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

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

Playlist 24/05/26 (repeated Tuesday 26/05/26)

Memories: Artie Shaw, Miles Davis, Zoë Gilby & Noel Dennis.

Seasonal: Blossom Dearie, Nat 'King' Cole, John Hallam.

Requests: Freddy Hubbard. 

New Releases: Gerald Albright, Heidi Martin, Hannah Horton.

Requests: Wigan Youth Orchestra, Lee Morgan/Ron Carter, Duke Ellington, Lester Young, The Boswell Sisters/Dorsey Brothers, Thelonius Monk/Milt Jackson, Sarah Vaughan/Dizzy Gillespie, Zoot Sims/Bob Brookmeyer, Art Tatum.

Paul Edis Trio @ The Gala, Durham - May 22

© Malcolm Sinclair

Paul Edis (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); Steve Hanley (drums)

Another full house. What's new? The Gala's lunchtime concert series is on a roll with sold out performances now considered the norm. This afternoon's concert would continue the trend. Although now based in London, Paul Edis continues to programme the concerts, and today, for a change, pianist Edis himself would take centre stage.

Miles and Miles and Miles of Miles on the Beeb

Miles Dewey Davis III. A name to conjure with. Tuesday (May 26th) marks the centenary of the birth of Miles Davis and the BBC (radio and television) is marking the occasion with a slew of programmes. The first of them - Legend: the Miles Davis Story - a five-part series on BBC Radio 4, presented by Clark Peters, begins this morning at 10:30am (repeated Monday 4:30pm).

Announcing the Durham Jazz Festival!

Long in the planning, on Thursday evening (May 21st) the organisers of the Durham Jazz Festival opened the doors to the festival HQ. A low key launch event at 25 High Street (just off Durham Market Place) brought together several interested parties: sponsors, business representatives, promoters and, by no means least, the indispensable jazz fan. 

The Space Between the Notes took centre stage. John Lyons' photography exhibition will be in situ up to and including the festival weekend (Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th October). 

Album review: Lou Marini and The Italian Groovers - Playtime (Azzura Music)

Lou Marini (tenor/soprano sax,  flute); Alessandro Chiappetta (guitar); Gianluno Di Ienno (Hammond B3); Enzo Zirilli (drums)+ Alex “Kid” Gariazzo (guitar, vocals tks 1-3)

Woodwind artist “Blue” Lou Marini is one of the most recognized musicians in the world. From his early days on Saturday Night Live – who could forget his gilded-faced entry on Steve Martin’s King Tut? - to his bravura film performances and world tours with the Blues Brothers. With Playtime, Marini joins forces with a trio of Italian-based musicians plus guest to deliver a dozen superb tracks - all Marini originals, save one. The vibe here ranges from free to funk and to straight-ahead, all superbly performed.

The Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, South Gosforth, Newcastle - May 21

David Gray (trombone, trumpet, vocals); Jim McBriarty (tenor sax, clarinet, vocals); Brian Bennett (banjo); Jamie Wadkins (double bass)  

The Millstone, a stone's throw from South Gosforth roundabout, with the Ouseburn in Jesmond Dene eddying its way past the pub's beer garden, was to renew acquaintance with the local jazz scene. The Vieux Carré Jazzmen were a once familiar fixture, now, as the Hot 4, it would be like old times. 

The Glory of Love. We've been here before. The Vieux Carré playing Billy Hill's timeless number is nothing new, more power to their collective elbow. Bring Me Sunshine, a somewhat less predicable choice, kinda worked, Whenever You're Lonesome (Just Telephone Me) most certainly worked, all in an afternoon's work for the VC Hot 4.

Cheltenham Musings 2

Wandering round the town there seems to be more jazz around than in previous years. You could easily have a day’s entertainment flitting between the free stage in Montpelier Gardens and the new free stage in the Brewery Quarter, (we caught singer Josh Hicks and band sound checking, soulfully) not to mention the occasional busker, such as the bloke on a bench near the bogs running through some pin sharp Metheny-isms whilst we queued for the facilities. It does feel like jazz is all around.

Album review: Duchess: A Marvelous Party (ANZIC Records)

Duchess: Amy Cervini, Hilary Gardner, Melissa Stylianou (vocal trio) + Michael Cabe (piano); Jesse Lewis (guitar); Matt Aronoff (bass); Jared Schonig (drums); Erica von Kleist (alto/soprano sax); Jason Rigby (tenor sax); Owen Broder (baritone sax); Summer Camargo (trumpet); Nick Finzer (trombone); Oded Lev-Ari (piano tk 8)

Think of the Boswell Sisters, the Andrews Sisters, the Keynotes and, more recently, the Puppini Sisters. Girl vocal groups whose harmonies defined the times be it the Wall Street Crash, World War ll or its aftermath.

Duchess have absorbed all of those elements as well as adding a few distinctive harmonic touches of their own on this, their fourth release.

It's a concept album. Once upon a time you had to have a gimmick. These days you have to have a concept. In this case the concept is a party and given credibility by stringing together a dozen loosely related lyrics that form the basis of A Marvelous Party. 

So, let the party begin.

Cheltenham Jazz Festival: Yazz Ahmed @ The Parabola Arts Centre, Cheltenham - May 3

Yazz Ahmed (trumpet, flugelhorn); Ralph Wylde (keys, vibes, marimba); Elizabeth Knott (percussion); Berlinde Deman (serpent) (Yes, you read that right, it does say serpent)

The Cheltenham Festival has previous for commissioning works and, for this one at the Arts Centre, Yazz Ahmed, Anglo/Bahraini trumpeter, has recruited an unusual instrumental line-up. She has revisited some of her previous work and remodelled and ‘remixed’ those pieces for this new group, so, whilst the music may not be new, the treatment of it certainly is.

They open with Wah-Wah Sowahwah with the deep voice of the cello on the original album track being taken by the serpent. Deman’s playing seems to require her to play short passages before she manipulates her serpent’s sound using one of the array of pedals, switches and knobs arranged on the floor in front of her. 

An Interview with composer, author, poet, improviser, producer Mary Moreno by Nick Mondello

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZN2-H3Vizs

This is an interview I did yesterday with Mary Moreno. Mary was married to Blues Brother and trumpet great Alan Rubin.

She also spent time writing jingles and producing jingle sessions in the halcyon days of New York advertising and NY GREATS playing those jingles. She also is a classical composer studying at Juilliard and in Paris (under the Nadia Boulanger method à la Quincy Jones). Nick