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.

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

Esther Bennett (vocal all tks); Ramsay McInnes (guitar tks 1-7, 11); John China (piano tks 8-10); Jim Watson (piano tk 11); Mick Hutton (bass tk 11); Mark Fletcher (drums tk 11).

Back in my early blogging days whenever I was in London Wednesday evenings at the Spice of Life were always high on my agenda. Wednesdays at the Spice, curated by Paul Pace, was devoted to jazz singers and the audience were serenaded by aspiring vocalists from both near and afar. Needless to say the variety varied but I can't recall hearing anyone who was less than good. Certainly not Esther Bennett who never failed to impress.

This appropriately named album dates back even earlier (1999-2001) and is made up of demo tracks recorded with two of the finest musicians resident in London at the time.

Stockport Jazz

This Sunday Stockport Jazz welcomes the Richard Wetherall Quartet to the Moor Club, featuring Richard on piano alongside saxophonist Rick Halliwell with Tim Williams (bass) and Eryl Roberts (drums).

Sunday 12th April 2026

8-10pm, doors open at 7.30pm

£5 entry on the door, all welcome

The Moor Club, 35 Heaton Moor Road, Stockport SK4 4PB  (next to the Elizabethan PH)

Nick Mondello interviews Barry Danielian

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW-exrnOaa4

Above is a link to an interview between Nick Mondello, BSH's NYC correspondent and trumpet player, with fellow trumpet player and Traditional Oriental Medicine Practitioner Barry Danielian.

It's a fascinating and intriguing interview and should give musicians of all instruments and ages plenty to think about. Lance

Album Review: Steve White Trio – Soul Drums (The Jazz Sessions, volume 1) (Acid Jazz)

Steve White (drums, percussion); Chris Hague (bass, guitars, piano, Rhodes, additional keys); Joel White (Hammond organ, piano, Rhodes, additional keys); Steve Beighton (sax/horns, flute) + Harry Hayward (guitar on Running)

The first thing you have to know about this album is that you have to play it loud. At a normal volume it burbles along quite nicely but without making a real impact. It could almost be dinner jazz; something chilled to have with your canapes. Nothing to scare the horses.

Crank it up, however, and everything separates out into a multi-headed, swinging, groove machine. It’s a driving, urban soundtrack that wears its influences loudly and proudly. The roots of this music lie in the first mod generation who appreciated, not just rock and roll, but looked to soul and the soulful end of jazz and blues from the likes of Georgie Fame and Brian Auger’s Trinity. These vibes are updated through (obviously) , Squeeze, Oasis and The Who as well as forming a few other groups along the way. This album seems to be the one that has generated most interest of his recent work with an interview on JazzFM and a tour that brings the Trio to The Cluny in Newcastle on Friday April 10.