The 58 Jazz Collective @ Dorman's Jazz Club, Middlesbrough - April 3

Kevin Eland (trumpet/flugel); Donna Hewitt (tenor sax/clarinet/flute); Edd Maughan (guitar); Dave Archbold (keys); John Daniel (bass); Alex Cromarty (drums); Jan Spencelayh (vocals).                                                                                                                           

This guest band led by the well known trumpeter Kevin Eland gave a large and enthusiastic audience an evening of diverse and  exciting jazz,  including several new arrangements by Dave Archbold.

A fine start was made with a swinging  Clifford Brown number - Blues Walk. The full band intro was followed by solos all round clearly showing that we were in for a great night from these talented musicians. Jan then stepped up to show her lovely singing voice with the Buck Clayton version of All the Cats Join In.

Press release: Fini Bearman - Last Night of the World (Pastiche Recordings)

Singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and composer Fini Bearman will release her fifth studio album Last Night Of The World in April 2025, via UK record label Pastiche Recordings. Having built an impressive profile as an imaginative and expressive soloist and collaborator, gaining nominations for London Jazz Singer of the Year from the Global Music Foundation and a Deutsche Jazz Preis for vocal album of the year to name just two of many accolades, Fini Bearman presents her very best work to date, which is a culmination of the vast experience and burgeoning talent that she has gained and cultivated throughout her career so far.

Preview: Josephine Baker: the First Black Superstar (Tuesday 8)

First broadcast in November 2009, Josephine Baker: the First Black Superstar is being shown again this evening on BBC 4 at 10:00pm. This Saturday (April 12) marks the 50th anniversary of the death of the African-American singer and actor. Resolute in her opposition to segregation, Baker insisted audiences should be integrated. A courageous trailblazer, as the programme title suggests, Baker was 'the First Black Superstar'. Russell   

Preview: Bombay Jazz (Tuesday 8, BBC Radio 4 Extra)

The 1930s. New Orleans...Chicago...Paris...Bombay. Bombay Jazz (BBC Radio 4 Extra) is a revealing half hour shedding light on the thriving jazz scene in Bombay (now Mumbai), all of a century ago. Chic Chocolate (see photo), Micky Correa and others were at the forefront of Bombay's jazz world. Armstrong and Ellington would venture east, meeting up with Indian musicians to play jazz. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2014, Sarfraz Manzoor narrates a fascinating story, tune in today at 10:30am and/or 4:30pm. Russell    

Magpies of Swing - Globe Fundraiser Thursday April 10

The response to the recent Globe Fundraiser was magnificent and it was set fair to go ahead with the much needed renovations and improvements. However, the best laid schemes of mice and jazz clubs oft go awry and the recent damage to the upstairs floor has done just that.

Step in the Magpies of Swing* who, this Thursday (April 10), will do their bit to help ease the unexpected additional financial burden. Now it's up to you to do yours. Tickets HERE. Alternatively, you could chance your luck and just turn up on a wing and a prayer with your fingers crossed and not walking under any ladders but, better to be safe than sorry. Lance

Sunday night @ the Globe: Leeway - April 6

© Sheila Herrick

Alan Law (piano); Jude Murphy (bass, vocals); Tim Johnston (drums)

In their own sweet way, to misquote the title of a Brubeck tune that wasn't played by the trio last night, this was as enjoyable as many an over-hyped gig played here, there and everywhere in recent years.

You can count the number of north east based jazz pianists who can (maybe) outswing Alan Law on the finger of one hand however, as that musician has now retired from public performing...

Is there a bass player who can can sing better than Jude? Is there a singer who can play bass better than Jude?

Add a driving, sympathetic drummer and the stage is set for - who knows?

Record Store Day at a shop somewhere near you (Sat. 12)

This year's Record Store Day is set for Saturday (April 12). It's the day when retailers from all over the UK and beyond step up to promote all things vinyl, CD and, quite possibly, other formats (cassette tapes?, 78s? vintage cylinder?). Some shops open early, providing hot drinks and snacks to keep punters fed and watered. From a crate of LPs priced at £1.00. a piece to shrink-wrapped new, 'must have' vinyl at eye-watering prices, there is something for every taste and pocket. 

