https://www.ayclifferadio.co.uk/listen
Playlist 01/12/24
(repeated Tuesday 03/12/24)
RIP: Quincy Jones.
Request: Duke Ellington.
New Release: Mark Williams
Trio, Adam Rogers.
Request: Stan Kenton.
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
Ann Braithwaite (Braithwaite & Katz Communications) You’re the BEST!
Holly Cooper, Mouthpiece Music: "Lance writes pull quotes like no one else!"
Simon Spillett: A lovely review from the dean of jazz bloggers, Lance Liddle...Josh Weir: I love the writing on bebop spoken here... I think the work you are doing is amazing.
Tue 03: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, North St., Ferryhill DL17 8HX. 7:00pm. Free.
Tue 03: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Dean Stockdale, Paul Grainger, John Hirst.
Tue 03: Bold Big Band @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Wed 04: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 04: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 2:30-4:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Wed 04: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 8:00pm. Concert. Free. .
Wed 04: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 04: Kat Eaton @ Hoochie Coochie, Newcastle. 8:15pm. Soulful vocals, excellent band.
Thu 05: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 05: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. ‘George - named musicians, vocalists & composers (Chisholm, Duke, Lewis, Shearing, Benson, Melly, Gershwin et al)’.
Thu 05: Jools Holland’s R & B Orchestra @ Newcastle City Hall. 7:30pm.
Thu 05: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. Free.
Thu 05: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesborough. Guest band special with the Middlesbrough Jazz and Blues Orchestra 8pm. Free.
Fri 06: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 06: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 06: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 06: Sue Ferris Quintet @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.
Sat 07: New Century Ragtime Orchestra @ St Augustine's Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Sat 07: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £25.00. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 07: Hot Club du Nord @ St. Cuthbert’s Church, Shadforth DH6 1LB. Tel: 01429 823400. 7:30pm. £15.00. (inc. refreshments).
Sat 07: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 07: Bellavana @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 7:45-9:45pm. Free.
Sat 07: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.
Sun 08: The New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free. A ‘second Sunday in the month’ residency.
Sun 08: Learning & Participation Showcase @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. Free. Multi-genre event followed by a jam session. All welcome.
Sun 08: Zoë Gilby Quintet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00.
Sun 08: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 08: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 08: Jason Isaacs @ Hoochie Coochie, Newcastle. 5:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Sun 08: Paul Skerritt @ The Black Candle, South Shields. 6:30pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 08: Redwell @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 08: Durham University Big Band + Durham University Jazz Orchestra: Jazzy Christmas @ Sir Thomas Allen Assembly Rooms Theatre, North Bailey, Durham DH1 3ET. 7:30-9:30pm. £7.00., £6.00. concs., £5.00. Durham Student Music member. Durham University Jazz Ensembles’ annual charity event.
Sun 08: Jools Holland’s R & B Orchestra @ The Globe, Stockton. 7:30pm.
Sun 08: Mick Beck, Dominic Lash, Paul Hession @ the Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm (doors 7:30pm) JNE. £10.
Mon 09: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 09: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Wheatsheaf, Benton Sq., Whitley Road, Palmersville NE12 9SU. Tel: 0191 266 8137. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 09: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30-8:30pm. Free.
Mon 09: James Birkett Trio @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.
Tue 10: ???
https://www.ayclifferadio.co.uk/listen
Playlist 01/12/24
(repeated Tuesday 03/12/24)
RIP: Quincy Jones.
Request: Duke Ellington.
New Release: Mark Williams
Trio, Adam Rogers.
Request: Stan Kenton.
© Ken Drew |
Zoë Gilby
(vocals); Mark Williams (guitar); Ben Lawrence (keyboards); Andy Champion (bass
guitar); John Bradford (drums).
It had been a while since I’d been to a gig at the Central Bar, a fine
music-friendly hostelry tucked away in a side street at the southern end of the
Tyne Bridge.
Headliners were some of Tyneside’s leading jazz talent doing their rock thing. A very well-known set of musicians – certainly to Tyneside audiences and increasingly more widely – but not in this line-up or context. Indeed, this was a first performance, to launch the new album, Neon Burning. So what to expect?
In the event, Zoë’s jazz-forged vocal identity is undiluted, but set in bass-driven rock surroundings. Her fluctuating moods and sudden power surges show striking versatility. Mark W. pumps out rock riffs and solos with suitable force, but also with eloquent thoughtfulness when required.
I've opted to choose only one album per artist otherwise there could be another two Louis Stewart albums and likewise Cannonball Adderley. Albums received in December will be considered in my 2025 listings.
Christmas comes but once a year, as does the December gig of Indigo Jazz Voices. Come and join us for a selection of songs sung by five individual vocal performers, who are: David Edgar, Jen Errington, Paul Close, Jenny Lingham and Carrie McCullock. They will be accompanied by the superb trio of Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (bass) and Rob Walker (drums).
