Simon Spillett Quartet @ Kings Head Crouch End.

Strolling leisurely by Kings Cross station, an unusual act in itself - strolling by Kings Cross - who should I bump into but Eugene, husband of Debra - the Budvivar Thrush. Nothing to do with Simon Spillett but I just thought it would add some colour. Eugene reminded me that I once sold him a viola so his secret is out.

Now to the gig itself selected in preference to Freddy Cole at Ronnie's and Tomorrow's Warriors at Peter Parker's new jazz venue on Denmark St.

Simon Spillett (ten/sop), John Critchinson (pno), Andy Cleyndert (bs), Martin Drew (dms).

The King's Head in Crouch End is reminiscent of my vision of a Parisien Jazz Cave. Low ceilinged, dimly lit and populated with a select coterie of fans.

Simon Spillett is surely the fastest tenor in town - any town - as he proved whizzing through the changes of In The Still of the Night, By Myself, Oleo and Lament. This is tenor playing that almost defies belief and yet, there were times when I wanted to cry 'slow down!' Not very often I hasten to add.

The second set saw more blistering blowing on What Is This Thing Called Love? but on Gentle Rain - a feature for Andy Cleyndert - Simon discarded the demi-semi-quavers for some meaningful, soulful playing as gentle as the rain being portrayed.

More heroics On Green Dolphin Street and a soprano blast on Clark Terry's The Simple Waltz before the final charge to the line on Coltrane's Some Other Blues.

Whew!

Of course it wasn't all saxophone - John Critchinson once again proved himself on a par with any of his contemporaries as did Martin and Andy. A quartet of this calibre should have been turning them away at the door.

Magnificent.

Photos.

Lance.

PS: To continue on the small world theme, the MC at the King's Head is Tynemouth tenor player Martin Simon's brother-in-law! His sister chatted about the late bass player Malcolm Moyer.

Jenni Molly Trio @ Lanercost Priory Saturday May 15

Jenni Molloy (bass), Stuart MacDonald (saxes) and Chris Sykes (drums/ percussion). Historic Lanercost Priory and it’s acoustics create a unique atmosphere, one that brings the best out of musicians, and this trio of articulate, nimble and ‘totally together’ musicians thrilled from the off. Playing compositions from Molloy’s acclaimed 2009 album Bach ReLoaded the band moved seamlessly through tunes inspired by the likes of Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and Wayne Shorter with some cleverly disguised bits from Bach himself cropping up every so often. It’s hard to pick a favourite from this wonderful set but for me Bird Invention, Little by Little and, Jenni’s homeland South Africa inspired District 6 Revisited were the highlights. This band deserves greater exposure – listen to Bach ReLoaded and you’ll know why. David Gosling

Roly Veitch Quartet @ The Cherry Tree

Roly Veitch (gtr/vcl), Sue Ferris (ten/fl), Neil Harland (bs), Adam Sinclair (dms).

It should have been Jim Birkett on guitar but a last minute switch saw him replaced by Roly Veitch which meant you got another ace guitarist with the added bonus of vocals too.

The band kicked off with an instrumental - Pennies From Heaven. Tonight I was sitting in the mezzanine which gave the feeling of being a little closer to Heaven. A feeling that was enhanced by the Spring Lamb with Jersey Royals, Peas and Mint.

One of the stranger events of the evening was a request from a couple celebrating their wedding anniversary - Here's That Rainy Day. Roly sang it in laid back mode and Sue did some nice fancy flute-work.

It was during my main course of Pork Chop with Roquefort Butter and Slow Roast Tomatoes that I really succumbed to Sue's tenor sound it just seemed to waft over me. I don't know if my ears benefited from the altitude but I can't recall her sounding better than she did on A Foggy Day in London Town - so round and smooth like Stan Getz the younger. And, although Sue might not go along with being compared to a pork chop, my main course had the same effect. Compliments to the chef and the band - they too were cookin'.

Other delights were the contrapuntal lines indulged in by guitar and sax - rather like those Jim Hall and Paul Desmond discs - and the Lestorian burn by Sue on All of Me.

As Roly went into Blame It On My Youth I went into a delightful Griottine Cherry and Almond Clafoutis and Vanilla Ice Cream. Both went down a treat.

Needless to say those ever unsung heroes Adam and Neil kept the ship on course - a good night with a good crowd.

Lance.

Sonny Simmons Quartet @ The Bridge - Re-visited.

If you missed the Sonny Simmons Quartet gig at the Bridge Hotel, Newcastle on May 9 you can watch a video replay here. http://www.musicfilmbroth.com/

Lance.

Jazz in the Afternoon at Cullercoats by the Sea.

Iain MacAulay (tmb/tpt/vcl), Derek Fleck (clt/ten/whistle/bjo), Brian Chester (pno/tmb), Bill College (bs), Jim McKeown (dms). + Jimmy Ruddick (vcl), Barry Soulsby (clt/vcl), Roy Gibson (pno), Teresa Armstrong (vcl), Doris Fenn (bjo).

The usual jolly jazz from JITA with a few new additions to the rep. When I Take My Sugar To Tea, When Somebody Thinks You're Wonderful being a couple from the first set.

After drawing the winning raffle ticket (for Miles Watson) I enjoyed listening to Teresa doing nice things to Cry Me A River and Once in a While.

Running Wild had two trombones and two banjos whilst My Gal Sal featured two clarinets.

Jimmy Ruddick sang Doctor Jazz and a good time was had by all.

Enjoyed it.

Lance.

The Saddest Day - R.I.P. HANK JONES

I'm indebted to Hilary Gilby for passing on the sad news that Hank Jones passed away yesterday (May 16) age 91.

A pianist to be remembered not just as a brilliant soloist, which he was, but as the sideman's sideman. His career saw him in the rhythm section of just about everyone not least as an accompanist to Ella Fitzgerald and many other singers, including Chris Connor and Shirley Horn, both live and on record.

Despite his inclination to remain in the shadows he nevertheless picked up 5 Grammy nominations winning a Lifetime Recognition award in 2009.