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

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

Playlist 06/04/25 (repeated Tuesday 08/04/25)

Seasonal: Abe Lyman & His California Orchestra, Chris Barber, Clifford Brown/Max Roach, Ella and Louis, Paul Edis & Jo Harrop.

Requests: Duke Ellington. 

Memories: Carmen McRae.

Seasonal: Thelonious Monk.

Memories: Gerry Mulligan, Freddie Hubbard/MJQ, Peanuts Hucko.

Requests: Ron Carter, Billie Holiday/Teddy Wilson, Sonny Rollins, Zoot Sims.

New Release: Yellowjackets. 

Aycliffe Radio is now available on DAB in County Durham & the Darlington Area. 

Kamasi Washington @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead - April 5

Kamasi Washington (tenor sax, keyboards); Rickey Washington (soprano sax, flute); Patrice Quinn (vocals); Tony Austin (drums); Brandon Coleman (keyboards); DJ Battlecat (turntables, percussion, keyboards); Ryan Porter (trombone); Joshua Crumbley (bass).

First, some demographics in the light of last week’s APPG Jazz Review: there’s a lot of people here, even up into the gods on Level 3, and a lot of them seem to be towards the upper end of the age scale. Even the mosh pit had a higher than expected level of crinklies in it, your greying correspondent included.

On stage subtlety is only an occasional visitor to the proceedings. Washington deals in ambition, big emotions, volume and energy. A rolling thunder opening on the drums leads into an ‘overture’ of short sections which serve to show off the band members’ chops before Kamasi starts to climb, knitting a solo together from short phrases to a full flowing edifice of blaring shapes and torrents of notes while the rhythm section digs in behind him. The piece, Lusana, continues with some spare keyboard phrasing over bomb-dropping funk from the back line which develops into a solid, boots-on-the-ground driving riff.

Kamasi Washington @ the Glasshouse, Gateshead (take 2) - April 5

Kamasi Washington (tenor sax, keys); Rickey Washington (soprano sax, flute); Ryan Porter (trombone); Brandon Coleman (keys); Patrice Quinn (voice); Tony Austin (drums); Joshua Crumbley (bass, bass guitar); DJ Battlecat (perc, rap, hip-hop, electronics etc.) 

It had been nigh on six years since I last saw Kamasi Washington during which time we'd had Covid, wars, plus changes of government both here and abroad. Even Sage Gateshead had changed its name - once said to be carved in stone - to the Glasshouse. 

Fortunately, Kamasi hadn't changed and the band seemed to be more or less the same as that which had rung my bell on May 21, 2019. All prestigious and prolific players who soloed at great length, although at times I felt that less would have been more - a bit like eating a dozen coffee creams when a couple would have satisfied. Nevertheless, the triple storied near full house loved it and I too applauded vociferously.

Jazz on the Tyne – What’s On & What’s New, April 2025

In the latest edition of the podcast, presenter Colin Muirhead showcases new music, looks ahead to upcoming gigs and plays a request, with tracks by Knats (feat. Anatole Muster), Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis, the Abbie Finn Trio, Georgia Mancio & Alan Broadbent, Fergus McCreadie, the Neil Cowley Trio, Andrea Vicari, Abendland, Ronan Guilfoyle's Bemusement Arcade, and Zoë Gilby.

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.

Jazz Legend George Freeman Dies at 97 | Remembering a Trailblazing Guita...

Thanks to Maurice Summerfield for sharing this sad news. Lance

Album review: Yazz Ahmed - A Paradise in the Hold

Yazz Ahmed (trumpet, flugelhorn, handclaps, programming & ululations); George Crowley (bass clarinet & handclaps); Ralph Wyld (vibraphone, marimba, handclaps); Naadia Sheriff (Fender Rhodes, piano, Roland JX-03, handclaps); Dudley Phillips (bass, handclaps); Martin France (drums, handclaps); Corrina Silvester ( percussion & handclaps); Alcyona Mick (Fender Rhodes); Samuel Hällkvist (guitars); Dave Manington (bass); Natacha Atlas (voice); Brigitte Beraha (voice) & handclaps; Randolph Matthews (voice); Alba Nacinovich (voice); Jason Singh (voice & additional programming); Samy Bishai (violin); Noel Langley (flugelhorn, handclaps & additional programming); Engineer Family (chatter & ululations).

