Joe Webb's 7-A-Side @ De Beauvoir Jazz Festival, London - July 11

Joe Webb (piano); Pete Horsfall (trumpet); Alec Harper (tenor sax); Donovan Haffner (alto sax); Joe Evans (trombone); Will Sach (double bass); Sam Jesson (drums) + Jack Murray (alto sax)

Joe Webb is a football fan, big time. It isn't unknown for our superstar pianist to make a trip to the Nou Camp to watch a match, as one does. In the days leading up to this evening's De Beauvoir Jazz Festival concert, Webb was in something of a quandary. How could he take to the stage at 9:00pm, play through to eleven and watch England's World Cup Quarter Final against Norway, scheduled to kick-off at ten o'clock?

Rather than play two sets, as advertised, Webb would play one set, finishing at ten on the dot, then run around the corner to watch the match in the pub. It seemed like a plan..

Giacomo Smith-Adrian Cox: Clarinet Summit @ De Beauvoir Jazz Festival, London - July 11

Giacomo Smith (clarinet); Adrian Cox (clarinet); Honey Boulton (guitar); Alex Gilson (double bass)

A long weekend in London. 30 degrees and more. The second De Beauvoir Jazz Festival (a first time visit for BSH), based in De Beauvoir Town, a district a little to the north of King's Cross, bounded by the Regent Canal and neighbouring Dalston/Hackney. 

On a seriously hot early Saturday evening, St Peter's Church offered refuge from a 'Mad dogs and Englishmen' burning sun. Globetrotting Adrian Cox breezed in with his trio (Honey Boulton, guitar, Alex Gilson, double bass), joining fellow clarinet star Giacomo Smith, our 'Clarinet Summit' duo intent on blowing up a storm. 

Album review: Ben Crosland - North York Skies (Jazz Cat Records)

Ben Crosland (bass); Steve Waterman (trumpet); Steve Lodder (piano); Chris Allard (guitar); Nic France (drums)

Ben Crosland paints pictures with his music and his passion for the things he loves shines through in every note he writes and plays. This, unashamedly (and not for the first time), is a love affair with Yorkshire; more specifically the North York Moors.

It’s a special place . . . breathtaking landscapes of beauty and tranquillity and expanses of unpolluted skies as broad as the sweeping heather moorland. The music here sweeps over you and listening to it, a feeling of calm and contentment can transport you to your own favourite place.

Those who know Ben’s music - A Dales Day, An Open Place (inspired by the Yorkshire Sculpture Park), Solway Stories (okay, we’re in Scotland here) and Wooltown Reflections (released to acclaim earlier this year) will know what to expect. Ben writes from the heart and you won’t be disappointed.

R.I.P. Plas Johnson (1931 - July 15, 2026)

Plas Johnson, the big soulful sounding, hard bop tenor saxist passed away on July 15 at the age of 94. Although best known as the tenor soloist on Mancini's Pink Panther Theme he was also widely heard across other genres.

My personal discovery goes back to a 1955 Capitol album Session at Midnight. An all-star affair that included Harry Edison, Benny Carter, Willie Smith and other Hollywood A-Listers.

On Moten Swing, Johnson's tenor burst from the ensemble firing on all cylinders and I was sold - he did the same throughout most of the album. The way he hit Stompin' at the Savoy with a Ben Webster-like entrance that wrapped the track up, validated the quote from the sleeve: " ...young in years (twenty-four) but not in concept and technique. Plas is one of the country's most promising tenor men."

He lived up to that promise.

Rest In Peace

Lance

Album review: Fergus McCreadie Trio - The Shieling – Companion Pieces (Edition Records)

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

When I first heard The Shieling, it quickly became one of my favourite albums of 2025. Fergus McCreadie's ability to paint the Hebridean landscape in music borders on genius. Every composition seemed to capture the stillness, beauty and ever-changing character of those islands with a clarity that few musicians can achieve without a single word being spoken. When I later heard there might be a companion release drawn from the same remarkable recording sessions, it instantly became one of my most anticipated releases of 2026. The thought of returning to that musical landscape was simply too tempting to ignore.

FIFTEEN AND COUNTING! Zoë Gilby Quartet @ St.Cuthbert’s, Crook - July 17.

© Chris Whittle

Zoë Gilby (vocals); Andy Champion (bass); Mark Williams (guitar); John Bradford (drums).

