Press release: BBC Proms in the North East returns in 2026 with its biggest regional programme yet, spanning Gateshead, Sunderland and Middlesbrough

BBC Proms in the North East returns from 23-25 July 2026, marking its fifth year in the region and its biggest programme to date.

• For the first time, the weekend spans three cities, with events across Gateshead, Sunderland and Middlesbrough, reflecting a growing North East‑wide music region.
• Royal Northern Sinfonia sits at the heart of the festival, leading bold cross‑genre Proms performances alongside classical, contemporary, indie, folk, jazz and choral music.
• Programme highlights include North East artists including Northumberland folk pioneers The Unthanks, and South Tyneside-born Nadine Shah, in her BBC Proms debut, alongside Royal Northern Sinfonia, a Sunderland Proms premiere by Mendelssohn, Morton Feldman’s Crippled Symmetry and a large‑scale choral gathering featuring the BBC Singers.
• Accessible ticketing, emerging artist showcases and national BBC Radio 3 broadcasts continue the Proms’ commitment to reaching new audiences locally and sharing the region’s music‑making nationally. 

Album review: Isabella Isherwood - The Sweetest Sounds (Sabrina Records)

Isabella Isherwood (piano, vocals); Mike Allemana (guitar); Joe Policastro (bass); Alejandro Salazar (drums)

Yet another new jazz singer rolls off the conveyor belt. This may be Isherwood's debut as a recording artist but, as a live performer, she is held in high respect in her native Chicago where she has been featured with that city's symphony orchestra and at the local jazz festival as well as touring extensively in Europe. Not bad for a 23 year old.

The Sweetest Sounds sees Isherwood take a choice mix of standards, vintage pops, show tunes and a well known jazz classic and, if not making them her own, borrows them with interest that is compounded with repeated listening. This isn't totally surprising as the session was produced by Champian Fulton and readers of BSH will know the high regard I have for that singer.

Mozes Rosenberg Trio @ The London Gypsy Jazz Festival, Toulouse Lautrec, London - Apr. 16

Mozes Rosenberg (guitar); Filippo Dall'Asta (guitar); Andy Crowdy (double bass) 

A first visit to Toulouse Lautrec Jazz Club. From Kennington underground, little more than five minutes' walk and there it was, an unprepossessing corner site, back in the day, likely as not a south London boozer. The reason for the excursion? The London Gypsy Jazz Festival, specifically the Mozes Rosenberg Trio!

A ground floor restaurant offering French cuisine, a first floor piano bar and, on the top floor,  Toulouse Lautrec's well-appointed jazz club. All of the cabaret style tables occupied, the lights dimmed, the evening's MC introduced the great Mozes Rosenberg. Joined by Italian guitarist Filippo Dall'Asta and the UK's string bassist Andy Crowdy, Rosenberg would play for seventy five minutes. 

Riketté Genesis @ Cafe Boheme, Soho, London - Apr. 16

Riketté Genesis (vocals); George Webster (piano)

When in London it's always worth looking in on Cafe Boheme. The Old Compton Street venue presents an afternoon gig every day of the week. Nominally free admission, it costs no more than the price of a beer or a coffee. In Soho, that's a bargain! 

This Thursday afternoon we were listening to the first of two sets by vocalist Riketté Genesis and pianist George Webster. I Can't Give You Anything but Love, Baby for openers: bold, bright, engaging, our duo playing for themselves, the listening few and a dancing couple.

Album review: David Bowden - Unsung Songs (self released)

David Bowden (solo double bass)

I must confess that 26 minutes of solo double bass playing can be a daunting prospect even when the perp. is the award-winning Glasgow based bassist David Bowden.

A musician and composer, Bowden is a former Young Scottish Jazz Musician of the Year, a crucial member of Fergus McCreadie's internationally acclaimed, Mercury Prize-nominated trio as well as being a much sought after bassist in the Scottish jazz and folk scene. 

Jazz at the Lit and Phil: Russ Morgan Quartet - April 17

© Pam

Russ Morgan (drums); Harry Keeble (tenor saxophone); Mark Williams (guitar); Andy Champion (double bass) + Zoë Gilby (guest vocalist).