This is another marvellous example of ‘melting-pot’ jazz and shows again the vibrancy of the UK scene. Like many others, stretching back to Joe Harriott and John Mayer’s Indo-Jazz Fusions, it turns away from the American tradition and brings in influences from the rest of the world, usually those areas that were coloured pink in the old atlases. In this case Ahmed has reached out to her Bahraini roots and bought them in a seamless melding with outstanding performances from some of the best players available on the British scene. It is dense, bold, compelling, mesmerising music.

Newcastle Jazz Festival 2025 Announces New Date and Exciting Lineup

The highly anticipated Newcastle Jazz Festival 2025 returns with a fresh new date – Saturday, 20th September 2025 – bringing an electrifying day of live jazz to the Live Theatre, Broad Chare (NE1 3DQ).

This year’s festival promises a thrilling lineup of top local and national jazz talent, delivering an unforgettable experience for music lovers. With a mix of established artists and rising stars, the festival showcases a dynamic blend of contemporary, bebop, post-bop, and genre-pushing jazz.

Lineup & Sessions

Eva Fox & the Jazz Guys @ the Prohibition Bar, Newcastle - April 3

Eva Fox (vocals); Steve Glendinning (guitar); Paul Grainger (bass)

A couple of instrumentals to start with - My Foolish Heart and Billie's Bounce - Steve getting a good sound from his nylon strung electro acoustic with Paul his usual reliable self in support.

Eva took to the stage for Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man, Embraceable You, When Sunny Gets Blue, Tenderly & Dance me to the End of Love. All were okay although I think it is only fair to say that, this being a new set of Jazz Guys, it is still a work in progress and it will be interesting to see where this promising start leads to. Lance

Joe Webb Trio @ Ronnie Scott's - March 20

Joe Webb (piano); Will Sach (double bass); Sam Jesson (drums)

Not having been in London for quite a while the opportunity to stay in a flat near Covent Garden for a few days was too good to miss - a dozen theatres within strolling distance and just 10 minutes to Soho.

So first things first: what was on at the theatre? Mark Strong and Lesley Mandeville in Oedipus sounded promising. A quick look at the web site revealed that anything resembling good seats were 200 quid each - What? Are they covered in gold leaf and upholstered in the finest Arabian silks? I can tell you now the answer to that is 'no'.

The play itself? Great acting but I think next time I'll keep my £400 and pluck my own eyes out.

Album review: Ronan Guilfoyle's Bemusement Arcade - At Swing, Two Birds (Livia Records)

Ronan Guilfoyle (bass, compositions); Sam Norris (alto sax); Chris Guilfoyle (guitar); Darren Beckett (drums)

Another fine release from Ireland's Livia Records, this time featuring a superb quartet led by bassist, composer and international educator (Berklee, the Royal Academy and UNESCO in Copenhagen to name but a few) Ronan Guilfoyle. With his son Chris on guitar, London based Sam Norris on alto and Madeleine Peyroux's drummer of nine years, Darren Beckett, Ronon Guilfoyle's Bemusement Arcade is very much a band to be reckoned with.

APPG for Jazz Issues Green Paper

The All-Party Parliamentary Jazz Group, chaired by local Newcastle MP Chi Onwurah, have issued their ‘Review of Jazz in England’ which gives an overview of Jazz in the Country, how well it is functioning, who is well or poorly served and the important subject of money. Described as “an Honest Portrait and an Actionable Roadmap” it includes a vision of where we want to be in 10 years’ time and suggestions for how to get there. The main body of the report is quite short so I’ve just copied it over in its entirety into this article, omitting the forewords and the appendices. The full report (78 pages, but well worth reading) can be accessed HERE. Dave Sayer

Preview: Helena Summerfield @ Stockport on Sunday (April 6)

This week’s Stockport Jazz gig at the Moor Club features alto saxophonist, clarinetist and flautist Helena Summerfield with Paul Hartley (guitar), John Sandham (bass) and Eryl Roberts (drums).

