Not sure if Colin H has mentioned this in his recent Mike Westbrook mega post, but Bandcamp are releasing a recording of the Mike Westbrook band live at Ronnie Scott’s Old Place in Gerrard Street (Soho) on May 25th 1968. Essentially this is a live (and extended) version of the ‘Release’ album. Release date is, appropriately, May 25th 2018, the 50th anniversary. For those who may not know, The Old Place was Ronnie Scott’s original club in Chinatown before moving to Frith Street and as Ronnie had a lease to use up he featured young and up and coming musicians, pretty exclusively. Here’s Richard Williams’ write up on the album :

LAST NIGHT AT THE OLD PLACE by Richard Williams

So many good things were contained within the Mike Westbrook Concert Band of 1968 that it’s hard to know where to start. Its personnel included the components of a whole scene of young London-based jazz musicians, bursting with energy and the desire to express the sounds they were discovering collectively and as individuals. For a time, this band gave them the ideal structure. And when they needed a setting, Ronnie Scott and Pete King were there to provide it. » Continue Reading.