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| © Ken Drew |
Willy Rodriguez (drums); Leo Genovese (piano, Hammond organ);
Ingrid Laubrock (tenor saxophone); Allan Harris (spoken word)
This is an album of three heavyweights providing all the punches. For Rodriguez it’s a deeply passionate project dealing with grief following the death of his mother and, in recruiting Genovese and Laubrock he has partners fully able to supply all the emotional heft and fury needed to fully illustrate his emotions. The Rodriguez role in this, as well as delivering a solid performance on drums that provides the foundation for all that is built above, is to marshal Genovese and Laubrock, at times providing a framework for their playing and at others allowing them freedom to build whatever they feel the music needs. As you might imagine, this is not easy listening. Instead it is intense, demanding and outstanding as a statement of desperation and loss.
Mazurka in
Jazz is the long-awaited new album by Newcastle's House
of the Black Gardenia. The band thought an album launch gig a good idea and
many, many folk agreed. At four o'clock on Sunday afternoon Pilgrim (formerly
Hoochie Coochie) opened its doors and within minutes the place was packed to
the rafters.
It isn't compulsory to dance at a House of the Black Gardenia gig but judging by the bodies on the dance floor it seemed like it! Your correspondent, perched on a high stool at a table, cast an eye across the room - beers and cocktails, cocktails and beers, dancers and more dancers. The scene was set.
The first question is
what time of day do you want to play this? Late evening when lights are low or
early Sunday morning as the sun burns off the mist? It’s perfect for both times
and many others. First hearing suggest that this is supper jazz but you
wouldn’t want to dine, you’d want to listen, and insist that everyone else used
wooden cutlery and ate off paper plates.
Part of this album’s strengths lies in the song selection. None are originals but all play with moods, tragic, mainly but mixed in with some hope and, even, low levels of celebration, all to illustrate the many ages of man. This range from despair is captured in Don’t let Me Be Misunderstood with plaintiff vocals giving way to a string wrapped piano solo, the lushness offset by the interpolation of Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells/Exorcist theme. Stop This Train deals with the eternal stay/escape dichotomy with Sassoon’s light tenor working its way through all the options. The next song is Mose Allison’s City Home with its longing for home decorated by some lovely organ playing by, the near ubiquitous, Ross Stanley.
There
is an immediacy to the room: low-lit, tightly framed, with the audience almost
folded into the performance itself. It is a listening room in the truest sense,
not a space for grandstanding but one for nuance, breath, and emotional detail.
That is precisely why it worked so profoundly well for Harrop.
From the opening moments, accompanied by Jamie McCredie on guitar and Sam Watts at the piano, the tone was set. This would be a performance of restraint, of space, and of deep musical trust. Harrop has never been a singer who forces a room into submission. Quite the opposite — she draws you in. Her voice, soft-grained and emotionally transparent, sits just above a whisper, yet carries a quiet authority that demands attention without ever asking for it.
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.
Natalie Williams (vocals); Daniel Pearce (vocals, percussion); Robin Mullarkey (bass); Ben Jones (guitar); Martyn Kaine (drums); Phil Peskett (keys); Mark Brown (sax); Ben Edwards (trumpet)
There’s something quietly familiar in the way many of us arrive at jazz — not as a first language, but as something discovered over time. It rarely begins here. More often, it starts elsewhere — in pop, in rock, in soul — before something shifts. The edges soften, the space between notes begins to matter, and gradually, almost without noticing, the music asks more of you… and gives more in return.
It’s a journey that feels particularly
aligned with the writing of Sting. His songs have always carried that
elasticity — harmonically rich, rhythmically fluid — but often framed just
outside the jazz world. Place them in a setting like this, however, and
something clicks into place. They don’t feel reworked; they feel understood —
almost as if they’ve been waiting for this context all along. As Natalie
Williams herself remarked, this music might be considered a guilty pleasure —
though there’s nothing guilty about loving Sting.