Helena works for Jazz North, the jazz talent development agency for the north of England. After graduating from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Helena taught music in a variety of mainstream and inclusive education settings. She was the lead jazz tutor at Trafford Music Service when they received the 2021 ‘Will Michael Jazz Education Award’ and became 'Jazz Educator of the Year' at the 2022 Parliamentary Jazz Awards in recognition of her work on Jazz North’s ‘Jazz Camp for Girls’. 

MIKE DURHAM’S INTERNATIONAL CLASSIC JAZZ PARTY - YOUNG TALENT AWARD 2025

At the heart of Mike Durham’s International Classic Jazz Party is the ‘classic jazz’ era spanning the first three decades of the twentieth century. Held annually at the Village Hotel, near Newcastle upon Tyne in the north east of England, the 2025 edition is set to take place over three days, from Friday 31 October to Sunday 2 November.    

The Classic Jazz Party’s Young Talent Award recognises emerging musicians performing jazz from the first three decades of the twentieth century. Established in memory of the late Mike Durham (founder of the Classic Jazz Party), the award seeks to inspire the next generation of musicians to play classic jazz.

Gone Garner (from Hexham)

Closeup in Swing (Philips BBL 7519)

Erroll Garner (piano); Eddie Calhoun (bass); Kelly Martin (drums). July/August 1961.

On my recent visit to Hexham, as mentioned in previous posts, I returned home with enough vinyl to cover my living room floor although naturally If I was going to use it for that purpose I'd have bought some of Jim Reeves' records rather than these two albums by Erroll Garner.

Although that plodding four beat left hand of his can be irritating at times his right hand flights of fancy invariably make up for it. I recall being 'wowed' by Garner at Newcastle City Hall back in the 1960s then seeing Jacques Loussier the following night at the same venue and not even taking an eight count "know wot I mean 'arry?"

That night (the Garner concert) to me was up there with his classic Concert by the Sea recording.

Preview: The 2025 Classic Jazz Party (31 Oct-2 Nov)

Seven months from now this year's Classic Jazz Party will be underway at the Village Hotel on North Tyneside. Musicians fly in from all over the world, the audience arrives from all four corners of the globe and it all happens but a stone's throw from the small village of West Allotment (as the crow flies a couple of miles from Whitley Bay). Amazingly, already more than 70% of the tickets have been snapped up.        

Mike Durham's International Classic Jazz Party, to give the annual gathering its full title, runs for three full days from Friday 31 October to Sunday 2 November. For the aficionado and casual jazz fan alike, the festival programme embraces anything and everything from the dawning of the ragtime era through to the dangerously modern Duke Ellington of the 1930s. 

Album review: Janette Mason - ReWired (JM/ECN Music)

Janette Mason (piano); Tom Mason (bass); Eric Ford (drums) + Paul Booth (tenor sax on tks 3 & 5); Roderick Lewis Frazier, Brendan Reilly, Natalie Williams (vocals on tk 3) 

An established pianist, composer and arranger across several genres, Janette Mason adapts those skills to interpret a variety of pop, jazz and songbook standards into  a very personal context.

Gary Numan's Cars varies in tempo starting with a jumpy, repetitive rifflike motif before going into a reflective mood then building back up to the original theme. Mason the Bass is heard to good advantage.

Sam Lightwing Quartet @ the Moor Club, Heaton Moor, Stockport - March 30

© Jeff Pritchard

Sam Lightwing  (alto/tenor sax); Max Rosen (keyboards); Peter Hartley (bass); Callum Montgomery (drums).

