The Quartet Jazz Standards Podcast

Geoff is in Kings Langley, Hertfordshire to meet with the renowned British jazz saxophonist, composer and bandleader Tim Garland for a wide-ranging conversation on how a real musical voice is built over decades…not weeks.
We start with the spark: ECM Records vinyl, Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea and the late Ralph Towner, plus the pull of funk and rhythm that hits you in the chest. Tim breaks down how he learned jazz improvisation by writing small fragments, moving them through keys, and then consciously letting that material go so it doesn’t become imitation. We also dig into composition, jazz harmony, and contemporary classical influences, including how time feel, note length, and cut-offs can change everything you think you know about swing and groove.
 
 Tim tells the near-impossible story of how his music reached Chick, what “Chick boot camp” felt like on stage, and why conversational playing matters more than licks.
Tim treats us to an improvisation of Cole Porter’s 50s standard “All Of You” (accompanied by the Quartet app of course), and discusses Jamey Aebersold play-alongs, favourite records, career highs, nerves, and the harmonic rabbit holes behind a favourite chord. Plus, a nod to his latest project featuring the rare mezzo saxophone with the American jazz pianist Geoffrey Keezer.
If you enjoy jazz standards, saxophone craft, and honest stories from the bandstand, subscribe, share the episode, and leave us a review so more listeners can find the show.
Presenter: Geoff Gascoyne
Series Producer: Paul Sissons
Production Manager: Martin Sissons
The Quartet Jazz Standards Podcast is a UK Music Apps production.

Geoff closes the year with a Christmas ‘session’ that blends memory, humour, and unapologetic swing, featuring the brilliant Ian Shaw and the incomparable Trudy Kerr. From the first count-in you can feel the band's pocket and the playful way we shape tradition: ‘God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen’ settles into a medium swing, ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’ nods to Horace Silver, ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’ stretches on a tasty vamp, and ‘Deck the Halls’ dances with a Latin pulse.
Between takes we wander through the stories that make the season personal. Ian riffs on Johnny Mathis's legendary breath control, the showbiz roots behind those perfect phrases, and why holding a single note can be a high-wire act! We laugh about panettone, glittering rooms at London’s ‘Crazy Coqs’ cabaret club, and the problem of wrapping paper that accidentally exposes Santa. Trudy arrives with sunlit memories of Australian Christmases and the heat-haze version of turkey and tinsel. Then she leans into a tender ‘Away in a Manger' that quiets the room.
If you love jazz vocals, holiday standards, or just hearing great singers play with form, this episode is for you. We talk phrasing, key choices, vamps, and why carols thrive in swing without losing their heart. And yes, we celebrate Quartet Volume 5, our brand new Christmas edition of the play-along app for iOS, built for singers and players who want a tight, responsive band in their pocket. It's an invitation to practice, perform, and find new colours in songs you've known forever.
Presenter: Geoff Gascoyne
Series Producer: Paul Sissons
Production Manager: Martin Sissons
The Quartet Jazz Standards Podcast is a UK Music Apps production.

Geoff is in the coastal town of Deal in Kent to meet with the wonderful jazz singer and lyricist Norma Winstone.
A childhood steeped in radio, a cinema crush on Lena Horne, and a record collection that swung from Ella and Louis to Sinatra’s ‘Only The Lonely’—Norma charts how a voice finds its own gravity.
We talk about the hinge moments that redirected the road: pub sit‑ins that led to John Taylor, the New Jazz Orchestra and Michael Garrick inviting the voice into instrumental roles, and Kenny Wheeler asking for words to expansive, breath‑testing lines. There's a live spin through Clifford Brown’s 1950s standard ‘Joy Spring’ (accompanied by the Quartet app) where she improvises new melodies while keeping the lyric intact, showing how language can anchor freedom.
Azimuth's origin story unfolds—an improvised loop, Manfred Eicher's instinct for flugelhorn and voice, and the Oslo sessions that changed how she heard her own tone. We touch favourites and influences, from Herbie Hancock's writing to the Bill Evans trio at Ronnie Scott's, and dig into stagecraft: moving past nerves by focusing on music, not self, and shaping a personal sound that carries feeling in the first syllable. Upcoming projects include Nikki Iles, Dave Holland, and Pete Churchill's choir, honouring Kenny Wheeler's poem settings with the care they deserve.
If you love vocal jazz, lyric writing, ECM lore, and the craft that turns breath into resonance, this conversation offers history, technique, and heart in equal measure. Follow and subscribe, share with a friend who loves jazz, and leave a review with the lyric that changed you—what's yours?
Presenter: Geoff Gascoyne
Series Producer: Paul Sissons
Production Manager: Martin Sissons
The Quartet Jazz Standards Podcast is a UK Music Apps production.

