Happy New Year to you and yours and welcome to 2026!

New music from Karim Sabir, Lightning Trio, Mavis Staples, Edward Simon’s tribute to the music of Venezuela – a country that is in the forefront of many people’s minds. Here’s wishing the very best for the country and its people and hope for a better future.

Reissued Amedeo Tommasi; as well as Charlie Rouse who has the serious cred of having playing with Thelonious Monk for 11 years; classic South African Jazz from the great multi-instrumentalist, Bheki Mseleku; Canadian flautist and Soprano Sax star Jane Bunnett who went from being “Ontario Jane” to “Habana Juana” in the eyes of her musical collaborators in Cuba.

We remembered the great Eddie “Tan Tan” Thornton who I first became aware of in the credits for Georgie Fame and The Blue Flames’ “Sweet Things” album. It was while playing with Fame that he came to the attention of Paul McCartney going on to play in the brass section for “Got To Get You Into My Life”. Tan Tan recorded and played live with Rico Rodriguez, Aswad, The Rolling Stones, Ska Cubano, Jools Holland’s Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, Jazz Jamaica et al. He was one of those musicians who are the quiet, modest backbone of the music industry and he passed away just before Christmas aged 94.

Joni is happily still with us and recently released a 4 album Box set, Joni’s Jazz.

Here’s hoping that 2026 will be kind to the world!