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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

17755 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 76 of them this year alone and, so far, 1 this month (Feb.1).

From This Moment On ...

February 2025

Sat 08: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 12:30-2:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 08: Jason Isaacs @ Seaburn STACK, Seaburn. 3:30-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 08: Milne Glendinning Band @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 08: Lewis Watson Quartet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 7:30pm. £15.00. at the door; £14.35. (inc £0.35 bf) online, in advance.
Sat 08: Anth Purdy @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. ‘Swing Jazz Guitar’.
Sat 08: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A Newcastle University Jazz Orchestra event. All welcome.

Sun 09: Glenn Miller & Big Band Spectacular @ The Forum, Billingham. 3:00pm.
Sun 09: The New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 09: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 09: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 09: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 09: Tom Remon & Mark Williams @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 09: Rod Oughton’s Tomorrow’s New Quartet with Ben van Helder @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Line-up inc. Deschanel Gordon.
Sun 09: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society promotion. All welcome.

Mon 10: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

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.

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, July 20, 2024

Album review: Antonio Adolfo - Love Cole Porter (AAM Music)

Antonio Adolfo (piano, arrangements,); Lula Galvao (guitar); Jorge Helder (bass); Rafael Barata (drums); Dada Costa (perc.); Jessé Sadoc (trumpet, flugel); Danilo Sinna (alto sax); Marcelo Martins (tenor/soprano sax, flute); Rafael Rocha (trombone) 

Adolfo has had a career lasting 60 years during which time he has released 25 albums one of which reached the BSH Building back in 2021 and was reviewed HERE.

On this album we have a cleverly arranged fusion of jazz and various Brazilian rhythms on well known Cole Porter songs. As Adolfo points out, there is more to Brazilian jazz than samba and bossa. This I discovered as I found myself constantly referring to the notes to identify the different rhythms. 

Easy to Love (samba). Cutting tenor solo, boisterous trombone and nice piano. Reminiscent of the old west coast scene but with more guts.

Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye (bossa). Trumpet, guitar and piano solo. The blurb also has 'vocal by Antonio Adolfo' listed but, if you're anticipating something along the lines of Ella's classic recording then think again. The 'vocal' is in fact some humming over the piano. A bit like those grunts that female tennis players emote with annoying regularity at Wimbledon. Fortunately, they're less audible here and more melodic.

I Concentrate on You (bossa); cool solos by flute and trombone keep it out of the Easy Listening rack - just! 

I Love You (samba). Trumpet and bass duet. High register Latin trumpet playing of the first order. Alto wails reminding me of another alto player whom I heard only yesterday.

I've Got You Under My Skin (toada/bossa). Toada, seemingly a romantic biaio, has more hard blowing alto which isn't romantic at all by South Tyneside standards although it may have more pulling power down in Rio. Whatever, the playing is certainly on the money.

Just One of Those Things (frevo/quadrilha). A brisk romp that combines the frevo and the quadrilha. I'm not too sure when the rhythms change, suffice to say that Sadoc's trumpet blast goes with the flow up there where the air is rarefied.

Love for Sale (ijexá). To clarify matters in my, by now, befuddled mind I Googled ijexá only to be referred to another piece of Braziliana the afoxé which of course I knew all along. Adolfo added some samba groove funk into the mix. Trombone and guitar handle the rhythmic complexities with apparent ease.  

Night and Day (bossa). Adolfo changed the tune's  format around (how dare he?) but it seems to have worked although Mr Porter might have disagreed. Bass and drums put their cards on the table.

So in Love (bossa). This is romantic. Cocktail lounge piano. A suggestion of Jobim's Aqua De Beber in the arrangement made me feel like running out into the street and asking the first woman I saw if she fancied a slow bossa. I didn't ...

You do Something to Me (bossa). A Carnaval atmosphere pervades. As Adolfo says, 'Everything in Brazil ends in a Carnaval' (their spelling) and the trombone solo and the rhythmic fade-out virtually takes you down there without having to queue all day at Heathrow. 

Check out Easy to Love. Lance

2 comments :

Patti said...

On the subject of grunting tennis players at Wimbledon, I'd like to point out that it's not only female players - some of the guys are just as noisy. Just to equalise the blame!

Brush Box said...

Thanks Lance.

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