Album review: Joe Webb Trio - Neath Beat (Edition)

Joe Webb (piano); Will Sach (bass); Sam Jesson 

Mercury Prize nominee Joe Webb is the quiet phenomenon of the UK/European scene. Not just for his piano technique, which is prestigious, but for his ability to reach corners of the music world that jazz rarely penetrates to any great depth.

Part of this may be due to his relative youth and affinity to Britpop and bands like Oasis - rare common denominators amongst your average jazz musician.

Neath Beat refers to the town of his Welsh birthplace where he studied at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama before moving to London. 

Leah Rose Kirk (Jazz Voice): Final Recital @ Band Room, Music Studios, Newcastle University - May 5

Leah Kirk (vocals) with Alan Law (Piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Theo Nolan (drums)

Leah Kirk's time at Newcastle University seems to have flown by. First heard at Newcastle Arts Centre's fabled jam session, this afternoon, third year music student Leah gave her final recital. Taking to the stage with three Black Swan (Newcastle Arts Centre) jam session regulars, Leah presented seven songs for consideration by the examiners. 

Opening with Leonard Feather's lyrics to Benny Golson's Whisper Not, it was immediately clear that, nervous or not, Leah was in fine voice. Accompanists Alan Law, Paul Grainger and Theo Nolan did what they were there to do - provide sympathetic support to the examinee. 

Nick Mondello chats with Cat Connor

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqnHYStCnxc

Late Night Chicago Radio w. Denny Farrell (April 30 - May 6)

Sonny Rollins: Night and Day.

Ray Brown: Just a Gigolo. 

Sarah Vaughan: East of the Sun.

Toots Thielemans: Unforgettable.

Diane Schuur/B.B. King: At Last.

Eddie Higgins: Moon River.

Buddy DeFranco: Twelve Tone Blues (dedicated to BSH).

Nat 'King' Cole: I'll String Along With You.

?: You Belong to me.

Rosemary Clooney: I Wished on the Moon.

Buck Clayton: After Hours.

LISTEN 24/7

Tom Waits for No Man: Neckties & Boxing Gloves @ Oxygenic, Whitley Bay - May 3

Lindsay Hannon (vocals); Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Brendan Murphy (percussion, old boot, spanner)

A new venue (new to BSH), a new album, a sold out concert performance. All on a dank bank holiday afternoon down at the coast. Tom Waits for No Man were in town and, so it seemed, every member of Lindsay Hannon's large fan club.

The new album - Neckties and Boxing Gloves - would be played in its entirety, wouldn't it? Wrong! In a move that wrong-footed your reviewer and probably everyone else on the premises, Lindsay chose to play just one number from the album, instead opting to play numbers from Tom Waits' extensive back catalogue.

Album review: Ben Wolfe - Any Time After Now (Resident Arts Records)

Ben Wolfe (bass); Joel Ross (vibes); Sullivan Fortner (piano); Chris Lewis (tenor sax); Aaron Kimmel (drums)

An album of sheer delight and beauty. Ten originals by bassist, composer Wolfe and perfectly executed by five of New York's finest including the leader himself.

Any Time After Now: The title track of the album more or less lays down what it's all about - gentle swinging sounds that were born in the 1950s and, like good wine and single malt whisky left to mature until potable to the palate. An up tempo romp recorded last year with solos all round 'cept that of the leader who's content to provide solid support,

Waltz II: As the title implies, a cool "May I have the next one?" type of number. Ross's vibes featured at length it's a delicate, handle me with care, number and, of course, Ross does just that.

Vocalist Vangie Gunn-Goodwin, GoodGunn Creative, Inc. and Grammy®-Winning Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band® to Launch The Big Phat Podcast®

May 4, 2026 Locust Valley, NY –  Vangie Gunn-Goodwin in conjunction with GoodGunn Creative, Inc. and the Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band has announced the launch of the inaugural Big Phat Podcast. The 13-episode video podcast which will launch on May 25^th, 2026. will feature Gunn-Goodwin along with co-hosts Andrew Kesler, et al, will be a unique multi-media presentation all about the life, compositions, arrangements, recordings and ancillary activities of Grammy-winner Gordon Goodwin and his world famous, award-winning Big Phat Band. The Big Phat Podcast will be available via YouTube® and all other podcast platforms.

“This unique podcast series is a special acknowledgement and retrospective of the incredible legacy of Gordon Goodwin, his life, compositions and arrangements, diverse projects, and his 25-year history leading the world-famous Big Phat Band,” said Gunn-Goodwin. She added: “Over the years, we have had so many inquiries about Gordon and his music. The podcast will allow us to share all things Gordon Goodwin and the Big Phat Band with fans and students  world and cyberspace wide.”

Midnite Follies Orchestra @ Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club - May 2

Alan Barnes, Richard Exall, Michael McQuaid (reeds); Mike Henry, Pete Rudeforth, Rico Tomasso (trumpets); Alistair Allan (trombone, vocals); Gordon Campbell (trombone); Dean Stockdale (piano); Tom 'Spats' Langham (banjo, guitar, vocals); Malcolm Sked (string bass, sousaphone); Richard Pite (drums)

The late Keith Nichols' legacy lives on. A couple of years ago, trombonist Alistair Allan set about reviving the Midnite Follies Orchestra. Putting together an ace line-up, the twelve piece ensemble can be heard on occasion, whether in London (recently at the Spice of Life) or here in the 'far north', ie Darlington. 

This afternoon's Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club promotion attracted a large turnout, little wonder considering the calibre of musician on show. Essentially an Ellington programme, to the strains of C Jam Blues, one by one, members of the ensemble strolled onto the stage. Their ever-increasing number upped the decibel count, we were in the Cotton Club, Harlem, NYC. From here on in, the Midnite Follies could do no wrong.

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

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

Playlist 03/05/26 (repeated Tuesday 05/05/26)

Seasonal: Dulcie May.

Requests: Dave Brubeck, Benny Golson, Walter Smith III.

Memories: Alan Skidmore.

Requests: Jean Goldkette & His Orchestra, Eddie Condon and His All Stars. MJQ + Wynton Marsalis, Oscar Peterson.

Tony Eales' Best of British Big Bands: Guy Barker.

Requests: Mal Waldron, Tina May.

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

Vintage jazz on vintage TV

Watching an old episode of The Cheaters on Talking Pictures - a grainy TV series from the early 1960s starring John Ireland - I was impressed by the soundtrack which captured the essence of what was happening on screen - rather like the pianist's back in the day when pictures were silent.

I had to wait until the credits rolled before I discovered that it was no less a musician than Bill le Sage!

Apparently Bill, seen here with a recreated Dankworth Seven, provided the soundtracks for all 29 episodes. The only other musician mentioned by IMDB is Ronnie Ross.

Jazz is out there, you just have to look for it between the ads for 'Pure Cremation' and 'Sun Life Insurance'. Lance