Halloween!

 

Remembering the late Bill Shaw - drummer, cartoonist and friend. Lance

Album review: Meet Your Heroes – Meet Your Heroes (Self-released)

Rob Lamont (guitar); Rhys Lovell (bass); Pete Hill (drums)

Sussex trio Meet Your Heroes stake their claim on the UK jazz-rock map with a debut EP that’s as witty as it is musically assured. Across five concise tracks, the group fuse swamp-funk grooves, angular math-rock turns and unfussy improvisation into a sound that feels both grounded and restless.

 

Formed in 2024, Rob Lamont (guitar), Rhys Lovell (bass) and Pete Hill (drums) make a remarkably cohesive noise for such a new outfit. Having already sold out their first Brighton headline show and graced the New Generation Jazz stage at Love Supreme 2025, the trio arrive with an enviable confidence that carries through the entire record.

 

Jo Harrop & Ronnie Scott’s All Stars @ Blackheath Halls - Oct. 25

Jo Harrop (vocals); James Pearson (piano); Leo Richardson (tenor sax); Sam Burgess (bass); Luke Tomlinson (drums)

On what was arguably the coldest night of the year so far, Blackheath Halls became a warm haven for jazz aficionados. This venerable venue, which has hosted live music for over 160 years, provided the perfect intimate backdrop; its tiered seating and round tables brought audience and performers together in a rare closeness, (so often lost in larger halls) a fitting setting for an evening steeped in the legacy of Ronnie Scott’s, the greatest jazz club in the world.

 

Album review: Fergus McCreadie – The Shieling (Edition Records)

Fergus McCreadie (piano); David Bowden (bass); Stephen Henderson (drums)

Fergus McCreadie’s The Shieling is a masterclass in immersive storytelling through jazz, a record that demands to be experienced as a single, unfolding journey. Across its tracks, the Scottish pianist and his trio craft a soundscape that ebbs and flows, combining the lyricism of folk-inspired melodies with the restless energy of contemporary jazz. 

From the outset, McCreadie’s piano leads with a clarity that is both delicate and precise, supported by David Bowden’s lyrical double bass and Stephen Henderson’s responsive, dynamic drumming. The album moves seamlessly from one piece to the next, each track an extension of the last rather than a stand alone moment.

Album review: The Jack Ruby 5 - Despedida La Bodega (Strength in Numbers Records)

Ian Macmillan (guitars, Balinese banjo, toy harp, melodica, perc.); Sandy Cormie (keys); Willie Brown (bass); Bob Anderson (drums); Meredith Crone (congas, bongos) + Ivan Marples (saxes); John Milne (trombone); Clare Thomas (cornet, flugel); Jim McCann (tenor sax)

 Ah! vinyl - I love holding an attractively designed sleeve knowing that, inside, it holds (hopefully) untold riches. But first let's read the sleeve notes and uncover the story behind the tracks and the name of the band as there is no one of that name listed and the only Jack Ruby I know of is the man who shot the man who shot the President in Dallas, Texas way back in the day.

What we do learn is that all tracks were written by Ian Macmillan except track 4 which is a joint effort between Brown and Marples and track 9 which is written by Brown without Marples.

"Out of the Hub" - Bevan Manson featuring Suzanne Pittson - An Interview by Nick Mondello.

LISTEN.

Joe Webb @ Bonners Music Centre, Kingston Park, Newcastle - Oct. 30

© Patti

As someone who spent the latter 30 years of his working life in music retail I was curious to visit the latest and much needed addition to Newcastle's new, slightly out of town but well served by the Tyne and Wear Metro, piano emporium - Bonners Piano Centre.

 

I was impressed by the wide range of instruments on show from keyboards to shiny Yamaha uprights and grands.

However, the main attraction for me was Joe Webb who was playing a solo set on a Yamaha S6x grand incorporating a Q&A session as he went along.

Jazz on the Tyne – New Music for the Darker Evenings

In the latest edition of the podcast, presenter Colin Muirhead plays music from new releases by Nigel Price, OUTRI, Fergus McCreadie, Laura Jurd, Harben Kay, Carole Nelson, Stu Collingwood, Robert Mitchell, Matteo Prefumo, and Noa Levy & Paul Edis Trio.

