Album review: Jack Wilson - The Bear and the Wolf (Whittington Records/ECN)

Jack Wilson (soprano/tenor sax, comp.); Billy Marrows (guitar); Max Kahn (bass); Jack Yardley (drums)

London based saxophonist, composer and educator, Wilson is an emerging voice on the UK (a.k.a. London) jazz scene and this, his debut album as a leader, has been long-awaited.

Cascade: Marrows, Kahn and Yardley chirp away in the undergrowth whilst Wilson soars above them escaping the repeated riffing that's going on down below. Yardley shuts up shop with a drum solo. 

Prelude For the Departed: Based on the spirituality of John Coltrane's music, it offers the opportunity to dwell upon those we've known who left us before paying their dues.

La Dolce Vita

Newcastle University's annual Fine Art degree show is a must. The culmination of four years study distilled into an exhibition, open to the public, on view for all of two weeks, it's anyone's guess what will be on show. This 2026 edition would feature a preponderance of painters, a handful of sculptors and fewer than usual video installations. 

It's a big show spread over three floors. Entering the Hatton Gallery, much of the wall/floor space was temporarily given over to some of the students' work. Walking into a second room a painting immediately caught the eye... 

More J.G. Windows...

I spent a huge amount of Thursday evenings (and a huge amount of my salary) in the Jazz CD Department in the 80s/90s/2000s - which was then upstairs - receiving a lot of great information and advice from a chap called Rob/Robert. Looking back at my collection now, I have remarkably few 'duds', which was entirely down to him - he was always trying to push me into less 'safe' jazz areas and steer me away from 'honking' tenor players for whom he had no time. It was a perfectly symbiotic relationship - I always left with 3 or 4 CDs on Thursday evenings which boosted the shops numbers a bit, and I ended up with an excellently curated jazz CD collection.

I lost touch with Robert after I left Newcastle College which I regret and wondered if you had any information as to his whereabouts. Andrew Pidd

Late Night Chicago Radio with Denny Farrell (May 28 - June 3)

Gerald Wilson: Lighthouse Blues.

Mel Tormé: Lullaby of Birdland.

Jimmy Yancey: 35th and Dearborn,

Eddie Condon: Embraceable You.

Dick Johnson: The Night Has a Thousand Eyes.

Harry Edison/Oscar Peterson: Makin' Whoopie.

Stan Getz: Over the Rainbow.

Bing Crosby/Lee Wiley: I Still Suits me.

Mary Lou Williams: Darn That Dream.

Johnny Hodges: Perdido.

LISTEN 24/7:

The Music of Charles Mingus @ Jazz at Obie's (Southgate Club), London - May 27

Malcolm Earle Smith (trombone, vocals); Art Themen (tenor sax); Gabriel Garrick (trumpet, flugelhorn); Kate Williams (piano); Larry Bartley (double bass); Ethan Sweeting (drums)

The Music of...Malcolm Earle Smith (Professor of Jazz, Trinity, London) has taken to putting together ensembles to play the music of whatever and whoever. This evening's all-star sextet, purposely restricted to a one hour rehearsal, would play the music of Charles Mingus.

The Southgate Club Ltd, on the Piccadilly line at, unsurprisingly, Southgate (two stops short of end-of-the-line Cockfosters), is home to Jazz at Obie's. It's a typical social club, not CIU, but, to all intents and purposes it could be. The all-star line-up tempted your correspondent to make the round trip of some 550 miles to listen to Malcolm Earle Smith and co play the music of Mingus. 

As a fair few folk (no doubt regulars at Obie's) took their seats on a warm, late spring evening, our sextet opened with Dizzy Moods. Excellent ensemble work: genial Malcolm Earle Smith leading from the front, late dep Gabriel Garrick (in for Pete Horsfall) assured, powerful, Art Themen on terrific form, Kate Williams comping, then comping some more, Larry Bartley a towering presence, recent Trinity graduate drummer, Ethan Sweeting, mixing it with the big boys...and the, musically speaking, big girl!

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

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

Playlist 31/05/26 (repeated Tuesday 02/06/26)

Requests: Stan Kenton, Kenny Barron Trio, Bix Beiderbecke (Bing Crosby), John Coltrane, Nina Simone, Dave Douglas, Bill Evans/Stan Getz, Django Reinhardt, Dave Brubeck.

Tony Eales’ Best of British Big Bands: John Dankworth.

New Release: Rachel Therrien.

Memories: Benny Goodman, Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra/Frank Trumbauer.

What’s On in the NE: Strictly Smokin’ Big Band.

Remembering Miles Davis.

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

Matt Holborn & Kourosh Kanani @ Cafe Boheme, London - May 27

Matt Holborn (violin); Kourosh Kanani (guitar)

A few days shy of 'Flaming June', the last week in London had been hot, hot, hot. Underground trains were hot, China Town was hot, Soho sizzled. On this Wednesday afternoon, on the corner of Old Compton Street, Cafe Boheme offered refuge from a burning sun. 

It's the kind of place where the few listen and the many chatter, volubly. The musicians at work this afternoon - Matt Holborn and Kourosh Kanani - got on with the job. Without introduction - words would have been lost on the noisy majority - our violin-guitar duo opened with Days of Wine and Roses. Playing for themselves, no doubt,  and good for them, and the very few intent on listening, Holborn and Kanani were as relaxed as could be. Exchanging extended solo improvisations, this was top class stuff worthy of the concert hall. 

Press release: NCRO - Annual concert at New Venue

A quick reminder of our annual concert at Gosforth Trinity Church & Centre, High Street, Gosforth NE3 1JZ on Saturday 20 June at 7.30pm.

Once again our special guest on piano is Martin Litton, an internationally renowned musician, arranger and bandleader, specialising in all the classic styles of jazz from ragtime to swing.  Also joining us will be our good friend Nick Ward on vintage percussion, Steve Andrews will present the show, and not forgetting our very own Caroline on vocals!

 

Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool - BBC Four tonite!

This evening (Friday 29), the Beeb's week of all things Miles Davis (tv and radio) culminates in 'another chance to see' Stanley Nelson's biopic of Miles Davis, Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool. First broadcast on BBC Two in March 2020, rare archival footage of Miles makes it compelling viewing. 

Album review: Sam Braysher - A Sinner Kissed an Angel (Fresh Sound Records - New Talent)

Sam Braysher (alto sax); Linus Springer (guitar); Darryl Hall (bass); Eric Ineke (drums)

A truly international quartet led by an English saxophonist, an Amsterdam based German guitarist, an American bassist living in France and a Dutch drummer playing a selection of lesser known tunes and making them, if not their own, at least joint share-holders.

Leader Braysher has been well represented within these pages both on record and live. On this, his latest album, the sound of the alto sax has the warmth of Johnny Hodges, the creativity of Charlie Parker and the bite of Phil Woods - a potpourri of urbane sophistication well-suited to the opening track.