In the early 1940s, Charlie Parker – who had a keen interest in both classical music and opera – expressed enthusiasm for recording an album with strings accompaniment. It would be nine years before Parker’s wish would be fulfilled. The legendary 1949 and 1950 recordings spawned other artists to embrace the format namely, Clifford Brown, Stan Getz, Wynton Marsalis, Bobby Hackett/Jackie Gleason, and others – even Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster. With George Coleman with Strings Jazz Master George Coleman joins this illustrious group. The recording done in 2022 offers seven selections with Coleman’s tenor accompanied by a small string ensemble.
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| © Ken Drew |
The concert comes as part of this year’s Mercury Prize Fringe Newcastle.
A third and final concert in the north east of England for the Nel Begley Trio. Hexham Community Centre hosted this Core Music promotion, thought to be the first ever jazz event at the Gilesgate resource centre. Following appearances at Newcastle Arts Centre and a sold out Gala Theatre, Durham, vocalist, composer and arranger Begley would, later in the evening, invite an up-and-coming brass player to join her trio.
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Playlist 31/08/25 (repeated Tuesday 02/09/25).
RIP: Cleo Laine.
Lance Liddle's choice: Kenny Burrell, Nancy Harrow.
Memories: Charlie Parker, Dinah Washington, Kenny Dorham.
Requests: Ella/Duke, Shirley Horn.
Tony Eales' big band choice: Sanja Markovic with big band.
What’s on in the NE: Paula Jackman's Jazz Masters, Ben Shankland Trio.
Seasonal: Andy Schumm's Fat Babies, Chris Barber.
Peace: Horace Silver.
Aycliffe Radio is now available on DAB in County Durham & the Darlington Area or via your smart speaker.
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| © Malcolm Sinclair |
That 1970 headline was Brazilian and memorable: some of today’s lunchtime musical fare was Brazilian and all of it was memorable! Pleb that I am, I misheard the title Joãozinho Boa Pinta and immediately thought of football! Anyway, the Brazilian clearly appealed to Lance at the Black Swan last night and it went down well at The Gala too.
I reviewed the first album by Shear Brass back in August 2023 (HERE) and, as a great admirer of the late Sir George Shearing's identifiable sound, I couldn't wait for this second volume.
I only heard Sir George live once and that was back in the 1980s at the Royal Festival Hall where he accompanied Mel Tormé in concert - the support act was Carmen McRae - what a concert that was!
On that occasion it was only piano, bass and vocals although Tormé did occasionally put in a shift on the kit. Here we have the whole nine yards plus two and the arrangements by McDermid bring an updated touch to the material without losing the feel of the originals.
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| © Mike Tilley |
It was back in April when I reviewed an album by Nel Begley and I was impressed* to the extent that when I heard that she was appearing in and around the north east, albeit with a somewhat truncated ensemble, I made sure I was there.
And I wasn't disappointed, in fact the album and the concert offered an interesting contrast with neither having the edge on either. By and large it was promotional although not all of the material was from the album and maybe the couple that were missing - The Gentle Rain and Spice - didn't lend themselves to being pared down.
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| © Russell |
Scott Hamilton returned to the Pizza Express for a run of dates working with his tried and trusted London rhythm section comprising John Pearce, Dave Green and Steve Brown.
Another group of unfamiliar names to me and, I suspect, to most fans this side of of the Atlantic. Still, that's one of the beauties of music - the joy of discovery.
They open up with Gone Fishin' one of eight originals by Cardello and not to be confused with the Louis Armstrong/Bing Crosby hit from back in the early 1950s.The other three composers are Cedar Walton, Harold Mabern and Cole Porter.
It was Porter who provided All of You. Taken at a nice easy swing it allows Cardello and Muir-Cotton to fly as gracefully as a pair of swallows on the wing.
There's a whole of lot, of mainly contemporary, jazz of different genres held over a variety of accessible venues in the north western university town.
