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| © Jeff Pritchard |
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| © Patti |
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| © Ken Drew |
1959. In this rare reel, American harmonica player Larry Adler performs with pianist Ellis Larkins. He plays an original composition as well as Bach, Mozart, Gershwin and W.C. Handy.
12:40. Talking Pictures channel, May 4 (30 mins.). Lance
https://www.ayclifferadio.co.uk/listen
Playlist 27/04/25 (repeated Tuesday 29/04/25)
Tracks to commemorate International Jazz Day (30th April)
Requests: The Chet Baker Quartet, Nubya Garcia, Stacey Kent, Billie Holiday & Teddy Wilson, Ma Rainey.
What’s on in the NE: Guido Spannocchi, Dom Pipkin, Hot
Fingers, Ben Crosland/Dean Stockdale.
Memories: Tommy Smith, Don Redman/Ian Carr.
For International Jazz Day: Duke Ellington.
Aycliffe Radio is now available on DAB in County Durham & the
Darlington Area.
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| © Russell |
On those rare occasions when the stars align and you are in the right place at the right time to see the right person, it is an opportunity not to be missed. When the person is jazz guitar legend, John Scofield, and he is appearing at Ronnie Scott's, then that is the place to be. The only cloud in the night sky was that both shows were sold out.
However, as on many previous occasions, this needed to be seen as a challenge not an obstacle. Arriving early for the first performance, the number of what looked like diehard jazz fans at the door was not promising and the door staff were also pessimistic about getting a stand-by seat. Therefore it seemed sensible to withdraw and put all our efforts into the late show. On our return there was less of a queue and happily the door staff recognised us and were sympathetic to our efforts to get in. This time we were successful and were given seats at the bar, which I never mind.
Impact Award (Sponsored by: Raymond Weil Genève): Jamie Cullum
UK Jazz Act of the Year – PUBLIC VOTE (Sponsored by: Rathbones): corto.alto
A somewhat different gig, if 'gig' is the word. The Strictly Smokin' Big Band thought it a good idea to record the band's next album in front of a 'live' audience. The Bridge Hotel serves as the the SSBB's rehearsal space with the occasional gig throw in for good measure. This evening the upstairs room on Castle Garth resembled a recording studio rather than a typical tables and chairs gig arrangement.
James Zito (guitar/executive producer); Rodney Whitaker
(bass); Joe Farnsworth (drums); Luther Allison (piano); Joseph Miller (alto
sax); Chris Lewis (tenor sax, flute); Jarien Jamanila (baritone sax); Nicholas Dimaria (trumpet);
Jack Kotze (trombone) + Georgia Heers, Tyreek McDole (vocals on tk 8)
Zito's Jump!. The title track is pure 1970s' soul/funk. It sounds authentic albeit a bit predictable. Zito knows his way around the fretboard that's for sure.
Bird in the Wind. A nice catchy tune with a relaxed tenor solo that brought Georgie Auld to mind, guitar solo full of choice chords and intervals.
Island Girl. Not sure which island the girl is from but the rhythm, the delicate flute solo, and the contributions from piano and guitar suggest somewhere warm.
Kim Cypher is a Cheltenham girl born and bred, totally committed to her hometown and to the wonderful local community who continue to support her ongoing ‘journey’ as a jazz musician. It has been a long time coming, following a dream to give local musicians an opportunity to be celebrated and to have a ‘voice’ alongside national and international artists in their hometown festivals.
Seventeen years after her initial performance on the Cheltenham Jazz Festival Free Stage as part of the festival fringe back in 2008, Kim is incredibly proud and honoured to be part of the hugely respected main Cheltenham Jazz Festival this year, together with her highly respected band and special guest Ashley Slater.
Jazz London Radio celebrates its tenth year, reaching fans
from London to the world! We will celebrate this throughout the month of April
and May with a series of special programmes by our Presenters.
Jazz London Radio began broadcasting in spring 2015 with the intention to
offer something a bit different to the more conventional jazz radio stations,
often found on the World Wide Web.
Jazz London Radio has achieved this through open ears and innovative shows.
Each programme adding unique colour to the palette of jazz music.
Neil was born in Stockport and is now based in North Wales. He has had a long and varied career as a multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and educator. As a performer he has carved a unique niche in the world of jazz and folk music and is in demand as a session musician. For more info see : Biography >> | neilyateswebsite
The joys of a small band with plenty of space to play shine through on this album; no one is getting in anybody else’s way and it’s almost like you can see how it all works in real time. It does feel like a drummer led album with plenty of snap and twists and turns and changes in time. This forward drive is reminiscent of the best of 1970s’ jazz-rock like Weather Report, Mahavishnu Orchestra and Return to Forever. Of course, with a small, well-recorded group like this none of the musicians have anywhere to hide; thankfully, there are no weaknesses on display.
The
team behind Scarborough Jazz Festival are proud to present a compilation
recording of their 2024 performances, ahead of this year’s festival forthcoming
in September.
Now in its 22nd
year, Scarborough Jazz Festival has built a solid, long-term reputation as an
important jazz event, featuring a diverse, high-quality line up of leading
musicians each year. Much of its success can be attributed to its founder Mike
Gordon and current festival director Mark Gordon, who have both worked
tirelessly to secure and coordinate performances from some of the world’s
finest musicians, thus taking its reputation from strength to strength.
Now with an official, high-quality recording of the 2024 edition, the festival is set to attract a new wave of positive attention from loyal fans and newcomers alike, to this year’s concerts.