If it’s the third Friday in the month, it’s Jazz at the Lit and Phil’s lunchtime concert. These concerts are sold out well in advance and almost 100 people took their seats this Friday afternoon. Quite often the musicians have travelled far and wide to get to Newcastle but today all the musicians have either studied, worked or are resident here, so they were playing to a home crowd. (Russ Morgan lived and worked in Newcastle for several years before relocating  to the Kingdom of Fife a couple of years ago from where he travelled today) Regular audience members will have seen each of them in various other combinations at these concerts over the years and in this guise as recently as March when they played the Black Bull, Blaydon.

The Jazz Cavern Latest

Below is updated information on my weekly radio show - THE JAZZ CAVERN.  My next show will be broadcast starting Monday, April 20. It will be largely new releases from Hannah Horton, Gary Topper, Malcolm MacFarlane, Eleanor Kelly and the band Five Way Split. There will also be earlier recordings from John Taylor/Stan Sulzmann and the NDR Big Band as well as the Dutch Jazz Orchestra playing rare pieces by Billy Strayhorn. There will also be a brief tribute to the late Mike Westbrook who sadly died on April 20 at the age of 90. He will be sorely missed for all that he contributed to British Jazz. 

Happy listening! Frank Griffith

www.purejazzradio.com.

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

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

Playlist 19/04/26 (repeated Tuesday 21/04/26)

Seasonal: Harry James.

Requests from Joe Steels' Bishop Auckland gig: Wynton Kelly/Wes Montgomery, Branford Marsalis, Daniel John Martin, Oscar Peterson, Charlie Byrd.

Michael Bede Dunlop introduces his new album

Requests: Tommy Dorsey, Ella Fitzgerald and the Inkspots.

New Releases: Jed Levy/Phil Robson, Javon Jackson, Madeleine Peyroux.

Tony Eales’ Best of British Big Bands: Skelton Skinner Allstars Big Band.

Request: Kurt Elling with the WDR Big Band.

Seasonal: Billie Holiday.

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

Late Night Chicago Radio w. Denny Farrell (April 16 - April 22)

Gerry Mulligan: Five Brothers.

Chet Baker: All the Things You Are.

Bud Shank: Shank's Pranks.

Ella Fitzgerald: The Man That Got Away.

Concord All Stars: Alone Together.

Jonah Jones: Tin Roof Blues.

Sarah Vaughan: Street of Dreams.

Don Elliott: Imagination.

Larry Branchetti: For Once in my life.

Stan Getz: Girl From Ipanema.

Beegie Adair: Stairway to the Stars.

LISTEN 24/7

Norman Redhead funeral details announced

The funeral of Norman Redhead who passed away on April 9 will take place on Friday May 8 12.30.

May he REST IN PEACE

Jazz FM Awards 2026

Winner's Names are in Bold Type

Breakthrough Act of the Year 

Donovan Haffner; Earth-o-Naut; Poppy Daniels 

International Jazz Act of the Year 

Linda May Han Oh; Nate Smith; Samara Joy 

Blues Act of the Year 

Alice Armstrong; Gary Clark Jr.; Mavis Staples 

Soul Act of the Year 

Omar; RAYE; Young Gun Silver Fox 

Press Release: Public nominations are now open for the 2026 Parliamentary Jazz Awards

Public nominations  are now open for the 2026 Parliamentary Jazz Awards. Entries are open to anyone. Public nominations open on Friday 17th April with the final deadline set for midnight on Friday 15th May 2026. The Parliamentary Awards celebrate and recognise the vibrancy, diversity, talent and breadth of the jazz scene throughout the United Kingdom.

"These awards are a great opportunity to celebrate the talents and energies of the great musicians, educators, promoters, record labels, jazz organisations, blogs, jazz magazines and journalists who keep jazz flourishing, in spite of the challenges they faced in the last couple of years”. Lord Mann and Dame Chi Onwurah MP, Co-chairs of APPJG and Jo White MP.

The Awards will take place at World Heart Beat on Tuesday 13th October 2026 at 7pm

Album review: Eddie Gripper - Americana (ECN Music)

Eddie Gripper (piano); Clem Saynor (double bass); Patrick Barrett-Donlon (drums)

Inspired by a six week trip hitchhiking from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Los Angeles the result isn't what you'd expect from the album's title. No hoedown music here, no sirree, just gentle, dreamy reflections on a once beautiful land.