Keep up to date with BSH and feel free to submit your articles, reviews and blog posts. Lance
The insomnia was definitely all Herb Alpert’s fault. It was a cacophonous mashup of Spanish Flea and Whipped Cream ear-worming endlessly in my brain as I tried in vain to sleep last night. That’s because earlier, I had attended the aforementioned legend’s live concert at Long Island’s Tilles Center. The production, entitled Herb Alpert’s Tijuana Brass and Other Delights was a two-hour retrospective of Alpert’s greatest hits delivered masterfully by Alpert and a terrific group of younger musicians, all the while synching perfectly with a multimedia madcap recap of everything Alpert - Herb horning, his artwork, him kibbitzing and dancing with everybody - from Armstrong to Bacharach, Carpenter to Mendes, the Muppets and even Zorba’s Anthony Quinn.
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| © Patti |
Another Friday at the Lit and Phil and another full house sold out weeks ago. If you want a ticket for these monthly Friday concerts, you have to be quick off the mark. Today the offering was the well known and well respected Gerry Richardson leading a quartet with a mixture of soul, funk, jazz and blues.
Sunday 29th March 2026
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)
Sir George Shearing OBE was the first British jazz musician to move to the United States and achieve international recognition with a unique piano style and hits such as ‘Lullaby of Birdland’, ‘September in the Rain’ and ‘East of the Sun’. His quintet had an instantly recognisable sound which will be recreated on Sunday with Andrzej Baranek, one of the UK’s top jazz pianists, with vibes/guitar provided by Dave Luckhurst and Paul Hartley. Completing the lineup will be Pete Wilmott and Paul Turner, both current members of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.
Sunday 22nd March 2026
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 huge singles ‘Dream On Dreamer’ and ‘Midnight At The Oasis’ are familiar to anyone who has ever turned on a radio, and there were plenty more hits, ‘Back To Love’, ‘Spend Some Time’, ‘Sometimes’, ‘You Are The Universe’, ‘You’ve Got A Friend’, to name but a few. With the band not only enjoying massive success – selling over 2.5 million albums – The Brand New Heavies were also pioneers, essentially creating the fusion of jazz, funk and hip-hop that fuelled their chart and airplay domination, and became known as Acid Jazz.
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| © Ken Drew |
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| © Ken Drew |
Hamasyan first came to real prominence in 2015 (he had been recording for 9 years before then) with the release of his Mockroot album which combined western jazz with the music of his Armenian homeland. Over these influences was laid a shell of dazzling virtuosity and this current album shows no weakening in his powers. If anything the intervening years have continued to lead people to believe that he must be descended from Anne Boleyn as it is difficult to believe the sheer density of notes can be produced by someone with fewer than six fingers on each hand.
Award-winning double bassist David Bowden releases
a solo bass album, Unsung Songs, on Friday 10th April.
© Nicky Murray
Best known as a crucial member of pianist Fergus
McCreadie’s internationally acclaimed, Mercury Prize-nominated trio,
Glasgow-based Bowden is a former Young Scottish Jazz Musician of the Year and
an in-demand bass player on the Scottish jazz and folk scenes.
Having successfully led the seven-piece world jazz ensemble Mezcla, Bowden found himself seeking a new creative challenge in the summer of 2023. He began developing repertoire for solo double bass - music that would place the instrument centre stage. Following a first solo gig at Glasgow Jazz Festival in 2024, the music on Unsung Songs was developed through a series of further solo performances at jazz festivals across Scotland and refined in studio sessions.
The
evening begins with a dedication.
Shaw
dedicates the performance to the late Haydn Gwynne, the much-loved stage
actress whose ability to inhabit a lyric with dramatic clarity made her a
natural interpreter of theatre music — and whose spirit feels entirely at home
in a night devoted to the songs of Stephen Sondheim.
Then
Shaw launches straight into the opening number.
“Everybody
says don’t,
Everybody says can’t,
Everybody says wait around for miracles —
That’s the way the world is made.”
From the opening bars you know you are in for something special.
It was the second Friday
of March; time for the monthly lunchtime gig at Jesmond Library, organised by
John Rowland. And there was a very good
turnout to hear an enjoyable hour of modern jazz, performed by the SH#RP
Collective.
For this gig, the band – who often operate as a quartet – were joined by Nigel Robson on trombone. Even with this extended line-up, the strong interplay between the musicians was clear from the start. Among the highlights were the fresh and engaging tunes written by pianist Mark Squires, who explained that he had drawn on topics such as long walks and the pandemic for his compositions. There was also the opportunity to hear some songs that are rarely performed nowadays. I particularly enjoyed the band’s rousing interpretation of El Niño, originally featured on Michael Brecker’s album Two Blocks from the Edge. Saxophonist Karen Rann also acknowledged Matt Anderson, who had passed on his arrangement of Bill Frisell’s Strange Meeting. Hats off to the band for keeping these excellent tunes alive!