I remember a knockout trio set he played at the North Sea Jazz Festival with George Duvivier (bs) and Frank Gant (dms) - see photo - back in the early '80s as well as hearing him on innumerable LPs and CDs.

He was on piano when Marilyn Monroe sang Happy Birthday Mister President to JFK in 1962.

Willow Weep For Me.

RIP Hank - a true great.

Obituary.

A Poem from Jason Crane.

Lance.

Paul Edis Sextet - Splinter @ The Bridge

Graham Hardy (tpt/flg), Alex Leathard (tmb), Graeme Wilson (ten), Paul Edis (pno), Andy Champion (bs), John Hirst (dms).

Three guys came off the Subs' Bench for this one - but what Subs! John Hirst, Andy Champion and Alex Leathard. All three are key members of other bands and indeed their appearances at the Bridge are topped only by those of Mark Williams who was relegated to the stands tonight.

Alex, whose finely chiselled features are reminiscent of the young Chet Baker, soloed with cool dude efficiency. I wonder if he and fellow trombonist Chris Hibbard have ever thought of putting together a Jay and Kai fashioned Quintet?

Graham and Graeme fuelled the fire with some temperature raising moments although Graham did mellow when blowing flugel. There were cryptic references to tenor playing Graeme's unfamiliar instrument - it sounded okay to these ears.

Most of the compositions and arrangements were by Paul, some from way back. Needless to say deps, Andy and John, coped admirably as indeed did the aforementioned deputy slider Alex.

The only surprise was that it wasn't standing room only.

Click here for some terrific black and whites from Adrian Tilbrook.

YouTube.

Lance.

More History

Colin Aitchison has come up with this gem from 1955.

Thank you Colin.

Can anyone tell me more about the bands?

The Panama, very well known locally. The Vieux Carré are still going strong.

The Cellarmen were lead by Colin's dad, Hughie. Fred Rowe fronted the Rivermouth. Pete Drysdale, I think, is still around but I know nothing of the Apex Jazzmen or the Barrelhouse. Can anyone help?

(Russell has unearthed info that John Ronan played trombone with the Rivermouth Jazzmen. John is now playing with the Harlem Hot Stompers out Manchester way - if you read this we'd love to hear from you.)

Lance.

Tyne Valley Stompers @ Saltwell Park. Sunday May 16

Tyne Valley Stompers: Tom Derbyshire (double bass), ? (drums), ? (clarinet), Terry Harvey (banjo), Gerry Denning (trumpet & vocals) & John Crisp (trombone & vocals).

Sunday morning and it looked like rain. Should I go over to Saltwell Park to hear the Stompers? I could stay in and listen to Desert Island Discs. The jazz won.

I arrived at Gateshead in time to catch the second set. The park was a blaze of fuschia pink - a women's charity fun run in aid of cancer research was in full swing. Down bandstand way all was silent with the Dixielanders enjoying an interval break.

First tune of the second set was Pennies From Heaven and right on cue it started to rain. The bandstand looked like a good lightning conductor but the sextet played on. A line-up approximating the Tyne Valley Stompers (trumpet and trombone had been washed up north from Swale Valley Stompers way) entertained the bedraggled, most of whom took shelter from the pelting rain, audience. April Showers followed - how apt. Denning and Crisp shared the vocals, Terry Harvey supplied the chords, the clarinetist was fluent and full of invention and after a few more classic numbers including Hindustan and Alexander's Ragtime Band it was time to set off home in the rain.

Inclement weather aside this was a good start to a summer season of jazz in the parks.

Russell

Review. Shapeshifting - the Tim Richards Trio.

Tim Richards (pno), Dominic Howles (bs), Jeff Lardner (dms).

The question that immediately springs to mind is - do we really need another piano trio?

The answer is probably no with the proviso - that there are a few exceptions and the Tim Richards Trio is one of them.

This is no cocktail lounge, dinner jazz, ensemble - although I'm sure they can make that scene too - Tim, Dominic and Jeff live and operate but a short chorus from the cutting edge.

This disc - is it their third? is very listenable indeed with a balanced mix of jazz standards and Tim Richards' originals (plus one by bassist Dominic Howles - the cleverly titled Bristolian Thoroughfare.)

Bud Powell's Un Poco Loco, Cedar Walton's Bolivia and Bobby Timmons' This Here stand up well against the composers' own versions whilst Ellington's Prelude to a Kiss and Come Sunday build upon the rich harmonic structure of the originals.

Of Richards' own compositions The Message has that churchy feel about it so beloved of the hard bop bands of the late 1950s whilst Eleventh Hour has the edge of a precipice feel that I always get from a jazz waltz - that looking for the fourth beat that never comes

Individually they solo with no shortage of technique - long flowing lines interspersed with chordal passages reminiscent of Bud Powell from Tim. Dominic is solid throughout and Jeff driving and sympathetic.

Together they swing. Swing seems to be a passé word these days but it remains the vital element required to validate the authenticity of a jazz performance.

Shapeshifting 33Jazz205. Release date May 17. Contact tim@timrichards.ndo.co.uk

Lance.

Jazz Dance in Hong Kong

From Hong Kong Colin Aitchison, leader of the China Coast Jazzmen long-time resident band at Ned Kelly's Last Stand in Kowloon, sent me some photos of the Victoria Jazz Band taken at another 'joint' - Grappa's.

Colin informs me that they are a swingy band playing Basie, Buck Clayton style arrangements with a large young following. He didn't supply any names.

What struck me most was that people were actually dancing and enjoying themselves!

Isn't that the way it should be?

When people stopped dancing to jazz the fun element disappeared and it became a pin-dropping exclusive exercise exorcising the eclectic and often the excitement and the ecstasy from the experience.

Photos.

Lance.

Art For Laurie's Sake

If I should fall in love again... I'm sure it will be with Laurie Pepper, widow of Art Pepper - one of the great musicians of the last century.

Reading the album notes that Laurie penned for the recent release of previously undiscovered live Stuttgart recordings from Art's final European tour in 1981 I'm quite overwhelmed by the depth of feeling that emerges.

It is like as though a happy ending has been added to Straight Life.

Check them out here and listen to samples from the album.

