NYC jazz notes (10)

Avenue B, East Village. From 1950 to 1954 Charlie Parker lived at 151 Avenue B. Since 1992 the street has been known as 'Charlie Parker Place'. A year later the first Charlie Parker Jazz Festival was staged in Tompkins Square Park. The Parker residence is situated over the road from the inner-city green space. The annual festival is held on or near Bird's birthday (August 29). The 2024 edition included performances by Kurt Elling, Charlie Hunter and octogenarian drummer Louis Hayes. 

Bishop Auckland or Newcastle - decisions, decisions (Friday 13)

Occasionally there is an unavoidable clash of gigs and Friday presents something of a dilemma. At Auckland Castle at one o'clock the lesser spotted Noel Dennis (trumpet, flugelhorn) takes to the stage with his ace quartet. Meanwhile, at the same time, at Newcastle's Lit & Phil there is a two-pianos special featuring Jeff Barnhart and Neville Dickie. What to do? What to consider? Location? Distance travelled? Accessibility? Cost of admission?

NYC jazz notes (9)

© Patti

A busy day of jazz ahead but before all that, a trip on the Staten Island Ferry. Subway down to South Ferry, a short walk into the departure hall, join a queue of hundreds, the whole thing on a scale somewhat larger than the Shields Ferry! The Staten Island Ferry operates 24/7 and, remarkably, it's absolutely free! The crossing from Lower Manhattan across to Staten Island took about 25 minutes. Seemingly everyone brandished a camera, all of them primed to capture a shot of the Statue of Liberty. 

Alexia Gardner in Manhattan and Newcastle

Pianist Alan Law has hepped me up to an exciting new singer on the Newcastle scene - Alexia Gardner. 

Alexia has been around the London scene for several years and appeared on a compilation album produced by pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader and theatrical producer of jazz-inspired shows, Alex Webb. On the Copasetic Foundation Alexia sang Call Me Lucky which was also the title track. Others on the album were: Vimala Rowe, China Moses, Ayanna Witter-Johnson, David McAlmont, Sandra Nkake, Alexander Stewart, Cherise Coryna, Allan Harris, Jo Harrop and Liane Carroll. Fast company indeed!

Sunday night @ the Globe: The Graham Hardy Eclectic Quartet - Sept. 8

© Ken Drew

Graham Hardy (trumpet, flugelhorn); Ben Lawrence (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); John Bradford (drums)

This second outing by Graham Hardy's new quartet drew a sizeable crowd down on Railway Street. Eclectic by name...trumpeter Hardy's eclectic choice of material...join the dots. Three jazz standards followed by a Prefab Sprout number, Hardy, Ben Lawrence, Andy Champion and John Bradford read the dots, performing as a cohesive unit with, as yet, little in the way of stage time together.

Clark Terry's In Orbit (Hardy, flugelhorn), Wayne Shorter's Tom Thumb and one by one of bandleader Hardy's favourite trumpeters, Clifford Brown's Daahoud (as arranged by Terell Stafford) set the standard, a very high standard at that. From the bebop feel of Clark Terry to a workout on Prefab Sprout's One of the Broken, an eclectic and varied opening selection. The wittily-titled Muscat Ramble journeyed to the Middle East and on in an easterly direction, closing an interesting and entertaining first set.

Mike Hall Quartet @ the Moor Club, Heaton Moor, Stockport - Sept.8

© Jeff Pritchard

Mike Hall (tenor sax/saxello); Richard Wetherall (keys); Ed Harrison (bass); Dave Walsh (drums).

When I tried to buy a train ticket on Saturday morning I was told there would be at least fifteen cancellations on Sunday Sept. 8 so I decided to give this gig a miss. However, I changed my mind when I found out that the 6:44 train from Handforth to Manchester was running and was on time. The only problem was that, unlike last week, the train did not stop at Heaton Chapel so I had to get off at Stockport and catch the 192 bus and backtrack to Heaton Moor Road. The 192 actually goes past the Railway which of course is now closed. Mike Hall was a popular attraction at the Railway and he mentioned that the quartet this evening was the same line-up that he had been going to use there before its unfortunate closure.

NYC jazz notes (8)

From way up in the Bronx (Woodlawn Cemetery) during a scorching hot day, call into our Midtown Manhattan hotel (quick shower and change) and out to an evening concert on the Hudson River, W 13th St. Getting across town on the MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) subway system isn't easy. It took a while. Eventually we found ourselves on West 13th, let's keep heading west. Eight in the evening, darkness descended, twinkling lights from towering skyscrapers illuminating a shimmering Hudson River. Pier 55 our destination...there it is!