Rachel Sutton launched Realms with the kind of show that felt less like a conventional album plug and more like an invitation into her interior world. Warm, witty, theatrical and disarmingly personal, the evening unfolded as a living extension of the record itself: a set of songs joined not by rigid genre but by memory, longing, humour, resilience and imagination. Sutton did not simply perform the material; she inhabited it.
.https://www.ayclifferadio.co.
Playlist 15/03/26 (repeated Tuesday 17/03/26)
Mother’s Day: Clarence Williams & His Orchestra, Duke Ellington, Gregory Porter, Etta James, Earl Hines.
Requests: Count Basie Orchestra, Bix Beiderbecke, Benny Goodman.
Memories: Quincy Jones, Harry James, Nat King Cole, Ruby Braff.
Request: Herbie Hancock.
St. Patrick: Louis Stewart, Louis Stewart/Noel Kelehan.
Request: Matt Catingub Big Band.
What’s on in the NE: Keith Jarrett (film), Mark Toomey, Freetime Old Dixie Jassband.
Aycliffe Radio is now available on DAB in County Durham & the Darlington area or via your smart speaker.
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| © Lance |
(Marion appeared several times in the north east. The graphic shows her in concert at Caedmon Hall, Gateshead in October 1981. She also performed at the (then) University Theatre with Barney Kessel and Herb Ellis. I believe Andy Hudson was her manager at one time. A great singer. Lance.)
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| Photo courtesy of The Glasshouse |
The above byline says
it all and the press release below confirms it, It really is going to be a
rather special night. The Edis Trio and Alan Barnes are all much loved players
in London and beyond, not least in the north east but Noa Levy will be a new
voice to many and I'm pretty sure her unique interpretations of the music of
Bill Evans will make for a memorable evening. Lance
The start of 2026 has seen our learning team run
incredible workshops all over the country including sessions at Band on the
Wall in Manchester, our Welsh Valleys and Leicestershire schools
project, and a series of workshops with B:Music’s Beginner and
Intermediate Jazz Ensembles for 11–19 year-olds. Led by NYJO Emerging
Professional musicians, these courses often culminate in recorded sessions and
ensemble performances like the upcoming support sets for our Cobalt Studios gig with
Theon Cross this Friday 20 March.
Thanks to Maurice Summerfield for reminding me of this exciting event. Follow the above link for more info.
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| © Russell |
Outside it was cold, wet and windy - the perfect blues scenario. However, inside the Mill Tavern it was warm, with bowls of Bombay Mix on the tables and, later, a free buffet of pizza and chips. On the screens that adorned the walls there was European football with the sound turned down whilst on stage were the Ray Stubbs R&B All-Stars with the sound turned up.
Perfect unless you were a Nottingham Forest fan.
The inaugural Durham Jazz Festival will take place from Friday, October 23 to Sunday, October 25, transforming venues across the city with a vibrant programme featuring top-flight artists from the world of jazz.
From intimate club-style performances to headline concerts, the three-day festival will celebrate the music and performance of national and northern jazz artists, bringing together established names and the next generation of talent.
The event has been founded by Alan Patrickson, John Lyons and Richard Turner, who believe Durham’s unique setting – with its historic venues and thriving cultural scene – makes it the perfect home for a landmark event.
Sunday 15th March 2026
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)
LINEUP
Friday 26 June
CLARK TRACEY
Clark Tracey Quartet: Suites of Stan!
Multi award winning drummer Clark
Tracey pays tribute to some of the many quartet suites penned by his legendary
father, Stan Tracey CBE.
Saturday 27 June
OUTRI
OUTRI is a solo bass endeavour by established North-East bass player and ‘musical magpie’ (NARC mag) Ian ‘dodge’ Paterson. This project takes inspiration from a love of jazz, folk, electronica, found-sound and cinematic landscapes combining organic shifting loops underpinned with beautiful harmonies and glitchy electronica.
