What I'm (re)reading

A favourite Philip Marlowe quote from Raymond Chandler's The Long Goodbye (1953):

"At three a.m. I was walking the floor and listening to Khatchaturian working in a tractor factory. He called it a violin concerto. I called it a loose fan belt...

I know it's not jazz, but it could be... Lance

Preview: Chasing the Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary (Sunday evening)

Chasing the Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary airs on Sky Arts tonight (Sunday). Directed by John Scheinfeld in 2016, there is a long roll call of starry names playing 'self' and other characters. In the centenary year of the birth of John William Coltrane, be sure to tune to Sky Arts this evening at 10:45pm. Russell    

Preview: Tonight @ the Globe - Ben Crosland Quartet w. Steve Waterman

Ben Crosland (elec. bass); Rod Mason (saxes); Steve Waterman (trumpet); Dean Stockdale (piano); Dave Tyas (drums)

Ben Crosland always goes down well at the Globe and tonight looks to be no exception particularly as the quartet is augmented by trumpet ace Steve Waterman.

Centred around Crosland's recent album Wooltown Reflections, a take on his memories  of Bradford and the surrounding area, an enjoyable evening is in store.

Not to be missed. Lance

More Info.

Album review: Corey Weeds - Hip to be Square Plays Huey Lewis & the News (Cellar Music)

Corey Weeds (tenor sax); Chris Hazelton (B3); David Rourke (guitar); Rudy Petschauer (drums)

Huey Lewis and the News isn't a band that's been on my radar very often if indeed at all. Nor had Corey Weeds and Chris Hazelton paid much attention to the band either. However, a long trip as passengers in van with a Huey Lewis CD jammed in the stereo meant they were subjected to constant replays of the album.

This wasn't the torture they expected and this multi exposure opened up the idea of  adapting, or 'reimagining' to use a current buzzword, the music for Weeds' organ quartet. This they duly did although, over the years, it was on and off the backburner several times before arriving at the finished product late last year and let me tell you it worked out well'

Simon Woolf’s Young Masters @ Spice of Life, Soho - October 12

© Richard Morris

Simon Woolf (piano); Alex Clarke (alto sax); Jim Davison (trumpet, flugelhorn) Simon Read (double bass);  Richard Pite (drums)

An early start (12.30pm) for this lunchtime concert in the basement of the well appointment pub in the heart of Soho where the regular Monday lunchtime jazz is curated by Richard Pite who this week was on drums.

Richard, in addition to being a renowned jazz drummer and multi-instrumentalist, is a jazz historian. Simon is better known as a double bass player, composer and arranger. However, he led this band from the piano at which he is also very adept. The repertoire comprised of tunes composed or arranged by Simon plus well known jazz standards.

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

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

Playlist 18/10/26 (repeated Tuesday 20/10/26)

Seasonal: Carl Saunders.

John Lyons talks about Durham Jazz Festival:

SwanNek, Pete Roth Trio, Janette Mason

Requests from Bishop Auckland: Frank Zappa, Sammy Davis Jr, Billie Holliday/Buddy DeFranco

Memories: The Marsalis Family, Jelly Roll Morton.

New Releases: Tommy Flanagan, Ruta Di Onwards & Upwards.

Requests: Terry Gibbs, Sonny Red.

What’s on in the NE: Sara Oschlag.

Requests: Paul Desmond, Miles Davis/Kenny Garrett.

Late Night Chicago Radio with Denny Farrell (Oct. 15-21)

Lady's Night

Sarah Vaughan: Key Largo.

Ella Fitzgerald: In my Solitude.

Dianne Reeves: Embraceable You.

Etta James: Don't go to Strangers.

Della Reese: Call Me.

Bette Midler: P.S. I Love You.

Diana Krall: I'm Just a Lucky So and So.

Dinah Washington: Call me Irresponsible.  

Lee Wiley:  Any Day, Any Time, Any Where.

Keely Smith: You go to my Head.

Billie Holiday: I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues.

?: I'll be Seeing You.

Norah Jones: I've Got to See You Again.

Patti Denham: Flamingo.

LISTEN 24/7.

Album review: Frank Morelli & Keith Oxman - Classicool (Capri Records)

Frank Morelli (bassoon); Keith Oxman (tenor sax); Jeff Jenkins (piano); Gonzalo Teppo (bass); Todd Reid (drums)

An appealing album that takes me back to those halcyon days when so much jazz was being played and recorded on America's west coast. Musicians such as Shelly Manne, Shorty Rogers, Lennie Niehaus, Howard Rumsey, Gerry Mulligan and many more, worked days in the film studios and played the jazz spots in the evening.

There was much innovation particularly in the use of instruments not generally seen in a jazz setting. Bob Cooper frequently recorded on oboe and at least once on cor anglais. I don't know if he ever dabbled on bassoon. 

Preview: Donna Hewitt @ The Chapel, Middlesbrough TS5 4BY Nov. 1

Next month (Nov. 1) our regular, first  Sunday in the month jazz afternoon at the Chapel, 16 Whitehouse St, Middlesbrough TS5 4BY, will again be the superlative saxophonist Donna Hewitt.  This is the second time this year that  Donna has been our guest and is joining us again by public demand.  The afternoon runs between 1.00pm and 3.00pm. The Chapel was voted Cleveland CAMRA Pub of the Year in both 2024 and 2026.  Entry is free. Adrian B 

Album Review: Event Horizon Jazz Quartet – Consternation (GRB Records)

Jim Kaczmarek (tenor/ soprano saxes); Scott Mertens (piano, keyboards); Donn DeSanto  (string bass); Rick Vitek (drums, cymbals, doumbek); Victor Garcia (trumpet) + Raphael Crawford (trombone tk 6)

It has been six years since the release of their first celebrated album, Event Horizon (GRB Records, 2020). Now with Consternation the quartet is back on the scene and is locked and loaded. The album offers thirteen original selections from the pens of Jim Kaczmarek and Scott Mertens. The fare here is eclectic and enjoyable with both straight-ahead jazz and more textural offerings. The puckish spirit of the quartet is vividly apparent throughout the entire recording.