The Quartet Jazz Standards Podcast

Episode 50. Tim Lapthorn (Piano) - 'Yesterdays'

Geoff sits down with the wonderful jazz pianist, composer and arranger Tim Lapthorn to trace how his ear led him from pop songs and a battered copy of the Real Book to a deep, personal approach to jazz harmony and improvisation. We talk about everything from recording at Abbey Road, a session with Ron Carter and returning after a long pause, and the chord choices that make a standard suddenly sound alive. He shares what changed when he arrived in London for the Guildhall postgraduate jazz course, how the London jazz scene shaped his comping and voicings, and what it’s like doing hundreds of gigs at Ronnie Scott’s with top rhythm sections night after night. Tim opens up about a long break in recording, depression, family life, and how that experience reshaped his relationship with risk on stage. Then we get practical: reharmonising the Jerome Kern/Otto Harbach 1930’s standard ‘Yesterdays’ (accompanied by Quartet of course), the logic of chord substitutions, and a final reveal of his favourite chord a bold G7 voicing with clashing-sounding tensions that somehow lands beautifully when you hear the internal relationships. When Geoff asks about “playing outside”, Tim’s answer is simple and demanding: one improvised idea should lead naturally to the next if you truly listen while you play. That mindset connects directly to confidence and mental health, too. Tim explains how surviving very low periods changes your perspective on performance, making it easier to take chances because a wrong note is not a disaster. If you care about jazz harmony, piano voicings, improvisation, and learning standards in a real-world way, hit subscribe, share the episode with a musician friend, 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.

Episode 49. Pete Whittaker (Organ) - 'Secret Love'

A Hammond organ isn’t just an instrument, it’s a moving machine, and you can hear it breathe the moment you sit next to it. Geoff heads to North London to meet the wonderful jazz organist Pete Whittaker in his “organ room” and get properly nerdy about what makes a Hammond C3 feel so alive under the fingers, from the whirr of the tone wheels to the choices that shape a great jazz organ sound. We dig into the details: how jazz organists actually use bass pedals, why a little foot “click” can make left-hand bass punch through, and how you can capture the Leslie rotating speaker magic even when there isn’t a real cabinet in the room. Pete breaks down drawbars in plain English, explains harmonics and “footage”, and shows how a single note can carry the colour of a chord. He treats us to the 1950s Sammy Fain standard ‘Secret Love’ (accompanied by the Quartet app of course), and talks through what changes when there is or isn’t a bass player on the gig. Pete shares the story behind his jazz education: classical training, a great ear, the pull of Jimmy Smith, the modal shock of Larry Young’s album ‘Unity’ (1965), and the very real learning curve of getting thrown into gigs. We end with honest chat about nerves, time feel, favourite venues like Ronnie Scott’s, plus a few quick-fire favourites that make the musician behind the instrument feel close. If you enjoy jazz standards, Hammond organ, organ trio playing, and practical insights you can take to the keyboard, subscribe, share the show with a mate, and leave us a review. Presenter: Geoff Gascoyne Series Producer: Paul Sissons Production Manager: Martin Sissons The Quartet Jazz Standards Podcast is a UK Music Apps production.

Episode 48. John Etheridge (Guitar) - 'Killer Joe'

John Etheridge has one of those musical lives that only makes sense when you hear it out loud: a British jazz guitar legend and composer who starts with Hank Marvin’s look, gets knocked sideways by Django Reinhardt, then hunts for a sound that can hold both jazz harmony and rock electricity at the same time. Geoff meets John at his place in Hampstead, North London, and they talk through the moments that shaped his playing, from discovering John McLaughlin to learning how to be “the in-between guy” who never quite fits the neat labels but ends up building a voice that bands actually need. We go deep on the practical side of being a working guitarist: tiny amps, the old suspicion around pedals, and how different venues can make your instrument feel either effortless or impossible. From there we jump into jazz standards and the reality of learning tunes before the Real Book era, plus what it’s like to catch up on theory in your thirties while already gigging. If you care about jazz guitar vocabulary, you’ll enjoy John’s take on chord tones versus scales, why bebop is not “just scales”, and how modal thinking changes the way you hear the same notes. John treats us to an impromptu improvisation of the 60’s Benny Golson standard ‘Killer Joe’ - accompanied of course by the Quartet app. There are stories too: playing with Stéphane Grappelli, recording alongside Tony Williams, the love and hate around the Miles Davis album ‘In a Silent Way’ (1969), and the unique challenge of collaborating with classical guitar icon John Williams, where written precision meets improvisation. We finish with quick-fire favourites, a couple of gorgeous chord choices, and John’s philosophy on keeping Soft Machine fresh without turning the music into a museum. If you enjoy jazz standards, British jazz, jazz fusion, guitar tone and real-world improvisation, hit subscribe, share this with a guitarist friend, and leave us a review so more people 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.