What it may lack in earthy, grandiose, bravura punch is more than compensated for by the rich pastel shades Gripper and his cohorts paint. Capturing the multi-textured background to his journey to perfection. This is the America that was once the Land of Dreams - once...

Single Review - Fogging Up the Windows – Keith Fiala (Wayfarer Records)

Keith Fiala (trumpet and programming.)

Trumpeter Keith Fiala has not-so-quietly been solidifying his place as one of the more creative composers and highly talented trumpeters in the music world. Coming off the charting success of his last Wayfarer release - the moodily beautiful Dream of Me - the Texan has been touring the world as a key member of Arturo Sandoval’s ensemble where he’s a featured soloist and part of the killer horn line.

Fogging Up the Windows continues Fiala’s fine work. What’s most interesting and inviting about his efforts is the fact that, unlike some formulaic presentations of “Smooth Jazz,” (a description this writer finds nebulous and incongruent), Fiala’s compositions and arrangements defy that “norm” structurally and from an improvisational standpoint. He’s much more of a jazzer than some others on the scene. That’s no disrespect, but simply a listener’s observation.

Nick Mondello interviews Steve Lipman of Independent Music Schools

Another pertinent interview by Nick Mondello on the subject of finding the best music school for your child in the USA.

What are the options? Where to look? Who to guide you?

HERE IS A GOOD PLACE TO START. Lance

Stockport Jazz

This Sunday Stockport Jazz welcomes the Mike Hall Quartet to the Moor Club, featuring Mike on tenor sax alongside pianist Dan Whieldon with Gavin Barras (bass) and Eryl Roberts (drums). 

Sunday 19th April 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)

Press release: US Guitar Star Julian Lage To Perform Biggest UK Show To Date At 2700-Capacity Royal Festival Hall

Internationally acclaimed guitarist Julian Lage will perform his biggest UK headline show to date at the Royal Festival Hall on May 15, 2026, bringing his new quartet to London following the release of his latest Blue Note album Scenes From Above.

Released earlier this year, Scenes From Above is Lage’s fifth album for Blue Note Records and the second produced by the celebrated Joe Henry. The album introduces a new ensemble featuring keyboardist John Medeski, bassist Jorge Roeder and drummer Kenny Wollesen.

Where 2024’s GRAMMY-nominated Speak to Me presented Lage as an improvising bandleader guiding a large ensemble through an expansive set of compositions, Scenes From Above reflects a different creative approach. Here, Lage positions himself as part of a deeply collaborative group dynamic, exploring new music written specifically for the quartet.

Famous Newcastle music store JG Windows to be transformed into huge restaurant - Chronicle Live

Interesting - read more HERE.

Richard Wetherall Quartet @ the Moor Club, Stockport - April 12

© Jeff Pritchard

Richard Wetherall  (keyboards, vocals); Rick Halliwell (alto/soprano sax); Tim Williams (bass); Eryl Roberts (drums)

As expected there was a good turnout for this show and for a change I decided to take a seat in the middle of the room instead of at the front.

This proved a good move as for a four-piece unit they generated quite a powerful sound.  

Wetherall can do no wrong in my opinion but tonight he had some surprises in store such as singing on a couple of standards and doing a great job of announcing the tunes etc. in a very amusing manner.  

Sunday night @ the Globe: SH#RP Collective - April 12

© Richard Davies

Nigel Robson (trombone); Karen Rann (soprano sax); Mark Squires (piano); Dave Parker (double bass); Michael Howard (drums)

Sunday night at The Globe and tonight’s offering was a group of five musicians at least some of whom who could claim the Globe as their spiritual home. They either volunteer their time there or they are members of the various Globe music programmes like the regular Wednesday session Take it to the Bridge.

Having seen earlier versions of the band I was expecting an entertaining evening of GASbook standards. But there was not an Autumn Leaves or a Summertime in sight. Instead the band set their stall out from the first tune, an original penned by pianist Mark Squires called R and B.  Other originals from the pen of Mr.Squires featured throughout, reflective pieces like What I Think About When I Think About Walking or Pandemonic written during Covid with a Latin groove that allowed sax and trombone to trade off each other to great effect.  

