XPD @ Opus 4, Darlington - October 20

Vasilis Xenopoulos (tenor saxophone), Nigel Price (guitar), Paul Edis (piano), Paul Susans (double bass) & Russ Morgan (drums)

(Review by Russell)

A Friday night in mid-October sees all and sundry heading to the Traveller’s Rest in Cockerton. What’s the occasion? The annual visit of Vasilis Xenopoulos, that’s what! As they queued down the stairs, drinks in hand, a voice said: It’s a tenner tonight. Another replied: I’d pay thirty quid tonight. Such is Vasilis Xenopoulos’ reputation that an increase in the usual admission price didn’t deter the faithful.

An added attraction at this Darlington Opus 4 Jazz Club gig took the form of the brilliant guitarist Mr Nigel Price. Add in the best piano trio around – Messrs Paul Edis, Paul Susans and Russ Morgan – and it had all the makings of a memorable occasion. XPD are Vasilis Xenopoulos, Nigel Price and, on this gig, the aforementioned A-list rhythm section.

On June 21st Xenopoulos and Price went into the studio to record material associated with several of the great saxophone/guitar partnerships in jazz history. The album Sidekicks (review to follow) is the result of their endeavours, and here at Opus 4 not only was the physical product (CD) available to buy hot off the press, the evening’s two sets featured cuts from it! 

Late News - '20s Jazz Night + Pie 'n' Pea Supper

The Vieux Carré Jazzmen are at Hepscott Village Hall tomorrow night (Sunday 22 October) 

Showtime is 8.45pm - tickets are £10 which includes a Pie 'n' Pea Supper. 

Contact: Anne Finlay on 01670 518888 or Lee Walker on 07713 439499

Brian.

Hepscott Village Hall, Morpeth, 

Northumberland NE61 6LN 

Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ The Lit & Phil - October 20

Vasilis Xenopoulos (tenor saxophone) & Paul Edis (piano)

(Review by Russell/photo courtesy of Jerry)

Vasilis Xenopoulos stepped off the train at Central Station and walked all of two minutes to the Lit and Phil. This was to be the first of two gigs in a day for London-based Xenopoulos. This reunion with friend pianist Paul Edis found the duo surrounded by audio-visual recording equipment. Their excellent 2016 album A Narrow Escape deserves to be heard by a wider audience and promoting the ‘product’ to interested parties won’t do any harm at all.

CD Review: Sherri Roberts - Anybody's Spring

Sherri Roberts (vocal); David Udolf (piano); Harvie S (bass); Akira Tana (drums); Sheryl Bailey (guitar).
(Review by Lance).

The seasons have provided fertile material for songwriters, often to the point of overkill with: Winter Wonderland, Autumn Leaves and Summertime being typical examples of good songs that have been flogged to death unlike Winter in Madrid (Ann Richards w. Kenton), Autumn Serenade and The Things We Did Last Summer which are all worthy of more exposure.

Spring, however, is a different kettle of fish - possibly because there are more of them [songs] - but, since Shakespeare's It Was a Lover and His Lass, Spring, like love, has ever been in the air and the airs on this album are 12 of the best sung by a lady who moved from theatre to song when she recognized that exploring the rich emotional life of a character through story can be done far more economically in a four-minute song than a two-hour play; that a well-written song is like a drama in miniature, distilled to its musical essence; and that singing, like acting, offers the means to externalize the deeper, internal self. She walked away from theatre and onto the bandstand, and hasn’t looked back since.

And I'm rather glad about that!

Vasy's Back in Town and so is Nigel Price...

The ever-popular saxman Vasilis Xenopoulos began his barnstorming tour of the northeast this lunchtime in tandem with pianist Paul Edis at the Lit and Phil in Newcastle. 
Tonight, the duo, augmented with top UK guitarist Nigel Price, Paul Susans on bass and Russ Morgan on drums, play the Opus 4 Club in Darlington. 
Tomorrow night, sans Edis, they play Eyemouth and come Sunday they're at Blaydon Jazz Club - Mick Shoulder plays bass on this one.

Russell will be reporting all of the gigs apart from Eyemouth (passport expired) so watch this space.

Jerry was at today's lunchtime session and sent these photos as a taster to the Lit and Phil review.

Lance.

CD Launch: Oli Rockberger - Sovereign. Press release

(Press release)

Pianist, vocalist, songwriter and producer Oli Rockberger’s fourth studio release, Sovereign (his first for the Whirlwind label and following on from his self-release Old Habits), takes its title from the viewpoints of transition, growth and independence. The music for this album came together from a decision to return to his native London after sixteen years in the United States where, following successful graduation from Berklee College of Music attended as a Full Tuition Scholarship recipient, his hugely formative New York career developed as sideman to big-name jazz instrumentalists including Randy Brecker, Will Lee (with Steve Gadd) and Nathan East, to working alongside acclaimed singer-songwriters Carly Simon, Jesse Harris and John Mayer. Now based in the UK capital, Rockberger continues to work internationally as an in-demand sideman, with recent collaborations including Becca Stevens, Richard Spaven, Fridolijn and Louis Cole, in addition to his ongoing work with acclaimed UK songstress Laura Mvula, as a member of her touring band (keys/vocals). 