The joys of travel when you can't drive never cease! I went to Handforth Station to catch the 5:44pm train to Stockport which was actually on time. The problem was that instead of the normal three carriages they had added some more but I still had to squeeze myself on board into very little space. The overcrowding was due to some earlier broken down trains according to an announcement. Anyway, I  eventually arrived at the Moor Club after a pizza at the nearby Crown pub, ready to listen to Sam Lightwing and  his  quartet - a group of fine musicians.

 

First prize for Gabriele Heller at UK International Audio Drama Festival, Canterbury with UTOPIA More and more

Gabriele 3rd from left of pic.

UTOPIA More and more won 1. Prize (Full Length Drama) at the UK International Audio Drama Festival, Canterbury 2025 out of 64 shortlisted submissions from 32 countries.

UTOPIA More and More listen here

Full Length Drama Awards include:

Sunday night @ the Globe: Jamil Sheriff Trio with Nadim Teimoori - March 30

© Ken Drew

Jamil Sheriff (piano); Sam Quintana (bass); Dave Walsh (drums); Nadim Teimoori (tenor sax)

The quartet had played Hexham in the afternoon then hotfooted it down the A69 to the Globe for an evening session.   

Dave Sayer has already reviewed the band's Hexham gig (see previous post) and, as  the evening's setlist was identical to that  played earlier and, as I am in total accord with Dave's pertinent observations, it leaves me with little to add.

There are however, other observations to make regarding this session one being the damage to the first floor and the confirmation of the structural repair needed meaning that events scheduled for the upper room such as Wednesday's  weekly Take it to the Bridge sessions are cancelled until further notice. This was said to have been caused by a party of punks pogo-dancing somewhat over enthusiastically.

Jamil Sheriff Trio with Nadim Teimoori @ Queens Hall Library, Hexham - March 30

Nadim Teimoori (tenor sax); Jamil Sheriff (piano); Sam Quintana (bass); Dave Walsh (drums)

I first encountered Jamil Sheriff sometime last century as part of a Pat McCarthy Octet at Scarborough Jazz Festival, all of whom came back later in the festival as part of a Jamil Sheriff Octet. I had the good fortune to win his debut album in a raffle that weekend and have followed him ever since through expansion (big band album Icthyology) and contraction (the trio album Places Like This) and even a concept album (Rafe’s Dilemma). He has turned into regular visitor to this area playing Hexham this afternoon, the Globe tonight and back on Wednesday in Corbridge accompanying singer Lauren Bush.

So what of today? The drummer arrived late from Venice and was being refreshed and re-fortified courtesy of the local branch of that fine chef, Gregory. Jamil had to borrow a keyboard, (the drums were borrowed too). The gig took place in a library, (my first) so if the attention wandered you could pick the latest Richard Osman off the shelf. (Spoiler alert: the rabbit did it, in the shrubbery, with a carrot).

Tonight (March 30) @ The Globe - Jamil Sheriff Trio with Nadim Teimoori

(Press): Performing brand new music from his upcoming album, Jamil brings together this exquisite group of musicians featuring long time collaborators Dave Walsh (drums), Nadim Teimoori (saxophone) and Sam Quintana (double bass).

For this new project Jamil has written a collection of music that stands out amongst his impressive back catalogue, drawing from African and Latin American influences as well as pieces that feel more connected to classical composers such as John Ireland. Expect to pulled in by his immersive writing and as always, space and freedom for this group of world-class soloists.

"Entirely Delightful – the model of a great band playing great tunes with flair and evident enjoyment." Jazzwise, 2024.

TICKETS YouTube.  

Earth, Wind & Fire - Got to Get You Into My Life (Audio)

I first heard this Lennon and McCartney song by a sixties' pop band, Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers. I quite liked the way they used tenor sax.

That was back in 1966 and, over the years I forgot about it although I knew it was on the Beatles' album Revolver, bypassing a couple of cover versions along the way until this 1978 version just recently began getting airplay on JazzFM.

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

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

Playlist 30/03/25 (repeated Tuesday 01/04/24)

Request: Louis Armstrong.

Mother's Day: Clarence Williams & His Orchestra, Duke Ellington, Earl Hines, Gregory Porter, Etta James.