BSH readers will know that, by and large, they know more about jazz than me so the following heretical utterance will not come as a surprise. I’d never heard of Tom Harrell! That is until I heard the Zoë Gilby quartet playing live not long after they recorded their Harrell based Aurora album. Even then I’d never heard him play so I was all ears when Zoë commented that his melodies “were just so…….melodic” when she was introducing Shadowed in Solitude (Harrell’s Moon Alley) at Crook on Friday. So, first thing on Saturday, I sampled some of Harrell’s playing on YouTube, starting with Sail Away (renamed A Momentary Place of Peace on the Aurora album), and I can hear what she meant! So, thanks Zoë and Andy, I shall listen to more of the same: another shaft of light penetrates my general ignorance (belatedly, but better so than never)!

Album review: Lisa Rich - I Sill Rise (Tritone Records)

Lisa Rich (vocals); Marc Copland (piano); Drew Gress (bass) + Dave Ballou (trumpet tks 7-10)

I reviewed Lisa Rich's 1983 album, Listen Here, last year and I was impressed. I'm impressed with this, her latest, too.

No Moon at All opens up this delightful album. Just voice and bass, not an easy combination but when it works, and it works here, the end product is worth it for both performers and listeners alike. 

Bill Evans' Two Lonely People brings a similar empathy between voice and piano with the bass gently adding a third line - or it may be Copland's left hand. It's a sad song but a beautiful one with Rich capturing the sad sentiments.

Late Night Chicago Radio with Denny Farrell (July 16 - July 22)

André Previn: I Only Have Eyes For You.

Edward Hart: Just For You.

Ella Fitzgerald: In my Solitude.

George Brown: I Thought About You.

Herb Jeffries: Penthouse Serenade.

Dave McKenna: It All Depends on You.

Andy Brown: You're my Everything. (Dedicated to BSH).

Oscar Peterson: The More I See You.

Tony Bennett: Fly me to the Moon.

Kenny Burrell: Saturday Night Blues.

Beegie Adair: Deep in a Dream.

LISTEN 24/7.

Nick Mondello Interview with Trumpet great, Keith Fiala

 

Greg Abate @ the Lescar, Sheffield - July 16

Greg Abate (alto sax, flute); Andrew Wood (drums); Mathew Ratcliffe (keyboards); Martyn Spencer (double bass)

After my previous trip to see Greg at the Lescar I was doubtful about attending yesterday's gig but as it turned out I'm very glad I did.

In spite of Greg having to condense his music down to a single set instead of the usual two. He was outstanding as always. He seemed very happy with his backing trio and reading the info on the Lescar's flyer, I learn that they play frequently at the Nottingham jazz spot Peggy's Skylight. I must pay this place a visit soon as it sounds a great venue. 

Jazz @ the Lit & Phil:Mejedi Owusu with the Francis Tulip Trio - July 17

© Sylvia

Mejedi Owusu (trumpet); Francis Tulip (guitar); Tommy Fuller (bass); Noah Stone (drums)

There are moments in jazz folklore that, over the years, have become etched in stone. The north east has its fair share: Members of the Basie band turning up for an after concert jam at Billy Botto's club in Byker. The amazing Polish band at the New Orleans Club on Forth Banks. Harry Connick Jr. sitting in at the old Jazz Café. They all provided examples of what Whitney Balliett described as "the sound of surprise".

© Pam

Never was that description more apt than at the Lit and Phil this afternoon.

This afternoon, Suffolk born, Juilliard (NYC) undergraduate, twenty year old trumpet ace Owusu, blew up the storm to end all storms. Closing my eyes I was hearing Fats Navarro, Clifford Brown, Lee Morgan and then some!

Opening with Kenny Dorham's inappropriately named Short Story, Owusu's blistering solo lasted just under ten minutes - Wow! I knew this was going to be good but, come on, I didn't think it could  (in my wildest dreams) be this good. Pinch me in case I am dreaming.

Vieux Carré Jazzmen + guests @ the Millstone, South Gosforth - July 16

© Russell

Brian Bennett (banjo); Jim McBriarty (tenor sax, clarinet, vocals); David Gray (trombone, trumpet, vocals); Colin Aitchison (trumpet, trombone, vocals); Chris Perrin (keys) + Neville Sarony (vocals, keys); Ben Helm (guitar); Jenna Stewart (vocals)

A 6 oz medium cooked rump steak, with chips, onion rings, peas and peppercorn sauce went down well. The steak, exactly as I like it, was succulent and hadn't long stopped sizzling. The chips were neither skinny nor chunky but comfortably in between and easily digestible whilst the onion rings had a piquancy about them that hit the spot. I found the peas not as warm as I like them but that could have been because I left them till last causing them to cool off, However, overall, I can only say "Mes félicitations au chef".

