2-5-1

2-5-1

Nick Tomalin snd Simon Whiteside host a variety of podcasts about jazz .From the short vignettes of two pianist, five minutes, one podcast through to the Two pianist, Five Podcasts, One subject and in depth look at the life work and piano stylings of single pianists. So far Sonny Clark and Kenny Drew have been covered.

Episodes

December 1, 2025 5 mins

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In this episode we discuss Philip Larkin [ the English Poet] and his love of jazz and his hate of other jazz 

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We talk about the some of the big figures in jazz education Dizzy Gillespie, Hal Crook, Jerry Coker, John Meghan, Jamey Aebersold, Mark Levine and Barry Harris. 

There are others we couldn't fir into the 5 minutes

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Jazz on screen is an annual tie-in with the London Jazz festival. recent years have seen 

2023

The three films are: Imagine the Sound + Introduction by Stewart Lee; Sven Klang’s Combo + Introduction by Ehsan Khoshbakht and The Stormy Man.

2024

Symphonies in Black : Duke Ellington Shorts

We Insist-Black Sun

So Watt: Jazz and Improvisation on British TV

Our episode on Sven Klang is here 

2025

The Diaspora Suite by Ephraim Asili-...

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Another of our book reviews, this one is on a biography of Sonny Clark.

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October 1, 2025 6 mins

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This is not about the inner voice that tells pianists to " Kill the Bass Player" this is about moving the middle of the chord around to create interest and tension then release.  There is a bonus recording at the end of some of a transcription Simon did of the Introduction to Stella from Standards Live Keith Jarrett Trio.

here is a link to the Apple Music version of September in the Rain Anita Wardell with Li...

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September 15, 2025 5 mins

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Jazz is a multi hour multi episode documentary about the genesis and progression of Jazz in America by Ken Burns

Kenneth Lauren Burns is an American filmmaker known for his documentary films and television series, many of which chronicle American history and culture. His work is often produced in association with WETA-TV or the National Endowment for the Humanities and distributed by PBS

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September 1, 2025 5 mins

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One of our practical episodes, Simon and Nick discuss the Montuno. a rhythmic ostinato common in Mambo and Salsa. Check our website as we sometimes make blog Posts about the subjects we cover in episodes

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August 15, 2025 5 mins

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Pedro Jústiz was born in Banes, Holguín, on January 31, 1913 into a family of local musicians. Taught by his mother since 1923, he soon learned to play the piano and joined the family band La Rechiva del Son, directed by his uncles. In 1928 he moved to Antilla to study piano and saxophone under the supervision of his grandfather, Emilio Rodríguez.

In Havana, Peruchín worked occasionally with Orquesta Casino de la Playa...

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The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love" is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Oscar Hijuelos, published in 1989. It tells the story of two Cuban brothers, Cesar and Nestor Castillo, who immigrate to New York City in the 1950s and become successful musicians known as the Mambo Kings. The novel explores themes of family, love, loss, and the immigrant experience in America, focusing on the brothers' journey through ...

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July 1, 2025 5 mins

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To round off this Series we talk about Ours and endings. The way jazz players stop a tune.  thanks for Listening and look out for series 3! 

Perhaps you will hear the ending and intro of our podcast in a new light.

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In this episode Simon and Nick talk about the common conception and mis conceptions- of how jazz happens.  We actually made this episode up of the cuff....How very meta!

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This is one of our more technical episodes where we try to demystify the way jazz musicians make the music by the end of this episode you may even know what Cm7b5 means in musical terms. 

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Jazz has always taken popular tunes as a starting point.  Some of the most famous jazz originals like Ornithology are new tunes on old chords sometimes called contrafacts. In this episode Nick and Simon discuss the subject of modern songs done in a jazz way.

Jazz versions of Beatles tunes playlist here 

Rock Swings here

Herbie Hancock The New Standard here

When Love Breaks down Dominic Howles Septet here

Post Modern Jukebo...

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May 1, 2025 5 mins

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Watch Terry Pollard with Terry Gibbs here

Terry Pollard (August 15, 1931 – December 16, 2009) was an American jazz pianist and vibraphonist active in the Detroit jazz scene of the 1940s and 1950s. She has been described as a "major player who was inexplicably overlooked." 

listen to Terry Pollard on Apple Music here  or Spotify here

Listen to a Detroit Legend on Apple Music here or Spotify here


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You can't steal a gift a book review You Can't Steal a Gift. Frederick Eugene John Lees (February 8, 1928 – April 22, 2010) was a Canadian music critic, biographer, lyricist, and journalist. Lees worked as a newspaper journalist in his native Canada before moving to the United States, where he was a music critic and lyricist. His lyrics for Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Corcovado" (released as "...

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April 1, 2025 5 mins

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Christian Jacob 

Jacob was born in Metz, Lorraine on 8 May 1958. A pianist by age four, he was immersed in studying the French classics. Something of a child prodigy, Jacob had perfect pitch and natural talent. He did not discover jazz until age 10, but when he did, its improvised nature appealed to him immediately. Early influences were Dave Brubeckand Oscar Peterson. As a teen, Jacob studied under Pierre Sancan at th...

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One of our book reviews this time it is the Novel or is it? by Michael Ondaatje

buy it here  in print or listen to the audio book here

The work deals with the life of Buddy Bolden the legend of early jazz who never recorded or was documented much during his life.

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This is a follow on to episode 44. We go a bit further into the beat poets reading their poetry with live jazz backing.  We talk about City Lights and Steve Allen and more.

A couple of Corrections

Howl was first performed  by Ginsberg who read a draft of "Howl" at the Six Gallery reading in San Francisco in 1955.  Fellow poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti of City Lights Books, who attended the perf...

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We intended for this to be just one episode but felt that we had a lot more to say and ended up with enough for 2 five minute episode the next will follow in March 1st 2025.

this is the introduction to a blog on the beats on our website links below

The Beat movement was a literary movement which emerged in the United States in the post war-era. ‘Beat’ was slang for ‘down and out or poor and exhausted...

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February 1, 2025 5 mins

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We are Back after our mid season break so we thought we would start with Intros. We discuss what makes a good intro and what the function of such intros are. With some audio examples

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