R.I.P. Dan Morgenstern. October 24, 1929, Munich, Germany, September 7, ...

Maurice Summerfield kindly drew my attention to this YouTube clip of  the late Dan Morgenstern who died, aged 94 on Sept. 7, 2024. He served as the director of the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University from 1976 to 2012, which is one of the largest jazz archives in the world. Lance

Jazz Time Aycliffe Radio - Sundays 6.30-8.00pm (repeated Tuesdays 8.00-9.30pm)

Playlist 08/09/24 (repeated Tuesday 10/09/24)

Requests: Stéphane Grappelli.

Seasonal: Cannonball Adderley.

Requests: Dave Brubeck, Jo Harrop, Ella Fitzgerald, Billy Strayhorn, Nat King Cole & His Trio.

What’s coming to the NE: Jeff Barnhart, Neville Dickie.

Memories: Sarah Vaughan, Martin Luther King 'I Have a Dream', Nina Simone, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock

Sonny Rollins Quartet.

https://www.ayclifferadio.co.uk/listen

Aycliffe Radio is now available on DAB in County Durham & the Darlington area.

Great North Run

This cartoon by the late Bill Shaw captured the spirit of the less than elite runners. Lance

More deaths ...

Sept. 5: Martin France, 60. Top British drummer. Professor at RAM. After long illness. 

Sept. 5: Herbie Flowers, 86. British rock bass guitar legend.

Sept. 6: Sérgio Mendes, 86. Legendary Brazilian musician.

Sept. 7: Dan Morgenstern, 94. American jazz writer.

May they all REST IN PEACE. Lance

NYC jazz notes (7)

Saturday morning. It was hot, then some! Take the 4 train way up into the Bronx to Woodlawn, the end of the line. Not a cloud in the sky, it was hotter than hot. Fortunately, several bottles of water would see us through - or would they? Woodlawn Cemetery is the final resting place of some of America's once rich and most certainly famous. At the entrance to the sprawling grounds a helpful gatekeeper handed us a map, a most useful aid, showing, as it does, the approximate location of several prominent graves. 

Woodlawn is on a vast scale. Over the course of four hours and more we saw two other people - one tending a grave, the other on a mission. Some of the many famous names resting/residing here include: George M. Cohan, Damon Runyon, Herman Melville, Dorothy Parker, Otto Preminger and F.W. Woolworth. Our focus was on the jazz legends. Walking with map in hand, the jazz section was that-a-way...

Just Friends @ Dorman's Jazz Club Middlesbrough - Sept 5

Ian Bosworth (guitar); Josh Bentham (tenor/soprano saxes); Garry Hadfield (keys); Ron Smith (bass); Mark Hawkins (drums).

After the summer recess the jazz nights restarted with a guest band, comprising five well-known and highly respected local jazz musicians.

The evening began in great style with the appropriately titled Just Friends showing how tight an ensemble they are enhanced by fine solos from Ian, Josh and Garry not to mention the great backing from Ron on bass and Mark on drums setting the mood for  what was to follow.

Stanley Turrentine's Sugar came next, again with fine solos from keys, guitar and soprano also giving Ron the chance to show his bass skills with an impeccable solo.

Preview: Sting on the Beeb, Ella et al on Sky Arts (Saturday)

This evening (Sept. 7) local hero Sting headlines at the Radio 2 in the Park festival in Moor Park, Preston. The multi-bill of action on Radio 2 runs from 10:00am through to 9:45pm. Mr Sumner takes to the stage at 8:30pm. Alternatively, tune to BBC 2 at 10:15pm to watch Sting's Moor Park performance. Following all that, at 11:30pm there is a compilation of Sting and the Police in action, drawn from the BBC's archives. 

An Autumn Playlist

Songs and seasons seem to go together like rhymes and reasons and autumn is up there in contention with the other three quarters of the calendar year. These are some of my favourites:

Early Autumn began life as an add-on to Ralph Burns' Summer Sequence suite for Woody Herman and featured a beautiful solo by Stan Getz who recorded it several times later in a variety of settings. Johnny Mercer added lyrics and there were vocal versions by, among others, Ella Fitzgerald and Jo Stafford

Lullaby of the Leaves. Just like you can't have Christmas songs without snow, if you're going to compose an autumnal sung you must have leaves. Bernice Petkere and Joe Young did that back in 1933. The Gerry Mulligan Quartet rubber-stamped the song's jazz credentials and Anita O'Day turned it upside down.

