Photograph of Roberto Fonseca by Tim Dickeson

MONDAY AT CHELTENHAM JAZZ FESTIVAL, 04/05/2026

ALICE ZAWADZKI / JAMES KITCHMAN DUO, FAMILY TENT

Alice Zawadzki – violin, vocals, James Kitchman – guitar

A leisurely, and rather late, start to the day with this 2.00 pm show in the Family Tent from two musicians who have featured regularly on the Jazzmann web pages over the years.

I had also hoped to see an earlier show in the Family Tent by the Gambian kora player Suntou Susso, but unfortunately this had sold out some time in advance. Sam Slater, proprietor of Birmingham’s Stoney Lane record label and Head of Programming at the Family Tent later told me that Susso’s performance had been excellent but that most of the tickets had been snapped up by adults.

There was certainly more of a family atmosphere for this performance from Zawadzki and Kitchman with numerous children sprawled on bean bags in front of the stage, with adults seated on the chairs behind.

The Jazzmann has reviewed Zawadzki’s albums “China Lane” (2014), “Within You Is A World Of Spring” (2020), both released on Whirlwind Recordings, plus several of her live performances in different instrumental formats and with a variety of different line ups.

In 2024 the trio of Zawadzki, bassist Misha Mullov-Abbado and multi-instrumentalist Fred Thomas released the album “Za Gorami” on ECM Records. While the Whirlwind albums largely concentrated on Zawadzki’s original song writing “Za Gorami” featured arrangements of folk songs collected from around the world but with a particular focus on “the deep well of Sephardic culture”.

At the 2024 London Jazz Festival I witnessed the trio give a spellbinding performance of the “Za Gorami” material at a packed Hall One at Kings Place, an event that was definitely a Festival highlight.

Today’s set also focussed on Zawadzki’s love of folk song from different cultures and she sang impressively in a variety of different languages as she accompanied herself on violin with the support of guitarist James Kitchman.

Kitchman has appeared on the web pages as the leader of his own group, with whom he released the album “First Quartet” in 2022. He has also featured as one half of a duo with pianist Bruno Heinen, as a member of the band Glasshopper, led by saxophonist Jonathan Chung, and as a sideman with groups led trumpeter Laura Jurd and drummer Corrie Dick.

Today’s performance commenced with Zawadzki singing in Spanish as the duo played a song inspired by the writings of Federico Garcia Lorca. Heavy stuff for an audience of children? - maybe so, but it all seemed to work as the duo rounded things off with a jig as Zawadzki encouraged her young audience to dance and clap along.

The next stop on today’s musical world tour was a trip to Brazil with Pixinguinha’s song “Um a Zero”, written to commemorate a famous Brazilian football victory over neighbours and fierce rivals Uruguay. This gave Zawadzki the chance to talk football with the youngsters – and some of the adults. “What team do you support?”, she asked. Thankfully the responses were admirably varied and included Swansea,  Swindon, which is pretty nearby, and Hereford. Guess who threw that last one in. Nobody even mentioned Cheltenham Town. Go figure.
The tune itself was performed as an instrumental and it has to be said that this afternoon’s show represented a welcome opportunity to appreciate what a superb violinist Zawadzki is – the recent “Za Gorami” project places a far greater emphasis on her role as a brilliant vocalist.

A Polish song with a title translating as “Dark Days” represented a celebration of Manchester born Zawadzki’s Polish heritage. This piece also gave Kitchman the chance to shine instrumentally as his guitar solo was underpinned by Zawadzki’s pizzicato violin.

Next a Sardinian rebel song with Zawadzki singing in her fourth language of the day. This song about unseating tyrannical barons from their horses provided the children with the opportunity to make ‘horse noises’ these ranging from neighing to the clip-clopping of hooves. Protest songs can be fun too.

“This is one for the grown ups” said Zawadzki as she announced the Bonnie Raitt song “The Dawning Of The Day”, the first song to be sung in English. This also featured a particularly poignant violin solo.

A cheerful “Cheek to Cheek” followed before Zawadzki switched to French for the Edith Piaf song “La Vie En Rose”.