Geoff is back in Bedford, England to sit down with the highly-acclaimed American singer, songwriter and keyboardist Charlie Wood.
A voice steeped in Memphis and refined in London, Charlie Wood’s conversation moves from Beale Street grind to big-band elegance. We start with origins: a home filled with Charlie Parker records, classical lessons, and the kind of eclectic listening that makes Johnny Cash, B.B. King, and Debussy feel like neighbours. That early mix shaped a musician who treats songs as stories first and chord changes second, and it shows when Charlie improvises on the Ray Henderson 1920s standard ‘Bye Bye Blackbird’ (accompanied by the Quartet app of course), then flips the script by improvising lyrics from a history book, letting syntax and swing lead the way.
Geoff digs into the craft behind the sound. Charlie breaks down the physics of the organ trio, why pedal bass changes the comping map, and how space keeps the groove clean. He explains how a seven-nights-a-week Beale Street residency sharpened his repertoire, pushed him toward lyric-driven standards, and taught him to avoid repetition without losing clarity. The conversation moves to the realities of making a living: why US touring economics stalled, how European circuits and a Go Jazz Records release opened doors, and the serendipity that led to Jacqui Dankworth recording his song and, eventually, to a life in the UK.
Arranging fans get plenty to chew on. Charlie shares his approach to writing for small big band and strings, anchored by John Dankworth's deceptively simple guidance: “…write the notes you want to hear, then orchestrate”. We talk constraint as a creative engine, the relaxed precision of the American jazz pianist Mose Allison, and why concise songs often carry the deepest punch. There are stories of high-pressure concerts that soared, candid thoughts on nerves and overplaying, and a few favourites for the road: Peggy's Skylight (Nottingham) for its warmth, Paris and New Orleans for colour, and that luminous 13 sharp 11 favourite chord.
If you enjoy thoughtful conversations about songwriting, jazz standards, organ technique, and the real-world life of a working musician, this one's for you. Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show. What standard would you love to hear reinvented next?
Presenter: Geoff Gascoyne
Series Producer: Paul Sissons
Production Manager: Martin Sissons
The Quartet Jazz Standards Podcast is a UK Music Apps production.

This week Geoff is in Bedford, England to meet with one of the most highly regarded British jazz singers Jacqui Dankworth MBE – daughter of singer Cleo Laine and musician John Dankworth.
A song can carry a family. This episode begins with Stephen Sondheim and a daughter finding strength after losing her mother, the incomparable Cleo Laine. From the first quiet days after the memorial to the bright lights of new stages, we trace an artist's path through grief, discipline, and the brave work of beginning again.
Jacqui talks about the moment confidence clicked at boarding school, the drama teacher who opened a door, and the night a young mind met Judi Dench and felt its wings. Guildhall memories surface with the kind of detail musicians love: locking yourself away to prepare, sounding bad so you can sound true, and raising your average so it holds on tough nights.
Growing up around Cleo Laine and John Dankworth meant learning by watching rather than formal lessons, and it taught a lifelong respect for craft. That ethos lives alongside a wide-open ear: Stevie Wonder's ‘Innervisions’, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan, Al Jarreau, Diane Reeves, and a family belief in "all music" that rejects genre silos and celebrates crossover.
There are stories you'll replay: singing ‘London by Night’ down the phone to its composer (Caroll Coates), stepping onstage with Chick Corea while sick, and learning to tap for Sondheim’s musical ‘Follies’ as a way through heartbreak. There are songs you’ll replay: Jacqui treats us to a gorgeous improvisation of Gershwin’s 1920s standard ‘The Man I Love’ accompanied by none other than the Quartet jazz standards app. We unpack nerves, venues, and why large halls and church acoustics can free a voice. We revisit Jacqui’s ‘Live To Love’ album, the joy of reimagining Weather Report and Geoff and Jacqui’s collaboration ‘It’s Tomorrow's World’.
Looking ahead, the goal is simple and brave: blend acting and singing, chase Sondheim, and keep making space where legacy and self can meet.
If this journey resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend who loves jazz and theatre, and leave a quick review so more listeners can find us.
Presenter: Geoff Gascoyne
Series Producer: Paul Sissons
Production Manager: Martin Sissons
The Quartet Jazz Standards Podcast is a UK Music Apps production.