Photograph of China Moses backstage at the Parabola Arts Centre sourced from her Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/chinamoses/

Friday at Cheltenham Jazz Festival, 01/05/2026

PROLOGUE

2026 represents a landmark year for Cheltenham Jazz Festival which celebrated its thirtieth anniversary with six days of musical performances at various venues around the town from 29th April to 4th May.

As memory serves I’ve attended every one of those Festivals, the first ten as a paying customer and the next twenty in a journalistic capacity. I even tuned in to the two ‘virtual’ editions in 2020 and 2021 and wrote comprehensively about the latter, which did a very good job of recreating the atmosphere of the real Festival.

There have been so many memorable musical performances along the way but now is not the time or the place to delve into the distant past when this year’s events are waiting to be covered. All I will say is congratulations to Cheltenham Jazz Festival for presenting thirty years of exceptional music. Long may it continue.

BLACKSABBATHMODE, PARABOLA ARTS CENTRE

Robbie Moore – keyboards, piano, Ewan Moore – drums, Plumm – vocals, electronics

Alex Carr, the Head of Programming at the Parabola Arts Centre (hereafter PAC) made a big thing of the 30th Anniversary throughout the weekend, and rightly so.

The first act to appear on the PAC programme was BLACKSABBATHMODE an offshoot of the Birmingham based duo BIGHEADMODE, comprised of brothers Robbie Moore (keyboards) and Ewan Moore (drums).

The brothers formed the group in 2021 when they were studying in London and have released two full length albums “BIGHEADMUSIC (2023) and “Return! Of The Hellcat” (2024). They collaborate regularly with other musicians, among them saxophonists Xhosa Cole and Nye Banfield, guitarist Tom Ford, and tonight’s vocalist, the enigmatically named Plumm.

BLACKSABBATHMODE came about as the result of a commission from Birmingham Town Hall and Symphony Hall who invited local acts to submit music inspired by Brummie local heroes Black Sabbath on the occasion of the passing of Sabbath vocalist Ozzy Osbourne.

BIGHEADMODE’S blend of jazz improvisation and electronica as applied to a selection of Black Sabbath material won the day and BLACKSABBATHMODE was born with previous collaborator Plumm joining the core duo as vocalist.

Of tonight’s performers I’d previously seen both Robbie and Ewan Moore performing as part of a quartet led by saxophonist Nye Banfield at a Music Spoken Here event at The Marr’s Bar in Worcester in March 2024.

Meanwhile I witnessed Plumm perform as part of a trio led by harpist Marysia Osu  at an Sy; Gigs event in Shrewsbury in March 2025. Based in London she is a vocalist, composer and multi-instrumentalist who has released the EPs “The Shed” (2020) and “Chameleonic” (2022), plus a number of stand alone tracks. She also sings with the Levitation Orchestra.

BLACKSABBATHMODE’s approach to Black Sabbath’s work mixes improvisation with influences ranging from Herbie Hancock to J.Dilla, plus David Bowie, Led Zeppelin and Janis Joplin. With no lead guitar it inevitably sounds very different to Black Sabbath.

It also sounds very different to Jazz Sabbath, the trio led by former Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne keyboard player Adam Wakeman, whose group specialises in very clever arrangements of Black Sabbath songs in a piano trio context. Leavened with a touch of daft humour the music of Jazz Sabbath is both sophisticated and enjoyable and as live performers they are highly entertaining. Reviews of a Jazz Sabbath performance at the 2025 Brecon Jazz Festival and of a live double album recorded in the Netherlands on the same tour can be found elsewhere on this site.

A large audience at the PAC included a fair number of Black Sabbath fans sprinkled among the curious jazzheads. It’s probably fair to say that nobody quite knew what to expect.

Robbie Moore opened things up with a solo keyboard introduction, his various synth sounds subsequently augmented by brother Ewan’s drums. Plumm’s singing combined extended vocal techniques with her own electronics as the trio went into the song “Tomorrow’s Dream” from the 1972 album “Black Sabbath Vol.4”. It’s a track that was actually released as a single but which failed to chart. Today it represents something of a backwater in the Sabbath canon compared to “War Pigs”,  an album track from 1970’s “Paranoid”, with which it was segued here. Acknowledged as a Black Sabbath classic the trio’s version of “War Pigs” featured Plumm’s echoed vocals, Ewan’s hypnotic drumming and Robbie’s inventive keyboard soloing, his synth sounds full of eerie menace.

From “Paranoid” the song “Fairies Wear Boots” has always been recognised for the jazz like swing imparted to it by Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward, who grew up listening to jazz big band drummers. It’s a song whose jazz possibilities have been recognised by Jazz Sabbath too. Tonight’s trio’s take was very different with syncopated rhythms combining with Plumm’s vocals to offer a kind of jazz / soul interpretation of the song.

A solo drum passage from Ewan Moore provided the link into a chilling version of “Hand of Doom” from Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” album. With its effective use of dynamic contrasts and with Plumm delivering a powerful and compelling vocal performance this was one of the most convincing performances of the set and one which very much encapsulated the Black Sabbath spirit.