By now we were approaching the close. Zawadzki offered us a choice of closing numbers – Leonard Cohen’s “Dance Me To The End of Love” and the more child friendly “I’m Going To Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter”. In the end she decided that she and Kitchman would play them both as a kind of medley, with the Cohen song played first. This proved to be great fun – maybe the “Laughing Len” tag isn’t so ironic after all!

It’s always a pleasure to see Alice Zawadzki perform. In addition to being an excellent singer and instrumentalist she’s also an engaging personality who kept the children in the audience amused, but without playing down to them too much. For the adults there was much to enjoy musically, and the excellent contribution of Kitchman shouldn’t be overlooked.

Zawadzki will be back in a more ‘serious’ role when she brings the Za Gorami project to Cheltenham Music Festival on July 4th 2026. I hope to be able to cover this event also. For details please visit http://www.cheltenhamfestivals.org

ROBERTO FONSECA ; LA GRAN DIVERSION, DEYA JAZZ ARENA

Cuban pianist, vocalist and composer Roberto Fonseca has built a large global following and the DEYA Arena was jammed for this afternoon’s gig featuring Fonseca leading a well drilled seven piece band also featuring baritone sax, tenor sax, trumpet, double bass, drum kit and percussion.

I remember seeing Fonseca in this equivalent venue at the 2012 Cheltenham Jazz Festival performing with a mainly Cuban band that included the Malian musician Baba Sissoko as Fonseca explored the musical links between Africa and Cuba. Just like today’s event it was colourful and vibrant but behind the showmanship there lay considerable musical sophistication. The personnel may have changed but the Fonseca band remains a formidable live act with the leader a charismatic stage presence in addition to being a phenomenal musician. Fonseca is a master of Cuban piano styles, and makes it all look ridiculously easy, but he’s also absorbed the jazz influence of Oscar Peterson, among others. Fonseca is one hell of a piano player, a capable vocalist and a skilled and exacting bandleader. He also performed briefly on organ, approximating the cheap “Philicorda” organ sound heard on the old Chris Montez hit “Let’s Dance”.

He describes his La Gran Diversion project as “a celebration of classic and modern Cuban music” and his group’s music is eminently danceable. All around this standing only venue bodies were swaying and gyrating. This wasn’t music for note taking so this isn’t going to be a song by song account, I couldn’t catch the Spanish language titles anyway, or even the full personnel listing.

Audience participation was an important part of the performance with Fonseca the showman encouraging the audience to sing along with “Mani Mambo” and even a Cuban-ised arrangement of The Beatles’ “Hey Jude”. Excepts form other well known songs also peppered the set, among them “Besame Mucho”, which was included as part of a segue that also paid tribute to Buena Vista Social Club.

“Oscar Please Stop” represented Fonseca’ s tribute to Peterson (he also confessed to an admiration for the playing of the late classical pianist Glenn Gould) and included a sensational duet with percussionist Andres Coayo, one of the names I did manage to catch. Coayo’s musicality and sheer stamina was a critical component of the overall band performance.

But Fonseca and Coayo are not the only virtuosos in the band. At one point or another all seven band members were featured as soloists and each acquitted himself brilliantly. Among the names I was able to catch or managed subsequently track down were Yuribel Hernandes on trumpet, Jimmy ‘The Funk’ Jenks on tenor sax and Ariel Vigo on baritone.

Whilst this is no way a comprehensive review I hope I’ve managed to convey just how exciting and audience involving this concert was. Fonseca is a great showman and the energy of his performances has won him a global following, but behind the crowd pleasing there is an immense musical intelligence at work. Fonseca is a true virtuoso who leads a band full of other virtuosos. There are lot of bands around playing Cuban music, some of them even come from Cuba, but I’ve never heard anybody play Cuban music better than this, not even Buena Vista Social Club.

But as Fonseca’s 2012 project with Sissoko proved Fonseca has the intelligence and virtuosity to also take Cuban music into new pan-global areas. He may be a colossus of Cuban music but he’s also a genuine world musician.

