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Acid Jazz
1st Oct 2025
This guide explores acid jazz’s origins in London’s club scene with its fusion of funk, soul, jazz, and hip-hop, highlighting how rare groove culture and key artists shaped the genre.
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Emergency On Planet Earth
Jamiroquai, Gary Barnacle (flute), Stuart Zender (bass), John Thirkell (trumpet), Gary Barnacle (saxophone), John Thirkell (fluegelhorn), Nick van Gelder (drums), Toby Smith (keyboards), Kofi (percussion), Simon Bartholomew (guitar), Glenn Nightingale (guitar), Maurizio Ravalio (percussion)
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Martin Neary (1940-2025)
1st Oct 2025
The organist and choirmaster, famous primarily for his role in directing and shaping the music for the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, has died aged 85.
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Presto Team Choices - September 2025
30th Sep 2025
An affectionate, wide-ranging birthday tribute to Arvo Pärt from Paavo Järvi, an heroic triptych from Jakub Hrůša in Bamberg, an anniversary homage to Mikolajus Čiurlionis from Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, and an 'unfailingly engaging' Idomeneo from Sir Simon Rattle in Munich.
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The Pavel Haas Quartet on Martinů
29th Sep 2025
Violinist Veronika Jarůšková and cellist Peter Jarůšek discuss how the composer's music featured in their first meeting as children on a TV talent show, Martinů's relationship with fellow composer Vítězslava Kaprálová, and surmounting the technical challenges of music that is 'almost impossible to play'.
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Martinů: String Quartets Nos. 2-3-5-7
Pavel Haas Quartet
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Nate Smith on Live-Action
27th Sep 2025
The GRAMMY-nominated musician gives a glimpse into his latest album Live-Action.
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Live-Action
Nate Smith (drums, musician, keyboard), Josh Johnson (musician, saxophone), Sebastian White (designer), Marquis Hill (trumpet, musician), JSWISS (musician), Lalah Hathaway (chanting, musician, voice, vocal_arranger), Michael League (musician, bass), Lionel Loueke (musician, voice), säje (musician, voice), Amanda Taylor (vocal_arranger), Sara Gazarek (vocal_arranger), Erin Bentlage (vocal_arranger), Johnaye Kendrick (vocal_arranger), Kiefer, CARRTOONS, Ben Williams (bass, musician), Jeannette Jang (musician, violin), Anna Bishop (musician, violin), Kimberly Ryan (musician, viola), Peter Greydanus (musician, cello), Charlie Hunter (musician, guitar), DJ Harrison (keyboard), Jermaine Holmes (musician, voice), DJAY HARISSON (musician, rhodes)
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Wolfgang Muthspiel Trio - Tokyo
26th Sep 2025
The guitarist continues his tradition of alternating between acoustic and electric setups in his latest ECM trio album Tokyo.
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Lerner and Loewe's My Fair Lady from John Wilson and Sinfonia of London
26th Sep 2025
Jamie Parker and Scarlett Strallen head a luxury cast on this luscious recording of the Pygmalion-inspired 1956 musical about an irascible phonetician who gives a Cockney flower-girl a socio-linguistic makeover.
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Lerner & Loewe's My Fair Lady
Scarlett Strallen (Eliza Doolittle), Jamie Parker (Henry Higgins), Alun Armstrong (Alfred P. Doolittle), Malcolm Sinclair (Colonel Pickering), Laurence Kilsby (Freddy Eynsford-Hill), Julia McKenzie (Mrs Pearce), Penelope Wilton (Mrs Higgins) Sinfonia of London, John Wilson
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New Release Round-Up - 26th September 2025
26th Sep 2025
Neapolitan songs from Pene Pati, a celebration of John Rutter from Clare College Cambridge, Telemann from Isabelle Faust and friends, and Vaughan Williams from the London Symphony Orchestra and Antonio Pappano.
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New Release Round-Up - 26th September 2025
26th Sep 2025
This week’s jazz highlights include Robert Plant’s roots-inspired Saving Grace, pianist Bill Laurance’s intimate solo Lumen and Donny McCaslin’s genre-blending Lullaby for the Lost.
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Craig Ogden on Tango at Tetbury, Dancing with Piazzolla and Latin Connections
25th Sep 2025
Ahead of opening the 2025 Tetbury Music Festival with the London Tango Quintet, and the release of a new Aquarelle Guitar Quartet album in October, Craig Ogden chatted with Matthew Ash about the breadth of his musical passions, the joys of chamber music and his choice of strings, giving insight into an instrument that is all too often unfairly viewed as sitting at the periphery of classical music.
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Carl Gorham on Extraordinary Journey
25th Sep 2025
The great-nephew of Sir George Shearing joins me to discuss the works of the great jazz legend, and his plans to bring the music to listeners of today with the help of his ensemble, Shear Brass.
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Sir John Rutter at 80
24th Sep 2025
Composer Sir John Rutter reflects on eight decades of music-making - from studying and conducting at Clare College Cambridge to the turn to full-time composition, and the various influences that have helped to shape his musical style.
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New Sheet Music Titles - 23rd September 2025
23rd Sep 2025
ABRSM jazz piano pieces for grade 6-8 pianists, organ works by Buxtehude, Songs by European Women Composers, a revised and corrected edition of Prokofieff's Romeo and Juliet op. 64, four new Omni Music Publishing full scores, and Philip Sparke's Windmix Trios for flexible ensemble.
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Presto Presents... Matilda Lloyd and Richard Gowers
23rd Sep 2025
The trumpeter and organist (here switching to piano!) joined us earlier this month to celebrate the launch of their new album Fantasia, which juxtaposes Baroque transcriptions with new works by Owain Park, Deborah Pritchard, Roxanna Panufnik and Richard Barnard.
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Will Dawes on Divine Light and the Indian choral tradition
22nd Sep 2025
The conductor of the unique choir of Oxford University's Somerville College talks about their new album of works from, and drawing on, some of the musical worlds of the Indian subcontinent.
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Count Basie: Architect of Swing
20th Sep 2025
A pivotal figure in the big band and swing era, Basie became one of America’s most prominent bandleaders, earning himself the title “King of Swing”.
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Ineza - IBUKA
19th Sep 2025
The vocalist makes her debut as a bandleader and composer in the heartfelt and emotionally-driven IBUKA.
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The Pavel Haas Quartet perform string quartets by Martinů
19th Sep 2025
Three years on from their previous recording of music by Brahms, the Czech quartet returns with a stunningly virtuosic album of four string quartets by their compatriot Bohuslav Martinů, showcasing an enormous dynamic range combined with an impressive precision and unanimity of purpose.
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Martinů: String Quartets 2-3-5-7
Pavel Haas Quartet
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New Release Round-Up - 19th September 2025
19th Sep 2025
John Rutter's piano concerto Reflections from Steven Osborne (with the composer conducting), Brahms's Piano Concerto No. 2 from Francesco Piemontesi, a ninetieth-birthday tribute to Arvo Pärt from the Estonian Festival Orchestra and Paavo Järvi, and Saint-Saëns's 1906 opera L'Ancêtre from Kazuki Yamada.
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New Release Round-Up - 19th September 2025
19th Sep 2025
This week’s jazz releases include Rolf Thofte’s debut on April Records, Cécile McLorin Salvant’s playful Oh Snap, and Johnathan Blake’s socially-driven My Life Matters.