Episode 47. Marc Cecil (Percussion) - 'Só Danço Samba'

From the first minute of Geoff’s chat with drummer, percussionist, and educator Marc Cecil, we get into the craft behind Latin percussion and the small details that make a groove feel like Brazil rather than a generic “Latin” approximation. Mark traces his musical origin story from seeing Paul McCartney in a small UK theatre as a kid to practising obsessively at school, then landing at Middlesex on a jazz and world music course. A broken bass drum pedal turns into a wild detour: he meets Gary Mann from Remo UK, ends up working the Rhythm Sticks Festival at the Royal Festival Hall, and gets an invitation from the legendary latin percussionist Robin Jones that becomes a long-running education in Cuban and Brazilian rhythm. We talk about Robin’s no-nonsense musical vision, why learning congas, bongos, and timbales together matters, and how real band leading shapes your choices on stage. Mark breaks down what makes a pandeiro special, how tuning and thumb pressure change the sound, why beeswax matters, and how that rolling swing can sit inside a click track without turning robotic. We also chat about building the Quartet jazz play-along apps as a teaching tool that balances inspiration with solid timing. He demonstrates playing along to the 60s standard ‘Só danço samba’. Please subscribe if you want to hear more Quartet podcasts as they land. Search for Quartet on the App Store or find out more at quartetapp.com. Presenter: Geoff Gascoyne Series Producer: Paul Sissons Production Manager: Martin Sissons The Quartet Jazz Standards Podcast is a UK Music Apps production.

Episode 46. Ulf Wakenius (Guitar) - 'Bernie's Tune'

Geoff sits down with Swedish jazz guitar virtuoso Ulf Wakenius in a back room at the Pizza Express Jazz Club in London and traces the real chain of events that took him from Scandinavian gigs to recording with Ray Brown and spending 10 years beside Oscar Peterson. Ulf describes the moments that quietly changed everything: touring Europe with Ray Brown, landing in CBS Studios in New York, and realising the tape is rolling after a head arrangement that took minutes…not days. Ulf explains Oscar’s fearless way of keeping the music fresh, sometimes literally dropping the set list and starting something else, and why that kind of pressure makes a band stronger. He breaks down what “the Oscar style” means from the guitar chair: tremendous swing, unstoppable time feel, and a touch that can turn the piano into a roaring big band or a whisper-soft ballad. We get practical about learning jazz standards. We talk Aebersold play-alongs, building a personal repertoire without trying to memorise the entire ocean, and why rhythm changes sits right behind the blues as a core form every jazz musician should embrace. Ulf names a few favourite standards but chooses to play the 50s Leiber/Stoller/Miller standard ‘Bernie’s Tune’ (accompanied by the ever-present Quartet app), and shares how blues language, Miles Davis-style articulation, and saxophone phrasing all feed his improvisation. If you’re practising standards, chasing better swing, or just want a vivid jazz podcast filled with real stories, there’s plenty to steal for your own playing. Subscribe for more conversations like this, share the episode with a musician friend, and leave a review with your favourite standard so we can feature your picks in a future chat. Presenter: Geoff Gascoyne Series Producer: Paul Sissons Production Manager: Martin Sissons The Quartet Jazz Standards Podcast is a UK Music Apps production.