Various

Keep It Light – A Panorama Of British Jazz: The Modernists

The UK’s modern jazz epoch vividly brought to life.

When Ronnie Scott’s opened its doors in Soho’s Gerrard Street on Friday, October 30, 1959, it reflected not only the burgeoning popularity of bebop-influenced modern jazz in Britain but was also symptomatic of a country throwing off the gloom of post-war austerity in a new age of hope, possibility and prosperity. As this new box set reveals, that era was a fertile period for homegrown jazz and produced an exciting new generation of accomplished British jazz musicians: from fiery horn blowers (Tubby Hayes, Don Rendell, John Dankworth, Joe Harriott, and Jimmy Deuchar) to dextrous pianists (Victor Feldman, Dudley Moore) and beguiling song sirens (Cleo Laine, Annie Ross). Mixing studio and live recordings, the 62 tracks here recreate a momentous time in British jazz. Charles Waring