Rob Adams Journalist

Glasgow’s corto.alto has added a shortlisting for the album Bad With Names in the Scottish Album of the Year Award to nominations in the Mercury award and the Parliamentary Jazz Awards 2024.

The working name of multi-instrumentalist Liam Shortall and his band, corto.alto began to gain traction when a series of tracks recorded in Shortall’s city centre flat caught the judges attention in the Scottish Jazz Awards 2020, winning Live from 435 Vols 1, 2 and 3 the Best Album prize and corto.album the Best Band title.

The Mark McKergow award for Innovation in Jazz at the Scottish New Music Awards in 2021 and a further Best Band prize in the Scottish Jazz Awards 2023 followed.

As well as leading, recording and touring with corto.alto, Shortall plays trombone with the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra and in March this year he collaborated with the SNJO on the highly successful New-Age Sounds tour, which took orchestral jazz to new, young audiences in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee.

A second tour, New-Age Sounds: Planet World, featuring corto.alto alongside young Scottish jazz musicians including saxophonists Helena Kay and Matt Carmichael, singer kitti and pianist Fergus McCreadie takes exciting new music to Edinburgh Usher Hall, Dundee Rep and Glasgow Old Fruitmarket from 31^st January to 2^nd February 2025.

The SAY Award winner will be announced at the Albert Halls, Stirling on 24^th October.

Pianist John Donegan releases the third album by his Irish Sextet, We Will Meet Again, Sometime on Jayde Records on Friday 18^th October.

The sextet, whose previous albums have enjoyed enthusiastic receptions on both sides of the Atlantic, is joined on four tracks by guitarist Hugh Buckley, whose contributions include a feature in dedication to Ireland's late guitar master, Louis Stewart.

Family, friends and geographical features have been the inspiration for Donegan’s compositions over a series of recordings featuring various line-ups and these three touchstones emerge again on Donegan’s latest release with his super-talented Irish group.

The family aspect is underscored by the presence of Hugh Buckley who joins his cousins, saxophone-playing siblings Michael and Richie on the album.

Friendship is celebrated by A Ballad for Louis, which Donegan composed following Louis Stewart’s death in 2016 and has been waiting for the right moment to record it.

“Hugh did a lovely job on that track,” says Donegan. "All the guys had their parts in advance of the rehearsals that took place the day before recording, so they all came prepared and Hugh captured A Ballad for Louis in one take.”

The Irish Sextet represents the cream of Irish jazz. Alongside Michael (alto and soprano saxophones and flute) and Richie Buckley (tenor saxophone) in the front line is Linley Hamilton on trumpet and flugelhorn. Bassist Dan Bodwell and drummer John Daly provide, with Donegan, the assured, spring-heeled rhythms that allow the frontline to flourish and excite.

“It’s great to be able to write arrangements that you know the players are going to deliver,” says Donegan. “But it’s also great to know that these guys will bring superbly imaginative improvising and add character to the tunes.”

In a change of format from the Irish Sextet’s previous albums, We Will Meet Again, Sometime features the musicians in a variety of settings. The sextet features on four tracks, including the bossa-styled Little Miss Cleo, written for Donegan’s youngest grandchild, as does the septet with Hugh Buckley guesting. Two quartet pieces, I’m Just Nearby featuring Michael Buckley’s masterly flute playing, and the title track, with Richie Buckley on tenor saxophone. There are also two solo piano pieces, La Vita e Bella, which has strong gospel music influences, and By the Waters of Glencar, the latest in Donegan’s celebrations of Ireland’s musical tradition and locations.

The album title, We Will Meet Again, Sometime, reflects the uncertainty musicians can feel as freelances coming together in bands that by their very nature are not full-time enterprises.

“You want things to continue, of course,” says Donegan. “But you can’t be sure that they will and I wrote that piece to express thanks to all the guys and to say, let’s hope we can do this again because this is a great bunch of musicians and I’m so happy with the character and commitment they bring to the music.”

Saxophonist Tommy Smith has released Love Unrequited, a reflective album of duets recorded with the late great pianist John Taylor, through the internet music company, Bandcamp.

Recorded in New York in 2003, during the sessions that produced Smith’s Evolution album, with Taylor, saxophonist Joe Lovano, guitarist John Scofield, bassist John Patitucci and drummer Bill Stewart, Love Unrequited features largely longtime favourite tunes of Smith’s.

Billy Strayhorn's A Flower is a Lovesome Thing is a melody that Smith has played and returned to for over 30 years in various settings, including several duos and the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra. Jimmy Rowles' The Peacocks still often features in Smith’s duo gigs with pianist Peter Johnstone.