Paul Skerritt Big Band @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead - Apr. 11

Paul Skerritt (vocals); Stuart McLean-Fowler (MD); Paul Skerritt (vocals); Dan Johnson, Kim Skerritt, Sue Ferris, Josh Bentham, Niall Armstrong (reeds); Sam Armstrong, Benny Coxon, Dave Hignett, Michael Lamb (trumpets); Kieran Parnaby, Alex Utting, Laura Davison; Chris Gray (trombones); Jeremy McMurray (keyboards); Pawel Jedrzejewski (guitar); Jamie Watkins (double bass); Dave McKeague (drums) + Ruth Stapleton (vocals)

The Glasshouse. Hall Two. The first two tiers sold out. The Paul Skerritt Big Band, with the Main Man waiting in the wings, opened with Big Swing Face. The casual punter could be forgiven for thinking they were in for an evening of straight ahead big band jazz. Enter the Main Man...

Mr Paul Skerritt likes to have a good time and he all but insists you should have a good time too. From the off, the wisecracks came thick and fast. Skerritt is your ideal 'Rat Pack' entertainer. Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin and Curtis Stigers were but three names Skerritt happily namechecked. Witty repartee ensued, whether between the Main Man and his audience or the Main Man and his band. Sitting/hiding in the trombone section, Kieran Parnaby was frequently on the end of Skerritt's barbs. Mind you, Parnaby gave as good as he got!

 

Jake Leg Jug Band @ Saltburn Community Hall - Apr. 10

Duncan Wilcox (double bass, vocals); Warren James (banjo, guitar, vocals); Cohen Wilcox (washboard); Phil Shotton (bass sax, tenor sax, soprano sax, clarinet); Andy Henderson (cornet, flugelhorn)

On a breezy, blue sky day, Saltburn Community Hall looked a picture. Walking into the timber-framed hall, the pre-gig hard work had been done - tables and chairs set out, candles being lit, the audience soon to arrive. The Jake Leg Jug Band is a popular outfit in Saltburn-by-the-Sea...  

Joe Steels: Celebrating Wes Montgomery @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church - Apr. 10

Joe Steels (guitar); Dean Stockdale (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); Abbie Finn (drums)

Full House. An apt opening number here at Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. Wes Montgomery the subject, Joe Steels the interpreter of the late, great American's music, Bishop Auckland Jazz is certainly pulling in the crowds. 

On a sunny day up on Cockton Hill Road, locals, and the not so local, turned out to hear guitarist Steels, pianist Dean Stockdale, bassist and gig promoter Mick Shoulder, and drummer Abbie Finn play a one hour 'Wes Montgomery' set.

Press statement: Mike Westbrook OBE (March 12, 1936 - April 11, 2026)

It is with very great sadness that I announce the death of jazz composer, pianist and band leader Mike Westbrook who died peacefully at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital yesterday 11th April.

He is survived by his wife, musical collaborator and muse Kate Westbrook and by his son Guy, daughter Joanna and his step children Josie, Clio and Jason Barnard.

Steve White Trio + Matt Deighton @ The Cluny, Newcastle - April 10

Steve White (drums); Chris Hague (bass, guitar, vocals); Joel White (keyboards, vocals)

I’ve never had to park so far away when visiting the Cluny in the past. This, it turned out, was not because of the pulling power of Mr White’s Trio but because Ouseburn is on the up with more pubs and bars than I’ve seen before. Inside the Cluny the background music is impassioned northern soul and the funk of Mr James Brown. The quality of the music did not, however, inspire the audience to dancing.

Nine of the clock sees the band on stage and rolling into the driving r’n’b of album opener Camera Obscura and its steady piano pulse. It’s tight and urban with occasional diversions into something more pastoral; Steve W solid at the back with frequent wilder flurries. From there, they are straight into an organ driven blues march. It’s pure ‘60s but could do with a guitar to slash and burn over the top. The swirling organ keeps the energy and momentum up. Steve’s pummelling solo keeps the rhythm driving and explodes around it, ending with a wave of cymbals. Then it’s into some driving urban funk with the organ leading from the front, swirling and swinging like musical aeronautics; lots of snap and pop like the soundtrack to a 60 year old spy caper.