Art really was the greatest and so are you Laurie for perpetuating his memory.

Lance.

Tees Valley Jazzmen @ The Acklam Hotel, Middlesbrough.

I was unable to get to this gig but Norma Salisbury reports that the Tees Valley Jazzmen and those GI Josephines the Fenner Sisters went down a bomb. Wish I'd been there.

Most importantly, the Cystic Fibrosis charity raised £1100 which is what the gig was all about.

Try and catch this package next time around at the Manor Hotel, West Auckland on July 23.

Lance.

Pelican Post

Following several mentions in BBSH of the Emcee Five, I’m sure I remember seeing them playing at a club at the top of Northumberland Street, above what was then the News Theatre. I think the club was called the Pelican Club but I might be wrong about that. Has anyone recollections, or more info?

Jack Goodwin.

(The above photo has Ian Carr in his pre Emcee Five days at the Pelican Club. Ronnie McLean is the trombonist and Don Armstrong the sax player - Lance.)

Some then and now photos.

Paul Edis Trio @ Blaydon Jazz Club

Paul Edis (pno), Mick Shoulder (bs), Adam Sinclair (dms).

This was just about the perfect mix - standards peppered with originals. Indeed, with the passage of time, in a perfect world, the originals themselves would become standards in their own right.

Bill Evansish was how Roly described Paul earlier and certainly Bill Evans' influence could be felt - particularly on ballads such as Funny Valentine and Every Time We Say Goodbye. However, Paul is much more than a mere clone - he is very much his own man as he demonstrated throughout the evening.

Singing in the Rain was the 'non-dancing' version and it worked well. Cheek to Cheek had a few piano bars of counterpoint that could have changed the title to Bach to Bach.

On bass, Mick seemed to be more prominent than of yore taking a melody part in Emily and also featured on his own Song For Claire as well as a bowed/hummed solo a la Slam Stewart on Paul's Big Jug Blues.

Adam had some imaginative breaks when exchanging fours - he really does listen to what's going on around him - as well as providing the impetus behind the other two.

Taking the Dog for a Walk was a Paul original with a really catchy lilt to it and some stride-like piano thrown in for good measure and, even though he wasn't playing, Roly was acknowledged with one of his own compositions based on the enigmatic Job Shufflebottom - a person he encountered in his nine to five days.

Another enjoyable evening at a cosy little corner of the jazz world.

Lance.

A Further Memory of Dave Fox and the Bungalow Jazz Club by Ray Chester.

It's a coincidence that you mentioned Eric Delaney in a previous post because one of my memories of the Bungalow Jazz Club is of him turning up there one night and sitting in with the trio - this at the time when he was leading his big band and a very important musician. I think he had a girl friend who lived on one of the Sunderland housing estates and whom he later married. The word was that he turned up in his big car (Bentley?) which was parked outside the council house where she lived and caused quite a bit of comment!

The Bungalow Jazz Club was on Sunday nights in what was, for the rest of the week, Gilbert Daniels' studio where he taught ballroom dancing. He was nationally known as a teacher and, I think, sometimes acted as a judge on 'Come Dancing'. He used to provide a barrel of beer which was set up in the back room and sold to the customers. This made it the first place I had ever played in where alcohol was available - licensing laws were very much stricter then. My memory is not particularly good but this must have been in the late 50/'60s.

As far as I can remember the first resident trio included Bob and Ronnie Stephenson with Bob on piano and Ronnie on drums. Ronnie was still a teenager, Bob a bit older. Ronnie went on to much greater things - The Johnny Dankworth Big Band, the resident trio at Ronnie Scott's and Sunday Night at the Palladium with Jack Parnell's band. He moved to the continent, first with the Kurt Edelhagen band and finally in a theatre in Berlin with time off to do various jazz gigs. A few years ago he contracted a serious illness and took retirement on grounds of ill health. He and his wife moved to a place in the east of Scotland where he died not long after. Bob went to live near Glasgow a long time ago working as a pianist and arranger for the BBC among others. As far as I know he is still alive and probably working. The last time I saw him was about 15 years ago when he came to Newcastle College, where I was teaching at the time, to act as an outside assessor when the students were doing their final performance.

I took over from Bob at the Bungalow with Derek Dixon on bass and Stan New on drums.

Dave Fox first came to the north east with the Wiley Price Band which took over from Al Flush at the Rink Ballroom in Sunderland not long after it had been taken over by the Rank Organisation. After they had completed their contract they were replaced by Bill Sowerby's band which included Dave on drums and me as 4th Trumpet/Trombone/Arranger. I think he was originally from the Plymouth area but he had moved around quite a bit before arriving in Sunderland. He never intended to stay but lived here for the rest of his life.

Over the years he did a lot of gigs for me in all sorts of bands from the Big Band down to trios and including quite a few pantos at Sunderland Empire. He was an excellent player with a knack of doing the right thing at the right time and I have often remarked that for a lot of the time I forgot he was there because he was so right. Dave also worked a lot on cruise liners.

He was the original drummer with the Emcee Five when they played late night gigs on Saturdays at the jazz club that operated above the old Arcade at the bottom of Pilgrim Street. He was fond of telling me, at great length, about a trip to Italy with them which, as he told it, was a bit of a nightmare. I used to hear a lot of stories from Dave because he never learned to drive and when he played for me I used to be his taxi.

Ray Chester.

KESWICK JAZZ FESTIVAL

If you ever plan to motor west then do it Saturday and take in the penultimate day of the festival which includes a performance by Zoe Gilby, Andy Champion and Mark Williams.

Lance.

Evan Christopher and Django a la Creole - Trailer

Those interested in Evan Christopher and Django a la Creole concert at The Sage Gateshead on July 15 can check them out here on LondonJazz.

I'm looking forward immensely to this one.

Lance.

Re-cycling cassettes

Ever thought of what to do with those old cassettes you no longer play?

Here's an idea.

Thanks to Sarah R for pointing me in this direction.

Lance.

Fryer-Barnhart International Jazz Band w. Jimmy Mazzy @ The Saville Exchange, North Shields.