© Russell

Félicitations too to the augmented Vieux Carré who, aided and assisted by their guests, blew away those World Cup blues.

Vocals abounded: Colin Aitchison sang Sweet Lorraine and Sunday: Jim McBriarty gave out with Avalon and Honky Tonk Town: David Gray crooned I'll be Seeing You and Exactly Like You whilst the up and coming Jenna Stewart (make a note of that name) made an impression with Love me or Leave me.

Single Review: Gio Washington-Wright and Nakyshia Lazarre - Meet Me in Venice. (Jive Patrol Music

Unknown (muse vocal & instrumental accompaniment); Gio Washington Wright: (comp., arr., producer); Nakyshia Lazarre: (lyricist)

“When I seek another word for ‘music,’ I never find any other word than ‘Venice.’” 

That quote is from none other than German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. Long recognized as one of the world’s most romantic cities, Venice has been celebrated in many movies, music, art and other media. It gets yet another accolade in Meet Me in Venice, a marvelously infectious single from the combined pens of musical siblings, Gio Washington-Wright and Nakyshia Lazarre.

Hot Club du Nord on Radio 4 - Today 1.45pm

 

Stockport Jazz Update!

Last night's football result means that Sunday's session at the Moor Club, Stockport, will go ahead as usual without distraction.

This week Stockport Jazz welcomes Swing 26! featuring past and current members of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra Julian Gregory (violin) and Matthew Compton (accordion) together with Paul Hartley (guitar) and Ken Marley (double bass).

Sunday 19th July 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) 

Denny Farrell

Regular visitors to BSH will be familiar with Denny Farrell's Late Night Chicago Radio show which is listed and linked on BSH. His laid back, laconic introduction to the 'platters' he plays are as cool and refreshing as a Chet Baker vocal on a summer's night. Below is an excerpt from his entry in the Big Band Hall of Fame of which Denny is a member. Makes for interesting reading.  Lance

(Hall of Fame): Denny Farrell is a veteran Chicago broadcaster whose career has been devoted to preserving and celebrating the music of the Big Band, swing, Dixieland, and classic jazz eras. He is best known as the longtime host of The Original Big Band Showcase and Late Night Chicago Radio, programs that have been syndicated on stations in the United States and internationally. He is also a member of the Big Band Hall of Fame and has received the National Ballroom & Entertainment Association Award for his radio work. 

EP review: Judy Whitmore - This is Home (self)

Judy Whitmore (vocals) + Chris Walden Orchestra.

This is Home celebrates America's 250th birthday (July 4, 1776 - ?) featuring Judy Whitmore on six patriotic songs appropriate to the age they were composed. Less so in the current American environment.

Judy Whitmore is an excellent singer and I love the two previous albums of hers that I have had the pleasure of hearing: Isn't it Romantic (2022) Let's Fall in Love (2025). This album however, is a different kettle of fish - Elvis' American Trilogy springs to mind.

Pure Blues & JazzTastic

A lost Chick Corea track is always worth finding.

Album review: Lolivone de la Rosa - Jewels (self-released)

Lolivone de la Rosa (electric guitar, Fx tks 10,11); Ingrid Jensen (trumpet); Ned Goold (tenor sax); Luis Perdomo (piano); John Benitez (basses); Jeff "Tain" Watts (drums) + David Sulieman (tenor sax tks 1,5); Rogério Boccato (perc.tks 1, 9); Joel E. Mateo (perc. tks 5,13)

Let's begin with Lolivone de la Rosa: This album represents a myriad of dreams made tangible. Two worlds come together: the folklore I grew up with in Puerto Rico and carry within me and the swing I fell in love with in New York.

Musically, that pretty much sums Jewels up. The mix of Latin melodies, mainly composed or arranged by de la Rosa, and the swing to bop feel of Bird's Segment gel so smoothly it's almost as if an additional sub-genre has been added to the jazz lexicon. Goold's double tempo tenor solo over the balladic Beautiful Friendship and Jensen's trumpet explorations of a distant galaxy on the same tune do nothing to dispel that thought.

