Album review: Spike Wilner Trio Contrafactus - The Children & The Warlock (Cellar Music Group)

Spike Wilner (piano); Paul Gill (bass); Anthony Pinciotti (drums); George Garzone (tenor sax)

An emotional and heartfelt tribute to Wilner's mentor: pianist, composer and educator, the late Harry Whitaker who composed The Child and the Warlock. Garzone was brought in especially for the session and his paint-stripping solo on his own Hey, Open Up! gets things off to a good start. Wilner describes the trio as 'the children' and the tenor saxist as 'the warlock' - a title that's uber-appropriate when he's in full flight. Is there a more exciting tenor player on the contemporary scene? I'm exploring every avenue but I fear it will be a fruitless search the man's a monster!

A monster, but not one without a soul. Benediction oozes with Tranelike spirituality.

Newcastle's African American music legacy showcased at City Library

The BBC has posted details of an exhibition currently running at the City Library showcasing Newcastle's African American music legacy. 

Details can be found HERE. 

The exhibition runs until April 28 and should be of interest to students of jazz, rock, pop, soul and African American music in general.

Thanks to Dave Sayer for bringing this interesting exhibition to my attention. Lance

Album review: Yotam Silberstein - Standards Vol. 2 (Jojo Records)

Yotam Silberstein (guitar, oud); John Patitucci (bass); Billy Hart (drums) + George Coleman (tenor sax on tk 3)

Like the first Standards session (reviewed HERE) Vol. 2 consists of another selection of lesser known standards played impeccably by a superb trio. All three of whom are grandmasters of that magical art we call jazz.

Blue Gardenia: From the 1953 movie of the same name. I recall seeing it at my local fleapit and being impressed by Nat 'King' Cole's version, sung at the piano in a restaurant. The voice as noir as the  plot. Silberstein too does it justice and nobody gets killed.

Album Review: Anour Brahem – After The Last Sky (ECM)

Anour Brahem (oud); Anja Lechner (violincello); Django Bates (piano); Dave Holland (double bass)

How to start this review? Perhaps by referring to Elgar’s Cello Concerto which was his requiem for the fallen of the First World War? Brahem’s new album performs a similar function for the Palestinian fallen of the ongoing Israeli/Gaza conflict. The most recent figures, from February 2024, suggest that around 44,000 of Gaza’s people have been killed, but that figure is over a year old and there has been hardly a let off in the fighting since then. There will need to be a lot of exhumations before Trump can guarantee a golf course where the greens will run true. There’s no let off for Hamas in the sleeve notes, either, with references to the October 7 attacks that provoked this current conflict. I know that there are decades, if not centuries of history that we can go through, but there isn’t the space here to do that.

Album Review: Russ Spiegel - Nitty Gritty (Ruzztone Music)

Russ Spiegel (electric/acoustic guitars); Jim Gasior (organ, piano); Lucas Apostoleris (drums); Tim Armacost (tenor sax on tks 5, 6, 9, 10); Kurt Hengstebeck (electric bass on tks 3, 4, 6, 9, 10, 11)

Sourcing the definitive etymology of the phrase “nitty-gritty,” you will find multiple possible answers ranging from the historical (“debris left in the bowels of slave ships”) to the risqué (“sexual delight”). There’s no definitive answer. However, what runs through almost all of these definitions is that they resonate soulful, i.e., Black elements. There’s no doubt, however, that with this, his seventh album, jazz guitarist, educator, composer, Russ Spiegel and crew deliver a wide range of classic jazz and neat originals, all of which exemplify the title.

Retro review: Alex Welsh - In Concert (Black Lion double album)

Alex Welsh (trumpet, vocal); Roy Williams (trombone, vocal); Johnny Barnes (clarinet, flute, alto/baritone sax, vocal); Fred Hunt (piano); Jim Douglas (guitar, banjo); Harvey Weston (bass, bass guitar); Lennie Hastings (drums)

Another gem from my recent trip to Hexham. A double album by the Alex Welsh Band of 1971 recorded live in Dresden's Hygiene Museum. Forget about Lyttelton, Barber and the rest the Welsh band could outswing them all as this album proves.

Press release: Testimony bears witness to solo saxophonist's ability

© Douglas
Robertson

Saxophonist Phil Bancroft releases Testimony, an improvised suite for solo saxophone, as the sixth release on his Myriad Streams platform on Friday  April 25.

Recorded during lockdown in 2021 in a barn on the smallholding he and his wife, Jude, had recently moved into, Testimony was musically completely unplanned and spontaneous.

“I was exploring the amazing acoustics of the barn and trying to learn how to make videos for social media,” says Bancroft. “So, I set up some cameras and a nice microphone and thought, ‘Let’s see what happens...’”

Preview: Knats' guide to the Newcastle jazz scene - tonight, Radio 2

The Jazz Show with Jamie Cullum is your weekly Tuesday evening radio listening. This evening (Tuesday 15 April) local heroes Knats talk jazz, that's Newcastle jazz, with Jamie Cullum. To quote the programme trailer: Self-proclaimed 'Geordie jazz' trio Knats [that's Stan, King and Ferg] celebrate music from the Newcastle scene and talk about their own new album. Tune to BBC Radio 2 at 9:00pm. Howay the Lads! Russell  

Album review: Jeffrey Gimble - Brand New Key (Café Pacific Records)

Jeffrey Gimble (vocals); Josh Nelson (piano, organ); Larry Koonse (guitar); Dan Lutz (bass); Dan Schnelle (drums)

Bye Bye Blackbird has, since its fledgling days in 1926, been played, sung and presented in many different guises. Some worked, a murder of them didn't. Sometimes the collective noun  was an apt description. Gimble opts for a funky groove, occasionally upping the tempo, with the help of his fellow 'groovers' - it works.

Tryin' Times, by Donny Hathaway and Lee Hutson and recorded by Roberta Flack in 1969 suits Gimble's deep, husky, voice. He sings as though he's been there and got the t-shirt. Again, there's a touch of funk from Koonse.

The Zoë Gilby Quintet @ Blaydon Jazz Club - April 14

Zoē Gilby (vocals); Harry Keeble (tenor sax); Mark Williams (guitar); Andy Champion (double bass); John Bradford (drums) 

Zoë Gilby made a welcome return to Blaydon Jazz Club. Bandleader Zoë invariably arrives at the Black Bull with her ace quartet, however, this evening we would be entertained by the Zoë Gilby Quintet. The Black Bull's 'postage stamp' stage is cramped at the best of times (duo/trio/quartet) and with the addition of tenor saxophonist Harry Keeble, Zoë would stand slightly left of centre.