Knats - as heard by Scott Yanow

When your album is reviewed in DownBeat  you can  say that you've made it. Even more so when that reviewer is Scott Yanow, arguably America's number one, and most knowledgeable, jazz critic.

It is very much to Knats' credit that in the June issue of DownBeat their latest album, A Great Day in Newcastle is allocated to Yanow.

Album review: Bria Skonberg - Indigo (Cellar Music)

Bria Skonberg (trumpet, vocals); Gil Goldstein (piano, accordion, arranger); Eric Wheeler (bass); Darrian Douglas (drums, perc.) + Antoine Silverman, Enthcho Todorov (violins); Yuko Naito-Gotay (viola); Emily Brausa (cello); Kathleen Nester (alto flute); Charlows Pillow (bass clarinet)

Bria Skonberg, a singer who plays trumpet (or is she a trumpet player who sings?), Who cares? She does them both well as this, her latest album goes to show.

Watch What Happens: The Legrand tune lopes along nicely. the voice grabs you from the first note. A scat chorus and some muted trumpet sets the scene for a good start.

I'm Glad There is You: The Jimmy Dorsey tune has been a long time favourite of mine but this the first time I can recall hearing the verse. The string quartet sawing away provide a cushion for some mellow trumpet.

Emma Rawicz: Chroma – Upstairs at Ronnie’s – June 18

Emma Rawicz (tenor/soprano saxes); Scottie Thompson (piano); Freddie Jensen (bass); Marc Michel (drums)

There are few places quite like Soho on a warm summer evening. As the working day fades and the weekend edges into view, the streets take on a life of their own. Office workers spill from pubs onto crowded pavements, restaurant terraces fill with conversation and laughter, and every corner seems alive with possibility.

 

Emerging from Leicester Square Underground station and heading towards Chinatown, Soho was enjoying one of those glorious summer evenings that seem uniquely London. The late sunshine lingered between the buildings, casting a warm glow across the streets as people gathered for a drink before making their way home for the weekend. Passing beneath the red lanterns of Chinatown and cutting through the heart of Soho towards Frith Street, the unmistakable buzz of the neighbourhood surrounded us. Outside Café Boheme on Old Compton Street, diners spilled onto the pavement, glasses clinked and conversation drifted effortlessly into the warm evening air. It felt as though the whole of Soho had decided to stay out just a little longer before surrendering to the night.

 

Jazz Time Aycliffe Radio - Sundays 6.30-8.00pm (repeated Tuesdays 8.00-9.30pm).

https://www.ayclifferadio.co.uk/listen.

Playlist 21/06/26 (repeated Tuesday 23/06/26)

Requests from gigs: Thelonious Monk, Phineas Newborn Jr., Adrien Moignard Quartet, Pat Metheny, Tchavolo Schmitt, Artie Shaw, Jelly Roll Morton/Sidney Bechet, Jabbo Smith and His Orchestra, Sonny Rollins, Fats Waller, Preservation Hall, Edmundo Ros.

Seasonal: Charlie Parker.

Requests: Clare Teal, Peter Long, Benny Goodman, Ray Charles.

Father's Day: Horace Silver.

Memories: Charles Mingus Sextet/Eric Dolphy.

Aycliffe Radio is available on DAB in County Durham & the Darlington area or via your smart speaker.   

Zoë Gilby Quartet @ Bookends Jazz, The Gregson Centre, Lancaster – June 14

Zoë Gilby (vocals); Mark Williams (guitar); Andy Champion (bass); John Bradford (drums)

Newcastle based vocalist, Zoë Gilby and her trio presented an eclectic blend of song and improvisation at the Gregson Centre in Lancaster on Sunday June 14.

Gilby’s remarkable versatility as an interpreter of classic song, improviser and lyricist along with provider of detailed verbal forays to the audience was as impressive as it was informative.

What was of particular interest to this listener was Gilby’s inclusion of four songs co-written by herself (lyrics) and American trumpeter, Tom Harrell (composer). Titles like Shadowed in Solitude, Forget the Past, Ebb and Flow and Leap to the Limelight might give the listener a sense of the depth and introspection of the lyric. This, coupled with the similar and supportive melodic and harmonic shapes of Harrell’s tunes resulted in  deeply heartfelt and uniquely memorable  collaborations between Gilby and Harrell.

Andy Hudson's Early Archive

This FASCINATING VIDEO, courtesy of Andy Hudson and Californian Sting researcher Jay Matsueda, has some amazing shots of Andy, the Newcastle Big Band, San Sebastian  and Newcastle Jazz Festivals back in the 1970s. Many familiar faces both past and present can be seen and it's fun tring to put a name to some of the faces 50 years on!

Andy talks with inside knowledge on the early days  of the Newcastle Jazz Festivals and many other aspects of jazz in general. Lots of it never seen before. Lance

Jazz at the Lit & Phil: The Joe Steels Group - June 19

© Pam

Joe Steels (guitar); Ben Lawrence (piano); Andy Champion (bass); John Hirst (drums)

The Lit and Phil's Loftus Room was, as per usual on jazz afternoons, well attended. Whether this was to escape the blazing sun or to listen to some cool, laid back guitar jazz, I know not. However, I'd like to think it was the latter and deservedly so.

Steels has an impeccable technique that he uses to great effect without resorting to any extraneous effects. He also composed all six originals that made up the programme including A Blue Patch, the title track of his most recent album.

Curiosity rescued the cat

As Simon Spillett will affirm there's gold up in them their charity shops just waiting for some prospecting, record collecting, panhandler to hit pay dirt.

Today that was me! A new Animal Rescue shop had opened on our local high street so, out of curiosity, I popped in.

I wasn't a man on a mission, just curious.

The lighting was low, maybe non-existent so the books were out of question but, a cardboard box on the floor was crammed with vinyl, crammed to the extent they must have been shoehorned in.

GoodGunn Creative, Inc. Announces the Release of “25 Years of Phatness." - An Album Celebrating the Genius of Gordon Goodwin and the Big Phat Band™

July 15, 2026 - Locust Valley, NY – Vangie Gunn-Goodwin in conjunction with GoodGunn Creative, Inc. has announced the impending release of “25 Years of Phatness.” This exciting new album features the Grammy® and Emmy®-winner, Gordon Goodwin and his Big Phat Band, along with vocalist Vangie Gunn-Goodwin performing 11 spectacular Gordon Goodwin compositions and arrangements.

“This recording, the last recorded before Gordon’s tragic passing, is without doubt the most impactful of Gordon’s  and the Phat Band’s celebrated and award-winning career. With 11 tracks, including 8 previously unreleased and a trio updated by Gordon for 2026 is a stone killer,” stated Vangie Gunn-Goodwin. She added: “Gordon works were always not only brilliant and a platform for all of the great Phat Band members, but also a labor of love for him. This album continues to place Gordon in the pantheon as one of our greatest jazz composer/arrangers.”

Interview Contact: Vangie Gunn-Goodwin vangiegunnvocal@gmail.com  or Vangievocal@gmail.com

Dean Masser Quintet @ Llandudno Jazz Club - June 15

Dean Masser (tenor sax);  Neil Yates (trumpet);  Gaz Hughes (drums) ; Richard Harrold  (keyboards); Gavin Barras (double bass)

This concert was billed as a tribute to the life and music of the great American jazz saxophonist and composer Walter Theodore “Sonny” Rollins who died on 25 May 2026 aged 90 years. No better man in the UK than Dean Masser to take Sonny’s role as saxophonist and band leader for this evening. Neil Yates curates jazz here each Monday and all of the musicians are regulars at Llandudno Jazz Club.