Announcements were shared between the trio members and we learnt that the Moore brothers grew up in Cheltenham and played in the Gloucestershire Youth Jazz Orchestra before moving on to study in London and Birmingham. In addition to their jazz studies they also played in rock bands, hence their love of both jazz and metal.

The brothers sat out as Plumm performed a stunning solo improvisation featuring voice and electronics as she live looped her echoed vocals to create a multi-tracked, multi-layered wall of sound. Plumm’s electronic treatment of her voice seemed entirely appropriate in this context. Black Sabbath treated the sound of Osbourne’s voice on the song “Planet Caravan”, one of Sabbath’s gentler, more reflective moments, filtering it through a Leslie speaker to produce a suitably spacey, dreamy, ethereal effect. This improvisation seemed to capture something of the same mood.

Plumm’s set piece eventually segued into “Changes”, a rare Black Sabbath ballad from the “Vol.4” album. Given something of a folkish lilt this featured Plumm’s soulful vocals alongside the sound of Robbie at the PAC’s grand piano, with Ewan graduating from brushes to sticks as the music slowly gathered momentum.

No Black Sabbath themed performance would be complete without “Paranoid”, their only hit single and arguably their most famous song. Ushered in by an extended solo drum intro from Ewan this saw Robbie moving between acoustic piano and electric keyboards and incorporated a near free jazz episode alongside Plumm’s impassioned, Joplin-esque vocalising.

The trio signed off with a segue of the Black Sabbath songs “Supernaut”, from “Vol. 4” and “Solitude” from the “Master of Reality” album. This was a fascinating mix of one of Sabbath’s most ferocious rockers and one of their most delicate ballads. “Supernaut” incorporated a keyboard solo from Robbie and a voice and drum dialogue between Plumm and Ewan. “Solitude”, an overlooked gem in the Sabbath canon, was sung emotively and with a profound sense of involvement by Plumm, who picked up a lot of plaudits for her performance at this gig, even though there were moments when her vocals were a little too low in the overall mix.

BLACKSABBATHMODE were very well received by the audience at the PAC. This wasn’t really a jazz performance despite the jazz credentials of the musicians involved. I’d argue that Adam Wakeman’s Jazz Sabbath is a genuine jazz act, but BLACKSABBATHMODE are closer in spirit to Black Sabbath themselves. In addition to the acknowledged list of influences detailed earlier in this review the sound of Robbie Moore’s often dirty and grungy keyboards also suggested the more industrial end of 80s synth pop and bands such as Cabaret Voltaire. Their sound was certainly darker than that of the sometimes overly arch Jazz Sabbath and thus closer in spirit to Black Sabbath.

That’s not to say that jazz and improvisation are unimportant in BLAKSABBATHMODE’S music. By chance I ran into Plumm in the street outside the venue after the show and we enjoyed a pleasant conversation about her group’s performance. She told me that she loves both jazz and metal and that the atypical “Solitude” is actually her favourite Sabbath song. I also learned that her solo voice and electronics feature was entirely improvised – it’s an integral part of the set but it’s different every time. In true jazz tradition there are also other improvised episodes within the overall structure of the Black Sabbath songs.  My thanks to Plumm for enlightening me on such matters.

She also jokingly referred to Jazz Sabbath as “our rivals”. I have to confess that of the two acts I probably prefer the cleverness and sheer inventiveness Jazz Sabbath but BLACKSABBATHMODE’s approach is both very different and equally valid. Both acts offer a fresh perspective on Black Sabbath’s music, which is something I can relate to. As a teenager I grew up with Black Sabbath’s music before eventually moving in other musical directions, immersing myself in jazz but never entirely abandoning my love of rock. Although not always totally convincing this was an interesting and enjoyable start to my Festival weekend.

CHINA MOSES – PARABOLA ARTS CENTRE

China Moses – vocals, Max Luthert – electric bass, Jerome Cornelis – guitar, Kwame Yeboah – piano, keyboards,  backing vocals, Nate Ricketts – drums

At the 2018 Cheltenham Jazz Festival I enjoyed part of a performance by the US born vocalist and songwriter China Moses and her band at the Jazz Arena venue. I wasn’t able to catch the whole show as I had to move on to cover another event at a different venue, but I very much enjoyed what I saw and heard from Moses and a terrific UK / Italian band that included the brilliant British pianist Ashley Henry. It certainly whetted by appetite for seeing Moses again some eight years on.

Born in Los Angeles Moses is the daughter of jazz vocalist Dee Dee Bridgwater and film director Gilbert Moses. She is currently based in Brixton, London, having moved to the UK from Paris following her divorce, an experience that inspired some of the songs on her latest album “it’s complicated” (2025). Previous recordings include “One For Dinah” (2024), a homage to Dinah Washington, and “Nightintales” (2025).  In addition to her work as a recording and touring artist Moses also presents a late night radio show on Jazz FM.