Memories: Sarah Vaughan/Clifford Brown, Ben Webster/Johnny Hodges, Pee Wee Russell, Paul Whiteman, Norah Jones.

Requests: Charlie Haden, Kenny Dorham.

What’s on: Jamil Sheriff Trio, Tenement Jazz Band.

Seasonal: Ramsey Lewis, Erroll Garner, Cleo Laine, Melissa Aldana Quartet.

Aycliffe Radio is now available on DAB in County Durham & the Darlington Area.

Howay The Lads!

© Kaveh Emami

Watching the football celebrations on tv was quite emotional as an estimated 300,000* Newcastle United fans applauded the Carabao Cup winning team as they made their way via a couple of open topped buses from St Jame's Park to the Town Moor.

It was the sort of occasion more associated with state funerals than with winning a football trophy. However, as it had been a while I think it was justified.

Paradoxically, the last similar show of feeling in Newcastle, admittedly on a considerably lesser scale (there were at least several 100,000 fewer) was the funeral of the late Keith Crombie who ran the original Jazz Café on Pink Lane.

Giles Strong Quartet @ The Gala, Durham - March 28

© Malcolm Sinclair

Giles Strong (guitar); Pete Tanton (trumpet, flugelhorn); Ian Paterson (double bass); John Bradford (drums)

The Gala's monthly Friday lunchtime jazz concerts continue to attract capacity audiences and this afternoon's concert wasn't about to buck the trend. The Giles Strong Quartet is one of the region's banker bets. Four experienced musicians, restraint and sensitivity at the heart of their musicianship, the audience hanging on every note, for want of a better term, this was 'chamber jazz' at its finest. 

Billy's Blues, composed by bandleader Giles Strong, set the tone. These guys don't do 'flash', far from it, Strong's measured and informative introductions engaging the audience from the off. Coco in Paris (something to do with a cat) purred, John Lewis' Django paid homage to Django, Lewis and the MJQ and Two Add Two was an elegant contrafact of a classic number. If your maths is up to speed you'll know the tune. 

Album review: Leon Anderson - live at snug harbor (Outside in Music)

Leon Anderson (drums); John Michael Bradford (trumpet); Ricardo Pascal (tenor sax); Oscar Rossignoli (piano); Rodney Jordan (bass)

Snug Harbor may be a jazz club/bistro on Frenchman St. in New Orleans but dismiss any preconceived notions that this album is in anyway related to the distant past. These five guys' idea of the past would be akin to what the Jazz Messengers might have sounded like had the band been formed tomorrow.

Bradford and Pascal are as wild as a Force 9 building up to a Force 11. The heat is on, it's the hardest of hard bop and then some. Bradford hits notes even dogs would struggle to hear. Pascal must be an octopus - no mere two-handed saxophonist could play as many notes as he does.

Johnny Hodges and the Ellington Men - The Big Sound (Columbia Clef Series 33cx 10136)

(Tks 1-4): Willie Cook, Ray Nance, Clark Terry, Cat Anderson; Harold Baker (trumpets); Quentin Jackson, John Sanders, Britt Woodman (trombones); Johnny Hodges, Russell Procope, Paul Gonsalves, Jimmy Hamilton, Harry Carney (reeds); Billy Strayhorn (piano); Jimmy Woode (bass); Sam Woodyard (drums). Sept. 1957.

(Tks 5-8): As above: Cook, Anderson & Baker out. June 1957.

(Tks 9-12): Baker returns. Sept. 1957.

Another classic album from Tuesday's Hexham jaunt - Johnny Hodges leading the Ellington band with Duke's alter ego Strayhorn on piano. Even without Ellington as composer, arranger, pianist or leader such is the influence the great man had on his musicians that he could have been there in any one or, indeed, all of those roles and I wouldn't have known the difference!

Hodges is at his silken toned best, as smooth as ever - he could turn a simple scale into a thing of beauty. I first heard the Ellington band live around about the time of this recording at Newcastle's Odeon Cinema and I marvelled at the sound that filled every corner of the theatre. This was the first American big band I'd ever heard and, overnight. the bands of Heath, Parnell, Dankworth and the other Brits were put into perspective.