 

10 c.c., THE BIG TOP

Graham Gouldman – electric bass, guitars, vocals, Iain Hornal – vocals, guitars, keyboards, percussion, Andy Park – guitar, vocals, Keith Hayman – keyboards, guitar, electric bass,  percussion, vocals, Ban Stone – drums, percussion, vocals

It’s become something a CJF tradition for the Festival to host a ‘heritage pop act’ in the Big Top on the Monday afternoon. Over the years I’ve enjoyed performances by UB40, Squeeze and Elkie Brooks in this slot, although I do admit to feeling a bit like a ‘fish out of water’ with regard to the shows by Gabrielle and Macy Gray.

That said CJF has also given me the opportunity to review shows by rock legends Robert Plant and Roger Daltrey, two veteran vocalists who can still really deliver the goods.

Although jazz purists have scoffed at their inclusion in the CJF line-up I just knew I was going to enjoy 10 c.c. I was a teenager in the 1970s so 10c.c. were very much a part of my personal musical landscape. They were one of the few bands to successfully straddle the then divergent pop and rock markets, their songs catchy enough to result in a string of hit singles, including three British number ones,  but simultaneously clever and sophisticated enough to appeal to album buyers i.e.  prog rock fixated musical snobs such as my teenage self.

My favourite album was always been 1974’s “Sheet Music”, the band’s second effort. From their third album on, 1975’s “The Original Soundtrack”,  I started to agree with the rock critics of the time who thought that the band were getting a bit too clever for their own good. Fifty years on that still holds true, but for all their flaws 10c.c did write some classic pop / rock songs and many of these were featured in today’s hit laden set.

The original 10 c.c. was comprised of four multi-instrumentalists and songwriters, Graham Gouldman, who primarily played bass, Eric Stewart, primarily guitar, Kevin Godley, mainly drums, and Lol Creme, mainly guitar and keyboards. Basically featuring two separate songwriting teams, Gouldman/ Stewart and Godley / Creme, although there were other permutations, the original quartet made four albums together before Godley and Creme departed to enjoy commercial success as a duo. Gouldman and Stewart retained the 10 c.c. name and for a while the hits kept coming – until like so many other 70s prog / art rock acts they were finally undermined by the punk rock revolution. “Dreadlock Holiday” (1977) was the band’s last big hit and their third number one.

The band limped on into the 1980s and even reformed in the 1990s with Godley and Creme briefly returning for 1992’s “...Meanwhile”. With Gouldman and Stewart still at the helm 10 c.c. cut its last studio album, “Mirror Mirror”,  in 1995.

Since then it’s all been repackages and greatest hits compilations, but the various 1970s incarnations of 10 c.c. have always been held in by regard by the group’s many fans and Gouldman has been leading various touring editions of the band since 2002. He’s the only original member in the current line up and at the age of 80 still cuts a sprightly figure on stage, playing and singing as well as ever.

I’d been told by a friend who is a huge 10 c.c. fan that the 21st century version of the group is a terrific live band. Today’s performance was a full vindication of his assessment as Gouldman and his colleagues delivered a neat ninety minute show just peppered with hits.

The current line up includes sweet voiced singer Iain Hornal, who handled the majority of the lead vocals, most notably on those songs where Lol Creme was the singer on the original studio recordings. Andy Park played most of the lead guitar parts, although multi-instrumentalist Hornal also enjoyed a number of guitar solos. Keith Hayman mainly featured on keyboards, sometimes coming down from his riser to play guitar or bass or to sing. Relative newcomer Ben Stone, a replacement for long standing drummer Paul Burgess, largely stuck to drumming duties, but did so with an admirable power and precision.  Gouldman himself moved between bass and guitar and handled lead vocals on some of the songs. One of the most striking aspects of the group’s performances were the stunning vocal harmonies, with Gouldman, Hornal, Park and Hayman all excelling in this regard.

In front of a huge crowd in the Big Top the sound was initially a little muddy on the opening number but was quickly cleaned up for the rest of the set. I have to admit to not recognising the opener, although I knew everything else that the band played. I suspect that this first song might have been “Second Sitting For The Last Supper”, a song from “he Original Soundtrack” album, which the group has often used as a set opener.  Instrumentally it was notable for a keyboard solo from Hayman and a guitar solo from Hornal.

