Total Pageviews

Bebop Spoken There

Sullivan Fortner: ''I always judge it by the bass player: If the bass player is happy, it's going to be a good night". (DownBeat, February 2025).

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

17777 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 98 of them this year alone and, so far, 23 this month (Feb.8).

From This Moment On ...

February 2025

Tue 11: Steve Summers Quintet @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm.

Wed 12: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 12: Jam session @ The Tannery, Gilesgate, Hexham. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.
Wed 12: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 12: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 13: Student Performances @ King’s Hall, Newcastle University. 4:00pm. Free. Inc. Olly Styles (tenor sax).
Thu 13: MOBO Awards Fringe 2025: Artist Showcase @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:00pm. Free (ticketed). Line-up inc. Hannabiell & Midnight Blue.
Thu 13: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00.

Fri 14: John Rowland Trio @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 12:30-1:30pm. £5.00. at the door. New second Friday in the month concert series.
Fri 14: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 14: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 14: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 14: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 14: Archipelago + Anna Tempest @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £12.00., £10.00., £8.00.
Fri 14: Paul Jones & Dave Kelly @ Alnwick Playhouse. 7:30pm. Rhythm & blues.
Fri 14: Alexia Gardner Quintet @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm.
Fri 14: Jazz Sabbath @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Sat 15: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 15: James Birkett & Emma Fisk @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 7:30pm. £15.00. at the door; £14.35. (inc £0.35 bf) online, in advance.
Sat 15: Elkie Brooks @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm. ‘The Long Farewell Tour’.
Sat 15: Milne Glendinning Band @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 16: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 1:00-2:45pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sun 16: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 16: MOBO Awards Fringe 2025: BBC Introducing NE X MOBO Showcase @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 6:00pm. Free (ticketed). Line-up inc. Jambone, Knats, Rivkala, SwanNek.
Sun 16: The Shayo Experience @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 16: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 16: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society promotion. All welcome.

Mon 17: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 17: Russ Morgan Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

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

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Album review: Cornelia Nilsson - Where do You go? (Stunt Records)

Cornelia Nilsson (drums); Daniel Franck (bass); + Aaron Parks (piano on tks 1,2,4,6,8,9); Gabor Bolla (tenor sax on tks 3,5,7,10)

I posted a clip of this fine album back in March with the promise of a 'proper' review to follow and then one thing led to another ad it slipped my mind which is unforgivable as it really is worth checking out. So, only one month after its March release date, here it is.

It gets off to a flying start with Bud Powell's John's Abbey. Parks almost outdoing Bud and being driven along by Nilsson with Franck doing what bass players are paid to do which is to keep the harmonic structure in place.

Ninni/Motions is dedicated to her mother and the trio do her mum justice.

As you will have gathered from the personnel listed above, this is a tale of two trios. The first, with Aaron Parks, is a swinging, relatively straight forward one (and nothing wrong with that) whilst the second, recorded a year later has Hungarian tenor player Bolla replacing Parks transforming it into a chordless trio (and nothing wrong with that!) 

This second trio make their first appearance on Ornette Coleman's The Sphynx. Needless to say, this is a wilder affair with Cornelia going for broke and Bolla doing likewise.

Where do You go? was the clip I originally posted and can be heard HERE. Like any Alec Wilder song, it's beautiful with piano, bass (especially bass) and drums showing their respect.

Back to the sax trio with a long cadenza by Bolla leading into East of the Sun. He's currently resident in Copenhagen and, as such, adding to the long tradition of tenor players who have found inspiration in the Danish capital.

The Wanderer, another original by Cornelia (Connie!) kept together by Frank whilst Parks and Connie, as she is affectionately known, 'wander' along paths that only cross occasionally but when they do, it's like Stanley meeting Livingstone - or so I presume.

Monk's Ugly Beauty isn't ugly at all but very beautiful in the hands of Bolla.

An explorative drum solo  brings in piano and bass on her own meditative melody For a Father. The trio are laid back setting the scene for Krzysztof Komeda's Dirge For Europe to briefly take it out.  

Another one of the leader's originals, That Was Recording Right?, sees the piano  trio returning to their swinging ways. Franck, Connie and Aaron all contribute with the leader well featured.

Saturn's Return brings the disc to a close with Bolla running the full gamet of the tenor's range. When Connie composed this, had she been listening to Sun Ra? The title and the cosmic feel to the solos suggest maybe she had which isn't a bad idea - Saturn moves faster than the Earth does!

Well worth checking out on BANDCAMP. Lance

No comments :

Blog Archive