Our next show is at the Darlington New Orleans jazz club on Saturday afternoon, 7 December. The club is based at St Augustine's church hall, Larchfield Street, Darlington DL3 7TG, where there there is ample free parking (and it's only a 15-minute walk from Darlington railway station). The club serves teas, coffees and alcoholic drinks at the bar, and although food isn't served, you are welcome to bring your own sandwiches! As ever, we will feature our singer Caroline and the show will be presented by Steve Andrews.
In the latest edition of the podcast, presenter Colin
Muirhead previews upcoming gigs and showcases new releases, with music by Knats,
Jo Harrop, Alexia Gardner, the Mark Williams Trio, Mick Beck, Zoë Gilby, the
Dean Stockdale Trio, Playtime, the John Donegan Irish Sextet, and the
Scottish National Jazz Orchestra.
You can listen to the show anytime HERE.
Plus, you can request music for future programmes, or pass
on news or feedback by emailing Colin at jazz.tyne.hive@gmail.com
or by heading to www.jazzonthetyne.org.
I worked in their Central Arcade store for over 30 years and made many friends from both sides of the counter. Working in J.G. Windows was more than just work it was also pleasure and I treasure the memories of the good times and the bad times although in all honesty I can think of few, if any, in the latter category.
Many great local musicians both past and present passed through the ranks of the various departments and, as one former employee once told me, having J.G. Windows Ltd on your c.v. doesn't do you any harm at all when applying for a job anywhere in the UK. A very black Friday indeed...
A part of me has just died. Lance
MORE.
Sunderland's Fire Station, like Durham's Gala Theatre, South Shields' Customs House and the same town's Westovian Theatre along with other venues across the country, has a comfortable, cosy feel to it that many bigger, more prestigious venues, often fail to achieve and, as such, are ideal for acts like the Puppini Sisters. Acts that tread an area somewhere twixt pop and jazz from bygone eras yet still be relavent today.
Last night's show, in front of a near capacity audience, saw the 'sisters' celebrating their twentieth anniversary as a close-harmony trio although in actual fact top UK jazz singer Emma Smith has only been with them 12 years - 'Baby Puppini'?
Femi
Koleoso (drums); TJ Koleoso (electric bass); James Mollison (sax); Joe
Armon-Jones (keyboards); Ife Ogunjobi (trumpet); Yazmin Lacey, Olivia Dean,
Manifest, Moonchild Sanely (vocals)
My knees have just about recovered from the punishment they received at Cheltenham Jazz Festival last year when this lot put even extra spring into the dance floor of the Town Hall. At the time they were touring their loudly militant album Where I’m Meant To Be. This is an altogether more mellow collections of grooves, still drawing on the same collection of influences from across the black diaspora and back to the roots of the music. They even made it onto the Strictly Come Dancing Results Show with God Gave Me Feet For Dancing and they have recently been announced as one of the BBC’s Sounds of 2025, a list of acts with “the best chance of mainstream success in the next 12 months”.
© Mike Tilley |
© Jeff Pritchard |
No drums tonight but all the musicians were experienced enough to make things swing and the tempos were spot on.
Most of the tunes were pretty familier ones from the jazz repertoire with the exception of London By Night, a great tune that seems well suited to the sound of trombone. I have always regretted not seeing the legendary Jay Jay Johnson when he was in the UK but, hearing Suzanne, I think that her sound and approach is very near to that of Jay Jay.
Arturo Sandoval
(trumpet, flugelhorn, vocal*); Jeremy
Siskind (piano); Brian Bromberg (bass); Charles Ruggiero (drums); the Budapest
Scoring Orchestra conducted by Péter Illényi. (2, 5, 9, 12)
Why would one of the greatest, most technically proficient trumpet artists in the world, a multiple Grammy®-winner in multiple categories, a film soundtrack and song composer, educator, and showman extraordinaire take it upon himself to record some of the most frequently recorded ballads in the Great American Songbook? While his virtuosic wizardry amazes, with My Foolish Heart, Arturo Sandoval sets off to explore the intimacy, sonic beauty and power of melody.
Jeremy Siskind’s solo piano sets the tone for Sandoval’s lovely playing on My One and Only Love. It’s covered with utmost melodic respect it’s as lyrically beautiful as its melody. Siskind and bassist, Brian Bromberg provide solos. The ending’s altered cadence adds dimension as Sandoval sustains Bob Barrett’s cinematic, and noir-textured strings intro to Thelonious Monk’s Round Midnight. Harmon-muted, Sandoval’s take is jazz-flavored, vibrato-less, and provides aural images that ooze a dark and mysterious longing.