Moses’ music straddles the boundaries between jazz, soul, r & b, blues and hip hop. She has previously described herself as a “jazz soul singer” and her latest album “it’s complicated” certainly embraces all of the genres I have mentioned. It was recorded in New York City with an all star cast including American musicians saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin and trumpeter Theo Croker, both previous visitors to Cheltenham as the leaders of their own groups. The album was produced by the esteemed British musician and producer Troy Miller.

Tonight’s show, the first of a European tour, which also includes an appearance at Manchester Jazz Festival, featured Moses and a well drilled, if rather anonymous band, that included Partikel bassist Max Luthert and Steamdown drummer Nate Ricketts. The latter was also due to appear at the PAC the following night as part of the group led by tuba player Theon Cross, more on that in a subsequent feature. As far as I could ascertain the full band line up was the one listed above.

The instrumentalists took to the stage first and opened the proceedings, allowing Moses to make the grand entrance, wearing a vivid red dress and an extravagant hat (as pictured). Luthert delivered a brief but melodic bass solo before Moses added her vocals. I believe the first song was Another Night (It’s Just”), the opening track from the “it’s complicated” album.  Also featuring as a soloist was Yeboah at his Korg Kronos keyboard.

The second song, “I Can Be Happy (I Can Be Blue)” was proceeded by a lengthy monologue about the travails of Moses’ personal life. The song itself featured her powerful, intensely soulful vocals, which were augmented by Cornelis’ rock influenced guitar solo.

Moses was raised in Paris and “Broken (pour Alberte)” was dedicated to one of her female friends from childhood, the Cameroonian born Alberte, who travelled the world as a flight attendant. The song represented a lament for the recently deceased Alberte and again featured Moses’ soulful and emotive vocals and included a spoken word section delivered in French. Elsewhere the English language lyrics included the lines “my heart is broken” and “I had to let you go”.

“Everything starts with the blues”, declared Moses during another of her between song monologues. Musical proof came via the song “It’s Okay (I’m not Alone”), with the singer’s powerhouse vocals complemented by Cornelis’ soaring blues / rock guitar soloing and Ricketts’ solid, powerful drumming.

Moses talked about her mother, Dee Dee Bridgewater in the build up to the next song. Something of a ‘chip off the old block’  a confessional Moses declared “I like drama” and “I like strong emotions”, all this by way of introducing “Nowhere to Hide”, a track from Moses’s latest album and a song written by the British pianist and composer Oli Rockberger. Ushered in by just voice and piano this was a real tear jerker with Moses giving voice to Rockberger’s candid and highly personal lyrics. Subtle guitar embellishments and economical bass and drums added to a haunting performance that saw Moses making Rockberger’s words her own.

Despite Moses’ extensive verbal ramblings not every song title was actually announced. Next up was a joint composition by Moses and her regular bassist and musical director Lawrence Insula (I believe Luthert was just functioning as a ‘dep’). This introduced something of a funk element and incorporated an inventive electric piano solo from Yeboah.

Moses was in Paris at the time of the Bataclan shootings in 2015 and lost friends in the massacre. The lyrics of her song “Silence” were inspired by this incident, with Moses also acknowledging the influence of Nina Simone, another socially conscious songwriter. Dedicated to the families of the victims this was a powerful and emotional musical statement.

Much of Moses’ between songs verbiage had been about her own life and relationships. Her anecdotes were engaging and entertaining, delivered from the perspective of a black woman in a predominately white male dominated society. She certainly struck a chord with the other women in the audience. But with “Silence” and the closing “My Part of Town” Moses got serious.

This final song was dedicated both to Dee Dee Bridgewater and to the memory of the late Pee Wee Ellis, the former James Brown saxophonist who settled in the English West Country and once acted as a mentor to Moses. The song itself was declaration of “anger and resilience” among the black community and was cut from the same socially conscious cloth as the music of Curtis Mayfield and Gil Scott Heron, with the graphic lyrics powerfully delivered by Moses and the band.

The encore was “Better (It is what it is)”, the final track from 2it’s complicated”, a song with candid lyrics written in the style of a letter to Moses’ ex-husband. A vocal tour de force for Moses the performance also included strong contributions from Cornelis on blues / rock guitar and Yeboah on keyboards, deploying a Hammond organ sound.

Overall this was an impressive performance from Moses and one that was very well received by the Cheltenham audience. However as with Jazzmeia Horn at the 2025 EFG London Jazz Festival I felt that there was rather too much between songs verbiage and not enough actual music. Yes, we heard all of the “it’s complicated” album, but it’s a pretty short recording and there was plenty of time for a couple more songs and a bit less waffle, as entertaining as Moses’ verbal musings were.

It’s possible that I may be in a minority here, most of the audience seemed to find Moses’ anecdotes charming, and they were undeniably engaging and well told and are very much part of her ‘act’. For my part I certainly appreciated hearing about the social issues that informed songs like “Silence” and “My Part of Town”, but I don’t really care about the singers’ love life. Leave that to ‘celebrity culture’.

 

 

 

 

 

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