Glowrogues @ Empty Shop - October 18

Sam Healey (alto), ? (tenor), Aaron Diaz (trumpet & electronics), Ben Watte (keys), Dan Brew (guitar), Jamie Brewster (bass) & Jim Molyneux (drums)

(Review by Russell)

Dance the Story is one of the tunes on Manchester-based Glowrogues’ debut download album Live at Jazz Plus Presents. The seven-piece band is touring its new ‘product’ on a word-of-mouth, social media whirlwind tour, and, at Durham’s Empty Shop, band and audience danced the night away. At this gig Glowrogues’ record label had a very local connection. Founders Charles and Chris knew all about the venue having recently graduated from Durham University. Now London-based, their Jazz Plus Presents business partnership inked in a Durham date on Glowrogues’ autumn tour.

CD Review: Eddie Daniels & Roger Kellaway - Just Friends

(The press release says as much, and more, about this album than I could ever come up with. Nevertheless, I go along with every word. Daniels has long been my favourite modern clarinet player of the post-De Franco era and, unlike the clarinet men who preceded him, he was one mighty tenor player too. However, its clarinet all the way here and an object lesson for anyone who thinks that modern clarinet, played with technique is passé. Maybe it is as these tracks were recorded in 1988! – Lance).

A Dixieland Day in the Dales

Guitarist Ron Hampton of Tees Hot Club fame has asked me to mention a trad gig coming up in Leyburn, North Yorkshire.

The Frisco Bay Hot Stompers are crossing the Pennines to play the Bolton Arms Hotel in Leyburn, North Yorkshire which is interesting for a few reasons.

The personnel includes Tom Derbyshire on bass (pictured) who, many years ago, was part of the Jim Vincent Trio with the late Marshall Walker on drums. He also, I believe, played in a college band with the late Bill Shaw. I also did a gig with him many many years ago - too long ago to remember. The last time I saw Tom was either at Marshall's funeral or when he did a dep gig with the Maine Street Jazzmen at Rosie's in South Shields. 

So much for the reminiscences!

And the band played on… Jazz Café Jam Session – October 17

(Review by Russell)

The Jazz Café’s jam session is rapidly approaching legendary status. The Pink Lane venue across the road from Newcastle Central Station is the place to be at eight o’clock (earlier if you want to sit down as seats are at a premium) every first and third Tuesday in the month. The house band is an A-list affair and the many sitters-in invariably bring their A-game to the party.

This October 17 renewal attracted a dizzying list of participants. The house trio – James Harrison foregoing the Caff’s upright piano in favour of his own keyboard, Paul Grainger on double bass and drummer Russ Morgan – set off on the right track with Yardbird Suite. Harrison likes to keep things moving (ideal at a jam session) and Mambo Inn did just that featuring a Russ Morgan solo followed by Harrison’s accomplished intro to everyone’s favourite tune – Secret Love.

The Jazz Cafe presents: 6TEEN54 Featuring José Gonçalves Thursday October 26

This last-minute addition to the programme features a quintet including Thomas Dixon (saxophones) and Jamie Jingles (guitar) from our monthly resident band ‘Bearpark,’ Inês Gonçalves (piano) from the Sage Gateshead jazz degree course, Ben Fitzgerald (drums) and José Gonçalves (electric bass), a special star guest from Portugal, the father of the band’s pianist making a flying visit to the city.

José Gonçalves founded the RIFF school of jazz at Aveiro whose students won 1^st place at the prestigious São Luiz Jazz festival. As a musician, he performs on both electric and double bass in a number of genres with artists including Oscar Graça, Alexandre Coelho, Fernando Rodrigues, José Martinho and many others.

The band will be performing an array of fresh original tunes by José Gonçalves, Thomas Dixon and Inês Gonçalves and some modern interpretations of standards.

Dave Clarke

Jazz Café, 25 Pink Lane, Newcastle NE1 5DW.  October 26, 8pm. £3.

CD Review: Andrew Linham Jazz Orchestra - Weapons of Mass Distraction

Call me old-fashioned, not just because I love the moonlight, but because I tend to go along with (most of the time) Duke's maxim that it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing. 
From the opening bars of Screaming Ab Dabs I knew that, even without any do-wah-do-wah- do wahs, this had that swing.

21st-century swing that is - timeless swing. The rhythms may not be the chug chug chug of long ago but the essential pulse is there irrespective of the meter. As the man once said, "If you gotta ask..."

Sharking in the Chalet (don't ask!) has a TV cop show feel about it with some fine piano from Tom Millar, fluent soprano from Tommy Andrews and an ensemble licensed to kill.