Jeff Barnhart (pno/vcl), Jim Fryer (tmb/tpt/vcl), Jimmy Mazzy (bjo/vcl), Gordon Whitworth (tpt/vcl), George Huxley (clt/sop/Grafton alto), Annie Hawkins (bs), Brian Mellor (bjo/gtr/vcl), Nick Ward (dms).

What can I say? This was fun - Good Time Jazz no less and often more.

Jeff Barnhart is not just larger than life but larger than just about anything! An amazing player and surely the spiritual son of Fats and James P.

Fellow American Jim Fryer blew nice, smooth, trombone a la Urbie Green/Teagarden/Cutty Cutshall. Jim also played trumpet as well as crooning like a true balladeer.

George Huxley, as well as blowing on Bechet's à bientot on soprano and clarinet also played a Grafton Alto Sax. Remember them? A plastic alto! Years ago, I had one that I bought for £25 and sold for £40 - today they sell for a lot of money. George got a good sound.

Gordon's Blue and Broken-hearted was a tribute to Wild Bill Davison - a vocal too. Gave us an idea of how Wild Bill may have sounded had he lived in Solihull

The banjos did the business and Mazzy also sang a few.

Nick Ward on traps was his usual laid back self which just leaves Annie Hawkins.

Always a darling I last heard Annie back in the 1980's in Breda she was a solid sender then - if you'll pardon my outdated jive talk - and still kicks things along.

Enjoyed chatting - her father was also called Lance so we bonded.

A good gig and what a piano player!

Photos

Lance.

Bungalow Jazz Club, South Shields. Recalled by Jim McD.

I wonder how many jazz fans ‘of a certain age’ recall the Bungalow Jazz Club in South Shields? Situated behind the County Hotel and attached to the local cricket/rugby ground it was, during the 1960s, perhaps better known as a dance studio (The Gilbert Daniels’ School of Dancing.) However, on, I think, Sunday (or was it Friday?) evenings it became a modern jazz club. It wasn’t a club in the sense that paying customers sat at tables and listened with intent – no Corner House/Blue Note furrowed brows here. They drank, smoked, socialized and, horror of horrors, even talked - sometimes quite loudly so that they could be heard above the music. They may even have attempted to dance. Those few who were more interested in modern jazz stood closer to the bandstand. Many musicians passed through, some fleetingly others on a more regular basis. Fondly remembered are; Kenny Morrell (piano), Dave Fox (drums), Joe Cooper (piano) - he specialized in Brubeckian renditions such as “When You Wish Upon a Star” from ‘Dave plays Disney’ - pianist Frankie Hedley, tenorman Eric Pollard and, of course, arranger/trombonist Ray Chester (now 80 yrs and despite physical setbacks still playing I believe!) I would guess that Tommy Moran would have also been in there blowing alto. Now comes a bit of a mystery. There was a young man playing piano; the brother of a soon to be world famous drummer, the pianists name - Billy Stephenson, the drummer’s first name Ronnie. Ronnie Stephenson met up with Ian and Mike Carr and became one of the founding members of possibly the greatest jazz group to come out of the north east, I refer to the Emcee Five who, at the time, played a regular gig at the Down Beat Club, Newcastle. I would be delighted to know what became of Billy Stephenson - one of the Bungalow’s finest. I recall, fairly recently, talking to a Bungalow regular. He told the tale of how one of the club’s ‘socialisers’ – he’d go there to chat up the ladies rather than to dig the music - went to a Buddy Rich concert. Asked what he thought of Buddy the fellow replied, “It was amazing - he plays just like Dave Fox.” Although my own experience of Jazz at the Bungalow was limited to a few visits during 1960/61, it was a venue that left a lasting impression on me and furthered my interest in Modern Jazz. Jim McDowell.

Editors note; As Dave's daughter Debbie has added a comment I have brought this post forward in the hope that there are others around who may remember the Bungalow Jazz club and Dave Fox and who may even have photos.

News Flash Resignation!

Dr. Nicola Weaver, that fine sax player, has parted company (amicably) with Budvivar - no doubt to develop her free-lance connections around town as they used to say in the Melody Maker many years ago.

I'm assured that the fact that this announcement arrived on the same day that Gordon Brown jumped ship is purely coincidental and that if Gordon wants to blow baritone and alto with Budvivar he will have to be democratically elected by the good burghers of Budvivarland.

Lance.

Paul Edis Preview(s)

This week could be said to be Paul Edis Week with at least two known gigs listed.

Roly has already posted info on the trio's gig at Blaydon on Thursday (May 13) Paul being the Bill Evansish pianist enigmatically referred to by Roly.

This should provide the impetus to catch Bill/Paul with the Sextet on Sunday (May 16) at the Bridge Hotel, Newcastle, as part of the Splinter @ The Bridge series of Sunday nighters.

There is new material and new faces in the sextet line-up for this gig. John Hirst is on drums, Andy Champion plays bass and Alex Leathard will be sliding around on trombone.

For some audio samples of what to expect check out Paul's MySpace link.

Despite being listed as being by the trio the first two items are in fact by the Sextet.

Lance.

alt.vinyl

Interested in rare vinyl? Check out the alt.vinyl store in Newcastle. Some rare jazz in the listings.

Lance.

Some Like It Hot - a few girl bands..

Roly drew my attention to the first clip which led me to add a few swinging girl bands of a slightly later period. The Sweethearts of Rhythm have some great soloists.

I love the choreographed conducting of some of the leaders - shades of Issie Barrett with the VOTNJO.

The Ingenious All Girls Band of 1929.

Thelma White's All Girl Orchestra.

Ada Leonard's all Girl Band.

International Sweethearts of Rhythm.

Ivy Benson and her All Girl Orchestra.

Ina Ray Hutton and her Melodears.

Lance

Farewell Lena Horne - died Sunday May 9 age 92.

Sonny Simmons Quartet @ The Bridge Hotel, Newcastle.

Sonny Simmons (alt/cor anglais), Derek Saw (tpt/valve tmb), John Janosch (gtr/oud), Charlie Collins (dms).

What's this? An oud? A cor anglais? "Cor blimey!" I hear myself mutter.

