Bebop Spoken There

Ludovic Beier (Django Festival Allstars): ''Manouche means 'free man,' and gypsies have been travelers since they migrated west from India to Europe.'' (DownBeat March, 2026)

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

18383 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 247 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 17 ), 57

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

Thursday, July 29, 2021

Album review: Sam Blakeslee & Wistful Thinking - The Long Middle

Sam Blakeslee (trombone); Chris Coles (alto sax, effects pedals); Brandon Coleman (guitar); Matt Wiles (bass).

You know how it is when you go to the opticians and they ask you to read the bottom line when, in actual fact, if you could read the bottom line you wouldn't be there in the first place? I mention this because the notes on the booklet make that bottom line seem like the top line - even a visit to Specsavers wouldn't have helped! As such, I'm unable to tell you much about the background to this, not unpleasant, album.

The name of the band, Wistful Thinking, suggests that this isn't going to be a Devil Take the Hindmost tear-up and it isn't. It's more of a contemporary Mulligan/Brookmeyer* chamber music type ensemble. Exquisitely played but not one to get the adrenalin flowing. Nevertheless, it is not without merit. Despite being issued on the Outside in Music label, for most of the time the music is very much on the inside with only occasional forays into that outer world.

This is Blakeslee's debut album and possibly a hint of greater things to come. Lance

Available from tomorrow (July 30)

* I suspect the track titled Bob is probably dedicated to the late Brookmeyer.

The Long Middle; Ashokan; Bygones Are Bygones; Franklyn's Blues; Nomad's Lament; Bob; Shady Grove; Approaching Closure.

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