British Jazz Blogs & Websites

Whether you’re looking to discover some new music or to figure out where you’ll go for your next gig, the UK boasts some great British jazz blogs to help you out.

Through our work running press campaigns for jazz musicians, we have worked with some of the best and have done a quick round up here.

Bear in mind: whilst all are based in Britain, it’s not just the UK jazz scene that they cover. Many of them present reviews of albums made all over the world.

You can browse the sites below, but first here’s our quick tips:

• Best jazz blogs for contemporary sounds mixed with other styles Jazz Revelations 
• Most in-depth on the London jazz scene: London Jazz News (of course…)
• Top for getting to know certain regional scenes: Bebop Spoken Here (North East), Jazzy Man Blog (Bristol, Bath)
• Coverage of all 4 corners of the UK: The Jazz Mann
• Most convenient for buying jazz music: Jazz Views
• Most original threads: Sandy Brown Jazz (‘Full Focus’) & Kind of Jazz (re-issue reviews & ‘10 questions with…‘)
• Broadest geographical coverage: Marlbank

If you’re looking to discover more great magazines, blogs & websites around the world, check out our complete round up of jazz media. 

London Jazz News

Started in 2009 by Sebastian Scotney, London Jazz News is the UK’s biggest jazz website, with an archive of more than 12,000 articles and up to 100 new pieces per month.

If you’re looking to keep up to date (or learn about) the London jazz scene, their weekly Wednesday morning newsletter provides a round up of the most recent album & live reviews, interviews, upcoming jazz gigs and even a ‘read elsewhere‘ section.

Whilst the focus is of course London jazz, their articles do extend to the rest of the UK and, indeed, the whole world. Want to know more?  You can find the Jazzfuel interview with former editor-at-large, Peter Bacon here.

“LondonJazz News keeps me in the loop and it’s run by people who love the music and want to serve the passionate community of jazz lovers. Essential!” – Jamie Cullum

Check it out at londonjazznews.com

Jazz Revelations (UK)

Built alongside a regular jazz podcast hosted by Ally J Steel, Jazz Revelations is based in the UK, but shares news, reviews, features & interviews on jazz and beyond – from all around the world.

From the team: “Jazz Revelations covers the latest groundbreaking releases on the jazz world and beyond. Based across the UK, we explore the connections between jazz, hip-hop and electronica, striving to uncover the best music across the spectrum”

Check it out at jazzrevelations.com

Bebop Spoken Here

Based in the North-East of England, Bebop Spoken Here was described by Hudson Music as “one of the heaviest and most influential jazz blogs in the UK” and includes an archive which goes back to 2008.

Despite the website name, founder Lance Liddle notes that “Bebop Spoken Here covers all styles of jazz plus some soul, funk and quality popular music. Gig and CD reviews with a special emphasis, but not exclusively, on the northeast of the UK.”

Bebop Spoken Here was also awarded Best Jazz Media 2018 by the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Group.

Check it out at lance-bebopspokenhere.blogspot.com

Kind of Jazz

Run by music writer Matthew Ruddick, alongside a team of regular contributors, Kind of Jazz features a comprehensive review section which mixes the best from the British jazz scene with big name international releases.

Alongside the new releases, though, you can find reviews of re-issues of classic albums (an interesting addition for any jazz-fan visitor) and books, too.

The interviews section takes the form of ‘Ten Questions with...’ and has previously featured names such as American singer Madeleine Peyroux, Italian trumpeter Paolo Fresu & guitarist John Scofield.

The Jazz Mann

Winner of the UK’s Parliamentary Jazz Award for Best Media in 2019, The Jazz Mann provides a comprehensive range of British jazz news, reviews, features, upcoming tour dates and even a ‘recommended listening’ section.

The website had a complete overhaul in early 2020 which makes for some seriously easy jazz browsing. And, whilst The Jazz Mann includes some reviews covering international projects, it provides a very detailed look at all corners of the British jazz scene; you’ll find thorough coverage of jazz in Scotland, England, Ireland & Wales.

From founder & writer Ian Mann: “Jazz is an ever-evolving music and I think it’s great that after listening to it for all this time the emergence of exciting young musicians still gives me a thrill. I think we have some fantastically talented players in this country, right across the generations but sadly many of them are deeply undervalued.”

Check it out at thejazzmann.com

Jazz Views

With more than 20 articles published per month – from both live shows and album reviews – this UK jazz website also has a regular feature where jazz musicians to pick their all time Top Ten favourite albums, and tell why they have selected these particular recordings. Previous editions give a taste of the current British jazz scene, including Trish Clowes, Freddie Gavita, Tom Cawley & Leo Richardson.

Alongside reviews, interviews and articles, you can find the Jazz Views shop, where you can buy directly from the record label or artist.

Check it out at jazzviews.net

Sandy Brown Jazz

Named after Scottish jazz clarinet player Sandy Brown, this jazz blog is run by Somerset-based Ian Maund and reviews both historical (re)releases and new ones. Alongside these, and a news section, there are a few interesting threads including a jazz quiz, a section called Full Focus and a monthly ‘Tea Break‘ segment where Ian talks jazz people over an imaginary cup…

“The idea behind our Full Focus series is to let the reader listen to a track from an album at the same time as reading the concepts behind the track as seen by the composer and the musicians involved.”

Check it out at sandybrownjazz.co.uk

Marlbank

Visit the homepage of this jazz blog and you’ll be straight into the action; a feed of the most recent album reviews and jazz news from around the world. Compiled by Ireland-based writer Stephen Graham, it has perhaps the most international focus out of all the websites on this list.

The ‘Track of the Day’ feature tends to include an embedded Bandcamp player, meaning you can go and buy any you like direct from the artist.

Check it out at marlbank.net

Jazzy Man Blog

This jazz website has been running since 2008 and is hosted by writer and jazz musician Mike Collins. Although the reviews do often cover international jazz artists, it has evolved, according to Mike, “into much more of a record and appreciation of what I see around me mainly on the increasingly diverse and vibrant scene around Bristol and Bath where I live.”

Check it out at jazzyblogman.wordpress.com

45 RPM

According to the mission statement on the website, 45 Revolutions per Minute is a jazz blog. But it is also NOT a jazz blog. It is a world music blog. It’s an electronic music blog. It’s a hip-hop blog, a funk ‘n’ soul blog and an ambient music blog. Occasionally, it’s a classical music blog, a trip-hop blog and a spoken word blog.

Whatever it is, if you’d like to get a simple but entertaining digest in your inbox each Friday, the newsletter is an excellent read. The format is simple; 5 suggestions listed under 5 headings: The Charm Offensive, The Military Coup, The Peaceful Protest, Guerilla Warfare, Beginners Beware. Curious? Read more here…

From the host: “45 RPM is a ‘future jazz’ blog covering the innovators, the trouble-makers and the thought provokers. Often reaching into the genres of world, funk, rap and ambient, writer SV has just one rule – everything covered must be noisy… even if it’s quiet. You can subscribe to the ‘Noiseletter’ to get weekly updates on five tracks shaking things up in the world of jazz.”

Check it out at 45rpm.blog