Late Night Chicago Radio with Denny Farrell (July 9 - 16)

Nancy Wilson/George Shearing: All Night Long.

Harry James: You'll Never Know.

Oscar Peterson: Old Town Blues.

? : Wind Beneath my Wings.

Charlie Byrd: Swing 39.

Billie Holiday: Lover Come Back to me.

Stan Kenton: What's New?.

Kenny Barron: Twilight Song.

Paul Desmond/Jim Hall: All Through the Night.

Erroll Garner: Misty.

LISTEN 24/7

Katie Melua Finds Beauty in Restraint at Union Chapel - July 7

Katie Melua (vocals, guitar); Billy Adamson (guitar, Musical Director); Pete Lee (keyboards); Huw Foster (bass); Pete Adam Hill (drums)

On one of the hottest evenings of the summer, Katie Melua transformed Union Chapel into a place of quiet reflection, reminding us that songs don’t simply survive the passing of time – they continue to grow alongside the people who sing them.

By the time I reached Union Chapel, London was still holding on to the heat of one of those glorious July days that seem reluctant to end. Long after the sun had begun its slow descent, the pavements continued to radiate warmth, and the air hung heavily over Islington. The climb up Compton Terrace felt slower than usual, not simply because of the temperature, but because there was an unmistakable sense of anticipation among those making the same journey. People weren’t simply arriving for a concert. They were arriving to spend an evening with an artist whose songs have quietly accompanied many of them through the last two decades of their lives. 

Pure Blues from Roy Woodcock

It's all happening down on the Humber Delta!

Single review: Jo Harrop - Smoke Inside a Jar - Feat: Lady Blackbird (Lateralise Records)

Jo Harrop, Lady Blackbird (vocals); Deron Johnson (piano, Mellotron); Jonathon Flaugher (bass); Denny Weston Jr. (drums, perc.)

The first single from the forthcoming album Love Now Pay Later

Smoke Inside a Jar perfectly captures the confidence of Harrop’s new direction. Rich, cinematic and deeply soulful, it possesses a timeless quality that feels completely authentic rather than nostalgic.

Greg Abate Quartet @ the Moor Club, Stockport - July 12

© Jeff Pritchard

Greg Abate (alto sax, flute); Paul Hartley (guitar); Ken Marley (bass); Johnny Hunter (drums).

Another night of musical fireworks from the energetic Mr Abate. I arrived at the Moor Club at 7pm an hour before the start time and was  surprised to see Greg already in position and blowing a few tasty licks on his alto sax.The night before, he had been playing at the Swanage Jazz Festival so tonight would be gig no 6 in an extensive UK tour. 

Although many of the tunes featured tonight are familiar ones they are given the Abate treatment which means no rehearsal and changes to tempo etc. will occur at the drop of a hat.  The rhythm section have to be on their toes that's for sure! Greg's flute was utilised on the only Abate original, a 6/8 tune,  On The Road  and also  Corcovado. Both these tunes  sounded good to me and I was wondering if the heatwave had caused the audience turnout to be less than usual.

Jazz on the Tyne Welcomes Back Jo Harrop & Jamie McCredie

In the latest edition of the podcast, presenter Colin Muirhead welcomes back to the show vocalist Jo Harrop and guitarist Jamie McCredie, six years after the release of their album Weathering the Storm.  Jo and Jamie talk about their current touring, which includes gigs at the Globe in Newcastle in July and at the Durham Jazz Festival in October, as well as their plans for new music and their individual projects.  Together with music by Jo and Jamie, you’ll hear tracks by corto.alto, PRIME, Sergio Mendes, Ornette Coleman, and Pat Metheny.

You can listen to the show anytime HERE.

Plus, you can request music for future programmes, pass on news or leave feedback by emailing Colin at jazz.tyne.hive@gmail.com or by heading to www.jazzonthetyne.org.

Sunday Night@ The Globe: The Bridge Quartet - July 12

© Sylvia

James Girling (guitar); Dave Edge (tenor sax); Andreas Svabø (bass); Emil Norman (drums)

Sonny Rollins' sabbatical years wood-shedding on the Williamsburg Bridge have long been an integral part of modern jazz folklore and needs no further background info from me 

However, with the passing of the great man on May 25 this year every jazz jock has played tracks and paid tribute to him whilst bands and strollin' players have also done their bit.!