© Ken Drew |
Bebop spoken here? It certainly was last night at the Globe as the notes and phrases flowed, often at breakneck speed, from the bell of Greg Abate's Selmer alto. From the opening On Green Dolphin Street to the final bars of Softly as in a Morning Sunrise I sat mesmorised by his technique and what he was doing with it.
I've
heard Greg Abate several times over the years and have yet to be disappointed.
Matthew
Forster (tenor sax); Ben Lawrence (keyboards); John Pope (double bass); Adam
Stapleford (drums).
My 1952 'King's England' book on Northumberland (purchased in Barter Books in Alnwick recently) says about Rothbury that 'This little health resort has been called the capital of Coquetdale'. Having been in Rothbury a number of times over the years, I would said this is a fair description of a very pleasant town which also has an excellent butcher's shop that sells fine ham and pease pudding sandwiches.
This time we were here for the latest event organised by Coquetdale Jazz, a new grouping that has been bringing the best of the region's jazz musicians to Rothbury for over a year now. Definitely a healthy pursuit and it is obviously the capital of jazz in Coquetdale.
© Jerry Edis |
A Berklee graduate, a sideman in the Artie Shaw band and two years with Ray Charles, Abate continues to work with first rate musicians (in the UK notably Alan Barnes) and this afternoon in Queen's Hall (3:00pm) and at the Globe on Railway Street at eight o'clock. On both engagements Abate will be working alongside Dean Stockdale (piano), Andy Champion (double bass) and Abbie Finn (drums). Note, tickets for both gigs are flying out the door! Russell
© Patti |
The last week or so has been a good one for lovers of the vocal art. From the subtle sensivity of Nicola Farnon and her excellent bass playing at the Lit & Phil, the full-on, in your face approach of Liane Carroll and her excellent piano playing at the Globe, to last night's show by the King of the Swingers Paul Skerritt and his excellent big band at South Shields' Westovian Theatre, it had been quite a week and a bit.
https://www.ayclifferadio.co.
Playlist 24/11/24 (repeated Tuesday 26/11/24)
Request: Red Garland.
Mark Williams talks about his new album - Long Way Out + his requests: Adam Rogers, Wayne Krantz, Gilad Hekselman, Pat Metheny Trio, Mark Williams Trio.
Requests: Clark Terry.
Memories: Coleman Hawkins, Paul Desmond-Gerry Mulligan Quartet.
Requests: Tina May/Nikki Iles/Tony Coe.
What’s Happening: Scottish National Jazz Orchestra.
Memories: Teddy Wilson/Benny Goodman, Scott Joplin, Willie 'the Lion' Smith.
Aycliffe Radio is available on DAB in County Durham & the Darlington Area.
© Ken Drew |
(Photo was taken last year by Ken Drew at the Globe, Newcastle. Greg appears at The Globe this coming Sunday Nov. 24 with the Dean Stockdale Trio).
Once again Greg was backed by the same superb trio of musicians known as the Belper Jazz Company who did such a great job during his last visit on July 28. They have even produced their own beer mat and Greg was presented with a framed collage of four mats at the end of the gig by drummer Ian Beestin who resides in Belper.
The bass player is from Nottingham, the keyboards man hales from Leicester and as a top class rhythm section they often work together.
The playing is exquisite on this 2014 recording. How could it not be with such an A-list team? Apart from Bro, who composed all seven tracks, and bassist Thomas Morgan I've heard all of them live in many different situations and never been disappointed.
Konitz floats in an ethereal manner on both alto and soprano. The tone as cool and as laid back as ever.
Frisell and Moran play well within their explosive capabilities and Cyrille pitter-patters around in the undergrowth with Morgan somewhere in the middle of it all.
It's one of the most beautiful albums I've ever heard.
Along with this announcement Xhosa also shares the first single of the album "Trinkle-Tinkle" ahead of a headline set at the London Jazz Festival at Kings Place this Sunday.
This weekend - Saturday 23 & Sunday 24 November - the BBC comes up trumps with two unmissable programmes*. On Saturday evening Later...with Jools Holland features two of the finest young talents on the jazz scene, that's the international jazz scene. Jalen Ngonda first came to the attention of BSH thanks to Kansas Smitty's lockdown livestreams. Singing Junior Wells' Hoodoo Man Blues, Ngonda announced himself as a shining new talent during the dark days of lockdown. Some three years later, Jalen played to a sold out crowd at Newcastle University Students' Union. A magical, memorable performance.
© Heron Theatre |
The Hellenic sounds of Greek born and Stockholm bred, Jiannis Pavlidis and his trio reverberated heroically at the Heron Theatre on Saturday November 16. Nestled near to the A6 in Beetham at the point where Lancashire merges into Cumbria the Heron seats 70 punters with a decent sized stage and even has a “steam” piano parked nearby, if so required.