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.

R.I.P. Al Wood

The sad news has been posted on various social medium platforms of the passing of multi-instrumentalist and educator Al Wood.

Although best known as a sax player Wood was also equally proficient on trumpet, trombone and other members of the brass family. He was a regular performer in both the the north west and north east, particularly in the Durham and Darlington area, and further afield.

For many years he was Deputy Head of Performance at Leeds College of Music (now Leeds Conservatoire) and many jazz stars of the future benefitted from his guidance.

More details to follow when known. Lance

Stockport Jazz - Nov. 2

This week Stockport Jazz welcomes the Liam Byrne Quartet to the Moor Club. The lineup features Liam on saxophones with Richard Wetherall (piano), Gavin Barras (bass) and Eryl Roberts (drums).

Sunday 2nd November 2025

8-10pm, doors open at 7.30pm

£5 entry on the door, all welcome

The Moor Club, 35 Heaton Moor Road, Stockport SK4 4PB  (next to the Elizabethan PH)

Album Review: Franck Amsallem - The Summer Knows (un été 42)

Franck Amsallem (piano); David Wong (bass); Kush Abadey (drums)

With this his eleventh album, French-American pianist Franck Amsallem and team deliver a marvelous near-hour of grand trio music. The ten-track album is comprised of well-known classics (The Summer Knows and Unforgettable), three fine Amsallem original compositions and other well-selected tunes.

The sessions kicks off with Blue Gardenia, a beautiful tune that is sadly under-recorded. Nat King Cole and Dinah Washington both took the tune to the top of the charts. Here, Amsallem turns the clock back to 1958 in a fine rendition that ghosts Ahmad Jamal’s Poinciana. Kush Abadey’s toms give that away from the get-go. Amsallem is effervescent on the take and solos with joyous appeal. It’s a terrific opener. 

Press release: Paul Booth w. SSBB reimagines the Beach Boy's album Pet Sounds @ Pilgrim, Newcastle, Friday October 31

Acclaimed saxophonist, composer, arranger, and local lad Paul Booth once again joins forces with Strictly Smokin’ Big Band for a unique reimagining of the Beach Boys’ seminal album Pet Sounds at Pilgrim with a very special guest: saxophone ace Paul Booth!

SSBB first met Paul when he guested with them at Alphabetti Theatre back in 2018. Who remembers that show? What a brilliant night it was. Since then, Paul has also guested on the band's SSBB & Friends album and joined us at the album launch. SSBB @ Hoochie 2023 So — the band are not only very excited to be back at this venue (formerly Hoochie Coochie), but also over the moon to have "wor pal Paul Booth" guesting with them again.

Now — hear us out… this show is Paul’s own reimagining of the Beach Boys’ classic 1966 album Pet Sounds. It’s not nearly as bizarre as you might think! 

Press release: RADIOPHONICX

RADIOPHONICX is a communal listening event presenting International radio drama and sound art to a live audience in Newcastle upon Tyne. 

I have curated and programmed RADIOPHONICX, a monthly series, that starts Saturday at 2pm on 29th November at Cobalt Studios.

The main aim of this project is to bring international audio drama, which is otherwise not easily accessible, to a live audience in the UK. Listening together in a relaxed atmosphere is a very unique experience, which I was able to taste at various international audio festivals in the last years. 

 

Book review: Northumbrian Blues: The Lost World of Big Pete Deuchar: Volume 1: 1933-60 (Jazz in Britain)

Volume one of a two volume project that charters the evolution of New Orleans styled bands in Britain and, in particular, on Tyneside. Intertwined is the life and lifestyle of Peter Deuchar - a legend, not only in Newcastle but also in New Orleans - the music's birthplace.

The heir to the Deuchar brewing dynasty, the young banjo player distanced himself from the business although not necessarily from its products.