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

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

Playlist 12/04/26 (repeated Tuesday 14/04/26)

Seasonal: Chris Barber, Bud Powell.

New Release: Michael Bede Dunlop (Bede Quartet).

Requests from the Bede Quartet: Steve Lehman, Joel Ross, Paul Motian.

Memories: Monty Sunshine.

Request: Sammy Davis Jr.

More Memories: Carmen McRae, Johnny Dodds, Herbie Hancock.

Tony Eales' Best of British Big Bands: Phil Collins Big Band

What’s on in the NE: The Ben Crosland Quintet.

Request: Camilla George.

Seasonal: Ella & Louis.

Request: Chick Corea.

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

Album review: Noa Levy & Paul Edis Trio - Portrait in Evans (Dot Time Records)

Giving Voice to the Unspoken

Noah Levy (voice); Paul Edis (piano); Adam King (bass); Joel Barford (drums); Alan Barnes (reeds)

There’s a moment, when you sit with this record, where the question shifts.

It’s not a question of whether or not you can put lyrics to Bill Evans, this has been done over the years with varying degrees of success. It’s about how brave you are, to attempt to paint a lyrical picture upon music whose meaning has always been subjective.

Because Evans’ music has always lived in that rare space where meaning isn’t stated, it’s suggested. You don’t arrive at it. You circle it. You sit inside it. And over time, it reveals something back to you — something personal, something that feels like yours alone.

That’s what makes it feel untouchable.

Album review: Esther Bennett – The Early Years (self released) - Take 2

There’s something deeply satisfying about hearing where it all began for Esther. The Early Years isn’t just a retrospective—it’s a window into the London jazz scene at a time when you had to earn every note, every gig, every ounce of credibility. These recordings, made between 1999 and 2001, capture Bennett before the polish, before the recognition, but crucially not before the identity. That was already there.

What lifts this collection beyond a simple set of demos is the world it evokes. Bennett paints a wonderfully vivid picture of that late ‘90s, early 2000s London circuit—Soho at its heart, with nights spent moving between places like Café Bohème, The Spice of Life and the 606. You can almost feel the rhythm of it: singers’ nights, borrowed amps, late sets, chance meetings that turn into gigs the very next day. It’s not nostalgia for the sake of it—it’s context, and it frames the music beautifully.

 

R.I.P. Norman Redhead (- April 9, 2026)

I'm saddened to report that Norman Redhead passed away peacefully last night.

Norman, a retired drummer and lifelong supporter of jazz, was for many years a well-known figure on the north east scene being a regular at the various Take it to the Bridge sessions: initially at 'the Chilli' and later at the Globe.

Until mobility problems curtailed his activities Norman was a frequent attendee at the Lit & Phil concerts as well as the weekly Friday afternoon sessions by Classic Swing at Cullercoats Crescent Club.

I first met Norman at the Side Cafe where we discovered we had similar musical tastes. Our paths crossed frequently at most of the above venues and he was always good to chat with.

A gentleman in every sense of the word, he will be sadly missed. Our thoughts are with his family.

Rest In Peace.

Lance

Jazz on Talking Pictures

Talking Pictures is the TV Channel to watch if, like me, you have a penchant for old British black and white movies. Whilst few, if any, may have picked up an Oscar they do, on occasion, throw up a surprise or two.

Such was the case this morning with Nowhere to go, a 1958 Ealing/MGM film described by David Meeker as an 'Above average thriller' which was about right. However, the icing on the cake was the soundtrack by Dizzy Reece and performed by his quartet - Dizzy Reece (trumpet); Tubby Hayes (tenor/baritone sax); Lloyd Thompson (bass); Phil Seaman (drums).

Press release: Record Store Day 2026

Elemental Music and acclaimed archival producer Zev Feldman announce four stunning never-before-released albums out on vinyl April 18, 2026 for Record Store Day.