The wide array of bands appearing include: Ubunye; Led Bib; Mark Kavuna Quartet; Nonunonu and Tyneside favourites Archipelago. To learn more about these and other artists appearing or to book tickets go HERE.
For
the last few years Jazz on a Monday has
been a weekly fixture at the Penrhyn Arms. An award winning real ale and real
cider pub, Neil Yates curates the jazz evenings presenting, on alternate Mondays,
modern or trad jazz. Both sessions feature top class musicians. My penchant is more for
the modern jazz but the trad jazz is very popular with those who prefer that
genre.
Neil Yates is one of the UK’s top trumpet players and composers attracting many of the heavyweights of the UK jazz scene and beyond to Llandudno Jazz Club including Soweto Kinch, David Lyttle and Tori Freestone to name a few. On a regular basis top jazz musicians from London, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and elsewhere travel from near and far to play here. This concert was no exception with Johnny Hunter from Manchester, Andor Jenson from Liverpool, Steve Berry from Blackburn and Sam Dunn from Dover. It is a privilege to attend these concerts and to enjoy musicians of this calibre.
Jazz guitarist and author, Adrian Ingram reflects on his life in music. He provides a fascinating insight into what it was like to grow up in the British music scene in the sixties and seventies.
Adrian goes into detail with regard to his musical influences and describes the long journey that took him to America to play with the likes of Jimmy Bruno and John Pisano, among many others.
He also speaks about the many publications he has written, including his book on Wes Montgomery. Of interest to guitar nerds and jazz fans alike! Jeremy Platt
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| © Patti |
Chris Coull (trumpet, flugelhorn); Joe Steels (guitar); Andy Champion (double bass); John Bradford (drums)
Martin Winning (clarinet); Mick Shoulder (guitar); Dave Smith (rhythm guitar); Paul Grainger (double bass)
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| © Roly Veitch |
Fiery bebop trumpet and a rhythm section for all seasons - who could ask for anything more? Not me, that's for sure!
Opening with an Eddie 'Lockjaw' Davis number - For Gigi - the bebop groove was in. This wasn't the Globe, we were in Minton's or Birdland or some other jazz joint in NYC.
Things cooled (Coulled?) with Lee Morgan's Ceora. Played on flugel over a bossa rhythm the mellow tone of the flugel gelling nicely with Joe Steel's chords, Andy's bass line, and John's relatively restrained brush/stickwork.
The first big hitter of the night was There is no Greater Love which got the audience going. There are few greater tunes and, taken at a medium to up tempo it swung like nobody's business with Joe and Andy taking impressive solos and John dropping bombs when bombs needed to be dropped.
A tribute to Egberto Gismonti, the renowned Brazilian composer who provided the material for ten of the eleven tracks.
The music is built upon the core trio of Harrison, Caribé and Brown with extra dimensions and colour supplied on various tracks by alto saxist Laura Macdonald (Palhaço, Meninas, O Sonho); vocalist Rachel Lightbody (Lôro, Bianca, Illuminado); Cellist Su-A Lee (Meninas, Sete Aneis) and Fraser Fifield who blows a low D whistle on Bianca. Edmundo Carneiro not only provides authentic Latin percussion on seven of the tracks but also combines with Harrison to compose Transition.
My apologies but this one's been hanging around since early spring and somehow or other got shuffled down the pecking order. Perhaps I was overawed by the 'cast of thousands' in the Chicago Jazz Orchestra - my fingers can do just so much typing before they cease to function.
However, by cutting and pasting details from the album insert the problem was solved and when I did get around to actually listening to Billy Broom and the CJO it was well worth the wait - it's a cracker.
Of course fans of Wes who already have the originals are going to question the need for this one.
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Playlist 24/08/25. (repeated Tuesday 26/08/25)
Jazz & Anti Racism: Nina Simone, Billie Holiday.
Lance Liddle's choice: Art Pepper, Mike Carr's Blue Note Band.
Memories: Jimmy Rushing w. Dizzy Gillespie Quintet, Lester Young/Oscar Peterson, MJQ + Branford Marsalis.