One such ensemble is the Bridge Quartet who last night at the Globe laid waste to any other band ploughing the same furrow. Two Brits and two Scandinavians, all four now based in Oslo, kicked off with Without a Song which is also the opening track on the album. From the moment the first cascade of notes erupted like a meteor storm from the bell of Edge's tenor  myself, and the considerably less than capacity audience, sensed that this was going to be more than just another gig.

Was it not!

Album preview: Ben Crosland - North York Skies (Jazz Cat Records)

Ben Crosland (bass, leader); Steve Waterman (trumpet); Steve Lodder (piano); Chris Allard (guitar); Nic France (drums).

Having won critical acclaim earlier this year for his quartet album Wooltown Reflections - “Like opening a box of jewels”, said Jazz Views -  Yorkshire-based bassist, composer and bandleader Ben Crosland has a new album, featuring a quintet this time, slated for August release.

North York Skies celebrates the beauty, history and folklore of one of Britain’s most treasured landscapes. It’s both a vivid musical journey and a heartfelt tribute to a landscape that has become central to Crosland’s life.

Mouth of the Tyne Festival: the Jazz Stage - July 11

Forget yesterday's post about factor 30 being a must-have item if you were planning to visit this weekend's Saturday afternoon session on the festival's Jazz Stage. Thermals and woolly jumpers would have been my choice had I not trusted in God and the Met Office. Come back Michael Fish, all is forgiven!

Still at least the music was hot and varied and fortunately, at least it was dry - for now...

The Vieux Carré Jazzmen, who of late have been trading as the VC Hot 4, showed up with Colin Aitchison (trumpet); Jim McBriarty (reeds, vocals); Eugene Farrar (trombone); Jamie Watkins (bass guitar); Michael Mather (drums); Brian Bennett (banjo, guitar, leader, vocals)  + Neville Sarony (vocals).

Farrar, depping for the ill-fated David Gray who'd broken his ankle whilst soloing a couple of nights previous, blew some powerhouse  trombone and would appear again later. I didn't catch the complete set but Neville Sarony's take on Ain't Misbehavin' and Bill Bailey came across loud and clear. Jim McBriarty dealt with Avalon and the set finished with a brief chorus or two of Ice Cream.  

Classic Swing @ The Crescent Club - July 10

Jim McBriarty (alto sax, soprano sax, clarinet, vocals); Alan Marshall (tenor sax, clarinet); Jeremy McMurray (keyboards); Alan Rudd (double bass); Ian Stocks (drums); Olive Rudd (vocals)

A perfect summer's day down at the coast. Cullercoats Bay was busy: swimmers, plodgers, those taking five. Over the road, the Crescent Club was doing good business. 

In the bar, the Friday regulars were taking their regular Friday seats. Classic Swing were in town. Well, most of them. Trombonist Neville Hartley was on his hols and every other 'bone man from the Tweed down to the Tees was otherwise engaged. 

Preview: Mouth of the Tyne Festival

© Russell

This weekend sees the annual Mouth of the Tyne Festival held on Tynemouth's Front St. and, in the shadow of the iconic Tynemouth Priory, the Jazz Stage will host bands ancient and Modern. Over the years the festival has been subject to the vagaries of British weather and some years I've been burnt to a frazzle, whilst other years I've emerged like a survivor from SS Titanic. So, as there ain't no roof overhead it's advisable to consult the weather oracle.

After doing just that it looks like the hot weather will prevail and the order of the day will be factor 30, a parasol and a supply of cool drinks for the hydration breaks. This will enable you to enjoy the delights on offer. Lance

Tune in to Eddie Gripper - today (Friday)

This afternoon on In Tune there will be a live studio set by the Eddie Gripper Trio. Currently touring the trio's new album, Americana, pianist Gripper made a big impression when he turned up recently at Newcastle's award-winning Globe. Tune in to In Tune (BBC Radio 3) at five o'clock. Russell  

Nick Mondello interviews Oscar Onoz

 

Mystery trumpet player

Watched a 1957 b & w movie - Pickup Alley. Starring Victor Mature and Anita Ekberg, it was the usual noir crime story of the time with Mature providing the beefcake and Ekberg the cheesecake.

However, what made it interesting for me was the jazzy soundtrack by RICHARD RODNEY BENNETT and a night club scene featuring singer  YANA who took Ekberg the distance in the beauty stakes.

