Is he still playing? I found this picture among my archives which I think came from a Newcastle Jazz Festival gig at the then Newcastle Playhouse.
Any ideas of the concert and, more importantly, is he still active? Lance
For the past sixteen years we've been updating the world about jazz in the north east of England and updating the north east of England about jazz in the world. WINNER of the Jazz Media Category in the 2018 All Party Parliamentary Jazz Awards. Contact lanceliddle@gmail.com
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November
Mon 11: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 11: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Wheatsheaf, Benton Sq., Whitley Road, Palmersville NE12 9SU. Tel: 0191 266 8137. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 11: Graham Hardy’s Eclectic Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.
Tue 12: Matthew Forster Quartet @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm.
Tue 12: Phil’s Elastic Band @ The Forum, Darlington. 7:30pm. Free, but ticketed, book online.
Wed 13: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 13: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 13: The Tannery Jam Session @ The Tannery, Gilesgate, Hexham. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. A ‘second Wednesday in the month’ jam session.
Wed 13: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 13: corto.alto @ Hoochie Coochie, Newcastle. 7:45pm (doors 7:00pm). £14.00. + bf.
Thu 14: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: Faye MacCalman & John Pope @ King’s Hall, Newcastle University. 1:15pm. Free.
Thu 14: Student Performances @ King’s Hall, Newcastle University. 4:00pm. Inc. Olly Styles (saxophone).
Thu 14: Happy Tuesdays @ Ye Olde Cross, Ryton. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 14: John Stowell & Tom Remon @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Top class US/UK guitar duo!
Thu 14: King Bees @ The Cumberland Arms, Byker, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Superb Chicago blues band. Note, Struggle Buggy will no longer be appearing.
Thu 14: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesborough. 8:30pm. Free. Guests: Jeremy McMurray (keys); Kevin Eland (trumpet); Mark Toomey (alto sax); Adrian Beadnell (bass).
Fri 15: Nicola Farnon Trio @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 15: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 15: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 15: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 15: Tim Kliphuis Trio @ Morpeth Methodist Church, Morpeth NE61 1HU. 7:30pm. £18.00.; £3.00. student (over 18); Free 18 or under. A Morpeth Music Society event. Kliphuis (violin), Nigel Clark (guitar), Roy Percy (double bass).
Fri 15: Lindsay Hannon’s Blues Trio @ 1719, Hendon, Sunderland. 7:30pm. £12.00. + bf.
Fri 15: Groovetrain @ The Exchange 1856, North Shields. 7:00pm. £22.50. + bf. Groovetrain’s ‘Big Night Out’.
Sat 16: Liane Carroll: Jazz Vocal Weekend Workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 9:00am-5:00pm. £95.00. Day 1/2. SOLD OUT!
Sat 16: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm.
Sat 16: Papa G’s Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sat 16: Brand New Heavies @ Boiler Shop, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £75.00. + bf; £30.00. + bf.
Sun 17: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 17: Liane Carroll: Jazz Vocal Weekend Workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 9:00am-5:00pm. £95.00. Day 2/2. SOLD OUT!
Sun 17: Eva Fox & the Jazz Guys @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 17: Liane Carroll @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Sun 17: Julian Lage @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. Lage, solo guitar.
Mon 18: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 18: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Wheatsheaf, Benton Sq., Whitley Road, Palmersville NE12 9SU. Tel: 0191 266 8137. 1:00pm. Free.
Is he still playing? I found this picture among my archives which I think came from a Newcastle Jazz Festival gig at the then Newcastle Playhouse.
Any ideas of the concert and, more importantly, is he still active? Lance
(© Jim Pritchard) |
This group was announced by Jim Collins as the B Sharps Sax Quartet Plus One. The other members were, I believe, all ex students of Stockport's music schools.
Jim frequently plays at the Railway with the Freddy Garner Quartet and occasionally guests in guitarist Steve Oakes’ unit. He can also be seen in the sax section of the many big bands that work throughout the north west.
I had never previously heard him play baritone sax but I was impressed with the really big sound he got out of the Yamaha horn.