Tony Eales' big band choice: Thilo Berg Big Band.
New Release: Paul Harrison.
Scarborough Jazz Festival: Tom Smith Big Band, Gaz Hughes.
What’s on in the NE: Nel Begley.
Seasonal: Tubby Hayes.
Chris Coull has assimilated the above stylists and, with the addition of his own individuality, created music that's alive and kicking today without giving the occasional reminder of the music's roots.
Although this is Charos' debut album his, and some of the band's names looked familiar and I furrowed my brow. Then it clicked! Charos, Mason, McCallister and Rohrer were part of Samara Joy's backing band on her recent Prom concert, broadcast live from the Royal Albert Hall last month.
I was impressed by the support they gave Samara and equally so by their solos.
Needless to say, even before I knew all this, I was reeling from the get-go. It isn't every day I get an album to review that ticks all the boxes but Opening Statement does that and maybe adds a couple of boxes more - I ticked those as well.
Blue Note have from their pre-war beginnings, via the excitement of the 1950s to the present day, always been a label that called the shots. Pushing their artists forward as well as signing young musicians who were already thinking ahead and creating tomorrow's music today.
Paul Cornish is one such explorative musician not afraid to venture into the unknown. Although Cornish's compositions are deep and sensitive, they're also melodic and lyrical, a hint that Bill Evans was part of his learning curve before finding his own voice which he mostly has done on this album.
An interesting, and at times, exciting big band led by one of New York's top trombonists and creative arrangers - Nick Finzer. The arrangements are thoughtful and contemporary leaning more towards Gil Evans or George Russell rather than Clarke/Boland or Jones/Lewis.
Needless to say Finzer's trombone solos are in abundance and any sliders listening will be impressed, not just by his technical ability which, by the way is awesome, but by the beauty of his sound. A cool, dry, purity that still maintains a jazz feel. J.J. Johnson had it and so does Finzer. His affinity to Johnson has been well documented musically on a quartet album entitled Legacy and here, most noticeably on Johnson's Lament.
The festival, which encompasses three weekends: Sept. 26-28; Oct. 3-5 and Friday Oct. 10 will be based around the Lit & Phil and other established jazz venues based in Newcastle and nearby. Lance
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| © Sheila Herrick |
Her co-leader, Steve Glendinning, apart from being a fine guitarist also runs the Globe's educational jazz workshop programme.
Mike Clarke, although he doesn't feature in the billing provides solid support on bass guitar.
Stan Brunt (guitar); Sam Norris (alto sax); Guy Dempsey (double
bass); Jonah Evans (drums)
© Richard Morris
The MAP Studio Cafe* has been an established jazz venue for about 20 years. More recently regular Sunday evening jazz gigs have been curated by Sam Norris: sax player, composer, writer and teacher. I have been here 4 times this year whilst visiting London from North Wales and this venue has become my go to on Sunday evenings. It is a quirky, intimate venue. Ground floor bar, kitchen and stacked with vinyl and ceramics. It houses a recording studio and upstairs is the performance space with art and a variety of seating to include a church pew.
Doors 7:00pm on stage 8:00pm.
What a delightful album! What a great band! And what a super singer! Not exactly trad, not quite mainstream more what my friends from the north side would call Classic Jazz and it's certainly music for a themed party.
The repertoire is a reminder of how, back in the mid-twenties/early thirties, black popular music was a heady mixture of jazz, blues and theatre and the more risqué the lyric the more the audience loved it - they'd have loved this record!
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Playlist 17/08/25 (repeated Tuesday 19/08/25)
Requests from Darlington NOJC & the Jazzaholics: The New Leviathan Oriental Fox-Trot Orchestra, Cotton Picker's Rag, Jelly Roll Morton, Earl Bostic, Paul Lenart, Lonnie Johnson, Fats Waller, Sidney Bechet, Louis Armstrong,
Request: WDR Big Band.