The room fills up and the Jazz North East gang breath a sigh of relief as extra seats have to be brought in.

On stage, Simmons, born Louisiana raised in Oakland Cal, picks up the cor, Janosch, perhaps Sheffield's number one oudist, places the lute-like instrument across his knee and the severely be-whiskered Collins takes up a southpaw stance behind the double snare-drummed kit.

Saw, trilby clad and looking like a hustler in a Brooklyn pool-room circa 1947, sways rhythmically whilst the others meander musically.

The exercise draws to a close and Simmons says "Yo" to the audience.

I yawn.

Sonny picks up the alto, Derek the trumpet, John the Telecaster and Charlie strokes his plentiful beard.

This is more like it - no more ouding, cor anglais or yawning tonight.

I think back to the early days of Ornette Coleman - "Tomorrow is the Question"

Simmons supplies the answer.

Blistering alto - fuller sound than Ornette - Sonny blows the changes out of the window and Derek does the same - the trumpet may be brass but the timbre is Sheffield Steel and I don't mean stainless. Don Cherry meets Harry James.

Sonny says "Yo".

Enter the ghost of Charlie Parker Past. The Gypsy. Sonny takes Billy Reid's tune on an unaccompanied walk around the block. Discovers some alleyways that even Bird missed. Lyrical, I'm impressed. In the second set he does the same with 'Round Midnight - I'm more impressed.

Sonny says "Yo".

Derek moving to and fro' trumpet to valve trombone - Roswell Rudd meets Roswell New Mexico launching improvised UFOs.

Sonny sings a chorus of It Was a Very Good Year (Yo?) Sinatra meets Tom Waits.

And then it's over. The audience screams for more but Sonny is already dissembling his horn.

Derek says, "When Sonny says it's over - it's over."

I'm not bothered the guys have opened up their skulls, laid bare their soul we've been privileged to see and hear one of the last of the near greats.

Yo Sonny.

Photos.

Lance.

Blaydon Update

Our next concert is on Thurs 13th May - in the lounge. It features a young pianist destined for national recognition!

Thoughtful, Bill Evansish, lyrical - need I say more?

Also Adam Sinclair on drums - another of the great young players coming through. He plays with a light touch, subtlety, innate swing and a dash of humour.

Add to that the mercurial Mick Shoulder on bass and what have you got?

A great piano trio.

And all for a measly £4. What a bargain!

Changing tack - our concert of Tyneside dialect songs is on Mon. 7th June. Arrangements for two guitars (Jim Birkett & myself) plus voice (myself and definitely not James).

There's a lot more to our tradition of local song than Cushie Butterfield, Blaydon Races and Keep your feet still Geordie hinny. Some lovely ballads, humerous romps, songs of our industrial past, etc etc - even a seduction song and a 'bossa nova' song about a whippet!! - you might be surprised at the range of material.

If anyone is thinking of coming best to contact me or see me Thurs to reserve tickets as I'm about to pass the unsold tickets to the festival organisers to go on sale at the library etc.

Its £4 - all admission money to help the rapidly diminishing jazz club kitty.

Roly.

Remembering Mary Lou Williams

Mary Lou Williams would have been 100 years old today (Saturday May 8) had she not died of cancer back in 1981.

NPR produced this recollection of the first woman jazz iconic instrumentalist and arranger.

They also did this program introduced by Dee Dee Bridgewater which features Mary Lou in two concerts from 1976 and 1978.

Here she is the guest on Piano Jazz interviewed by that other great lady of the keyboard - Marian McPartland.

A true giant(ess) - her piano playing bears comparison with any of her contemporaries.

Lance.

Andy Champion's ACV @ Queens Hall, Hexham. Thursday May 6

Paul Edis, keyboards ; Graeme Wilson, tenor & baritone sax ; Mark Williams, Strat ; Adrian Tilbrook, drums ; Andy Champion, double bass

So I forsake Emile Parisien's reportedly wonderful gig at Gateshead Old Town Hall, if Russell's lyrical Franglais blog is to be believed, for a night out in Hexham. No more election puns but this was anything but a 67% turnout ; the chef had gone home for a TV dinner and almost everyone else in town seems to have followed suit. But the show must go on and ACV gave us - me and the surprised Hexham 11 - a spirited if rather echoey performance.

"Are you ready Adrian?" asks Andy ; "I'm ready, but is the world ready?!" Then straight in with that wonderfully strident 9/8 rhythm as Andy plucks the rising bass intro of the first track on the album Fail in Wood, A Line made by Walking, leaving the chosen few in no doubt that this is no tea garden performance - more of a lightening tour of Tokyo's Shinjuku district.

After another, Andy quips, well-placed album track - You Add to My Stress, we are treated to the new enigmatic AC composition Giant Mice, punching another big hole in Hexham's wainscoting! the scale of it is beyond our metaphorical grasp. The first set finishes with that wonderfully moody track Black Embrace, which, on the album sleeve carries the in-parenthesis qualification Knight Moves, and always makes me think of some obscure defensive play, combined with the Cool style of the original 1968 Thomas Crown Affair, yet again boiling down to soft-focus sex with Faye Dunaway on a sheepskin rug surrounding an abandoned chess game, 2 empty glasses and a lipstick-traced long filter-tipped cigarette gently smoking on a heavy glass ashtray.

Only 3 people appear to have gone home to work out the prize anagram competition - Giant Mice (9) - a swing of 25% to Roluba, as the second set kicks off with the elegiac album title track Fail in Wood, Andy plucking flowers carefully before they Perish from the Hill, picking up speed until they take off like a Scarlet Freight train into the parallax of Graeme's forging tenor and Mark's iron Strat, flinging out their Nameless Pods as they tear towards what we can only imagine is the horizon. And then, no apologies required, Andy's mischievous monkey treatment of Monk's Hackensack with, I have to say, my table drumming highlight of the night - man of the match award goes to Adrian for his superb drum solo, which must have woken up even the loneliest monks in Hexham Abbey! Paul Edis comes in close with his tribute piano work - those jarring semitone 2nds and rising and falling chromatic triplets - classic Monk! We are then treated to another 2 new compositions: New Peculiar and Never Ever which are both well-received.