• Michel Petrucciani – Kuumbwa

2-LP set capturing a fiery 1987 performance at Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz, California. The first Petrucciani release among the label’s many jazz treasures, the recording features the legendary pianist with bassist Dave Holland and drummer Eliot Zigmund. The thoughtfully annotated set includes reflections by pianist’s son Alexandre Petrucciani, drummer Eliot Zigmund, Italian pianist Enrico Pieranunzi, journalist Thierry Pérémarti, and Kuumbwa Co-Founder Tim Jackson.

Album review: Esther Bennett - The Early Years (self-released)

Esther Bennett (vocal all tks); Ramsay McInnes (guitar tks 1-7, 11); John China (piano tks 8-10); Jim Watson (piano tk 11); Mick Hutton (bass tk 11); Mark Fletcher (drums tk 11).

Back in my early blogging days whenever I was in London Wednesday evenings at the Spice of Life were always high on my agenda. Wednesdays at the Spice, curated by Paul Pace, was devoted to jazz singers and the audience were serenaded by aspiring vocalists from both near and afar. Needless to say the variety varied but I can't recall hearing anyone who was less than good. Certainly not Esther Bennett who never failed to impress.

This appropriately named album dates back even earlier (1999-2001) and is made up of demo tracks recorded with two of the finest musicians resident in London at the time.

Stockport Jazz

This Sunday Stockport Jazz welcomes the Richard Wetherall Quartet to the Moor Club, featuring Richard on piano alongside saxophonist Rick Halliwell with Tim Williams (bass) and Eryl Roberts (drums).

Sunday 12th April 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)

Nick Mondello interviews Barry Danielian

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW-exrnOaa4

Above is a link to an interview between Nick Mondello, BSH's NYC correspondent and trumpet player, with fellow trumpet player and Traditional Oriental Medicine Practitioner Barry Danielian.

It's a fascinating and intriguing interview and should give musicians of all instruments and ages plenty to think about. Lance

Album Review: Steve White Trio – Soul Drums (The Jazz Sessions, volume 1) (Acid Jazz)

Steve White (drums, percussion); Chris Hague (bass, guitars, piano, Rhodes, additional keys); Joel White (Hammond organ, piano, Rhodes, additional keys); Steve Beighton (sax/horns, flute) + Harry Hayward (guitar on Running)

The first thing you have to know about this album is that you have to play it loud. At a normal volume it burbles along quite nicely but without making a real impact. It could almost be dinner jazz; something chilled to have with your canapes. Nothing to scare the horses.

Crank it up, however, and everything separates out into a multi-headed, swinging, groove machine. It’s a driving, urban soundtrack that wears its influences loudly and proudly. The roots of this music lie in the first mod generation who appreciated, not just rock and roll, but looked to soul and the soulful end of jazz and blues from the likes of Georgie Fame and Brian Auger’s Trinity. These vibes are updated through (obviously) , Squeeze, Oasis and The Who as well as forming a few other groups along the way. This album seems to be the one that has generated most interest of his recent work with an interview on JazzFM and a tour that brings the Trio to The Cluny in Newcastle on Friday April 10.

Sunday night @ the Globe: JazzMain - Apr. 5

Nick Gould (tenor sax); Steve Grossart (piano); Iain Harkness (5-string electric bass); Kevin Dorian (drums)

It's become an annual thing. JazzMain think nothing of driving down from Edinburgh (and from further afield) to play a gig on Railway Street, then head straight home afterwards. The Globe's hip audience welcomed Nick (tenor sax), Steve (piano), Iain (bass) and Kevin (drums). Anticipating some Blue Note classics and more, that's pretty much what we got, with one or two surprises...

Mark Williams & Tom Remon @ Central Bar, Gateshead - April 5.

Mark Williams (guitar); Tom Remon (guitar)

A guitar duo in the upstairs room at Central Bar. It's the ideal venue for an up-close gig such as this, featuring Mark Williams and Tom Remon. Fresh from their gig in Liverpool the previous evening, this afternoon's set list was typically that of guitarists. 

Milt Jackson's SKJ opened the programme. Contrasting styles, Gateshead's Williams, the creator of the perfectly formed solo, Londoner Remon, the thoughtful, rhythmic foil. From Richard Rodgers to Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson and more, both guitarists remarked that their selections are favoured by many guitarists.