Harper provides an almost note by note account of those early days at the old New Orleans Club in Newcastle's Melbourne St., the formation of the still ongoing Vieux Carré Jazzmen, the Professors of Jazz (a band that included a young John McLaughlin), Deuchar's early dabble with cycle racing and much more.

In Search of John Coltrane.

Armed with a google map and a photo, we returned to San Francisco to seek out the Church of John Coltrane. We knew they held weekly services on a Sunday and we were at the Monterey Jazz Festival the only Sunday we were in California, but we just wanted to see it.

It wasn't a surprise that so many people didn't know of it, or him; at least two bus drivers claimed to have never heard of Haight Ashbury, epicentre of the whole hippy, flower power, summer of love in 1967.

As we narrowed the search, a chap in a film poster gallery was alarmed that such a thing existed and he didn't even know. A waiter in a coffee shop thought he knew where it was, but further investigation (working hard for his tip), revealed it had moved to a nearby fort and is now only a room with a weekly service where they play A Love Supreme. 

R.I.P. Jack DeJohnette (1942 - Oct. 26, 2025)

Sad to hear of the passing of Jack DeJohnette a legend on both piano and drums.

This heartfelt tribute does him justice.

Sadly missed. Lance

Album review: Jimbo Ross - So Do It (Bodacious Records)

Jimbo Ross (five string viola); Stuart Elster (piano); Joe Gaeta (guitar); Peter Marshall (bass); Ron Wagner (drums)

Jazz violin isn't unusual. Jazz viola is. This I find strange as, in many ways, even the scrapings of the student in his/her early explorations on the larger, lower pitched instrument is less jarring than the equivalent strivings of the embryo violinist. Despite this, violas and their owners are invariably the butt of cruel jokes (see HERE).

Jimbo Ross squashes all those jibes with this hard swinging album. This is playing that is on a par with many of the greats on any instrument and strikes a powerful blow for the much maligned viola. 

Steve Tulip & The Many Sides of Soul on NOVA RADIO NORTH EAST tonight @ ten

I'm back again tonight from 10:00pm 'til midnight with all areas of mostly '60s, '70s, '80s soul, jazz, reggae, Womack and all the regular features. Steve

SCHEDULE.

Sunday night @ the Globe: Gerry Richardson's Big Idea - Oct. 26

© Ken Drew

Gerry Richardson (Crumar Nova keyboard, vocals); Mark Webb, Dave Hignett (trumpet, flugel); David Gray (trombone); Garry Linsley (alto sax); Dan Johnson (tenor/soprano sax); Sue Ferris (baritone sax, flute); Rod Sinclair (Fender Telecaster); Paul Smith (drums)

Gerry Richardson's Big Idea don't surface very often - seven years since they were last sighted - but when they do they substantiate their standing as one of the major monuments of north east (and beyond) jazz and its offspring.

Few, if any of the audience that packed the Globe last night would disagree. Those hearing the band for the  first time were completely blown  away whilst those veteran campaigners who'd cut their teeth listening to the nine-piece way back when simply smiled and said smugly, "I told you so".

Gary Crosby Quintet @ Loughton Baptist Church - Oct. 25

Kurt Mayling (trumpet); David Kayode (tenor sax, flute); Alex Ho (keyboards); Gary Crosby (double bass); Miranda Radford (drums) + Orphy Robinson (introductions)

The National Jazz Archive, based in Loughton, Essex, is an invaluable resource. In addition to its ongoing archiving activities, the NJA presents concerts on a regular basis. Away from its Loughton Library base, Loughton Baptist Church serves as its performance venue. This Saturday afternoon's concert featured the Gary Crosby Quintet. 

Now seventy years old, it doesn't seem like five minutes since bassist Crosby was blazing a trail with the Jazz Warriors. Here in Loughton, billed as How to Train Your Cat, More Mingus Moves,  Crosby's bandmates were of a younger generation. For a musician of such status, Crosby didn't seek to hog the limelight, far from it, happily shining the spotlight on his young charges.

Flight Call @ Crazy Coqs, London - Oct 24.