The trio performed largely jazz and songbook standards in equal measure. These included Horace Silver’s Peace, Shorter’s Ana Maria, Bill Evans' Nardis and Miles’ Solar. All of which peppered with Pavlidis’ unique and colourful treatments. In addition, Jaco’s Three Views of a Secret had the bassist handling the melodic chores on what turned out to be an epic journey on this multi faceted opus. The concert concluded with a bracing up-tempo romp of Coltrane’s 1957 classic, Moment's Notice. Not for widows and orphans this, the trio prevailed and scored winningly.
Tania
Grubbs (vocals); David Budway (piano); Ron Affif (guitar); Jeff Grubbs (bass,
vocal); James John lll (drums)
Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania is geo-located at the confluence of three major rivers. Thus, one
of its many monikers is the City of Bridges. With The Sound of Love, ‘Burgh’ residing jazz vocalist, Tania Grubbs, and
her quintet admirably connect fourteen diverse selections across a span of jazz
standards, GASers, originals, and contemporary pop hits.
Grubbs, exposed, bursts head-on into the Gershwins’ But Not for Me over James John lll’s brushes and with rhythmic ping-pong. The track swings with great verve and drive. Grubbs takes hold of the reins, plays with time and lyric and ends the cooking with chuckles on a hot mic.
The funeral of John Broddle will take place at Tynemouth Crematorium on Tuesday 3rd December at 12:45pm.
Afterwards all are welcome to remember John at Cullercoats Crescent Club with music courtesy of Rendezvous Jazz.
In the photo, taken at the Crescent Club in 2016, John is on the left of the picture sharing a vocal with Neville Sarony who was visiting from Hong Kong.
John Stowell (guitar); Tom Remon (guitar)
© Sheila Herrick |
The night was cold, windscreens were showing signs of frost. Winter had arrived a couple of weeks ahead of schedule. Even England's 5-0 win over the Rep of Ireland didn't warm the cockles. It was a night to be sitting by the radiator with a bowl of gruel not to be venturing forth in woolly hat and last year's Christmas jumper. However there was method behind the madness of going to the Globe by bus, train and Mr Shank's pony.
Liane Carroll!
Julian Lage (acoustic guitar)
Olly Styles (tenor sax); Jamie Watkins (guitar)
© Roly Veitch |
Bus to North Shields, into the British Heart Foundation and there among glossy romances and improbable murders was John Swzed's 2002 biography of Miles, So What: The Life of Miles Davis. A book I'd long sought and now it was mine for a mere 50p!
I had the feeling that this was going to be my day and it was!
I jumped onto the Metro and got off one stop later at Tynemouth. Now if you haven't been to the market held on Saturdays and Sundays on Tynemouth Station then you haven't lived. You can buy anything - even WWll memorabilia and lots of books and vinyl.
There was glitch in the server last
Sunday, so this is a repeat of last Sunday's intended broadcast with a couple
of tweaks.
https://www.ayclifferadio.co.uk/listen
Playlist 17/11/24 (repeated Tuesday 19/11/24)
RIP: Quincy Jones.
Remembrance: Benny Goodman Orchestra with Peggy Lee, the
Andrews Sisters.
Paul Skerrit talks jazz and requests: Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Matt Monro, Quincy Jones.
Listening to a few things that have come out of that big fancy London recently and looking at the recording dates I’ve come to the conclusion that there is a virtual Aladdin’s cave of music dying to see the light of day. This one was recorded in the olden days (November 2019) and has languished somewhere until it came out in May this year. It’s such a bold, sweeping work that I had trouble believing that it was such a small group performing, (ten rather than a bigger big band).
MacCalman and Pope, two thirds of the highly acclaimed jazz-art-rock trio Archipelago work well together. They seem to have an instinctive sense of where the other is going feeding off each others' improvisational lines and turning them into a logical progression.
MacCalman gets a most appealing sound on tenor sax as well as rescuing the clarinet from the confines of tradland. She also has a pleasing voice that was heard to good effect on Softly as in a Morning Sunrise and her own Midnight Sky Icicles.
· Artists
will curate and create new work at The Glasshouse for audiences from the North
East and beyond.
· Announcement
comes as the venue marks 20 years of the iconic riverside building.
The Glasshouse
International Centre for Music has announced its new artistic partnerships,
reflecting its reputation as one of the great places where artists and music
fans meet.
As the venue prepares to mark 20 years of music in this landmark building, three new Artistic Partners will be working with The Glasshouse and Royal Northern Sinfonia for three a year period.
© Russell |
My first visit to Hoochie since the change of ownership and I was pleased to note the same ambience remains with both staff and punters.
I'd had varied reports about the band that is fast becoming a phenomenon, corto.alto, and wanted to see for myself if they were as good as folk said they were or would the Scottish band be beyond my ken? I'm most pleased to say that what I heard, once my acoustically tuned ears became acclimatised to the loops and samples and electronic tiddly-om-pom-poms, was some great playing.