham on bass and Nic France on drums.’ Tickets for the opening with Natalie Williams available here

You can also see Hannah playing in her new Official Video  as well as the following gigs:

Hannah invites you into her cottage for an hour of intimate, chilled, Sunday vibes. April 2nd – Jazz at the Cottage livestream online show. Tribute to Stanley Turrentine. Hannah Horton Trio. 7.30pm.  Click here for tickets

April 15th – Hannah Horton Quartet – ‘Inside Out’. Peggy’s Skylight. Click here for tickets

Kim Cypher continues her 'Brighter Tomorrow' project with the focus now firmly on creating new original music as part of the project. Last month saw her latest release 'Tomorrow's Song', an original track recorded and filmed at London's 606 Club with the sensational Liane Carroll: https://youtu.be/NAzE7U5Unq0

Later this month Kim will be recording more of her original music featuring Italian guitarist Antonio Forcione and trombonist Ashley Slater, and so the celebration of those who contribute to our brighter tomorrow for The Arts continues #brightertomorrowforthearts Kim's new album is coming soon!

Esther Bennett new album has been getting rave reviews and she is busy performing across the UK. Next gigs include:

The Esther Bennett Quartet live at ‘The Manor’, Monday 17th April. Tickets here

Esther Bennett at Chesterfield Jazz Club with Wendy Kirkland April 20th. Tickets here

And lastly, Fiona Ross has a new album coming out April 28th Thoughts, Conversations and To Do Lists, with the album launch at Pizza Express Soho on April 27th. Tickets available here

Album cover photo by our very own Monika S Jakubowska

We publish a new playlist each month and try to share a wide range of women from across the world - new releases, legacy artists, new and established artists and also some women we think you should know about but maybe don't!  We keep it to 15 artists per playlist to give you time to discover, listen and share these incredible women. You can listen to this month's playlist on Spotify or Youtube.

Do please get in touch if you have music you would like us to include - either your own or recommendations. We are especially keen to share music from female instrumentalists and composers. If you have been in touch and you are not on a playlist yet, please don't worry, you will be on soon! We appreciate you sharing your music with us.

As always we would encourage you to buy directly from the artist where possible, and all the links are on our site here:

Vivienne Aerts  TigerOak  Lady Blackbird  Spha Mdlalose

Nala Sinephro  Alexa Tarantino  Maya Delilah  Manon Mullener

Tetel Di Babuya    Elena Pinderhughes  Shirley Smart   Hyelim Kim

Abbey Lincoln  Rebecca Hollweg  Senri Kawaguchi

Welcome to our latest episode of ‘In Conversation With’ featuring music from Hannah Horton! You can find our podcasts at number 9 in the top 60 Best Jazz Podcasts in FeedSpot! In this episode, host Hannah Horton welcomes our special guest, Lara EidiAvailable on Spotify Apple Anchor and more!

Lara Eidi is an artist that thrives on being different.  Born in Athens Lebanese- Canadian parents, her entire life and career is that of a  singer- songwriter , multidisciplinary artist, educator and writer. Undefined by style, Lara’s music has earned her own unique place in the music world as a storyteller, jazz and folk singer, composer and recording artist heard at venues in London including the Barbican, St Martins in the Fields, Green Note, Edinburgh Festival, Beirut International Festival to name a few. Born in Athens  to Lebanese-Canadian parents, her music has gained her critical acclaim as an artist with a truly unique voice (BBC Artist, 2020- 2021), who manages to shift between musical styles and vocations owed to her diverse background as a singer ( Guildhall School of Music and Drama ) ; writer ( English Literature from the University of St. Andrews) and educator. Lara's passion and artistry comes from a pure and authentic drive to connect with audience members as well as students, creating a space where the healing power of music can be felt by all.  Recently supported by Hawkwood College and the Francis W Reckitt Arts Trust, Lara is set to record her new album in Spring 2023, and has just launched her very first podcast on songwriting ' The Notes Between' with Women in Jazz Media.  Finally, her passion for music as a life choice has led her to become an in demand educator , offering workshops at leading music institutions as well as community spaces in Europe. 
"Lara Eidi is one of those singers who connects with the audience as soon as she starts to sing. Perhaps psychologists can explain the gift – and it is a gift "Sandy Brown Jazz- London

Lara Eidi website

Hannah is a British Female Jazz Saxophonist whose music is rooted in jazz, folk and funk. She has performed with many great jazz artists including Ian Shaw, Amy Winehouse, John Etheridge, Tina May, Georgia Mancio, Polly Gibbons, Natalie Williams, Esther Bennett and Irene Serra; and at venues including Ronnie Scott’s, Pizza Express Dean St, The 606, The Pheasantry, Love Supreme Jazz Festival, Royal Festival Hall and The Barbican. She has also toured in Europe and USA with her own and other groups. Her latest album has been going down a storm across the world.

“Hannah makes the big beast of a baritone sax sound like an angel” – Ian Shaw

Hannah Horton website

Our new Women in Jazz Media Playlist is now out: Volume 22!

We publish a new playlist each month and try to share a wide range of women from across the world - new releases, legacy artists, new and established artists and also some women we think you should know about but maybe don't!  We keep it to 15 artists per playlist to give you time to discover, listen and share these incredible women. You can listen to this month playlist on Spotify or Youtube.

Do please get in touch if you have music you would like us to include - either your own or recommendations. We are especially keen to share music from female instrumentalists and composers. As always we would encourage you to buy directly from the artist where possible, and all the links are on our site here:

Anita Wardell  Sanem Kalfa  Sunkissed Child  Adi Oasis  Flora Purim

Kira Linn   Romarna Campbell  Štěpánka Balcarová   Monette Sudler

Kim Cypher   Brandee Younger  Nite Bjuti   Yilian Cañizares

Ana Carla Maza  Wild Whispers