Georgia Cécile (vocals); Lucy-Anne Daniels (vocals); Pete Horsfall (vocals, trumpet); Alex Bryson (piano)

Crazy Coqs is something of a hidden gem. Located deep underground in London's West End, adjacent to Piccadilly's labyrinthine underground station, the subterranean Art Deco venue plays host to many jazz gigs. This evening Flight Call would play to a full house. Three ace vocalists - Georgia Cécile, Lucy-Anne Daniels and Pete Horsfall - accompanied by first call pianist Alex Bryson, held all present spellbound.

Preview: Tonight @ the Globe - Gerry Richardson's Big Idea

A treat is in store tonight (Oct. 26) down on Railway St. where the Jazz Co-op @ the Globe present Gerry Richardson's Big Idea.

Although Gerry and the other members of the nine-piece powerhouse ensemble have been gigging individually here, there and everywhere this is the first time in a number of years that they've got back together.

Vocalist and organ ace Gerry is the guiding light and his percussive Hammond based technique and his soul-drenched vocals have drawn comparisions with the organ giants of the 'sixties. Add eight of the area's big hitters - six horns, Telecaster and drums - and you can expect nothing less than a heady mix of jazz, soul and funky blues - maybe a touch of Latin. Lance

More details. 

Late Night Chicago Radio w. Denny Farrell. (Oct. 23 - 29)

André Previn: I Only Have Eyes For You.

Eddie Harris: ? .

Ella Fitzgerald: In My Solitude.

George Brown, George Carroll: I Thought About You.

Herb Jeffries: Penthouse Serenade.

Kay Starr: It Had to be You.

Andy Brown: You're my Everything*.

Oscar Peterson: The More I See You.

Tony Bennett: Fly me to the Moon.

Kenny Burrell: Saturday Night Blues.

Billie Holiday: Sophisticated Lady.

Listen 24/7.

* "Dedicated to Lance in England and all the readers of Bebop is Spoken Here!"

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

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

Playlist 26/10/25 (repeated Tuesday 28/10/25)  

Requests from Darlington New Orleans Club: Adrian Cox, Edmund Hall, Oscar Peterson, Original Dixieland Jass Band, Joe Webb, Hoagy Carmichael, The Jungle Book.

Seasonal: Red Garland. 

Requests: Big Bill Broonzy, Charles Mingus.

Album review: Emma Rawicz - Inkyra (ACT)

Emma Rawicz (tenor/soprano sax); Gareth Lockrane (flutes, piccolo); David Preston (guitar); Scottie Thompson (keys); Kevin Glasgow (elec. bass); Jamie Murray (drums)

The opening Earthrise is a short piece. Almost symphonic in the way the various tones blend and emerge in a panoramic vista. I remember, when I was very young, watching the sun rising over the horizon on a north east beach. It felt very special at the time. Rawicz's composition evokes the same feeling of wonder and awe - all in 82 seconds.

In the blink of an eye the picture abruptly becomes a totally different scenario as it explodes like an unexpected thunderstorm in Particles of Change. Rawicz blows paintstripping tenor and Thompson produces some mellow sounds - presumably on synth or maybe it's something from Lochrane's flute armory, I don't know. Whatever, it's very effective as is the theme that grew in the leader's head during a lesson with Pete Churchill at RAM.

Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits For No Man @ Gosforth Civic Theatre - Oct. 24

© Ken Drew

Lindsay Hannon (vocals, bass, angklung*); Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (bass, voice); Brendan Murphy (various percussion items, vocal)

It was cold, wet and windy on this dark Friday night and I pondered upon the wisdom of gambling on a couple of Metro trains getting me to Gosforth for an evening of the music/lyric poetry of Tom Waits as performed by Lindsay Hannon and co.

Upon reflection, the weather was just right for the poetic words of Waits - he doesn't do nice or sweet - it's gritty streetlife and Lindsay has the voice to bring the words and the music into an emotional cinematic landscape. Let's face it, this singer could make the Financial Times on a bad day for the FTSE 100 sound good. 

BeBop spoken here booklet wanted

One of our readers - not you, the other one - is looking for the booklet that accompanies the 4 CD Proper box set. He's particularly interested in the discography section that occupies the latter four double pages. 

