Interview with Tom Harrison

Bebop Spoken Here talked to saxophonist Tom Harrison about his forthcoming album and his visit to the Jazz Café this Friday (Sept. 30) as part of the David Lyttle Trio

BSH: Tom, although London based, you pop up here quite frequently. I think the first time I heard you was with DAGDA. Is it the semi-tropical weather, the beer or the friendly fan base you like about Newcastle? (Think carefully about your answer).

To be honest probably a combination of all the above! It’s true, I’m certainly partial to a pint of Radgie Gadgie in the rain with good people!

Scarborough Jazz Festival 2016 - Sunday September 25:

(Review by Steve T).

Young people may not believe this but as a child I spent four consecutive summer holidays camping in Scarborough; twice. Years later my oldest brother told me our mother invented Scarborough for their second generation of children but all of us, including my older brother and sister make Scarborough a regular destination.

The last time my parents went they stayed at the Grand Hotel where we’d only ever been for the Good old Days, which is now probably the so-called swinging sixties.

I consider it the finest holiday resort in the north and it’s always something of a homecoming.

Work and family commitments meant I could only make the Sunday which I had already decided was my preferred day of the three.

Jazz Files and Kill Fee by Fiona Veitch Smith @ Central Library, Newcastle - an observation.

Made my way through the rain-sodden mean streets of Newcastle to the Central Library which is near enough to the centre of the city to justify its name.

I was checkin' out a dame, Fiona Veitch Smith although she sometimes calls herself Poppy Denby and wears retro clothes.

What was this broad doing in a library? Why wasn't she out reporting for the local rag, taking pictures with her Kodak Brownie? Then it clicked, there wasn't a match (football game) on so what else could she do? Fiona and alter ego Poppy, dropped in to talk about a couple of crime scenarios they, well at least Poppy, had been involved in back in the 1920's - the Jazz Age!

There's more, or maybe less, to Spain than Chick Corea!

John Taylor sent me this shot from Barcelona,

"Not my hotel and no jazz either!"
Which just goes to show that you can't judge a hotel by its frontage. Then again, can you ever believe what a hotel claims in its brochures like General Franco slept here - and maybe the bed linen hasn't been changed since!

Not that this applies to the Hotel Jazz where, I'm sure, everything the visitor could desire is available - 'cept jazz!

Lance.

Scarborough Jazz Festival 2016 - Saturday September 24: The Eastern Area Schools Youth Jazz Orchestra

(Review by Russell).

The Eastern Area Schools Youth Jazz Orchestra is a shining example of jazz education at its best. Based in Scarborough, the ensemble performs regularly in Yorkshire and, as and when funds permit, further afield including frequent visits to Wearside to take part in the annual Great North Big Band Jazz Festival in Sunderland. EASY, as the outfit is known, has become a fixture at Scarborough. This year’s invite included a workshop session with Alan Barnes and Gareth Williams. Christmas comes early to Scarborough! 

Scarborough Jazz Festival 2016 - Saturday September 24: Barnes/O’Higgins & the Sax Section

(Review by Russell).

As the Spa festival stage crew prepared the platform for the Alan Barnes/Dave O’Higgins saxophone summit a piano tuner quietly went about his business at the Bösendorfer     grand. This an example of the attention to detail, central to the smooth running of a major jazz festival. The Grand Hall audience took five, the room sweltering on a late September Scarborough afternoon.

Alan Barnes and Dave O’Higgins worked together regularly at the Pizza Express in Soho in the 1980s: ‘every Monday evening for about twelve years’ recalled Barnes. O’Higgins nodded, perhaps pondering the intervening years, one suspects gone in a trice! Here at the 2016 Scarborough Jazz Festival the Barnes/O’Higgins’ Sax Section took to the stage with a casual air, virtuosi ready to go to work. The main men, flanked on their left by Sammy Mayne, described by Barnes as his favourite alto sax player, and on baritone, a favourite of Humphrey Lyttleton, Karen Sharp. To their right, playing tenor sax, Judith O’Higgins.

Tcha Limberger to play Sage Gateshead!

(Preview by Russell)

Multi instrumentalist Tcha Limberger is returning to Sage Gateshead. This Sunday, October 2, Limberger will be in Hall Two with his Budapest Gypsy Orchestra. Belgian born Tcha, of the Manouche tradition, will lead his seven piece band in a programme centred on the folk music traditions of Central Europe. On this current tour Limberger will be playing violin – he is also an accomplished guitarist – alongside fellow string instrumentalists Olah Norbert (viola, or the ‘brac’ bowed alternative), Ruzo Istvan on violin and Szegfu Karoly, double bass.

