Tenement Jazz Band @ The Spice of Life, London - Mar. 2

Chuck Dearness (cornet); Stephen Feast (clarinet); Paddy Darley (trombone); Rory Clark (sousaphone); John Youngs (banjo, vocals) 

On a Monday lunchtime at Cambridge Circus you can drop by a top class jazz gig for the princely sum of ten pounds. Week to week, Richard Pite's promotion at the Spice of Life never fails to disappoint. From New Orleans to modern jazz, it's always a winner. 

This week's offering featured a return visit by Edinburgh's Tenement Jazz Band. Folowing a successful gig the previous evening on the south coast, the popular five piece outfit set off nice and early from Hayling Island, Portsmouth. 

Press release: Buxton International Festival Announces Its Stand-Out 2026 Programme

Six Operas - including four brand new productions.

Books - with broadcasters, politicians, historians & commentators of the day.

Classical Music - featuring world-class orchestras, ensembles and recitals.

Jazz - including a special Jazz Weekender.

Buxton International Festival (9-26 July) announces its stand-out 2026 programme with more than 160 events planned across 17 days including six operas, four of them brand new productions; book events with leading opinion-formers of the day; world-class classical concerts; and a bigger than ever jazz programme.

Max Rosen Trio and Maria Sanderson @ the Moor Club, Stockport - March 1

© Jeff Pritchard

Max Rosen (keys); Peter Hartley (bass guitar/stick bass); George Bingham (drums); Maria Sanderson (trumpet)

This was a gig supported by Jazz North New Northern and in the first half we heard the trio then after the interval Maria Sanderson who played a set.

Max Rosen has played here before and made a big impression on the audience with his high energy approach and formidable technique. This is an exciting trio and the interplay between the musicians was outstanding. During the show Rosen held the attention and announced all the numbers which were a mixture of originals and standards.

Sunday night @ the Globe: Jack Littlewood Trio + Support _ March 1

© John Lyons

Marcus Dawe (keys, electronics, flute); Ifedi Osiyemi (bass guitar); Jack Littlewood (drums)The Globe was awash with students and the bar was doing good business. On stage Dawe, Osiyemi and Littlewood were known to us post-graduates from gigs with the Bold Big Band, the latter was also in the driving seat on Olly Styles' recent gig at the venue. 

© John Lyons

Opening up with Poinciana it only took a few bars to realise this was no ordinary piano, bass and drums trio but a supercharged, high octane fuelled powerhouse of sound. The decibels were off the scale. It was fff and then some. Nevertheless, as my ears adjusted I liked what they were putting down.

Pete Tanton's Chet Set @ Central Bar, Gateshead - Mar. 1

Pete Tanton (trumpet, flugelhorn, vocals); Alan Law (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); John Bradford (drums)

A full house. So much so, more chairs were commandeered from an adjoining room. Faces old and new, this would be one attentive audience, whoopin' and a hollerin' in all the right places.

The Chet Set was premiered at Central Bar and it was something of a homecoming for Pete Tanton's project here on Half Moon Lane. The quartet - Tanton, Alan Law, Mick Shoulder and John Bradford - plays Chet Baker, but not in a slavish way. Yes, it's unmistakably 'Chet' but these guys stamp their own sound on the material. 

Bandleader Tanton, from Alabama, but long since resident in the UK (it's only a matter of time before 'Honorary Geordie' status is conferred upon our trumpeter/vocalist), knows his stuff about Chesney Henry 'Chet' Baker. A potted history of his subject punctuated the many musical delights on offer. 

Album review: Walter Smith III – Twio Vol.2 (Blue Note)

Walter Smith III (tenor sax); Ron Carter (bass 4,6,7,9,10); Joe Sanders (bass 1,2,3,5,8); Kendrick Scott (drums) + Branford Marsalis (tenor sax 4 & 10)

An ideal take on My Ideal opens up this rather beautiful album with Smith's warm sound and Sanders' rich toned bass coupled with some unobtrusive drumming from Scott setting the scene.

Circus has Scott in a more prominent role. Pushing and driving Smith before taking his journey into the unknown. A drum roll brings in Light Blue which bears an uncanny likeness to I'm Getting Sentimental Over You. The combination of tenor, bass and drums is just so perfect that any other instrument would be superfluous - unless it was another saxophone...

Rockin' @ the Coast

Sounds like a  good way to spend a Sunday afternoon down by the riverside at the Seahorse pub, Hillheads, Whitley Bay, North Tyneside NE25 8HP at 4:00pm on March 8.

More info when known. Lance

Late Night Chicago Radio w. Denny Farrell (Feb. 26 - March 4)

Dexter Gordon: Darn That Dream.

Tony Bennett: For Once in my Life.

Gene Harris: Girl Talk.

Scott Hamilton: 'Round Midnight.

Sarah Vaughan: Black Coffee.

Paul Desmond: Time After Tine,

Blossom Dearie: Manhattan.

Buck Clayton: After Hours.*

Beegee Adair: Sweet and Lovely.

* Dedicated to Lance and Bebop Spoken Here!

LISTEN 24/7

Strictly Smokin' Big Band featuring Giacomo Smith @ the Glasshouse - Feb. 27

© Russell

Michael Lamb (trumpet, MD); Giacomo Smith (clarinet); Keith Robinson, Steve Summers, Jamie Toms, Matt Forster, Sue  Ferris (reeds); Dick Stacey, Billy Bradshaw, Tom Ruston (trumpets); John Flood, Mark Ferris, Kieran Parnaby, Chris Kurgi-Smith (trombones); Dean Stockdale (piano); Michael Whent (bass guitar); Pawel Jedzejewski (guitar); Dave McKeague (drums); Alice Grace (vocals)  

© Sylvia

Over the years I have been fortunate to see and hear live many of the world's greatest jazz clarinettists including: George Lewis, Edmund Hall, Peanuts Hucko, Buddy DeFranco, Bob Wilber, Kenny Davern, Jimmy Hamilton, Vic Ash, Sandy Brown, Adrian  Cox and Alan Barnes.

I think you'll agree that that is quite an impressive list so that when I say that Giacomo Smith is now a worthy addition to that collection of big hitters you'll realise the greatness we had in our midst last night.

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

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

Playlist 01/03/26 (repeated Tuesday 03/03/26)

Requests: Jeff Barnhart, John Hallam, Blossom Dearie 

Rachel Sutton introduces her new album   

Nat King Cole