I tried scanning my copy but the results were unreadable when enlarged.

Can anyone help? Ideally via a website that contains the detailed info - personnel, dates etc. Lance 

Album review: Sinne Eeg & Jacob Christoffersen - Shikiori (Stunt Records)

Sinne Eeg (vocals); Jacob Christoffersen (piano, Rhodes, vocals)

Recorded in Japan last September by two of Denmark's finest - vocalist Eeg and pianist Christoffersen - Shikiori is an unprogrammed, unedited WYSIWYG recording and, as such, no fault is corrected.

I must admit that any faults there may be have certainly bypassed my critical ear. Perhaps the duo's faults equate to other artist's high points!

The material comprise originals by both although, paradoxically, not with each other. There are also a few standards the pick of which is the blasé take on Lush Life. Eeg gets the perfect balance between the contrasting emotions displayed in Strayhorn's lyrics.

Paris: a room with a view & more - Oct 22/23

Art, architecture, cuisine, fashion, jazz - what more could anyone ask for? Squillions spent on Eurostar, landmark buildings, the hustle and bustle of Paris, one of the world's most famous cities. Either side of attending Joe Webb's fabulous concert, there was more, much more to see and do. 

A Gare du Nord hotel room offered a breathtaking view (see photo). Walking the streets there was always something worth seeing (see photo). Thomas Crapper would have been proud. On second thoughts, perhaps he would be thinking someone was taking the proverbial. 

We'll always have Paris (H. Bogart). Russell

Joe Webb Trio @ Le Duc des Lombards, Paris - Oct 22

© Patti

Joe Webb (piano); Will Sach (double bass); Kai MacRae (drums) + Adrian Cox (clarinet)

EasyJet, NCL to Charles de Gaulle, convenient flight times, affordable. Let's go! Landing more or less on time, navigating the CDG metropolis - terminal to terminal to train station - proved to be straightforward. 

Arriving Gare du Nord, l'hôtel (When in France!), ideally situated across the road, reeked of 2* luxury. No time to waste, Métro to Chatelet, our final destination one of the French capital's finest jazz clubs. 

Le Duc des Lombards took some finding! Chet Baker singing Let's Get Lost the soundtrack to our wanderings. Stumbling upon Sunset Sunside (another renowned jazz spot) it was time to ask someone the way. Merci! And off we went, wandering around in circles - again. 

Album review: Tom Ollendorff - Where in the World (Fresh Sound New Talent)

Tom Ollendorff (guitar); Aaron Parks (piano); Conor Chaplin (bass); James Maddren (drums)

Ollendorff's third album finds the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama virtuoso guitarist in the A-list company of American Blue Note recording artist Parks, Chaplin and Maddren. The latter two being longstanding partners of Ollendorff as well as first callers in a variety of settings.

All four are as one over the guitarist's nine compositions - no overcooked standards to pull the doubters in. In truth, in a perfect world (has there ever been one?) Ollendorff's compositions would be the staple fare of a future Great British Songbook.

Album review: Konrad Ciesielski – Koniec (Mindses Music)

Konrad Ciesielski (perc, composer); Patrycia Temposka (sax); Gabriela Wasilewska (vocals); Dawid Lipka (trumpet); Jan Galbas (piano) and others.

Best known as the rhythmic engine behind Polish progressive outfit Blindead, Konrad Ciesielski re-emerges on Koniec as a composer of striking scope and sensitivity. This is a record less concerned with volume than with atmosphere — a meticulously crafted blend of jazz, electronica and filmic sound design that unfolds like a journey through half-lit emotional landscapes.

From the opening Out of Gravity and into Miscommunication Land, Ciesielski conjures the kind of brooding pulse that recalls Massive Attack’s Mezzanine — that same fusion of sensual rhythm and uneasy calm heard on Teardrop and Inertia Creeps. Yet where Mezzanine smouldered in shadow, Koniec reaches for light: the drums breathe, the synths shimmer, and space itself becomes part of the composition.

