That U.S.-hip-sounding line, strangely enough, is as British as “jolly good,” or “raw-ther.” It describes a musical fad that has washed over Britain. “Trad” is traditional jazz, the 1920s variety now ...

After World War II, Britain was a mess. The country had been bombed during the war, the country lost roughly a half-million people and Britain had to borrow significantly to pay its war bills. On the ...

The very first Newport Jazz Festival in 1954 included London-born pianist George Shearing. The next year, his fellow British pianist — and future NPR host — Marian McPartland was on the bill. More ...

“You Get More With 504” is the slogan for this small but interesting British trad jazz label. And perhaps you do get a bit more bang for your buck from this little company that’s adopted our telephone ...

Sorry to return to the Mercury prize for a second week, but this is only a passing spin-off from that much-discussed event. Observer music critic Kitty Empire, one of the Mercury judges, described the ...