Passing Notes

There’s quite a lot going on at The Riff these days and lately we seem to have changed up a gear in terms of content and activity so I thought I’d take a moment to reflect on our trials and tribulations since we kicked off back in 2017. After an optimistic launch we almost immediately hit a few bumps in the road. First, our Photography Editor, the amazing Pete Goadby-Watt, was diagnosed with a horribly aggressive bone cancer. The resulting surgery left Pete disabled and seriously curtailed his shooting and contributions to the mag. Pete persisted bravely with studio work but after a valiant struggle he finally succumbed in January this year. I’ll write a celebratory retrospective about in him a month or so following a scheduled memorial concert.

Then, in early 2020. we were hit with The Great Lockdown. Gigs were cancelled everywhere and I didn’t attend a live concert for 18 months -the longest in my adult life. Musicians struggled and we had no content. So in mid-2021 I hatched a new project: I decided to go back to uni and study for an MA in Music (Musicology). Thus in October 2021 I found myself at City, University of London, attending lectures and writing a thesis on jazz photography as well as compiling a substantial annotated portfolio. In September 2023 I was delighted to be told that I was to be awarded my degree with a distinction. I was now an expert of sorts on the academic significance of the contemporary jazz image. However the studies took up all my time and consequently very little happened at The Riff. But at the beginning of the year things started to change.

First we were joined by Hilary Seabrook, a well-known jazz writer, podcaster and musician. Hilary’s Harmonious World podcasts are cross-posted on The Riff and she contributes regular reviews (see her report on the 2024 edition of Love Supreme). In addition, Steve Foster, a superb music photographer based in Oxfordshire, has also joined the team. Finally we continue to encourage ad hoc articles on any aspect of jazz. In this regard thanks go to Trevor Bannister and Jessica Bailey for excellent concert reviews. Gratitude is also extended to Robert Crowley, in-house photographer at Ronnie Scott’s, for some cracking pictures.

Our style will be short, snappy and regular. We’ll put up photos, concert announcements, album and gig reviews and just about anything else about jazz. We’ll continue to be a not-for-profit enterprise but welcome donations to offset running costs.

Happy Jazzing!

John Morrow