In another scene, in a Roman dive  a jazz combo play some hard-blowing bop with an outstanding trumpet solo. Was it an actor miming? The credits didn't enlighten me and it isn't mentioned in Meeker's Jazz in the Movies. Can anyone help? Lance

Album review: Jaana Narsipur - The Re-Collection (Self)

Jaana Narsipur (vocals, arrangements, producer); Nikki Adams (piano, M.D.); Marco Panascia (bass); Joe Abba (drums, perc.); Wayne Tucker (trumpet tks 1, 4, 9); Sean Nowell (tenor sax tks 1, 9, 10); Alex Jeun (trombone tks 1, 9); Meg Okura (violin tks 5, 6, 8); Hannah Selin (viola tks 5, 6); Laura Masferrer (cello tks 5, 6)

An album that's been hanging around my in tray since April. Such is the nature and volume of music being released by the hour that it becomes very much a lucky dip as to who makes the cut.

Narsipur is from a generation that missed the glory of the GASbook years but found her niche in the music she heard as a child on MTV the fruits of which are found on The Re-Collection. Here the Gershwins and Porters, even the Bacharachs and co. are replaced by: Swing Out Sister; Peter Gabriel; Basia; Simply Red; Julia Fordham; Kate Bush; U2; Annie Lennox & Dave Stewart; Joe Jackson and Sting (he's everywhere man!)

Stockport Jazz

This week Stockport Jazz welcomes legendary alto saxophonist Greg Abate, direct from USA. This the only opportunity to see him perform in the North West as part of his current UK tour. 

Greg Abate (alto saxophone) with Paul Hartley (guitar), Ken Marley (double bass) and Johnny Hunter (drums).

Sunday 12th July 2026

8-10pm, doors open at 7.30pm

Minimum £5 entry on the door, donations welcomed. 

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

Album review: Zoe Rahman - Hull Suite Live (Manushi Records)

Zoe Rahman (piano); Alec Dankworth (double bass); Gene Calderazzo (drums)

Having witnessed Zoe Rahman’s solo performance of Hull Suite for World Piano Day in 2024, commissioned by Hull Jazz Festival, this album has fulfilled a long-held wish that the music would be committed to disc.

Here, the six-part composition is the centrepiece of a live performance at London’s Vortex Jazz Club where she’s joined by Gene Calderazzo on drums and Alec Dankworth double bass. It’s both joyous and thought-provoking; in short, a spellbinding performance.

The suite is based on themes of voyage, migration and family, taking inspiration from two statues in Hull: One which commemorates the 2.2 million people who passed through the port city between 1836 and 1914 on. Their way to a new life in America, and the other which looks out across the Humber to the sea and has a twin sculpture looking back towards it from Iceland, commemorating fishermen, seafarers and trade shared between the two countries.

Album review: Oliver-Smith Incomparables - Stomp Your Stuff (Turtle Bay Records)

Andrew Oliver (piano); Hal Smith (drums); Colin Hancock (cornet); Andy Schumm (clarinet, cornet); T.J. Müller (trombone, cornet, vocal); Jacob Alspach (guitar, banjo); Dan Anderson (string bass, tuba)

Co-led by pianist and Jelly Roll Morton authority Oliver and veteran drummer Smith, alongside their like-minded cohorts they dig deep into the archives of the legendary Melrose Brothers publishing catalogue. I quote from the blurb: the Incomparables have transformed rare 1920s melodies into vibrant, hard swinging modern classics.

Sunday night @ the Globe: Gerry Richardson's Big Idea - July 5

Gerry Richardson (Crumar keyboard, vocals); Dave Hignett (trumpet, flugelhorn); Darren Irwin (trumpet); David Gray (trombone); Garry Linsley (alto sax); Stuart Johnson (tenor, soprano sax); Sue Ferris (baritone sax, flute); Rod Sinclair (guitar); Paul Smith (drums)

Once upon a time a Gerry Richardson gig was a rare happening. Of late, Newcastle Jazz Co-op's Railway Street HQ has become the band's primary rehearsal/performance venue. This evening's concert was the nine-piece outfit's third appearance in something like twelve months.  

Lydia Rae Quintet @ Central Bar, Gateshead - July 5

Lydia Rae (vocals); Sam Lightwing (tenor sax); Ben Lawrence (Fender Rhodes); Andy Champion (double bass); John Bradford (drums)

An unknown quantity (to BSH), Lydia Rae was making her Central Bar debut in the company of a band of A-listers. Pianist Ben Lawrence, bassist Andy Champion and drummer John Bradford were familiar faces: between them they have appeared at countless venues across the region. As an award-winning musician at the Great North Big Band Jazz Festival, tenor saxophonist Sam Lightwing, from west of the Pennines, wasn't entirely unknown. 