NYC jazz notes (6)

Friday evening, the first day of the 2024 Charlie Parker Jazz Festival. Subway up to Harlem then a short walk to Marcus Garvey Park. Entering through a corner gate, there stood an imposing, steep, rocky outcrop the focal point of the green inner city space. It was there to be climbed. It was another hot one, 30° and more, bottled water an essential companion. At its plateau stood a listed structure, the 19th century Mount Morris Fire Watchtower. 

On the other side of the plateau, looking down its steeply-sided elevation, there was the Richard Rodgers Amphitheater. Descending the many steps, it became apparent the outdoor space was a throng with thousands of festival-goers. Myriad stalls - food, drink, t-shirts etc - jostled to one side of the stage. 

Album review: Joel Frahm Trio - Lumination (Anzic Records)

Joel Frahm (tenor sax); Dan Loomis (bass); Ernesto Cervini (drums)

When the word got out that the Joel Frahm Trio was embarking on a European tour with stops off in the UK at Eastleigh, London and Leeds I knew this would be worth dusting off my Senior Railcard for.

However, first things first, the raison d'être for the tour is Joel Frahm's latest album, Lumination, due for release next month. I'm listening to it as I type and it's an exhilarating experience.

Album review: Loz Speyer's INNER SPACE - Live in Leipzig (Spherical Records)

Loz Speyer (trumpet, flugel); Dee Byrne (alto sax); Xhosa Cole (tenor sax); Larry Bartley (bass); Gary Wilcox (drums)

As the title implies, Live in Leipzig was actually recorded live in Leipzig at Mediencampus Villa Ida, on December 16, 2023 where it was warmly received and deservedly so.

Although the approach is decidedly 'free', it isn't jarringly so, there's a compelling (fatal?) attraction to the, sometimes, dissonant ensembles, the interplay between the horns, or the  bass who seems to hear a different drummer and the drummer himself who appears to do it 'his way'. However, put it all together and it comes out as one. It's a bit like five people entering a thickly-wooded forest from five different points and yet arriving simultaneously at the same exit to relate the adventures they've had along the way.

NYC jazz notes (5)

Another blue sky day, topping 30°. From Grand Central take the 7 train out of Manhattan to 103 St-Corona Plaza, Queens. Exit 103 (Roosevelt Ave.), walk two blocks turning onto 37th Ave, walk a further four blocks turning onto 107th. In a working class neighbourhood in Corona, the flight path into La Guardia directly overhead, stands the Louis Armstrong House.  

As one of the most recognisable public figures of the 20th century, Louis Armstrong could have chosen to live in a swanky apartment overlooking Central Park or in a mansion out on Long Island. The Hamptons and the celebrity lifestyle held little appeal, instead, for one of the greatest jazz musicians of all, Corona was home. 

Ann Alexander - Latest.

The following notice appeared in today's Shields Gazette: 

Alexander, Ann

Suddenly at home on the 24th August. Loving sister of Bobby and Dorothy. Aunty of Gail and Mark, Scott, Ben and Caitlin. Funeral service at South Shields Crematorium on Thursday

19th September at 11.15am. Family flowers only. Donations in lieu to The British Heart Foundation.

A donation box will be available on the day.

----- 

NYC jazz notes (4)

Greenwich Village, Lower West. What a contrast to Midtown Manhattan! Bohemian in character with a welcome 'lived in' appearance, the Uptown glitzy, shiny skyscrapers seemed a million miles away. Cafes, bars, eateries at every turn (all of them doing good business), we were here to take in a gig at Smalls (Smalls, no apostrophe!). The West 10th St jazz club and its companion venue on the other side of the street, Mezzrow, were similarly doing good business with orderly queues snaking down the street - sorry, sidewalk!

