Afternoon Jazz @ Saisons, Burton Road Didsbury: Richard Iles Trio - Nov. 3

© Phil Portus

Richard Iles (flugel); Richard Jones (piano); Joshua Cavanagh-Brierley (bass).

After such a great gig by Greg Abate and his amazing musicians at Cheltenham's  Victory Club on Friday, I was not expecting much from this, my first visit to the Saisons, but I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the music. 

The venue is small and has seating outside which was already occupied when I  arrived by taxi just in time for the 3pm start. There are no buses running at all in Handforth on Sundays and you are lucky if any of the trains are not cancelled. 

Saisons is in West Didsbury and is very close to where the Midland Hotel was once situated and was the scene of many legendary jazz encounters. I think the pub is still there but has a new name. The famous Alan Hare Big Band used to play every week and that band was known world wide. Yep, Didsbury was buzzing back then!           

Sometimes they have duos here on Sundays but on this occasion three musicians were squeezed into the playing space. I last saw Richard Jones at the Royal Oak. Mellor, at a jam session which he tells me recently ceased. He brought his own piano to the gig, how often do you see that? He explained it is called a Keybird, made in Copenhagen and I think it was Richard Wetherall who told me there were only two that he knew of in the UK. Richard W is booked to play here next Sunday Nov. 10 and later at the Moor Club, Heaton Moor. Stockport.

The bassman, Josh C-B, I knew from his work with Johnny Hunter and his fine CD which had Chris Potter in the line-up which I reviewed some time ago for BSH.    

I had a short chat with Richard Iles at the end of the gig and I must say I was pleased he played flugelhorn exclusively as I've loved the instrument ever since I heard Clark Terry on the LP Blues In Orbit. After watching the Keybird piano being dismantled I had another Kronenbourg at £5-90 a pint then hopped into a taxi en route to the Moor Club to catch Ed Kainyek. I’ll do a review of the Moor Club tomorrow. Mike Farmer

VIDEO LINK (see comments).

It Could Happen To You; Quiet Nights; My Funny Valentine; I Love You; Good Morning Heartache; You Don’t Know What Love Is; The Secret Bossa Nova*; Blues For Duane; Body and Soul.  *Original by Richard Iles