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| © Ken Drew |
https://www.ayclifferadio.co.uk/listen
Playlist 20/04/25 (repeated Tuesday 22/04/25)
Happy Easter to all:
Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Benny Goodman, Carla Motis & the Sant Andreu
Jazz Band, Mahalia Jackson, Louis Armstrong, Gerry Mulligan & Johnny
Hodges, Jacques Loussier Trio, Sammy Rimington, Oscar Peterson Trio, Modern
Jazz Quartet, Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton.
What’s on in the NE: Vasilis Xenopoulos -
Paul Edis Quartet, Andrea Vicari, JustKing Jones.
Easter: John Coltrane - A Love Supreme.
Aycliffe Radio is now available on DAB in County Durham & the Darlington Area.
Check their overall listings @
https://bloggers.feedspot.com/
Currently we're rated at numbers 2 (UK) and 17 (international) which of course makes us very proud. However, like hemlines and saxophone solos, these can go up and down very quickly.
So, to keep BSH up there and in contention, please give us your continued support in the form of articles on jazz related items and relevant comments. Lance
The BBC has posted details of an exhibition currently running at the City Library showcasing Newcastle's African American music legacy.
Details can be found HERE.
The exhibition runs until April 28 and should be of interest to students of jazz, rock, pop, soul and African American music in general.
Thanks to Dave Sayer for bringing this interesting exhibition to my attention. Lance
How to start this review? Perhaps by referring to Elgar’s Cello Concerto which was his requiem for the fallen of the First World War? Brahem’s new album performs a similar function for the Palestinian fallen of the ongoing Israeli/Gaza conflict. The most recent figures, from February 2024, suggest that around 44,000 of Gaza’s people have been killed, but that figure is over a year old and there has been hardly a let off in the fighting since then. There will need to be a lot of exhumations before Trump can guarantee a golf course where the greens will run true. There’s no let off for Hamas in the sleeve notes, either, with references to the October 7 attacks that provoked this current conflict. I know that there are decades, if not centuries of history that we can go through, but there isn’t the space here to do that.
Sourcing the definitive etymology of the phrase “nitty-gritty,” you will find multiple possible answers ranging from the historical (“debris left in the bowels of slave ships”) to the risqué (“sexual delight”). There’s no definitive answer. However, what runs through almost all of these definitions is that they resonate soulful, i.e., Black elements. There’s no doubt, however, that with this, his seventh album, jazz guitarist, educator, composer, Russ Spiegel and crew deliver a wide range of classic jazz and neat originals, all of which exemplify the title.
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| © Douglas Robertson |
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| © Jeff Pritchard |
The 5:44pm train was again on time so I arrived at the Moor Club far too early. However, to my surprise the band had already arrived and were running through some tunes prior to the 8:00pm start. There was, however, a change in the original line-up as Dan Whieldon had been replaced by an excellent Birmingham based keyboard player Andrew Woodhead. I was pleased to see that there was a good turnout for this gig and, as well as the regular jazz fans, I noticed a few local musicians in the audience.
The final date of Daniel John Martin's UK tour, then tomorrow, Monday, it's home to Paris. DJM and Mick Shoulder have been clocking up the miles, gigging from the south coast of England to Edinburgh, now Gateshead, the last port of call. Accompanying Monsieur Martin this afternoon, Messrs. M. Shoulder, Dave Smith and Paul 'Cuddles' Grainger.
In 1938 the British Ministry of Information, anticipating war, created morale-boosting posters which read “Keep Calm and Carry On.” In more recent times, that typically upbeat British saying has been adapted with all sorts of serious, humorous, and even obscene quips printed on t-shirts. From the intellectual, “Keep Calm and Zen On” to the absurd, “Keep Calm and Avoid Zombies,” and many others, the “Keep On” idea kept on, literally. Oceanside Highway, the latest single from stalwart trumpeter/composer/producer/author Keith Fiala is, without doubt, a perfect musical pause – a calming and most enjoyable break – from today’s chaotic times.
https://www.ayclifferadio.co.
Playlist 13/04/25 (repeated Tuesday 15/04/25)
Seasonal: Erroll Garner, Chris Barber.
Requests (mainly from Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club): King Oliver, Bogalusa New Orleans Jazzband & Sammy Rimington, Django Reinhardt/Benny Carter, Brian Blade & the Fellowship Band, Cab Calloway, Eddie 'Lockjaw' Davis, Freddie Keppard and His Jazz Cardinals, George Lewis/Mr. Acker Bilk & His Band, Stan Kenton (June Christy), Sauter - Finegan Orchestra.
New Release: Ronan Guilfoyle.
Memories: Bessie Smith.
Requests: from the film La La Land, Tim Boniface, Herbie Hancock.
Aycliffe Radio is now available on DAB in County Durham & the Darlington Area.
The third in a new 'second Friday in the month' session on St George's Terrace in Jesmond. This afternoon's concert featured tenor saxophonist John Rowland playing a selection of numbers associated with the great Ben Webster. On a beautiful sunny afternoon, Rowland, pianist Alan Law and bassist Paul Grainger opened with Bye Bye Blackbird.
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| © Sheila H |
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| © Sylvia T |
As her mother was before her, along with Norma Winstone, Jacqui Dankworth is now the benchmark for the current crop of singers with aspirations to aim for and they couldn't go far wrong by starting with Windmills.
Like all in the Dankworth dynasty: Cleo Laine, Sir John Dankworth and Alec Dankworth, jazz, a sense of swing, an individual approach and an appreciation of music in general is deeply embedded in their genes and never more so than this interpretation of some classic lyrics and not yet time-worn melodies.