You can tell there's an express train approaching and it's not stopping, as Andy counts in Without Bones at 333 bpm, 'Time No Changes', Biggles flies undone on a shot of Red Bull, driving that train as our hero chucks on the proverbial coal with his great wooden shovel ; searching for metaphors, Paul turns up the percussive steam pressure on the keys like Cecil Taylor on speed, while Mark's Strat (through The Rat) and Graeme's tenor trade deafening but friendly insults in a dining car with no windows; someone off stage pulls the communication chord and the train hits the buffers on Fm7 to F - exhilarating stuff.

But now is the time to yield a sigh and ACV send us home with the beautifully written and arranged And You Do, ending like a Highland lullaby to keep us from staying up to watch the results dribble in. So it looks like the Tap and Spile!

George M.

Tango Siempre @ The Sage, Gateshead.

Ros Stephen (vln), Bimbi Urquhart (viola), Victor Villena, Julian Rowlands (bandoneon), Jonathan Taylor (pno), Richard Price (bs), Guillermo Rozenthuler (vcl).

It's the 1930s, I'm in a downtown café in Buenos Aires. Sipping a cerveza I watch the gigolo at work. He is smooth, sleek, Satanic. His long sideburns - cut razor-sharp at his prominent cheekbones - give him a look of evil. It is a hypnotic evil of the kind women of a certain age go for.

The band plays a tango, a señora smiles, she blows smoke-rings, they drift towards him, he gives an almost imperceptible nod and they dance.

The tango - the dance of love...

I open my eyes and find I'm not in Argentina but Gateshead - Hall Two of The Sage.

The tables and the gigolo are gone but the music and the atmosphere remain.

In truth, despite the publicity machine, the jazz content in tonight's performance is minimal. However, it is still an enjoyable evening and South America doesn't seem very far away. Tango Siempre capture the mood perfectly and thoroughly deserved the warm applause from the appreciative audience.

Muchos gracias.

Lance

Paris(ien) sur Tyne @ Gateshead Old Town Hall - Thursday 6th May

Emile Parisien Quartet: Emile Parisien (soprano saxophone), Julien Tourey (piano), Ivan Gelugne (double bass) & Sylvain Darrifourcq (drums)

French National Jazz Award winners the Emile Parisien Quartet arrived on Tyneside on General Election day. On the Town Hall stage Returning Officer Monsieur Bream, clad in hooped black and white t-shirt and beret with glass of claret in hand, introduced the candidates to an attentive audience.

Would they win our vote?

The quartet opted for a gentle opening number with a repeated motif from Parisien's soprano sax. Pianist Julien Tourey got under the lid of the Yamama to pluck, then hammer, then conjour, fleetingly, Satie. Bassist Ivan Gelugne produced a warm sound and on several occasions bowed effectively. Sylvain Darrifourcq, a la batterie (doesn' t it sound so much better than 'drums'?), proved to be yet another first class player, clattering and banging with in-built swing time - great stuff.

Tunes were played without pause, first and second set. The band's CD/DVD sales went off the scale - all were sold at the interval. At the end of the night there was rapturous applause winning an encore for which the leader literally sat out (sitting on the floor of the stage) content to let his comrades take the honours. The very last note was quite brilliant with pianist Tourney sustaining the sound for what seemed to be an eternity.

Tres bon!

Votes cast, counted, the Emile Parisien Quartet won by a landslide. 'Vive la France!', 'Vive le Jazz!'

Russell

Bobby Carr Info wanted.

A request for info on the late trumpet player Bobby Carr comes from Steve Grant and Bobby's son James.

Photos, memories anything that will be of interest.

Reply via this post or direct to myself.

Lance.

Polish Jazz Focus @ The Sage (June 2 - June 9.)

There are some exciting events lined up for June's Polish Jazz Focus at The Sage Gateshead commencing with the Nigel Kennedy Quintet and Polish singer Anna Maria Jopek.

For details of this and other events in the series, which runs from June 2 - June 9, click here.

Lance.

Steyning Jazz Club, Portsmouth

Well Portsmouth may have been relegated from the Premier League but, according to John Taylor of Ashington Jazz Club, they still have some Major League jazz going on.

Click here for details. If you hurry you may just catch Simon Spillett tomorrow night.

Thanks John.

Lance.

Everything's coming up Rosie's

Olive Rudd (vcl), Herbie Hudson (tmb/vcl/hca), Jim McBriarty (clt),

Malcolm Armstrong (pno), Alan Rudd (bs), Mike Humble (dms).

There was a sense of 'old home' week about today. It was only on Tuesday that I was listening to Jim McBriarty with the Customs House Big Band. With that almighty ensemble he is almost hidden in the section but, with the Maine Streeters, his clarinet solos abound.

This year, being the centenary of of the birth of Artie Shaw, a tribute to the 'thinking man's Benny Goodman' would seem to be a good idea and I think Jim would be one of the contenders for the role. Not quite sure who would play Lana or Ava etc....

Getting back to the 'old home theme', Mike Humble blew up a rhythmic storm with Alan Glen last night and here he was again - totally different style but still great drumming.

Herbie sang Buddy Bolden Blues and threw in some topical references to 'Bigots' and 'Volcanic Ash' - now that is what I call a true improvised jazz vocal! His trombone and harmonica also told the truth.

Malcolm - the king of barrel-house - Alan - walk that bass this way.

As for Olive well she put her brand on Soon, Keepin' Out of Mischief Now, Jeepers Creepers, Swing That Music and other faves.

Another superb afternoon.

Lance.

...nor was last night - The Claude Werner Quartet @ the Lescar Hotel Sheffield 5th May

Claude Werner Tenor Sax, Mark Williams Guitar, David Carnegie Drums, Laurence Blackadder Double Bass.

The Lescar Hotel hosts a weekly Arts Council supported jazz programme in Sheffield. The Claude Werner Quartet played two great sets and were received with great enthusiasm and appreciation by a 'Schmazz-like' audience. Murmerings of 'high quality' and 'lifting the standard' could be heard throughout the evening. The band were on top form, delivering uplifting interpretations of Claude's beautiful melodies.

