Lucy Yeghiazaryan w. the Peter Beets Trio & Gideon Tazelaar @ BIMHUIS, Amsterdam - Mar. 7

Lucy Yeghiazaryan (vocals); Peter Beets (piano); Steve Zwanink (double bass); Martijn Vink (drums); Gideon Tazelaar (tenor sax)

New York-based singer Lucy Yeghiazaryan first came to the attention of BSH (and others) thanks to one of the very few plus points of lockdown - the livestream. Live from Emmet's Place (NYC) became essential late night (UK) viewing. From one week to the next, pianist Emmet Cohen would invite one A-lister after another to join him on an online gig. And that's where Lucy Yeghiazaryan comes in...       

From Schiphol Airport, train to Amsterdam Centraal Station, then a short tram journey to the BIMHUIS. Amsterdam! The Bimhuis! Lucy Yeghiazaryan! From Emmet Cohen's NYC apartment to Amsterdam's BIMHUIS, Ms Yeghiazaryan was in town! 

Album review: Paul Moran – Running on Fire

In jazz, many musicians spend years shaping the sound of other artists’ music before stepping forward to reveal their own voice. Paul Moran belongs firmly to that tradition. Yet this is not the first time Moran has stepped out from behind the bandstand and into the spotlight. His Hammond-led album Smokin’ B3 reached No. 8 in the HMV British Jazz Chart, and its follow-up Smokin’ B3 Volume Two further established him as a formidable organ player in the classic soul-jazz tradition.

For many listeners Moran is best known as the long-time musical director and keyboard player for Van Morrison, a role he has held since 2006. Yet behind that association lies a far broader musical life: composer, arranger, trumpet player and Hammond organist, with a career that stretches across television music, soul recordings and jazz projects.

Running on Fire brings those experiences together in a record that sits comfortably between jazz, soul and groove-based funk.

Rebecca Poole gig @ the Globe cancelled!

Just heard the news that next Sunday's eagerly anticipated gig at the Globe, Newcastle's iconic music venue on the corner of Railway & Plummer, by Rebecca Poole (a.k.a. Purdy) has been cancelled.

It is hoped that it will be rescheduled.

What we're MISSING!  Lance                                          

Trio JDM @ the Moor Club, Stockport - March 8

© Jeff Pritchard

Dave Walsh (drums);  Martin Longhawn  (keyboards); Jamie Taylor (guitar)

I think I may have picked a seat too near the front of the room to fully appreciate this drummer led powerhouse trio. Dave Walsh has played here many times but on this occasion he used Martin Longhawn to create a realistic Hammond organ effect which I liked.  Jamie Taylor has a flamboyant style on guitar and he showed he could handle fast tempos but he impressed me most in the second set when he played Prelude to a Kiss. 

Sunday night @ the Globe: Trish Clowes' My Iris - March 8

© Ken Drew

Trish Clowes (tenor sax); Chris Montague (guitar); Ross Stanley (Crumar Nova keys); Joel Barford (drums)

The Globe was sardine sandwiched and even after the passing trade, en route to Peter Kay at the nearby arena, had quenched their thirst and left, the room was still at near capacity for the performance by Trish Clowes' My Iris.

Four top class musicians held the audience's rapt attention. The theme for the evening was My Iris' soon to be released album Try Me. On the basis of this live performance it promises to be a must have addition to the library of those seekers of wisdom and truth.

As it stands, for me it is to date the Gig of the Year on the contemporary side of modern.

Album review: Brian Molley Quartet - Tùs/Origin (Cruthach)

Brian Molley (saxophones); Tom Gibbs (piano); David Bowden (double bass); Stephen Henderson (drums)

I don’t think I’ve personally come across Brian Molley before, even though he has been recording since 2013 and has been well-documented on this site. Gibbs would appear to be his longest standing confederate but the ones whose work I am more familiar with are Bowden and Henderson who form the rhythm section from Fergus McCreadie’s trio. Despite the fact that Molley and various iterations of his band have toured extensively across many continents, once back in the UK he seems reluctant to venture out of Scotland. One cannot dispute his musical ambition, however, and this album follows previous work with musicians from Morocco, Brazil and Rajasthan amongst others. This album is an ambitious through-composed work that aims to draw out the links between traditional Scottish music and the origins of jazz.

Album review: April Varner - Ella (Cellar Music Group)

April Varner (vocals); Emmet Cohen (piano, arranger); William Hill III (piano); Yasushi Nakamura (bass); Ulysses Owens Jr. (drums, producer); Brian Lynch (trumpet, arranger); Nathaniel Williford, Michael Cruse (trumpets); Jeffrey Miller, Jacob Melsha (trombones); Cleave Guyton, Mark Gross (saxes)

The last time April Varner graced these hallowed pages was when I reviewed her album Winter Songs. It was an enjoyable album but because of its seasonal, Christmassy material had, I would guess, a limited shelf life. Not so Ella. In 2023 April Varner won the International Ella Fitzgerald Vocal Competition so it comes as no surprise to find April up to the task of paying tribute to the late First Lady.

This she does with her own interpretation of songs related to Ella. She does this quite magnificently with no more than a hint towards the originals. The silky tone of the Varner voice turns the lyrics into classic jazz poetry that she wraps around the listeners enslaving them for life.

Jazzford Jam @ Bathford - Feb. 27

AA 2023 Road Atlas, Page 18, square C9. That’s where you’ll find Bathford, a small village on the outskirts of Bath, down in ‘almost the West Country.’ Last Friday in the month is Jazzford Jam Night at what was the Royal British Legion Club but, as with a few other things in Bathford, it’s now community run. In Bathford Community comes with a capital ‘C’ writ through as if it were in a stick of rock.

So, tonight it’s an open jam session, all invited to play, all invited to sit and listen. The white board has all the power. If you’re name isn’t on it, you don’t get to play. Wynton Marsalis could turn up here and, if he didn’t put his name on the board he’d have to prop up the bar. All night. Apart from the tunes the house band play at the start of each set everyone else has to put a name next to what they want to sit in on. Apparently there was a shortage last month so people have come along just in case.

Album review: John Pizzarelli - Dear Mr. Bennett (Green Hill Music)

John Pizzarelli (vocal, guitar); Isaiah J. Thompson (piano); Mike Karn (bass)

A loving tribute to the late Tony Bennett, one of the great vocalists whose centennial is celebrated next year.

John Pizzarelli is the ideal choice. His voice is far enough away from Bennett's to avoid comparision whilst maintaining the same jazz feeling, maybe more so. Bennett was undeniably, one of the great GASbook interpreters however, his bel canto inspired jazz chops didn't quite cut it for me whereas Pizzarelli is the out and out jazzman both as a singer and a swinger  on  both voice and guitar. At the end of the day I wouldn't be without either.

Book review: Tad Richards - Listening to Prestige - Chronicling Its Classic Jazz Recordings 1949 - 1972

There can be few, if any, modern jazz fans who are unfamiliar with the Prestige record label. Until its owner, Bob Weinstock, sold the label to Fantasy Records in 1972, along with Blue Note who are still active, Prestige was the main outlet for bebop, hardbop and beyond recordings.

The artists who benefitted from Rudy Van Gelder's ground breaking recording technique were, almost without exception, the major players of the era and they are charted in this remarkable book. Bird, Miles, Trane, Monk, Moody, Rollins, Wardell, Annie Ross, Ornette, Dolphy, Witherspoon, McDuff and many more - the list is almost endless with only the west coasters missing. This was very much a New York/New Jersey operation.