This Sunday (March 30) @ Moor Club, Stockport

This week’s Stockport Jazz gig at the Moor Club features the return visit of a quartet of recent graduates from the Royal Northern College of Music/University of Manchester led by tenor saxophonist Sam Lightwing with Max Rosen (piano), Peter Hartley (bass) and Callum Montgomery (drums).

Sunday March 30

8-10pm, doors open at 7.30pm

£5 entry on the door, all welcome

The Moor Club, 35 Heaton Moor Road, Stockport SK4 4PB 

Paul

Sultan swings into In Tune (Friday 28)

Tomorrow (Friday) the Sultan Stevenson Trio will be live in the BBC Radio 3 In Tune studio. The following week (Friday 4 April), pianist Stevenson's new album El Roi will be performed in full at the Purcell Room on London's Southbank Centre. Tune in tomorrow at five o'clock for a sneak preview. Russell         

Hannabiell & Midnight Blue @ Newcastle University - March 27

Hannabiell Sanders (trombone, percussion);  Yilis Suriel, Juan Manuel Loaiza (percussion); King David Ike-Elechi (drums); Luke Gaul (guitar); Stan Woodward (bass guitar); Tom Dixon (tenor sax); Max O'Hara (keyboard)

Was this or was this not the gig of the year? To my ears it will take something extra special to top it. What am I saying? This was extra special!

With King David on kit, Yilis, Juan and Hannabiell herself on percussion (in between trombone blasts) this was the most spellbinding, pulsating and exciting rhythm section imaginable.

Throw King David's partner in Knats, Stan, on bass, Luke on guitar, Max on keys and Tom on tenor, into the mix and the earth moved, the roof was lifted and the walls almost came tumbling down.

It was loud, sure it was loud but, unlike last Sunday at the other end of town, it didn't split my head open - quite the opposite. My brain, my feet, my hands and my pulse rate were all effected and I wouldn't have had it any other way.

Album (double) review: Freddie Hubbard - On Fire, Live from the Blue Morocco, (Resonance Records)

Freddie Hubbard (trumpet); Bennie Maupin (tenor sax); Kenny Barron (piano); Herbie Lewis (bass); Freddie Waits (drums)

No, this previously unreleased 1967 live session wasn't discovered in a Hexham charity shop but was unearthed by Zev Feldman whose track record is second to non when it comes  to finding those hidden gems.

Like the recent Kenny Dorham album Blue Bossa, also recorded at the Blue Morocco in 1967, On Fire also features a hard-blowing post bop quintet led by one of the greatest ever modern jazz trumpet players. The title is apt as all five are on fire with Hubbard setting his stall out early on. At this point I don't think even Dizzy could have topped him.

Retro rummaging in Hexham

It was one of those sunny spring days that I thought I'd never see the like of again so, just in case it was a one off event, I took a bus from Newcastle to Hexham enjoying the beautiful views, the rolling hills and meadows to the right and left bringing back many memories of days spent cycling on those very same roads.

I'd almost forgotten how delightful a market town Hexham is even though today wasn't an actual market day.

Album review: Michelle Nicolle & Larry Koonse - The Silent Wish (Purple Lead Music)

Michelle Nicolle (vocals); Larry Koonse (guitar)

The vocal-guitar duo has a long history in jazz with vocalists such as Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass, Rosemary Clooney and Ed Bickert (9 times), Sheila Jordan and Barry Galbraith, Samara Joy and Pasquale Grasso, and other examples. And, it is not every day that an Australian singer flies to Los Angeles to record an album with one specific musician. Well-known vocalist-composer, Michelle Nicolle did just that to record this uniquely fascinating duo album with one of LA’s finest guitarists, Larry Koonse. The album is comprised of 10 selections with eight well-known re-works, a Nicolle original, and a cover of a New Zealand pop group’s hit.