I could pick out high points but even more impressive was the complete whole performance with its many variations and contrasts.

My Sheffield based uncle, who's last encounter with jazz was Humphrey Lyttleton 25 years ago, popped in to be sociable, doubting that it would be to his taste but found himself delighted by the music and amazed by the skill of the players. He stayed for the entire performance, wishing for more, before going off to buy the CD to listen to in bed that night.

Nicola Weaver.

Tonight, Tonight, Won't Be just Any Night...

...and I don't mean the Election that they tell me is taking place.

Even without a session at Blaydon the choice is plentiful.

Jazz North East have the Emile Parisien Quartet at Gateshead Old Town Hall. This French Quartet may mean that we see Europe in a completely new light.

Down in South Shields, at the Customs House, the Ray Chester Big Band with the wonderful Mia Webb and the fabulous Fenner Sisters remind us of those glorious big band years when all you had to worry about was a Doodlebug homing in on you.

Up at Sunniside, in the Marquis of Granby, the Vieux Carré Jazzmen are stomping off whilst way down south in Stockton the Oxbridge New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band are at the Oxbridge Hotel.

However, the gig of them all may be at the Queens Hall Hexham where ACV perform.

ACV, incidentally also perform at London's prestigious Vortex on August 31 - Andy Champion and co are on their way.

Lance.

Alan Glen Trio @ The Chilli

Alan Glen (pno), John Pope (bs), Mike Humble (dms).

Dave Weisser (tpt/flug/vcl), Barrie Ascroft (pno), Jim Crinson (bs), Rob Bates (dms).

Another splendid set from the trio. David Carnegie was unable to make the gig so tonight we had Mike Humble on drums and he did the business but good.

As ever, Alan played a choice selection of standards and an original - She Walks Into Mine - a lovely ballad with an identity of its own.

I Hear a Rhapsody, You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To, Like Someone in Love, Falling in Love With Love, What is This Thing Called Love, When I Fall in Love and Too Close For Comfort.

Piano playing at its best, first class bass playing and sympathetic drumming.

Mike and Alan, in fact, had worked together many times over the years so it wasn't long before they settled into each other's groove.

John Pope continues to grow in stature as a bassist and tonight he was quite amazing.

Classy vocalist Brenda Sokell was in the audience but, despite the lack of sitters in, didn't get a chance to sing.

Hopefully some other spring.

Earlier, the Take It to The Bridge Workshop put Airegin, The Chant, Au Privave and a few more under the musical microscope.

Lance.

Jazz in Ashington by John Taylor

A short article from Ashington's Local History Magazine by John Taylor. Click on image to read.

Johnny Handle, mentioned in the article, returns to his roots when he performs with the Vieux Carré Jazzmen at tonight's Ashington Jazz club session. Sounds like a good night for trad fans.

Should you wish to move forward a few light years then the Alan Glen Trio are at the Chilli tonight.

Either way you should be in for a good night.

Lance.

Customs House Big Band + Ruth Lambert. Open rehearsal @ the New Crown, South Shields.

The only drawback to the Customs House Big Band's monthly open rehearsal at the New Crown, South Shields is the room - the most comfortable seats mean the band is hidden from view. However, this is a small - indeed the only - price to pay for their, as always, polished performance.

After a first set of stop-starting, honing, polishing and tweaking by leader Peter Morgan a one hour concert with vocals from Ruth Lambert followed.

So why wasn't the New Crown crowded? Just a couple of months back, at the Customs House, the band had drawn the punters in for two nights in a row at a tenner a head now they could have a goodly portion of that concert for free.

Strange...

Still their loss as the saying goes...

Of the newer stuff, bassist Jack (John?) Lowe impressed on Bernie's Tune and Gordon Marshall ensured that the brass played with power and precision.

For the concert proper Ruth cantered effortlessly through Time After Time, I Get A Kick Out Of You, Hard Hearted Hannah, I've Got The World On A String and Alright, Okay, You Win.

Our girl was in good voice.

Band numbers Blue Bossa, I Love Paris, Indiana and a couple more saw some good solos from Alan Marshall, Jill Brett, Jim McBriarty, Bill Brittain and Michael Lamb- even Roy Willis slipped in a rare guitar chorus.

It was nice work and they got it without having to try too hard.

Lance.

PS: Next open rehearsal by the band is Tuesday June 1 - stsp. Next gig is at the Saville Exchange, North Shields on Friday June 18.

Nick Page

Liz brought this fine piece of guitar playing to my attention.

Check out Nick Page here.

Lance.

Choice Cuts to Come at the Cherry Tree

Monday May 10: Mo Scott (vcl), Rod Sinclair (gtr), Neil Harland (bs), Paul Smith (dms).

Monday May 17: James Birkett (gtr), Sue Ferris (ten/fl), Neil Harland (bs), Adam Sinclair (dms).

Monday May 24: FIRST TIME- Singing sensation from London - JO HARRUP w. Paul Edis (pno), Mick Shoulder (bs), Adam Sinclair (dms).

and...

Monday June 28: SARAH ELLEN HUGHES (Ex NYJO/Quality vocalist) CD Launch tour.

Lance.

Mark Williams Trio w. Gary Turner @ The Cherry Tree

Gary Turner (ten), Mark Williams (gtr), Paul Susans(bs), Mark Robertson (dms)

I must confess I had my reservations. Gary Turner, I knew, was/is a brilliant tenor player - albeit with a leaning towards the outré. With contemporary jazz/rock band Extreme Measures Gary threatens to extend the already fragile boundaries of convention on to a world as yet undiscovered.

In full flight he is excitement personified. Great stuff for a downtown jazz bar but in classy Jesmond? I had visions of the diners choking on their Pan Fried Coley with Stewed Peppers and Olive Oil Mash.

However, my fears were groundless - Gary had been well primed and the angry young man was replaced by a man of taste as mature as the Roquefort Cheese that accompanied my Endive and Apricot Salad starter.

The set began with Mark exploring the vital ingredients of Blame it on my Youth.

I just love that tune.