The summer into autumn Black Swan jam session - Sept. 3

© Patti

Dean Stockdale (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Tim Johnston (drums) + Luis Verde (alto sax); Lara Hopper (trumpet); Shivan Ruddick (trumpet); Liam Oliver (guitar); Owen Jones (double bass); Joe ? (drums); Vlada ? (alto sax); Kate O'Niell (vocals); Oscar Nolan (vocals, piano); Theo Nolan (vocals); Robert Johnson (tenor sax); Paul Ruddick (alto sax); Jack Littlewood (drums); Edgar Bell (trumpet); Alec Gamble (guitar); Kath Butcher (vocals); Remi Coulthard Boardman (vocals); Becky Tuck (vocals); Neil Hopper (valve trombone)

It's another couple of weeks or so until the students return enmasse. In the meantime, there was no shortage of the willing (largely non-undergraduate participants, at least two of them not yet out of school) eager to show what they could do. Supported by an ace house trio and a Black Swan jam session audience of supportive regulars (all occupying their usual seats) the evening got underway with Frank Loesser's I've Never Been in Love Before. 

Press release: Elling steps out with the SNJO across Scotland

One of the world’s leading jazz singers, Kurt Elling joins the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra in concerts across Scotland from 26th to 29th September.

An established friend of the SNJO, Chicago-born Elling has chosen music by some of the greatest and most popular songwriters and composers of the past seventy years for his latest visit to Scotland.

Big band classics by Duke Ellington and Count Basie and show tunes by Rodgers & Hart are represented, as are pop songs by the Police and Joe Jackson, whose 1982 transatlantic hit, Steppin’ Out gives these concerts their name.

Album review: Thokozile Collective (Birnham CD)

Dan Somogyi (keyboards, guitar); Rob Palmer (guitar); Terry Quinney (saxophones); Jack Shaughnessy (bass); Neil Evans (drums) Cheikh Diop (percussion).

There ought to be a law against releasing albums like this at the fag end of summer. It should have come out as the last of the late Easter egg wrappers are going in the recycling and the covers are coming off the soft top XR3s and Golf GTIs ready for the first runs of the year. But we are where we are with 47 minutes of music that should have been top of the playlists as the November rains finally stopped in June.

Album review: 4 in 1 - Monkin' Around Ubuntu Music)

Dave O'Higgins (tenor sax); Luke Fowler (bass); Billy Pod (drums) + Sean Fyfe (piano on tks 2,3,7,9,11); Martin Shaw (trumpet on tks 2,5,11, flugel on tk 9).

Described by O'Higgins as 'very old school with everyone in the same room, no headphones, just like we play on a gig'. As someone who's a bit old school himself I'll drink to that. What you see/hear is what you get. The great and the good are blaming processed foods for all that's wrong with our nutritional lifestyle and maybe they're right.

I guess this album would come under the heading of unprocessed music - it's certainly as tasty as anything served up in the Ubuntu kitchen and, over the years, they've served up many an epicurean jazz platter.

NYC jazz notes (3)

Day two in the Big Apple. It was 30° and getting hotter. A day to wander, to wander leisurely, taking in the sights and sounds of this wonderous metropolis. Beep! Beep! Toot! Beep! NYPD sirens, ambulances ('private', better make sure you got cover, buddy), fire trucks, one glorious cacophonous symphony. First stop Penn Station on 42nd St. 

Tyne and Wear's Metro system ain't got nothin' on this! A cavernous, cathedral-like space, thousands making their way to who knows where. We were making our way to nowhere in particular. Macy's? Yeah, why not? Think Fenwick's multiplied by 10. NYC's equivalent of the 'blue plaque' popped up here and there. On the street at Macy's, the site of Edison's claim in 1896 to the 'FIRST PROJECTED MOVING IMAGE'. Over in Paris the Lumière brothers no doubt countered, beating the American to it a year earlier (1895). The debate continues...

Press release: One Of The Most Heralded Live Performers In The World Jazz Icon Gregory Porter Major Uk Tour For 2025 Including Three London Royal Albert Hall Shows

Tickets on sale from Friday 6th September

Gregory Porter, the internationally acclaimed jazz and soul singer, is set to return to the UK for a series of highly anticipated performances in April/May 2025. The tour will include three special nights at the Royal Albert Hall in London, where he will grace the stage on April 28th, April 29th and May 1st. In addition to his London concerts, Porter will also perform in Brighton, Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Glasgow, Newcastle, Bournemouth and Cardiff.

​

Gregory has become one of the most successful jazz vocalists of his generation. With a voice that has been described as "liquid gold," Gregory Porter has captivated audiences around the world with his soulful baritone and deeply emotional performances. His unique blend of jazz, soul, and gospel has earned him critical acclaim and huge global success. Gregory’s return to the UK is a testament to his enduring appeal and his status as one of the most important voices in contemporary music.