I was on firmer ground with “The Worst Band In The World”, a track from “Sheet Music” and a minor hit single. This also featured Hornal on lead guitar and lead vocal.

Gouldman took the lead vocal for “Arts For Art’s Sake”, a 1975 hit single from 10 c.c’s fourth album “How Dare You”. This piece saw Park coming into his own as a lead guitarist as he and Hornal traded solos. It should be noted that Gouldman and his colleagues weren’t afraid to tweak the arrangements of the originals, a refreshing touch that gave the talented instrumentalists in the band a bit more room to stretch out. Maybe they belonged on the bill at a jazz festival after all!

The hits just kept on coming with the Stewart / Creme composition “Life Is A Minestrone”  (from “Soundtrack”) followed by the Gouldman / Stewart hit “Good Morning Judge”, from 1977’s “Deceptive Bends” album, made following the departure of Godley and Creme. “Judge”, sung by Gouldman, was also notable for Park’s nifty slide guitar work, replicating Stewart’s playing on the original. Gouldman was also featured on guitar, with Hayman coming forward to play bass.

Stone’s drums introduced “The Dean and I”, one of the band’s most enduring songs and one of three hit singles from 10 c.c’s eponymous debut album from 1973. Hornal handled the lead vocals here as Park weighed in with an incisive guitar solo.

“Feel The Benefit” from “Deceptive Bands” really gave the instrumentalists a chance to demonstrate their ‘chops’ , with Park, in particular, fully seizing the opportunity.

One of my personal favourites followed, the clever and perpetually relevant “Wall Street Shuffle”, a hit single from “Sheet Music” penned by Gouldman and Stewart with Hornal taking the lead vocal and Park the guitar solo.

Yet more hits with a rocking version of “Silly Love”, a Creme / Stewart collaboration from “Sheet Music” with words lampooning the lyrical cliches of other love songs. Holman bought into the spirit of the song with a gloriously theatrical vocal performance.

We were into the ‘home straight’ by now with “I’m Mandy Fly Me” continuing the cavalcade of hits, followed by “I’m Not In Love”, arguably 10 c.c’s best known song, although I’ll admit that neither of these are among my favourites, both seem to represent that side of the band that is “too clever / knowing for its own good”. And while we’re at it I don’t think that the closing “Dreadlock Holiday” has aged particularly well either. Needless to say all three were immaculately performed, and despite these long held reservations I have to admit to rather enjoying them.

Encores came with a stunning acapella version of “Donna”, the 1950s doo wop pastiche that was the band’s first hit in 1973.

This was followed by a triumphant, hard rocking version of “Rubber Bullets”, another song from the debut album and 10 c.c’s first number one single. A great way to end a very polished and very enjoyable performance. One forgets just how many hit songs 10 c.c wrote, several of them genuine pop / rock classics.

Today’s performance was one of the best in CJF’s ‘heritage pop’ series.

 

KIM CYPHER QUINTET with FAYYAZ VIRJI, DEYA JAZZ ARENA

Kim Cypher – tenor, alto & soprano saxophones, vocals, Chris Cobbson – guitar, Alex Steele – piano, keyboard, percussion, Rob Rickenberg – acoustic & electric bass, Mike Cypher – drums
with guest Fayyaz Virji – trombone

The 2025 CJF saw Cheltenham born saxophonist and composer Kim Cypher headlining a Festival show for the first time after years of performing on the free stage. Her performance with the same quintet listed above was a total triumph and an undoubted Festival highlight. It is, of course, reviewed elsewhere on The Jazzmann, as are several other live performances by Cypher at a variety of different locations.

That triumphant CJF performance has subsequently been released as the live album “Live And Smiling”.

Last year’s event featured a guest appearance by former Loose Tubes trombonist Ashley Slater, who also appears on Cypher’s “Catching Moments” album from 2024. Slater was scheduled to appear as a guest again this year but was forced to withdraw due to illness. All at The Jazzmann wish him well, I have such great memories of him with Loose Tubes. Stepping brilliantly into the breach was Fayyaz Virji, a stalwart of the UK jazz and wider music scene.