Gary augmented the trio at this point and, from the opening bars of All The Things You Are, my fears vanished. This was the lyricism of Stan Getz, the dry tone of Warne Marsh, the promised breath of springtime ... an undulating ride through the changes.

Mark kept the momentum going with some of those incredible runs and phrases he never fails to deliver before Gary returned to take it round the block once more.

This was the general pattern for the evening. You Don't Know What Love Is, a Bossa Nova version of Night and Day that worked and a fine Bavette Steak done medium rare and served with Frites and Peppercorn Butter.

The second set kicked off with Someday My Prince Will Come. The gloves came off a little at this point and I could sense the caged tiger longing to escape but although it made a few menacing gestures in the upper register it remained under lock and key.

Nevertheless, restraint or not, it was a good set with both Mark and Gary going for it and catching it.

On bass, Paul kept it steady adding a chorus or two here and there whilst drumbo Mark ensured the wheels kept a-turning.

For the record, Night in Tunisia, Misty and Billie's Bounce completed the music and Plum Fool (Roasted plums and Kirsch) provided my culinary climax.

Nice to meet vocalist Brenda Sokell enjoying the meal and the music. Strange that more musos don't turn out it's an unbeatable combination that should be experienced by all.

Lance.

More Historic Posters

Colin Aitchison has sent me more historical posters including this Ellington one. Plus one that is not so historical (it took place on my birthday) but surely will be in years to come.

Click here to go to Posters and Programmes album.

Lance.

Tonight's menu looks appetising at the Cherry Tree

Another treat in store for the Cherry Tree clientèle. Not only are the Mark Williams Trio on the menu but along with them is a Special Guest in the form of Gary Turner.

Gary, like Mark, is renowned for his wild musical extravaganzas with Extreme Measures. However, tonight will see the other side of them both so look forward to some exquisite balladry and gently moving standards.

With a superb choice of edible cuisine this looks to be a lovely way to spend an evening at the end of the Bank Holiday.

Lance

Nick Pride & the Pimptones - Splinter @ The Bridge.

Nick Pride (gtr/vcl), David Wilde (ten/fl), Keith Nicholson (tpt), Chris Hibbard (tmb), Ian Pattinson (bs), Oz Cassidy (dms).

This is just about as tight a band as you'll find in a long day's stomp. What you see is what you get - precision playing covering many genré but, whether it be Soul, Funk, Hip-hop, Blues or Reggae there is a jazz groove running through like the lettering in a stick of Whitley Bay Rock ('n Roll).

The 'Pimps aren't a band dependent on virtuoso soloists rattling off a 1000 choruses whilst saying 'look at me aren't I clever?' They're a band that lets the power of the ensembles and the closely knit arrangements do the talking.

Having said that, there were moments to remember such as David Wilde's flute playing and his tenor solos totally immersed into whatever idiom. Keith and Chris (depping for Alex Leathard) had fewer solos but blew good on what they had. Drummer Cassidy drove the band like as though there were no tomorrow and maybe there isn't but Pattinson the bass had his feet firmly entrenched in today providing the melodic pulse that said bass doesn't have to be boring.

Leader Nick kept the whole shebang together playing guitar masterfully, singing minimally and spieling microphonically.

Everybody should have been dancing and I did notice Zoe (Gilby) shaking it about a bit and even Paul Bream waggled his ears!

Another good night and another good crowd.

Photos.

Next week the Sonny Simmons Quartet.

Lance.

Geoff Hutchinson

Alan Rudd kindly drew my attention to this article in the Evening Chronicle on Friday April 30.

It tells the fascinating story of blind drum tutor Geoff Hutchinson, son of former Panama Jazzmen drummer, Teddy Hutchinson.

Photos

Page 1

Page 2

Interesting reading including a photo of one of Geoff's star pupils - John Hirst well known in local jazz circles and surely destined for greater things - I hadn't realised that John had studied at Berklee in Boston, Mass.

Lance.

Lullaby of Grainger Street

I was truckin' on down the avenue - actually walking down Grainger Street - when I had a sudden whim to call into 'Old Hitz Records'. Old Hitz is an emporium that sells second hand discs - mainly vinyl - and has a jazz section which I duly browsed.

Nothing under a fiver so I didn't bite.

However, another section caught my eye - Sale LPs £1 each or 6 for £5.

I dived in and emerged £10 lighter!

Amongst the goodies was an LP by Susannah McCorkle. In fact it was her very first LP The Music of Harry Warren. Now anyone who visits this site will know that this tragic lady is just about my favourite female singer (along with Becky Kilgore and Daryl Sherman) and this selection is comparable with anything else I've heard from her.

Recorded in London in 1976 with Keith Ingham on piano - they were an item at the time and the empathy shows - Bruce Turner blowing alto and clarinet whilst Len Skeat plays bass and Johnny Richardson's on drums.

Lullaby of Broadway, About a Quarter to Nine, Forty-Second Street, Chattanooga Choo Choo, I Only Have Eyes For You just some of the better known ones. Not so well known is The Girl Friend of the Whirling Dervish but nevertheless it exudes Harry Warren class.

Some days you hit lucky, I only went to Newcastle to pick up a pair of trousers that were being altered - Sam, You Made The Pants Too Long (old Streisand number) - and I found the end of the rainbow.

Correction - I went beyond the rainbow with Tormé and the Buddy Rich Band + Phil Woods on alto. Together Again For The First Time.

I'll tell you about the other 10 LPs later!

Lance.

PS: If you're into vinyl it's worth a look in (I did leave a few!)

.

Stan Wilde's Wildcats - 1951.

Colin Aitchison sent me this recording and photo of Stan Wilde's Wildcats from 1951 at the Northern Sound Studios. The tunes are Washington and Lee Swing and Lonesome Road.

Colin's dad, Hughie Aitchison is on trumpet, my old buddy Ronnie McLean plays trombone, Brian Clarke and Alan Shipley are the clarinets. Stan Wilde, his braces hanging down as he sits at the piano gives it a wonderful period feel, Alan Brown, guitar, and Joe Ward, drums, complete the line-up.

Thank you Colin.

Lance.