Earlier this month saxophonist and composer Alex Hitchcock released ‘Dream Band: Live in London’, via Whirlwind Recordings. During three groundbreaking nights at London’s legendary Vortex club, three ‘dream bands’ of Hitchcock’s favourite musicians performed music specially composed for each ensemble.

Over twenty tracks you’ll hear some of the finest musical talents drawn to the fervid internationalism of the contemporary London scene. Among them are Mark Kavuma, Kit Downes, Lewis Wright, Ant Law, Orlando le Fleming, and James Maddren

Creatively rich, the album is a feast for the senses. ‘Dream Band…’, is packed with bubbling beats, lush vocals, propulsive rhythms, spectral textures, dizzying trumpet lines as well as melodic guitar work and of course Hitchcock’s distinctive tenor sax sound.

We are thrilled to have Alex curate his guest playlist filled with songs from collaborators, friends and influences. Press play and delve deep into this eclectic playlist, spanning tracks from Lucia Cadotsch, Jason Moran, Archie Shepp, Don Cherry, Kurt Rosenwinkel and more.

Listen to the playlist and read Hitchcock’s insights into his selections below.

“I’ve included some amazing friends and collaborators in here – Sun-Mi Hong, Noah Stoneman, Midori Jaeger – as well as people I admire from further afield. I feel surrounded by such an inspiring breadth of music at the moment and while there are certain types of harmony, rhythm, cadence I find myself drawn to, these tracks all have something in them that pushed my ears a little bit further than I was expecting. I’ve also been listening to lots more free-adjacent music recently, initially inspired by hearing a live performance in Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem of an incredible Jason Moran suite called ‘From the Dancehall to the Battlefield’. He has a really innovative new album out with Marcus Gilmore and BlankFor.ms; my favourite track from there is also on this playlist. Thanks to Twistedsoul for having me!”