All of Kim’s bands include her husband, Mike Cypher on drums.  The Cyphers’ story is an interesting one. Despite sharing a lifetime’s love of jazz the couple came late to the professional ranks. They first met as fifteen year olds in the ranks of the Gloucestershire Youth Jazz Orchestra. After eventually “getting together” both held professional ‘day jobs’ for some thirty odd years, Kim as a primary school teacher and Mike as an employee of one of the major banks. Throughout this time they pursued their shared love of music, performing on the local jazz circuit. I seem to recall first seeing them at one of the regular ‘Saturday Jazz Cafés’, free lunchtime events in the foyer of the Courtyard Arts Centre in Hereford, more than a decade ago now.

By their own admission Kim and Mike both felt like ‘outsiders’ in their respective day jobs and eventually took the brave decision to become professional musicians, a decision neither has ever regretted. Free to concentrate on music full time their playing and stagecraft improved by leaps and bounds. They have since enjoyed success with Kim’s albums studio “Make Believe” (2016), “Love Kim x”  (2019)  and “Catching Moments” (2024), recordings that have given their music a national reputation, and they have since toured successfully throughout the UK and performed in many of the leading London jazz venues, such as Ronnie Scott’s, the 606 Club and the Pizza Express Jazz Club.

Inveterate collaborators the Cyphers frequently work with guest musicians, among them saxophonist / vocalist Ray Gelato and The US guitarist B.D. Lenz, the latter a frequent visitor to the UK.

Just like last year a large and enthusiastic crowd that included many of the band’s family and friends gathered to support these local heroes. Numbers were probably down a little on last time but if anything the energy levels were greater than ever. The irrepressible Kim was overjoyed, constantly name checking friends and families she’d spotted in the audience from the stage.
Kim Cypher shows are jam packed with positive energy and a real joie de vivre, and today’s performance was no exception.

On opener “Music For Gong Gong” the combination of funky grooves and Kim’s raunchy tenor sax got things off to a rollicking start with Cobbson also soloing on guitar. Steele moved between piano and percussion, with what looked a set of timbales behind the piano, and entered into a drum and percussion battle with Mike Cypher. Quite a start.

Thelonious Monk’s “Round Midnight” was given an unlikely, but highly effective, reggae groove with solos from Kim on bluesy tenor sax and Steele on piano, although it’s arguable that the latter was a little too low in the mix.
Fayyaz Virji then entered the sage to join the core quintet as the music segued into an arrangement of the Groove Armada song “At The River”, a 1997 release that later featured in a Mark & Spencer advert. Virji effortlessly recreated the trombone solo that is one of the characteristics of the original.

Virji remained on stage and Kim switched to alto sax for “Alligator Boogaloo”, an instrumental that sounded much as its title might suggest with suitably swampy solos from Virji on trombone, Kim on alto, Rickenberg on double bass and Steele on keyboard, deploying a Hammond organ sound throughout.

The versatile and much covered jazz standard “Comes Love” was the first piece to feature Kim’s vocals and also saw her soloing on tenor sax alongside Virji and Cobbson.

Kim’s original “Blues For David Freeman” was written to honour the Jazz FM radio presenter David Freeman, who has been very supportive of the Cyphers’ music and who was present in today’s audience. The tune written for him is a bit of a ‘banger’, a raunchy blues featuring the sounds of Kim’s rootsy tenor and Virji’s fruity trombone, with further solos coming from Steele on ‘Hammond’ and Cobbson on guitar.

The jazz standard “Harlem Nocturne” was given a reggae lilt, turning it into the perfect vehicle for Virji’s Rico style trombone soloing.

Virji left the stage as Kim sang again on “Feelin’ Good”, a song written by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse but made her own by Nina Simone. Kim also featured as tenor sax soloist alongside Steele at the keyboard, this time deploying an electric piano sound, plus Cobbson on guitar.