Late Night Chicago Radio w. Denny Farrell (April 2 - April 8)

Charlie Haden: Spring is Here.

Erroll Garner: Sweet Lorraine.

Buddy DeFranco: Tenderly.

Patti Dunham: Flamingo.

Jess Stacy: After You've Gone.

Coleman Hawkins: Sophisticated Lady.

Oscar Peterson/Singers Unlimited: Here's That Rainy Day.

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 05/04/26 (repeated Tuesday 07/04/26)

Easter: Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Benny Goodman, Carla Motis w. Sant Andreu Jazz Band, Mahalia Jackson, Sammy Rimington, Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton, Modern Jazz Quartet.

Requests: Duke Ellington featuring Cootie Williams, Oscar Peterson.

Memories: Bobby Shew/Louie Bellson, Glenn Miller/Barney Bigard.

Request: Jo Stafford.

What’s on in the NE: Wes Montgomery.

Best of British Big Bands: Ted Heath.

Easter: Ella Fitzgerald, John Coltrane.

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

Preview: JazzMain! Newcastle Jazz Co-op HQ! Easter Sunday!

© Debra Milne

If it's a Sunday, there'll be jazz on Railway Street. Easter Sunday? Yep, it's business as usual. The Globe once again welcomes JazzMain. The Blue Note-inspired quartet will be making the trip from Edinburgh to play some Blue Note classics, perhaps a Latin number or two, a ballad or two, whatever takes the fancy of Nick Gould and co. 

If the likes of Benny Golson, Dexter Gordon, Horace Silver and Sonny Rollins do it for you, then JazzMain - Nick Gould (tenor sax); Steve Grossart (piano), Iain Harkess (5-string electric bass) and Kevin Dorian (drums) - is the band for you on Easter Day (April 5). Russell 

Album review: Champian Fulton - House Party (Turtle Bay Records)

Champian Fulton (piano, vocals); Hide Tanaka (bass); Fukushi Tainaka (drums) + Klas Lindquist (alto sax); Cory Weeds (tenor sax)

Following on from her previous album, At Home, Fulton gives another display of her awesome vocal and piano technique creating a true party atmosphere. Opening up with The One I Love Belongs to Somebody Else and I Cried for You and supported by the similarly named Tanaka and Tainaka on bass and drums respectively this is a trio that honours past legends whilst keeping the format in today's frame.

Album review: Jesse Davis Quartet - Reflections - (Cellar Music Group)

Jesse Davis (alto sax); Spike Wilner (piano);  John Webber (bass); Lewis Nash (drums)

Davis sets his stall out on Blue Autumn and it reveals  an alto saxist to rank alongside the greats on his chosen instrument - both past and present. Long flowing lines that dance gracefully in and around the changes with a tone to die for and aided and abetted on this nine minute journey by three of NYC's finest.

The title track, Reflections, is a melodic masterpiece. Davis may be from New Orleans where he was mentored  by Ellis Marsalis but on this one he wails like a Kansas City night owl. Wilner, Webber and Nash are also wailing and reflecting too.

Stockport Jazz

This Sunday Stockport Jazz welcomes the return of the Paul Smith Quartet, this time featuring Darren Lloyd (trumpet) with Paul Smith (drums), Derrick Harris (guitar) and Jose Canha (double bass). 

Sunday 5th April 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)

Album review: Kevin Figes – Wallpaper Music III (Pig Records)

Kevin Figes (woodwinds, voice, compositions, lyrics); Brigitte Beraha (voice); Jim Blomfield (piano, Fender Rhodes, Hammond, Prophet); Ashley John Long (electric/double bass); Mark Whitlam (drums, percussion)

Rummaging through the racks here at Sayer Towers unearths Circular Motion, an early album by Kevin Figes. In fact, it was only the second album on the esteemed Edition label and I bought it during the period when Edition releases were a trickle rather than a flood and I bought it without knowing anything about Figes because the Edition label was itself a guarantee of quality. It is very good.

Eighteen years on, I see that Blomfield is still at his side, though Riaan Vosloo and Tim Giles from earlier albums have gone onto other things. Whitlam and Long are, however, both long time confreres and Beraha has been providing her vocals for the previous two Wallpaper Music albums.