* Quirky fact...Cullercoats is unique, there isn't another Cullercoats anywhere on the planet! Russell
The third album by the Chicago based vocalist is an impressive take on a selection of GASbook classics.
Her soulful, bluesy renditions bring to my mind Nina Simone, Dinah Washington, Nancy Wilson among others - but only in spirit - in actual performance she is nobody's clone.
Since being voted as Young Scottish Jazz Musician of the Year in 2015 and the recipient of a Peter Whittingham Award in 2017, Helena Kay has never been far from these pages and justifiably so. Whether in bands led by Tommy Smith, Issie Barratt or the bassist on this album - Calum Gourlay - the tenor saxist has never been less than impressive.
BSH: All over the country, London, Leeds, Birmingham, Glasgow, Newcastle amazing young musicians are emerging and incorporating traditional modern jazz values into their own contemporary visions. Are there any young players in your patch that we should look out for?
I know there have been several previous attempts and, although BSH and LJN have been frontrunners in attempting to do this online, I can't think of an actual coffee table tome that has yet to become the definitive work. Perhaps, given the enormity of the subject, we need sturdier coffee tables.
(© Jeff Pritchard) |
A lot of tunes were played tonight by this unusual combo who covered material by Duke Ellington, Freddie Hubbard, Horace Silver, Toots Thielemans and some standards. Almost all of the tunes featured vocals by Robin who, due to a back problem, performed sitting down in a rather comfortable looking easy chair. This did not impede his harmonica work as he sounded as impressive as ever when he took a solo.
(Press release)
This showcase is a unique musical fusion of Tango and Jazz, a
fascinating journey from the origins of traditional Tango to the innovative
proposals of Astor Piazzolla’s music.
Tango Jazz Quartet magically captures the harmonies and the
improvisation of jazz to blend them with the melodies and rhythms of tango. The
striking contrast between the vibrant and playful “milongas”, the romantic
“tango-waltzes” and the electrifying music of Piazzzola will not leave anyone
in the audience indifferent.
BSH: Many years ago, I stayed at a hotel in Rawtenstall and, as I was having dinner, I heard a tenor sax warming up. Turned out it was Don Rendell and there was a local jazz club in the adjoining room. Can you remember the place?
Mike:
There's no better sound than that of a precisionly executed sax section, rich harmonies and matched vibratos. No, there's nothing better than a sax section apart, that is, from a saxophone quartet.
The latter incorporates all of the attributes of the former but also adds a more contrapuntal approach that is beautifully demonstrated on this excellent album.
Carrie
McCullock; Jenny Lingham; David Edgar; Paul Close; Jen Errington (vocals) +
Alan Law (piano); David Gray (trombone); Pete Tanton (trumpet); Paul Grainger
(bass); Rob Walker (drums)
Remember the last Indigo Jazz Voices gig which was postponed because of illness? Well, all concerned are now fighting fit and raring to go. September 8 is the new date when you can enjoy the singers with the trio of Alan Law, Paul Grainger and Rob Walker.
BSH: The Railway seems to be your regular haunt and features many
good musicians including Dean Stockdale who seems to be constantly crossing the
Pennines in both directions. What other venues do you occasionally visit?
Mike:
Playlist 28/08/22. (Repeated Tuesday 30/08/22)
BBC Jazz 625 – George Lewis/Acker Bilk
John Bradford talks jazz and makes his picks: Buddy Rich, Sonny Rollins, John Schofield, Bill Evans, Ahmad Jamal, Ari Hoenig.
Requests: Shorty Rogers and His Giants.
Birthdays: Branford Marsalis, Lester Young, Charlie Parker.
Request: Ahmad Jamal (again).
Downbeats Critic Poll: Ambrose Akinmusire.
What’s on in the NE: Emma Fisk, River City Hot Six, Zoe Gilby.
BBC 625 Bill Le Sage and The Directions in Jazz Unit.
There are some albums that, even before listening, you automatically sense that, going on past form, you're on a winner. Of course, going on past form doesn't always work out as expected - ask any punter!