​

NYC jazz notes (2)

Touchdown at JFK! On time, 13:29, to the minute. Let's go, there's a gig to go to! From Terminal 7 take the AirTrain to Sutphin Blvd subway ($4.25, pay on exit). At Sutphin a $35 seven day MetroCard would prove to be the bargain of all time. Subway into Manhattan. Excited? You bet! Half an hour later, emerging from the bowels of a labyrinthine subway system (the largest subway system on the planet) onto the streets of NYC, the temperature hitting 28° and rising...

Skyscrapers this way, skyscrapers that way, skyscrapers every which way. Wow! Down to East 28th, turning onto Madison Avenue, yellow cabs, trucks, SUVs, a heaving tide of human beings as far as the eye could see and there's the hotel. Check in, shower, change and out to the first gig of the trip. Take the subway 'Uptown' to West 44th, let's see how it goes. A stiflingly hot train, passengers minding their own business (much like the London Underground), ear buds in, faces buried in mobile phones (make that 'cell phones') or a dime novel. 

Jim Collins Quartet @ the Moor Club, Heaton Moor, Stockport - Sept. 1

© Jeff Pritchard

Jim Collins (tenor sax); Robin Joiner (keys); John Sandham (bass); Eryl Roberts (drums)

This was my first visit to the new Sunday night jazz venture in Heaton Moor which hopefully will attract the same sort of audience that used to attend the Railway. I did go to the recent four hour, two band, afternoon session which was held outdoors and I had a great time. On that day, which was on the August Bank Holiday Monday, the trains were running and the train I took stopped at Heaton Chapel station which is a short walk to the Moor Club which is in Heaton Moor.

Sunday night @ the Globe: Modern Vikings - Sept. 1

© Ken Drew

Konrad Wiszniewski (tenor sax); Graeme Stephen (guitar); Fergus McCreadie (piano); David Bowden (bass); Stephen Henderson (drums). 

The evening began with sadness as Debra paid tribute to Ann Alexander (Ann Alex) but that mood lifted as Debra pointed out that both jazz and folk were among Ann's musical passions and that the Modern Vikings drew on both sources.

The sombre opening theme with lots of long notes and rumblings in the undergrowth seemed appropriate but gradually the mood changed. I imagined I was hearing a Scottish lilt to the piece, maybe I was and I could imagine Ann giving it a nod of approval.

Ann Alexander: Funeral details

The funeral of Ann Alexander will take place on Thursday  Sept. 19 at South Tyneside Crematorium at 11:15am.

Details re flowers, donations etc. to follow.

R.I.P. 

Lance

Russ Morgan Quartet @ Central Bar, Gateshead - Sept. 1

Harry Keeble (tenor sax); Mark Williams (guitar); Andy Champion (double bass); Russ Morgan (drums)

Central Bar Jazz Club resumed after its summer break and what a corker it was! Drummer Russ Morgan has recently returned to live performance and it's as if he had never taken a sabbatical. The Russ Morgan Quartet is a relatively new outfit yet it's as if the four musicians - A-listers all - had been playing together for years. 

Jazz Time Aycliffe Radio - Sundays 6.30-8.00pm (repeated Tuesdays 8.00-9.30pm)

Playlist 01/09/24 (repeated Tuesday 03/09/24)

RIP Brian Ebbatson: Herbie Hancock.

Seasonal: George Shearing.

Requests from the Gala, Durham: Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn, Erroll Garner.

More Requests: Art Blakey, Louis Armstrong/King Oliver, Dexter Gordon, Paul Desmond, Stan Kenton.

The Path of a Tear is touring (Gateshead's Glasshouse - Sept. 27)

Award-winning vocalist Jo Harrop is touring her new album. The Path of a Tear, recorded last year in Los Angeles with legendary producer Larry Klein at the helm, has received wide critical acclaim. Following successful album launch gigs in New York, Los Angeles and London (Ronnie Scott's), Jo, with MD Paul Edis alongside, is about to hit the road. 

Dates for your diary...Brighton's Verdict (Sept. 21), Gateshead's Glasshouse (Sept. 27, www.theglasshouseicm.org), Pizza Express, Soho (Oct. 1) and on to the Dankworth's fabled Stables, Peggy's Skylight (Nottingham) and more. www.joharrop.com. Russell