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Bebop Spoken There

Kurt Elling: ''There's something to learn from every musician you play with''. (DownBeat, December 2024).

The Things They Say!

This is a good opportunity to say thanks to BSH for their support of the jazz scene in the North East (and beyond) - it's no exaggeration to say that if it wasn't for them many, many fine musicians, bands and projects across a huge cross section of jazz wouldn't be getting reviewed at all, because we're in the "desolate"(!) North. (M & SSBB on F/book 23/12/24)

Postage

17630 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 904 of them this year alone and, so far, 49 this month (Dec. 20).

From This Moment On ...

December

Wed 25: Wot? No jazz!

Thu 26: The Boneshakers @ Tyne Bar, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. The 17th annual Boneshakers’ Shindig.

Fri 27: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 27: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free. Business as usual!.
Fri 27: Jason Isaacs @ Seaburn STACK, Seaburn. 3:30-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 27: Michael Woods @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Country blues guitar & vocals.

Sat 28: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 11:30am. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 28: Fri 20: Castillo Nuevo @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Sat 28: Jude Murphy, Rich Herdman & Giles Strong @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sat 28: Ray Stubbs R & B All-Stars @ Billy Bootlegger’s, Stepney Bank, Newcastle. 9:00pm. Free.

Sun 29: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 29: Alexia Gardner Quintet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 30: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 30: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Wheatsheaf, Benton Sq., Whitley Road, Palmersville NE12 9SU. Tel: 0191 266 8137. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 30: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.

Tue 31: Jason Isaacs @ Seaburn STACK, Seaburn. 12 noon-2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Tue 31: Lapwing Trio @ Wallington (National Trust), Cambo, Morpeth NE61 4AR. 12 noon & 2:00pm. Admission to site £19.00.
Tue 31: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 3:30-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Tue 31: Archie Brown & Friends @ Tyne Bar, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00-8:00pm. Free.

Reviewers wanted

Whilst BSH attempts to cover as many gigs, festivals and albums as possible, to make the site even more comprehensive we need more 'boots on the ground' to cover the albums seeking review - a large percentage of which never get heard - report on gigs or just to air your views on anything jazz related. Interested? then please get in touch. Contact details are on the blog. Look forward to hearing from you. Lance

Saturday, January 24, 2015

CD Review: Jeff Hamilton Trio - Great American Songs through the years.

Tamir Hendelman (pno); Christoph Luty (bs); Jeff Hamilton (dms).
(Review by Lance).
Glory be! Hallelujah! A standards album! CD of the month? Surely all bets are now off! 
Whilst I recognise the need of young players to produce original material which, unfortunately (or in some cases fortunately) will never enter other bands' pads, I do question as to why they think their material is better than that of the Gasbook? Or, come to that, more contemporary composers such as Cohen, King, Mitchell? At the end of the day, a familiar theme is much easier for the jazz newcomer to latch on to. Then, once the head is played, reprised, they are off on solos that the listener can more easily relate to.
Great American Songs is a perfect example. Israeli born pianist Hendelman is the kind of player we once took for granted - Peterson, Powell (Bud, Richie, Mel), Previn - and now are delighted to discover in this wonderful reminder of how it used to be, how it should be (and still is on this disc).
The progressions, the improvisations, the general feel and the arrangements of these 10 classics is as near perfection as I've heard in many a long playing life.
The fact that Jeff Hamilton - the most tasteful drummer ever - is leader of the group will, I'm sure, convince any doubters that this may be the finest jazz piano trio disc since the abdication by death of Oscar Peterson. And, dare I say it? Hendelman displays the one quality Oscar occasionally lacked - restraint!
Luty is featured both pizz and arc - in the latter mode he brings an almost cello-like quality to his bowed bass passages - listen to the opening melody of Someone to Watch Over me.
A tremendous recording - that's the good news!
The bad news is that this Capri release is a limited edition of just 2,500 copies that are available only from Capri or Amazon (unless you have the version released in 2013 in Japan) so don't hang about!.
For the record the titles are: Falling in Love With Love; Tenderly; The More I See You; It Could Happen to You; Someone to Watch Over me; Thou Swell; You Took Advantage of me; I Thought About You; All or Nothing at All; How Long Has This Been Going on?

4 comments :

Patti D. said...

The disc sounds wonderful - no luck so far with trying to buy, neither from Amazon nor the Capri sites .... anyone else got lucky?

Lance said...

Patti - try new link to Capri at foot of post.

Patti D. said...

Success! Thanks Lance!

Liz said...

wonderful, my kind of music, and a terrific review, you sure do know your stuff Lance

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