Scarborough Jazz Festival 2016 – Saturday September 24: Nicola Farnon Trio

Nicola Farnon (double bass & vocals), Piero Tucci (piano & tenor saxophone) & Phil Johnson (drums)

(Review by Russell)

A beautiful autumnal day on the Yorkshire coast. Scarborough Spa is at its best on a day like this with its enviable waterfront location at the foot of steepling cliffs. Mike Gordon and his team of hard working assistants have refined the workings of a fixture on the jazz festival circuit and this year’s Scarborough Jazz Festival, the fourteenth, attracted visitors from far and wide. The festival proper began on Friday, although some had other ideas…     

The 2016 festival began on Wednesday evening at Scarborough Jazz Club’s regular haunt on Cambridge Terrace. The Cask public house hosted Mike Gordon’s house trio – aka the MG3 – working with a three-strong frontline of Yorkshire lad Dennis Rollins, multi reeds man Stuart MacDonald and festival favourite (and compere) Alan Barnes. On Thursday a second session featured Tom Townsend’s eight piece outfit – clearly some just can’t wait for the three days of official action to begin!

Scarborough Jazz Festival 2016 - Saturday September 24: SK2 Jazz Orchestra

(Review by Russell)

Things tend to run to time at Scarborough. At quarter past two, to time, MC Alan Barnes introduced the powerhouse SK2 Jazz Orchestra. Drummer Dave Tyas, Yorkshire born and bred, takes his band on the road whenever he can and an invitation to perform at the Spa was readily accepted. An all-Kenton programme (the clue is in the band name ‘SK2’)   enthralled an audience which, near as damn it, filled the hall. Some of those present were, no doubt, at one or more of Kenton’s British concert dates back in ’56.

CD Review: Alyssa Allgood - Out of the Blue.

Alyssa Allgood (voice); Chris Madsen (sax); Dan Chase (organ); Tim Fitzgerald (guitar); Matt Plaskota (drums)

(Review by Lance).

This is like hearing Annie Ross for the first time way back when she hung out with Jon Hendricks and Dave Lambert. Alyssa has that same scat/vocalese feel to the bebop lines that much of Out of the Blue is based on.

The opener, Watch me Walk Away picks up on Hank Mobley's Dig Dis and Allgood wordlessly weaves her vocal around Hank's solo - All good so far! Noticing the Moment, based on Coltrane's Moment's Notice from 'Trane's Blue Train Blue Note Album (which also just happens to be my favourite album by Coltrane) Madsen chips in without loss of face.

Three Free Gigs Last Night

(Reviews by John T).

Set off at teatime yesterday [Friday, Sept. 23] to do some shopping in ‘The Toon’.

By 6pm I was in need of refreshment which I found in the form of an excellent pint of Wylam Ale in the Redwood Bar of the Vermont Hotel where vocalist Andrea Pattison, her husband Richard Rutherford, on bass and Graham Don on piano kept me relaxed and entertained for a while

My needs, albeit temporarily, fulfilled I then made my way to the Prohibition Bar in Gateshead, whistling the theme from Get Carter as I walked over the High Level Bridge! 

EP Review: Peter Horsfall - How Can We Know?

Peter Horsfall (tpt/vcl); David Archer (gtr); Joe Webb (pno0; Dave O'Brien (bs).

(Review by Lance).

A mini gem! An EP that delights and infuriates! Delights, because the four tracks are so very listenable. Infuriates because there are only four tracks - I wanted more!

Horsfall blows mighty fine horn with a delightful 1930's feel about it. Not surprising as we know him from the Basin Street Brawlers and Kansas Smitty's House Band. The emphasis here, however, is on his crooning and it, inexplicably, brought Bill Kenny of The Inkspots to mind!

Just so laid back, I ignored the pile of review discs in the queue and played this over and over again.

Gerry Richardson's Big Idea @ Black Swan Arts Centre - A Dutch Treat!

(Review by Lance/Photos courtesy of Mike Tilley).

What's left to say about the Big Idea? We know the repertoire, we've heard it all before and yet...

...sometimes it's as if we're hearing it for the very first time! Years ago, the Ellington and Basie Bands created the same feeling and we never left those concerts disappointed and nor were we disappointed tonight.

Michael Woods @ The Lit & Phil. September 23

Michael Woods (guitar & vocals)

(Review by Russell)

Newcastle based Michael Woods opened and closed his Lit & Phil lunchtime set of fifty minutes playing his six string Taylor acoustic. The regional folklore of Salter’s Bridge to begin, a string of American country blues to follow; Ain’t No Tellin’, Deep Ellum and an excellent take on Blind Blake’s Excuse Me, Mr Phelps? Mississippi Blues (Willie Brown) a final tune, for now, on the Taylor.

CD Review: Gene Ess - Absurdist Theatre

Gene Ess (Guitar), Thana Alexa (Voice), Manuel Valera (Piano), Yasushi Nakamura (Bass), Clarence Penn (Drums).

(Review by Steve T)

Another strong album but when do we get to see them live at a Jazz Café or Globe near us [northeast UK]? Because that's the only market I can envisage for it, and, if they're as good live, I'm sure they'd shift loads.*

Having said that, the internet, social media, streaming, downloading; all these things are something of a mystery to me so maybe there's a marketplace I'm not privy to.