Photos: Akin Aworan

Former John Stevens sideman Francis Graham-Dixon reviews Fourplay in performance on the eve of the London Jazz Festival and asks why is this kind of music generally so ill-served by the jazz press?

Fourplay embarked 20 years ago on a collective project that has stood the test of time. Those lucky enough to witness their performance at The Grand, Clapham at the end of a European tour were treated to a spellbinding night of music combining emotional power and intensity with peerless virtuoso brilliance; hardly a surprise when you consider that this group of musicians comprise some of the very best instrumentalists and songwriters of any era, and all at the top of their game. Yet I have seen no other review of this brilliant gig in the jazz press. Why is this kind of music generally so ill-served by the specialists?

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