However, when you have a vocalist and guitarist such as Petra and Andy performing songs associated with Julie London then you can rest assured that you're on the musical equivalent of an odds-on favourite.
BSH: Your name also crops up in Bill Birch’s Keeper of the Flame – a book that gives an accurate, historical perspective of the Manchester jazz scene in the post war years – would you agree?
Mike: I can’t recall when I first met Bill Birch. It was during the time when he was contacting jazz fans and trying to get his idea of a book covering the Manchester Jazz Scene become a reality. He decided to self-publish the project and he asked for an upfront payment of £20 from interested parties to get things rolling. I was one who thought it was worth a gamble and paid him the required £20. I was a bit sceptical at first but on meeting Bill I realised that he knew what he was doing and I’m so glad the book was well received upon completion.
I felt very lucky to be asked by Bill to attend the book launch at the Cinnamon Club in Bowdon, Cheshire and to appear on stage as part of a band comprising Iain Dixon alto, Mark Chandler trumpet or flugel, Pete McGuire valve trombone, Jack Massarik guitar, Frank Toms and Les Chisnall alternating on piano, Dave Green bass, Caroline Bowden drums and myself on tenor sax. William Ellis took some great photos of the band and I often wonder if anyone recorded this lineup.
Dinesen is highly regarded in his homeland of Denmark and his forceful tenor playing combined with his gentle lyricism on the more balladic moments is proof of just why.
A cool, almost Getzian sound, combined with the more contemporary approach of the post Coltrane school, Dinesen probes, searches, explores many avenues seeking perfection. He doesn't succeed, no one ever has - music is the most infinite of the arts. Nevertheless, there are moments when he comes close to the ever moving goalposts.
(© Jim Pritchard) |
This was the second time I have seen Suzanne's quartet with a guitar in the line up and who better to fill this role than Jim Faulkner? Jim's a musician whose sound and playing style is ideal for this band.
The opening number, In A Mellotone, is a good tune to start with and a relaxed mood was established. It was good to see Danny Ward on drums and his brush work was just what was required. By the end of the number the room had filled up and, as well as the regular Sunday night jazz fans, there were a few new faces which is always good to see.
He appeared at the 1994 Newcastle Jazz Festival with John McLaughlin and Dennis Chambers on drums. What a coupling that must have been!
Another two marriages made in heaven occurred in 2011. One when he married Gloria, and one where, alongside David Sanborn, he appeared at The Barbican as part of the London Jazz Festival. That was a night to remember and recalled HERE.
BSH:
Favourite musicians that you’ve heard live and, again, anyone that you found
didn’t live up to expectation.
Mike: I think I
tend to favour saxophonists when asked for my favourite musicians whom I’ve
seen live - and there are many - but I would put Dexter Gordon,
Johnny Griffin, Sonny Stitt, Stan Getz and Archie Shepp in my top five. Then
Bob Mover, Lou Tabackin, Ronnie Scott, Don Menza, Clifford Jordan, Brew Moore,
Greg Abate, Anthony Braxton, Lanny Morgan, Sam Most, Sonny Rollins, Paul
Gonsalves, Lucky Thompson.
Then brass players that I like include Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, Freddie Hubbard, Woody Shaw, Benny Green (trombone) Miles Davis, Ira Sullivan, Red Rodney, Maynard Ferguson, Jo Hunter, Shake Keane.
Drummond's opening words on the album notes are both joyous and sad. "Thank you for purchasing and listening to this recording. In these times, when music is basically free of charge, it's nice to know that purchasing a musician's work is still important to you". The sadness comes on a day when many households are reported to be facing poverty yet NUFC, courtesy of their Saudi paylords, are able to fork out close on sixty million squid for a foreign footballer and heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury demands five hundred million of the same to come out of retirement. The world has truly gone mad!
Modesty forbids our man out west from reviewing this gig. However, if it was as cool as Mike's writing then it must have been a swingin' affair - Lance
Photo © Jeff Pritchard.