Cobbson’s original composition “A Time to Reflect, A Time to Forget” has become a much loved item in Kim’s live sets.  It appears on The “Love Kim x” album as well as featuring in a different form on Cobbson’s own 2022 release “My Favorite Things”.  Dedicated to the memory of Archbishop Desmond Tutu (1931 – 2021) it’s a celebration of Tutu’s life and work and is a suitably joyous piece that introduces further African flavourings into the mix, notably those of Cobbson’s native Ghana. This was the only tune to feature Kim on soprano sax as she shared the solos with the composer, the pair also entering into a lively series of sax and guitar exchanges. At the climax of the tune Kim’s sustained single soprano sax note elicited ecstatic applause from the audience.

Virji returned for the Dave Brubeck composition “Take Five”, another tune to be given a reggae style vibe. This saw Kim switching to alto as she shared the solos with Virji on trombone and Steele on organ.

The closing “Woza” introduced a South African ‘Township’ feel with a tenor sax / trombone led hook laying the foundations for solos from Steele on piano, Cobbson guitar and Virji on earthy, plunger muted trombone. There were also brief cameos for the unsung heroes of the rhythm section.

Obviously Kim is the band’s focal point, but it’s the often unsung Mike who is the glue that holds it all together, his drumming always right on the money, unfussy, uncluttered but always propulsive, supportive and, crucially,  ‘just right’. As befits an ex banker he always ‘takes care of business’. The similarly understated Rickenberg also did a terrific job,  solid and reliable but enjoying his occasional moments in the spotlight.

Kim Cypher is a force of nature and this high energy show went a long way to replicating 2025’s triumph. The hometown crowd was swept along by Kim’s enthusiasm and of course the playing and singing from all concerned was excellent throughout. These are local heroes who have earned themselves a national reputation, and rightly so. As a late replacement for the advertise Ashley Slater guest trombonist Fayyaz Virji did an absolutely terrific job, fully buying into the spirit of the occasion.

I’d like to think that an annual Kim Cypher concert in the Jazz Arena, whoever the sponsors might be, could become an annual CJF institution, bringing down the curtain on the Jazz Arena programme with a real home grown celebration. It’s certainly something for the organisers to consider.

Thanks to Kim & Mike for emailing me full details of the set list. Congratulations to you both on another great Festival show.

FESTIVAL OVERVIEW

Once again doubts were voiced about the actual jazz content on the CJF programme but as in previous years there was still much for the ‘jazz purist’ to enjoy, and particularly so at the Parabola Arts Centre, where Head of Programming Alex Carr continues to make her mark.

The PAC hosted a string of interesting and enjoyable events that embraced a broad variety of jazz styles. The band led by French trombonist Robinson Khoury represented a personal highlight and if the presence of rock and pop acts elsewhere on the programme helps to finance appearances by cutting edge jazz artists such as Khoury then I have no problem with that.

Elsewhere I enjoyed the two events that I saw at the Town Hall, Joshua Redman and Georgia Cecile, both undeniably jazz performers.

The DEYA Jazz Arena also spanned the jazz genres and I enjoyed the three acts I saw there, from Makaya McCraven at the cutting edge to the crowd pleasing Cuban jazz of Roberto Fonseca, and of course Cheltenham’s own Kim Cypher.

With regard to the Jazz Arena I do have to reiterate my doubts from last year;
“The decision to transform the Jazz Arena to a standing venue largely worked. However I do feel that the new format will discourage some fans, especially those not able to stand up for ninety minutes without feeling some discomfort, or not able to do this more than once a day. I’d like to think a compromise could be reached for those who are not registered disabled but who still find standing for that long difficult. How about a flat standing / dancing area at the front with raked seating behind”.

I still stand (pun intended) behind those comments, but I was pleased to see that this year more chairs had been provided around the periphery of the venue for those with standing tickets who needed to sit down or to take a breather.  However those that took advantage of this were still unable to see the performers, so the dance floor / raked seating hybrid still remains my preferred option for this venue.

There were fewer glaring scheduling clashes this year. The only real dilemma for me this time was Theon Cross at the PAC opposite Bill Frisell at the Town Hall. In the end Cross won the vote, and fully justified my faith in him with a superb show at the PAC.

These observations aside this was yet another excellent Festival and I’m grateful to press officer Jade Beard and her team for allowing me to cover it so comprehensively.

I’m looking forward to next year already.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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