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Finn Peters Questionnaire (Competition: ask a question to Finn.Best one wins his new CD!! email us )
On the launch of saxophonist/flautist Finn Peters' new album Su-Ling we gave him temporary leave of his finntet and helped him into the Babel hotseat. While not trying to embarrass him too much, we came up with some searching questions and him, some revealing answers.

1/ How do you unwind when you're not playing or listening to music?

I really like cooking. I love traveling. I like reading a lot too. I can think of worse ways to unwind than lying on a beach, reading a book. I also like water sports surfing, sailing and swimming etc. I recently started getting interested in bird watching – saw some Puffins a couple of months ago and a pair of Sparrow Hawks yesterday!

2/ What inspired you to play the sax and flute?

I grew up around musicians and music. We had a studio at our house I started out playing recorder, then flute, then got a saxophone from the local school aged 11 and started trying to copy the playing on all my dad's Wayne Shorter records. When we moved to Spain I started playing along with the marching bands, then when I was around 13 I really started listening to Charlie Parker – after that there was no turning back! I had great teachers when I was at school too and that really helped.

3/ Who are your heroes?

Lord Buckley, Harpo Marx, Evan Parker, Han Bennink. I have a lot of heroes actually.

4/ Favourite album of all time?

That is almost impossible to answer. It could be loads of things. For the sake of argument let's say "A Love Supreme."

5/What CDs have you been listening to recently?

I listen to different music all the time and have thousands of records. Off the top of my head Bernard Wright "Nard": Kraftwerk "Computer World": Bugz in the Attic "In the doghouse": Eugene McDaniels "Headless Heroes of the Apocalypse", a lot of Detroit Techno, Labi Siffre, a lot of Talking Heads, Norman Conners "Slew Foot", Messiaen "Illuminations of the Beyond" (imagine calling your record that!) Cachao, Gran Combo, Conjunto Libre, EPMD, Bennie Maupin's new album, Yusef Lateef's new album…………I could go on and on. Basically a lot of music but actually not that much jazz.

6/ If you had to take just 3 CDs and 3 DVDs to a desert island what would they be?

Again, I'm not very good on the desert island disc-type question. Probably music wise it would be classical –do you get to take the scores as well? Actually what about box sets? If so: Ravel complete works, Coltrane on Impulse, and Donald Fagen "The Nightfly" I've listened to that on a desert island before and it works really well. Films: La Dolce Vita (Fellini), Trees Lounge (Buscemi) and Milou en Mai (Malle)

7/ What bands should we be listening out for at the moment?

Anything that Kaidi Tatham AKA "Agent K" is involved with. I like Mathew Herbert's stuff. Tom Arthur's is really good. In fact a lot of the music coming from the F-ire guys is great. Magic Malik – the baddest flautist on the planet!! Also Dimi Mint Abba from Mauritania. Can't forget Bembe Segue and Eska of course!

8/ Any good stories about life on the road?

Once I got involved in an impromptu jam session with a concert cellist who was wearing an electric blue ball gown and a hurdie gurdi player. That was pretty bizarre.

10/ What would you not mind being woken up in the middle of the night for?

A Stevie Wonder session. It does still happen. I can think of plenty of other things that are probably unprintable!

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If you have any questions for Finn we want to hear from you. The best question gets a free copy of the new CD Su-Ling.send

Who's playing Finn at the moment?
Tune into Mike Chadwick's online Jazz FM show here and sign up for a great monthly look at some of the best jazz releases

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Where to go for your London Jazz Festival Tickets
London Jazz Festival appearance (see above) Britain's most original jazz vocalist Christine Tobin steps onto the west end stage with a performance of standards

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Christine Tobin in glamour gig at Pigalle, Piccadilly Before her London Jazz Festival appearance (see above) Britain's most original jazz vocalist Christine Tobin steps onto the west end stage with a performance of standards in the Pigalle by Eros in Piccaddily, the venue that's giving nearby Ronnie Scott's a run for it's money.

Billy Jenkins Songs of Praise tour in October

Billy Jenkins 6 October - Millenium Hall, 520 Ecclesall Rd, Sheffield (presented by Sheffield Jazz) First date of Billy Jenkins' Songs of Praise tour with Nathaniel Facey, Dylan Bates, Gail Brand, Oren Marshall, and Charles Hayward (Booking: 0114 276 7093 (subject to booking fee)
7 October The Sage, Gateshead (band as above) (Ticket Office:  0191 443 4661)
8 October - The Shed, North Yorkshire (band as above) 01653 668494 theshed.co.uk
11 October - The Wardrobe, Leeds (Presented by Leeds Jazz) (band as above) 0113 2694077 thewardrobe.co.uk
12 November - The Spitz, Commercial Street, London E1 (London Jazz Festival) ( band as above) spitz.co.uk

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New CD release: Liam Noble & Ingrid Laubrock - Su-Ling
In the shops from 2 October buy it from our site now
Among the Babel stable's rush of Autumn releases is a gem of a duet recording by two captivating original musicians on the London scene. A duet recording by two of the most innovative musicians on the UK jazz scene today. Ingrid Laubrock is a former BBC Jazz Award nominated Rising Star and this year's winner of the award of Arts Foundation fellowship for jazz composition. On the CD, with their unique energies, the duo perform standards with a twist, tunes by Thelonious Monk and on the fly improvisations with remixes by Babel's Polar Bear drummer/leader Sebastian Rochford. Listen to samples here and purchase the CD here.

Other 2006 releases:
Julie Sassoon's solo piano New Life (in the shops 21 August, available online here now);
and Huw Warren/Peter Herbert: Everything We Love And More (click here to buy online)

Remember: buying them direct helps us more as a small label than if you go through the shops!

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Huw Warren stars in BBC4 documentary