Press release: Christmas @ Ronnie's

Giacomo Smith's Big Band present Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite and More

5:30pm, Thursday 4th – Saturday 6th December 2025

https://www.ronniescotts.co.uk/find-a-show/giacomo-smith

Italian-born clarinettist, saxophonist and composer Giacomo Smith’s Big Band has become a Ronnie Scott’s Christmas tradition. Formed during Kansas Smitty’s livestreams in 2020 with a performance of Ellington and Strayhorn’s Nutcracker, the band now mixes Smith’s original arrangements with swinging classics from Goodman, Basie, and Ellington. The lineup includes standout soloists Joe Webb, Pete Horsfall, Daniel Higham, Alec Harper, Rico Tommaso, Laura Jurd, and more.

Stockport Jazz

This week Stockport Jazz welcomes the Gair Carson/Paul Hartley Quartet to the Moor Club. The quartet comprises Gair Carson  (saxes, flutes); Paul Hartley (guitar); Ken Marley (bass); Eryl Roberts (drums). 

Sunday Oct. 26

8-10pm, doors open at 7.30pm

£5 entry on the door, all welcome

The Moor Club, 35 Heaton Moor Road, Stockport SK4 4PB  (next to the Elizabethan PH)

The Adrian Cox Trio captured by Ken Drew @ Blyth - Oct. 20

Ace photographer Ken Drew was at the Adrian Cox Trio's gig at the Yamaha Music School in Blyth on Monday and, drawing upon the age old saying that a picture paints a thousand words, threw in a couple of 'chapters' of his own with these two photos and, although the picture on the wall is of a flute, it doesn't detract from the sound of the clarinet, guitar and bass evoked by Ken's photos. 

The Club Croco Tour - Hexham, Newcastle Jazz Co-op, Yamaha Music School, Blyth & Blaydon Jazz Club - Oct. 19 & 20

Adrian Cox Trio: Adrian Cox (clarinet, vocals); Alex 'Honey' Boulton (guitar, vocals); Alex Gilson (double bass, vocals)

The Adrian Cox Trio arrived in the region - that's the north east of England - to perform six concerts in four days. Each one, without exception, would prove to be nothing short of sensational. The first two concerts (Newcastle Arts Centre and Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club) reviewed earlier, played to near capacity audiences. The other four concert venues were in for a treat.

Queen's Hall, Hexham hosts a monthly Sunday afternoon concert series, broadly modern to contemporary jazz. Adrian Cox playing New Orleans jazz would be something a little different to the usual fayre. From a scorching New Orleans Stomp to J'attendrai to Home, Cox (clarinet), Honey Boulton (guitar) and double bass maestro Alex Gilson charmed the birds from the trees in  the Sele (directly opposite Queen's Hall). The trio made such an impression the audience took to its feet, quite an ovation. 

Giacomo Gates and Tomoko Ohno @ The Barn, Huntington, New York - Oct. 19

Giacomo Gates (vocals); Tomoko Ohno (piano)

The Conklin Barn located in historic Huntington, New York is a unique performance venue. Built in 1830 on another farm property and relocated and restored at its current location, it possesses great charm. Its rustic vibe aromatically wafts throughout up to its vaulted ceiling. Through the dedicated efforts of Vic and Patty Scuderi, The Barn is becoming a very active Long Island jazz venue. On Sunday, October 19 jazz vocalese master, Giacomo Gates and ace pianist Tomoko Ohno held court there, sending up a hard-swinging hipster hoedown that entertained a full house (or rather a full barn) of excited jazz aficionados.

Benn Clatworthy Quartet @ Llandudno Jazz Club - October 20

Benn Clatworthy (tenor/soprano sax, flute);  Neil Yates (trumpet};  Andrzej Baranek (keyboards); Gaz Hughes (drums)

A welcome return to Llandudno Jazz Club by Benn Clatworthy who'd played here some 12 months previously. This legendary player, born in Hastings in 1955, grew up in London. At age 19 he took lessons from Ronnie Scott. Active on the London music scene in the 1970s he moved to Los Angeles where he is still based but fortunately returns to the UK regularly. He has performed with Horace Silver, Cedar Walton and many many others. Last time I saw him he was armed only with a tenor sax. This concert he played tenor sax (a 1953 model), soprano sax and flute excelling on all three.

