Philip Watson

Philip Watson

Contributor

Philip Watson is a freelance journalist and author. He writes about jazz for The Irish Times

Dave Douglas: ‘I wanted my music to be authentic and never the same twice. So there were a lot of years in the wilderness’

Bray Jazz Festival 2024: Like his hero Miles Davis, the trumpeter, composer and bandleader is fascinated by the dynamics of change

Bill Frisell: Orchestras – Guitarist, trio and ensembles become one multifaceted whole

Double release of concert-hall recordings features influential American’s regular trio plus Brussels Philharmonic and Umbria Jazz Orchestra

Samara Joy in Dublin: The young jazz star who earned a standing ovation from Adele, Beyoncé and Taylor Swift

The Grammy winner, who performs at the National Concert Hall this month, only has to sing a note or two for you to realise how exceptional she is

Trish Clowes & Ross Stanley: Journey to Where – Swing, emotion and atmosphere

A musical partnership of great sensitivity and strength

Julian Lage: ‘It’s criminal that I haven’t played in Ireland. I’ve been gunning for it’

Jazz guitarist, whose new album, Speak to Me, is out on Blue Note, first made waves as a child prodigy. His trajectory has continued upwards ever since

James Brandon Lewis Quartet: Transfiguration – Jazz’s exhilarating saxophonist of the moment

Album features acclaimed working group of Brad Jones on bass, Chad Taylor on drums and Aruán Ortiz on piano

Ches Smith: Laugh Ash – thrilling, unpredictable album that plays by its own extravagant set of rules

The US drummer’s 11th album as leader gives the fullest picture yet of his singular strand of ‘polyphony, dissonance and unison’

Vijay Iyer Trio: Compassion – Heady, visceral jazz from musicians working at the very highest level

Iyer’s connection with double bassist Linda May Han Oh and drummer Tyshawn Sorey stretches back years

Ethan Iverson: Technically Acceptable – The blatant humblebrag of a jazz wonder

Iverson is restless and slightly geeky and possesses a contrarian sense of adventure

‘You’re playing like a girl’: Why is jazz still so male?

Oddly for a genre that prizes freedom and self-expression, jazz is an undeniable patriarchy. This week’s Ban Bam concerts move the spotlight to women

Joseph Branciforte & Theo Bleckmann: LP2 – the aesthetic is minimalist, the music more multidimensional

It is a companion piece and natural evolution that, if anything, feels even more immersive

Ambrose Akinmusire: Owl Song – One of the jazz albums of the year

This is a work of enormous courage and skill, almost as if the aim is to remove all excess and ornamentation in order to discover an essence, a truth

Nitai Hershkovits: Call on the Old Wise – Exquisitely executed inventions

The Israeli pianist’s solo album is full of surprise, sensitivity and no small amount of romanticism

Matthew Halsall: ‘I wanted to paint through sound and transport the listener to special places that I found beautiful’

The Manchester-born jazz trumpeter and composer, who will play at Cork Jazz Festival 2023, makes music that is contemplative and designed to immerse oneself in

Gerald Clayton: ‘Craft, rhythm, expression – the parallels between music and surfing are endless’

The US musician, one of the most gifted and engaging pianists of the past 20 years, plans to make the most of Bray Jazz Festival’s seaside location