Smith's connection to Taylor dates back to 1988 when the saxophonist led a quartet featuring Taylor, Norwegian double bass master Arild Andersen and drummer John Marshall.

Taylor died in 2015, leaving a discography that includes albums with saxophonists Ronnie Scott, Alan Skidmore and John Surman, drummer Peter Erskine's trio and his own group Azimuth, whose song The Tunnel gained unexpected media attention when it was sampled by Canadian rapper Drake.

Smith says of Taylor: “He was an inspirational light that has gone out into the universe and a musician with the purest, most exquisite piano sound. I miss him profoundly and cherish the warm memory he has left behind."

Dutch improvising trio Under the Surface have released a video to accompany the publication of a book giving an insight into the group’s philosophy and approach to making music.

Comprising three generations of adventurous Dutch musicians, Under the Surface formed in 2015 and released the first of their three albums in 2017.

They have played concerts all over the world and until relatively recently always performed in their original line-up of Sanna Rambags (vocals), Bram Stadhouders (guitar) and Joost Lijbaart (drums and percussion).

In the summer of 2024 they invited singer-guitarist Annabel Laura and double bassist Nathan Wouters to augment the trio. The video captures this personnel at the famous Dingwalls rock club in London, performing music from the group’s third album, Miin Triuwa, on which they performed pre-composed songs for the first time.

Under the Surface return to the UK in October to play concerts in Newton Abbot (Thursday 3^rd) and Chepstow (Saturday 5^th and Sunday 6^th).

You can watch the video here. For more infrmation on the book, go here

Saxophonist Phil Bancroft reissues his debut album as a leader, Swings and Roundabouts on his Myriad Streams web platform on Friday 6^th September.

Originally released in 1997, Swings and Roundabouts was recorded with English bassist Steve Watts and New York-based drummer Marcello Pellitteri. It was released as one of three albums that announced the arrival of Caber Records, the label formed by Phil’s twin brother, Tom, that would go on to document a very active period in Scottish jazz.

The Bancrofts had been part of a generation of musicians that came of age in the late 1980s. Phil, alongside trumpeter Colin Steele, guitarist Kevin Mackenzie, pianist Brian Kellock, bassist Kenny Ellis and drummer John Rae formed the John Rae Collective, the group that defined the Scottish jazz scene at the time. An album was recorded, and an international distribution deal was put in place, but the fates conspired against it being released. 

By 1996, Phil felt ready to make his first album as a leader. Two years earlier he had taken part in brother Tom’s ambitious Europhonium, a loosely organised meeting of international bands, at Glasgow Jazz Festival. There Phil played with Steve Watts for the first time and immediately felt a musical connection. It was an experience that would be repeated when he encountered Pellitteri in New York the following year.

Fired up by meeting Watts and Pellitteri, Phil returned to Scotland and set up a week’s residency at Edinburgh’s then centre of jazz activity, Henry’s Cellar Bar for the trio before they went into the studio to record Swings and Roundabouts. Phil financed everything himself, including his fellow musicians’ travel and accommodation. If, again, the fates conspired against Swings and Roundabouts and it didn't receive the promotion it deserved, Phil looks back at the experience philosophically.

“I went back to square one and started again but on setting up Myriad Streams, I realised I hadn’t heard Swings and Roundabouts for a long time,” he says. “It was a joy to listen to it again and immediately hear the depth of musical connection between the three of us expressed in the vitality of the music and improvisations. I am delighted that this album is now receiving a proper release, over 25 years after it was recorded.”

Swings and Roundabouts comprises five of Phil’s own compositions, including the playful Jiggle and the tender ballad B’s Niece, plus brother Tom’s Space Buffie 1999, Pellitteri’s Rock House, a free improvisation by the trio, and Duke Ellington’s I Got It Bad.

The album was recorded at Pierhouse Studio, Edinburgh by Peter Haigh on 10^th and 11^th August 1996 and produced by Elliot Meadow. It was mixed by Dave Gray at Sound Cafe studios at Ninemile Burn.

The programme has been announced for the latest series of Red Door concerts held in St Peter's Church in Linlithgow.

Harper Karen Marshalsay, who is one of the few musicians to specialise on all three harps from the Scottish tradition, appears on Friday September 20. 

Alto saxophonist Laura Macdonald and guitarist Kevin Mackenzie appear on Friday October 25 and leading Scottish traditional singer Fiona Hunter, who has appeared with song specialists Malinky and the Grit Orchestra will be accompanied by keyboardist Tom Gibbs on Friday November 29.

Tickets for all concerts are available now via Eventbrite.