Album Review: -Sacha - Paris After Dark (Hear Me Roar Records)

Sacha Boutros (vocals, arrangements); Stéphane Belmondo (trumpet); Franck Amsallem (piano); Hugo Lippi (guitar); Thomas Bramerie (bass); Tony Rabeson (drums)

There are two reasons why Paris is referred to as the “City of Light.” One was the fact that it was one of the first European cities to install large-volume street lighting. The other, of course, was its being a vibrant nexus the Enlightenment. Embellishing on that moniker, vocalist/composer and multi-linguist Sacha Boutros offers her fifth album, Paris After Dark. This oeuvre du jour offers an array of exquisite Gallic and American selections, all delivered by the artist and her fine continental cadre.

Monterey Jazz Festival - Sept. 28

We arrived to the sounds of Tammy L. Hall featuring the Texas Southern University Cadence Chorale on the Tom Jackson Garden Stage; a gospel choir on an open-air stage on a sunny California Sunday morning.

The first item on my itinerary was to check out the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio in Dizzy's Den. I'd planned to see them at Newcastle's Cluny but bought the album ahead of the gig and wasn't sufficiently impressed. I was pleasantly surprised and stayed a while until the conclusion of an inspired version of Can't Hide Love, originally by Creative Source but made famous by Earth Wind and Fire. I have a particular liking and fascination for organ trios, especially with guitar, and Bruce Calvin kept it at eleven the whole time I was there. I believe they're back at the Cluny soon.

Frank Griffith Quartet @ the Moor Club, Stockport - Oct. 19

© Jeff Pritchard

Frank Griffith (tenor sax, clarinet); Richard Wetherall (keyboards); Dave Lynane (bass); Eryl Roberts (drums)

Frank was  born in Eugene in the US State of Oregon but now resides in Liverpool after stays in New York and London. Coincidently my son Lester has just returned from a work trip to Portland, Oregon and was telling me he enjoyed his short stay. Frank had selected a total of eleven tunes by composers such as Jobim, Henry Mancini, Sonny Rollins, and Irving Berlin.

Ten tenors (in no particular order)

Dexter Gordon 
Wardell Gray 
Teddy Edwards 
Gene Ammons 
Sonny Stitt 
Brew Moore 
Allen Eager 
Don Lanphere
Herbie Stewart 
Richie Kamuka

+ 100s more.

Just killing time between doctors. Normal service tomorrow. Lance

Late Night Chicago Radio w. Denny Farrell (16/10/25 - 22/10/25)

Lester Young, Teddy Wilson: Love me, or Leave me.

Stan Getz: I've Got You Under my Skin.

Diana Ross: All of me.

Billie Holiday: I'll be Seeing You.

Art Pepper: Autumn Leaves.

Carmen McRae: 'Tis Autumn.

Lester Young, Oscar Peterson: Ad Lib Blues.

Jack Sheldon: Mack the Knife.

Wes Montgomery: 'Round Midnight.

B.B. King: Nightlife. 

George Farrell: Piano Blues.

Listen 24/7.

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

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

Playlist 19/10/25 (repeated Tuesday 21/10/25)  

Celebration of 200 years of the railways: Glenn Miller, Johnny Mercer & the Pied Pipers.

Requests from last week's Bishop Auckland gig: Keith Jarrett, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen & Kenny Drew, Joe Henderson, Bessie Smith, Mezzrow-Ladnier Quintet, Frankie Trumbauer.

Requests: Joe Pass, Muggsy Spanier & His Ragtime Band, Lou Donaldson, Miles Davis, Eric Miyashiro, Dizzy Gillespie & Stan Getz, Etta James.

What’s on in the NE: Gerry Richardson's Big Idea.

Peace: Tim Boniface, Bill Evans.

Aycliffe Radio is now available on DAB in County Durham & Darlington area or via your smart speaker.