Album review: UDEiGWE - Four Lemmas - Toward a Proof of Identity in Music and Mathematics (Self produced)

Lawrence Udeigwe (vocal, piano, keyboards, compositions, lyrics and arrangements); Steph Clement, Wayne Tucker (trumpet, arrangements); Josh Green (drums, arrangements); Rade Bema (bass)

If there is one key thing that is presented and reinforced to the listener in composer/ pianist/vocalist/educator Lawrence Udeigwe’s (pronounced oo-dee-gway) fascinating recent release, Four Lemmas, it is the idea that this original unique eight-segment suite is not “derived” from any formulaic approach, but rather that music and math can have a fundamental influence in “presenting a proof of identity.” By the way, A Lemma, is a mathematical term defined as “a statement which supports a larger concept.”

Press release: GoodGunn Creative, Inc. Announces the Release of “25 Years of Phatness,” An Album Celebrating the Genius of Gordon Goodwin and the Big Phat Band™

July 6, 2026 - Locust Valley, NY –  Vangie Gunn-Goodwin in conjunction with GoodGunn Creative, Inc. has announced the release on July 31 of 25 Years of Phatness. This exciting new album features the Grammy® and Emmy®-winner, Gordon Goodwin and his Big Phat Band, along with vocalist Vangie Gunn-Goodwin performing eleven spectacular Gordon Goodwin compositions and arrangements.

“This recording, the last recorded before Gordon’s tragic passing, is without doubt the most impactful of Gordon’s  and the Phat Band’s celebrated and award-winning career. With 11 tracks, including 8 previously unreleased and a trio updated by Gordon for 2026 is a stone killer,” stated Vangie Gunn-Goodwin. She added: “Gordon works were always not only brilliant and a platform for all of the great Phat Band members, but also a labor of love for him. This album continues to place Gordon in the pantheon as one of our greatest jazz composer/arrangers.”

Preview: Abbie Finn Trio @ Elder Beer, Heaton, Newcastle (July 10)

Jazz North East's July concert promotion at Elder Beer features the Abbie Finn Trio. Drummer Abbie's trio has been a little quiet of late. However, on Wednesday (July 10), Abbie, Harry Keeble (tenor sax) and Paul Grainger (double bass) will be renewing acquaintance at 290 Chillingham Road, Heaton. 

Expect to hear material from across the AF3's albums plus one or two arrangements of modern jazz standards. Elder Beer is a bottle/can micro pub with an intimate outdoor performance space. 

Tickets £12.00 (limited seating). Info from: info.elderbeer.co.uk. Arrive in good time for an eight o'clock start. Russell         

Album review: Tim Kliphuis - Rhapsody in Blue (Lowland Records)

Tim Kliphuis (violin); Nigel Clark (guitar); Roy Percy (bass)

Ian Hodgson wrote in glowing terms about the trio when they played a gig in, of all places, Wooler as part of the album launch tour. Read HERE.

Having read Ian's review and listened to the album I find myself in total agreement with his assessment particularly when it comes to the main work. Rhapsody in Blue has always been a strange composition neither truly classical nor out and out jazz. A similar observation applies to Aaron Copland's Hoedown for the Common Man.

It is to Kliphuis' credit that he makes a silk purse out of these, jazzwise, porcine appendages. As at the concert the CD includes several Gershwin songs (not Summertime!) and they are as near to perfection as is imaginable in this particular genre.

House of the Black Gardenia @ Sunset Festival (for Ukraine), Cramlington - July 4

Elise Rana Hopper (vocals, washboard); Pete Tanton (trumpet); David Gray (trombone); Keith Robinson (tenor sax, alto sax, clarinet); Katja Roberts (violin); Elliott Rush (piano); Michael Littlefield (guitar, vocals); Neil Hopper (string bass); Kit Haigh (drums)

Last weekend, one of the sponsors of this year's Newcastle Jazz Festival was Transmission Dynamics. This weekend the Cramlington based company hosted a music festival on its front lawn. As the sun shone on Sunset Festival (for Ukraine), we tolerated an annoying breeze (more wind than breeze), food vans fed and watered the punters, the stage hosting an array of musicians.