BSH: Mike, your reports on jazz in the northwest and the Railway in
Stockport have drawn a lot of interest regarding the scene over there. However,
before you tell us more about what’s going on in your neck of the woods, tell
us about how you got into jazz. In other words, how it all began.
Mike:
(© Lance) |
On this
afternoon's edition of In Tune presenter Sean Rafferty
will be joined by Curtis Stigers. The American singer and sometime
saxophonist will be in BBC Radio 3's studio ahead of his third and final night (two shows!) at Ronnie
Scott's this evening and an appearance on Friday at this year's Rye
Jazz and Blues Festival. Stigers the popstar has had a life-long love of
jazz and in recent years has performed at many prestigious jazz clubs. Tune in
at 5:00pm to find out what he's currently up to. Russell
The event, which was to have featured Knats and two other bands (see poster) was cancelled at short notice due to "unforeseen circumstances" reported on Facebook as "devastating news".
(© Malcolm Sinclair) |
https://www.ayclifferadio.co.
Playlist 21/08/22. (Repeated Tuesday 23/08/22)
Requests: Louis Jordan.
Requests from the Bishop Auckland Ben Gilbert gig. Django Reinhardt, Gerry Mulligan & Chet Baker Septet; (and from Ben Gilbert) Fred Hersch, Daniel Herskedal. (and from Tony Eales) Tubby Hayes/ Jimmy Deuchar.
(© Pam) |
A third gig in two days for this most delightful of duos with packed houses at all three. After the glowing reviews by Sylvia and Jerry of their previous two performances they have left me with nothing to say other than to concur and say absolutely! The applause after and during each number was positively thunderous - or it may have been the rain stotting down on the roof - probably both!
Oh and, as a bonus, Graham Hardy guested on a couple of numbers - this was Christmas come early! I Fall in Love Too Easily and Fine and Mellow were the pieces enhanced by his presence.
(© Pam) |
(© Jerry E) |
Owing to Covid
restrictions and periods of exile (voluntary or enforced) I have not been to
many live jazz gigs since early in 2020. Tonight’s gig could not have been a better
choice to get back into the swing: one of my favourite singers at one of my
favourite venues. It was, in the words of the opening number, So Nice to Come Home to.
The reality more than lived up to the expectation: St. Cuthbert’s, Crook, has some of the friendliest regulars anywhere in Bebop-land, not to mention crisps, nuts and candles on every table and pizzas and a raffle at half-time. Meanwhile Jo and Jamie, both on top form, served up two sets of infinite variety to the delight of a packed and attentive crowd.
(© Malcolm Sinclair) |
(© Pam) |
The capacity audience today would, I presume, have been made up of those of us lucky enough to have heard their album Weathering The Storm and those who were coming new to this partnership. The former had their expectations matched (and then some) while the latter were astounded and delighted. As I left CDs were being sold, always a sign of a growing fan base.
Tonight, the Third Newcastle Jazz Festival returned with a BANG! It has built from an initial, one day, six band session, to a four day extravaganza that looks surely to evolve. Comparisons with the original NJF, as have been made elsewhere, are ludicrous. When my good friend Andy Hudson was bringing in top American stars there were Arts Council grants, sponsorship from local radio and other supportive sources.
Dave Sear graduated from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in 2016. Now, in 2022, he's a member of the faculty of that prestigious establishment teaching jazz trombone and, on the strength of this album, there's no one better qualified.
He also composed six of the tracks as well as arranging Brubeck's In Your Own Sweet Way and Joe Henderson's Inner Urge bringing a freshness to them that offers a contrast to the originals.
(© Jeff Pritchard) |
This was an interesting session and I think I think I would be right in describing the band as a mainstream jazz group. There was no drummer involved but it swung well and the tempos were tight. Tom Kincaid has not played at this venue for some time and I was pleased to see him using the house upright on this occasion. Whoever tunes this piano does a pretty good job and the overall sound of this group was just right for the size of the room.
This in itself presented a problem. Where to start? Armstrong, Basie, Ellington, Parker, Billie, Ella, Rollins, Trane, Mingus ... Then the answer came in a flash - Tubby Hayes!