Jake Leg Jug Band @ Saltburn Community Hall - Apr. 10

Duncan Wilcox (double bass, vocals); Warren James (banjo, guitar, vocals); Cohen Wilcox (washboard); Phil Shotton (bass sax, tenor sax, soprano sax, clarinet); Andy Henderson (cornet, flugelhorn)

On a breezy, blue sky day, Saltburn Community Hall looked a picture. Walking into the timber-framed hall, the pre-gig hard work had been done - tables and chairs set out, candles being lit, the audience soon to arrive. The Jake Leg Jug Band is a popular outfit in Saltburn-by-the-Sea...  

Joe Steels: Celebrating Wes Montgomery @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church - Apr. 10

Joe Steels (guitar); Dean Stockdale (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); Abbie Finn (drums)

Full House. An apt opening number here at Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. Wes Montgomery the subject, Joe Steels the interpreter of the late, great American's music, Bishop Auckland Jazz is certainly pulling in the crowds. 

On a sunny day up on Cockton Hill Road, locals, and the not so local, turned out to hear guitarist Steels, pianist Dean Stockdale, bassist and gig promoter Mick Shoulder, and drummer Abbie Finn play a one hour 'Wes Montgomery' set.

Press statement: Mike Westbrook OBE (March 12, 1936 - April 11, 2026)

It is with very great sadness that I announce the death of jazz composer, pianist and band leader Mike Westbrook who died peacefully at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital yesterday 11th April.

He is survived by his wife, musical collaborator and muse Kate Westbrook and by his son Guy, daughter Joanna and his step children Josie, Clio and Jason Barnard.

Steve White Trio + Matt Deighton @ The Cluny, Newcastle - April 10

Steve White (drums); Chris Hague (bass, guitar, vocals); Joel White (keyboards, vocals)

I’ve never had to park so far away when visiting the Cluny in the past. This, it turned out, was not because of the pulling power of Mr White’s Trio but because Ouseburn is on the up with more pubs and bars than I’ve seen before. Inside the Cluny the background music is impassioned northern soul and the funk of Mr James Brown. The quality of the music did not, however, inspire the audience to dancing.

Nine of the clock sees the band on stage and rolling into the driving r’n’b of album opener Camera Obscura and its steady piano pulse. It’s tight and urban with occasional diversions into something more pastoral; Steve W solid at the back with frequent wilder flurries. From there, they are straight into an organ driven blues march. It’s pure ‘60s but could do with a guitar to slash and burn over the top. The swirling organ keeps the energy and momentum up. Steve’s pummelling solo keeps the rhythm driving and explodes around it, ending with a wave of cymbals. Then it’s into some driving urban funk with the organ leading from the front, swirling and swinging like musical aeronautics; lots of snap and pop like the soundtrack to a 60 year old spy caper.

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

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

Playlist 12/04/26 (repeated Tuesday 14/04/26)

Seasonal: Chris Barber, Bud Powell.

New Release: Michael Bede Dunlop (Bede Quartet).

Requests from the Bede Quartet: Steve Lehman, Joel Ross, Paul Motian.

Memories: Monty Sunshine.

Request: Sammy Davis Jr.

More Memories: Carmen McRae, Johnny Dodds, Herbie Hancock.

Tony Eales' Best of British Big Bands: Phil Collins Big Band

What’s on in the NE: The Ben Crosland Quintet.

Request: Camilla George.

Seasonal: Ella & Louis.

Request: Chick Corea.

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

Album review: Noa Levy & Paul Edis Trio - Portrait in Evans (Dot Time Records)

Giving Voice to the Unspoken

Noah Levy (voice); Paul Edis (piano); Adam King (bass); Joel Barford (drums); Alan Barnes (reeds)

There’s a moment, when you sit with this record, where the question shifts.

It’s not a question of whether or not you can put lyrics to Bill Evans, this has been done over the years with varying degrees of success. It’s about how brave you are, to attempt to paint a lyrical picture upon music whose meaning has always been subjective.

Because Evans’ music has always lived in that rare space where meaning isn’t stated, it’s suggested. You don’t arrive at it. You circle it. You sit inside it. And over time, it reveals something back to you — something personal, something that feels like yours alone.

That’s what makes it feel untouchable.

Album review: Esther Bennett – The Early Years (self released) - Take 2

There’s something deeply satisfying about hearing where it all began for Esther. The Early Years isn’t just a retrospective—it’s a window into the London jazz scene at a time when you had to earn every note, every gig, every ounce of credibility. These recordings, made between 1999 and 2001, capture Bennett before the polish, before the recognition, but crucially not before the identity. That was already there.

What lifts this collection beyond a simple set of demos is the world it evokes. Bennett paints a wonderfully vivid picture of that late ‘90s, early 2000s London circuit—Soho at its heart, with nights spent moving between places like Café Bohème, The Spice of Life and the 606. You can almost feel the rhythm of it: singers’ nights, borrowed amps, late sets, chance meetings that turn into gigs the very next day. It’s not nostalgia for the sake of it—it’s context, and it frames the music beautifully.

 

R.I.P. Norman Redhead (- April 9, 2026)

I'm saddened to report that Norman Redhead passed away peacefully last night.

Norman, a retired drummer and lifelong supporter of jazz, was for many years a well-known figure on the north east scene being a regular at the various Take it to the Bridge sessions: initially at 'the Chilli' and later at the Globe.

Until mobility problems curtailed his activities Norman was a frequent attendee at the Lit & Phil concerts as well as the weekly Friday afternoon sessions by Classic Swing at Cullercoats Crescent Club.

I first met Norman at the Side Cafe where we discovered we had similar musical tastes. Our paths crossed frequently at most of the above venues and he was always good to chat with.

A gentleman in every sense of the word, he will be sadly missed. Our thoughts are with his family.

Rest In Peace.

Lance

Jazz on Talking Pictures

Talking Pictures is the TV Channel to watch if, like me, you have a penchant for old British black and white movies. Whilst few, if any, may have picked up an Oscar they do, on occasion, throw up a surprise or two.

Such was the case this morning with Nowhere to go, a 1958 Ealing/MGM film described by David Meeker as an 'Above average thriller' which was about right. However, the icing on the cake was the soundtrack by Dizzy Reece and performed by his quartet - Dizzy Reece (trumpet); Tubby Hayes (tenor/baritone sax); Lloyd Thompson (bass); Phil Seaman (drums).

Press release: Record Store Day 2026

Elemental Music and acclaimed archival producer Zev Feldman announce four stunning never-before-released albums out on vinyl April 18, 2026 for Record Store Day.

• Michel Petrucciani – Kuumbwa

2-LP set capturing a fiery 1987 performance at Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz, California. The first Petrucciani release among the label’s many jazz treasures, the recording features the legendary pianist with bassist Dave Holland and drummer Eliot Zigmund. The thoughtfully annotated set includes reflections by pianist’s son Alexandre Petrucciani, drummer Eliot Zigmund, Italian pianist Enrico Pieranunzi, journalist Thierry Pérémarti, and Kuumbwa Co-Founder Tim Jackson.