We paid tribute to Soul and Jazz legend Marlena Shaw (pictured) who died aged 84 on January 19th and bassist/multi-instrumentalist/musical director of The Wailers, Aston “Family Man” Barrett, who left us on 3/2/24 aged 77. 

Thankfully still with us is someone who is my idea of a national treasure: writer/photographer/adventurer, Val Wilmer. Val was recently featured on Desert Island Discs and her episode can be found at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001w0r6 until 28/2/24. Val has lived an extraordinary trailblazing life starting out as a jazz and blues besotted teenager and she shares her wondrous anecdotes and, of course, great music. Highly recommended.