Tuba Skinny livestreaming from the Tigermen Den - March 24

Shaye Cohn (cornet, trumpet); Craig Flory (clarinet); Barnabus Jones (trombone); Max Bien-Kahn (guitar, tenor banjo); Greg Sherman (guitar); Todd Burdick (sousaphone); Robin Rapuzzi (washboard)

The livestream. Lockdown inspired many a livestream, some more successful than others. Emmet Cohen and Rossano Sportiello continue to livestream, albeit less frequently than at the height of the pandemic, and Way Down Yonder, Tuba Skinny.  

Busking on the streets of the Crescent City, playing regular gigs and maintaining residencies at venues with evocative names (the Barnett Hotel, Buffa's Bar, Vaughan's Lounge), Tuba Skinny's latest livestream from New Orleans served as a fundraiser for the band's forthcoming cycling tour of northern Europe. Yes, that's right, during June and July the Tuba Skinny guys and gals will be cycling from gig to gig, busking along the way, hoping to pick up extra bookings to help fund their adventures.

Paul Hartley Quartet featuring Jeff Guntren @ the Moor Club, Heaton Moor, Stockport - March 23

© Jeff Pritchard

Paul Hartley  (guitar); Jeff Guntren (tenor sax); Ken Marley (bass); Dave Walsh drums.

As Paul explained in his informative preview on BSH earlier last week, Jeff Guntren was born in the state of Iowa, USA near the town of Davenport which is well known as being the birthplace of jazz legend Bix Beiderbecke. 

Jeff now lives in Bramhall, a town close to Stockport, and a place I spent a lot of time in when I was younger, particularly in the park when we had lots of snow in winter. In summer we'd hang out at the open air swimming pool. The pools (there was also an indoor one) have long gone but the park and hall are still there.

I digress - back to the gig.    

Sunday night @ the Globe: The Great Deceivers – March 23

© Ken Drew

Tom Atkinson (guitar, vocals); Josh Bentham (alto sax, tenor sax); Stu Dawson (bass, vocals); Jeff Armstrong (drums)

Time for a re-appraisal and resurgence of music from 50 years ago?  Tom Atkinson certainly thinks so, as did an enthusiastic crowd at the Globe in the “Sunday night jazz slot”.  Atkinson’s latest one-off project is a carefully and convincingly crafted tribute to King Crimson and their music of 1969-1974, with the stage name of Great Deceivers taken from the first track of Crimson's 1974 album, Starless and Bible Black. Atkinson has form in renaissance of this era with previous jazz-rock projects aired in his NE home including the music of Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker’s Air Force, Miles Davis’ Jack Johnson, Billy Cobham and Pharoah Sanders.

Album review: Georgia Mancio & Alan Broadbent - A Story Left Untold (Roomspin Records)

Georgia Mancio (vocals, lyrics); Alan Broadbent (piano, composer); Andrew Cleyndert (bass); Dave Ohm (drums) + FAME'S Skopje Studio Orchestra (title track only.)

The third album by lyricist/vocalist Mancio and pianist/composer Broadbent  confirms what I've known from the first hearing of their debut album Songbook (2017) via Quiet is the Star (2020) to A Story Left Untold (2025) - that I was in the presence of greatness.

Then and Now. Beautiful and sad. Lyrics you and I, probably everyone, can relate to served up on rich harmonies.

BSH interviews Alan & Olive Rudd

Olive and Alan Rudd have been iconic figures on the north east jazz scene for probably longer than they will care to admit! BSH spoke to them both about the highs and lows (if any) of their careers.

BSH: Olive, where did it all begin? When did you realise that you could sing?

Olive: I realised whilst at school that I could sing, and that I enjoyed singing. So I joined the school choir, and sang regularly with them. I can remember singing at Newcastle City Hall with my school choir, possibly in a competition with other schools. 

BSH: Alan, you have a rich musical heritage. Your father, Norman Rudd, was for many years considered to be one of the top swing/mainstream pianists around. Did he inspire you to take up the bass or did you try other instruments first?

Exiled superstars make JRR (Sunday 23)

Two of the region's London-exiled superstars will feature on this afternoon's edition of Jazz Record Requests. Who? Ah, that would be telling! Join Alyn Shipton at four o'clock on BBC Radio 3 to find out who they are! Russell