A cracker! Hard bop for today by a team of topnotchers. Lead from the rear by stickman Sanders the groove is in from bar one with gutsy tenor solos from Dillard, vibraphone magic from my favourite vibesman Wolf and the third generation of William Hills on piano as forceful or restrained as the number demands.
Pelt has the chops for his guest appearances. Laid back or shooting high, open or muted, he added an extra dimension to the ensemble.
Sunday 4th October 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)
Their name pays homage to Babatunde Olatunji, the Nigerian-born percussionist and close friend of John Coltrane, who introduced African drumming to jazz audiences in the U.S. and helped shape the rhythmic and spiritual dimensions of 1960’s jazz. For OLA TUNJI, his legacy represents the power of music as a path toward connection, awareness, and transcendence.
Deeply inspired by John and Alice Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, and Albert Ayler, the group embraces improvisation as a political and spiritual act. On stage, their performances often take on a trance-like intensity, carrying musicians and audience alike toward a sense of shared elevation. The music becomes a reminder that it can still be a medium for love, sister and brotherhood, and collective uplift.
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.
Info please. Lance
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| © Jeff Pritchard |
Frank
Griffith (tenor sax); Lee Hallam (trombone); Richard Wetherall (keyboards);
Dave Tomkins (double bass); Mike Hughes (drums)
Although this was only a five-piece band it sounded like a much larger unit due to Frank Griffith’s skilful arrangements.
Making his first appearance at the Moor Club was Lee Hallam who I last saw many years ago playing in trumpeter John Hulme's sextet at the Cheadle Hulme Club. He has a raucous playing style, a bit like Gary Valente or Ray Anderson which fitted well with the jazz-funk vibe of tonight's show. The set list contained material by composers such as Charlie Parker; Mario Bauza; Dexter Gordon; Nat Adderley; Peter Green and Billy Taylor.
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| Photos © John Lyons |
The Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music - NFOJAiM to its many followers, several of whom were present last night - offers a broad church of contemporary jazz as typified by the Alex Hitchcock Quartet. Four super-talented musicians playing a programme of extended original compositions.
Two pieces each from the fertile musical brains of Hitchcock and Heinen that weren't quite straight ahead jazz nor were they totally on the outside but somewhere to the right of centre which isn't a bad place to be.
I didn't catch the titles of Heinen's originals - maybe they weren't given or have yet to be named. However, Heinen's many albums have been reviewed on BSH over the years so I was attuned to his sometimes percussive approach.
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| © Roy Woodcock |
With Chelsea’s 606 Club gearing up for a two-week celebration of its 50th anniversary, Ben Crosland brought his Quintet to London Town for a little reverse devolution. For one night only we were enveloped in the beauty that is the North York Moors - a soundscape as broad as its far-reaching skies.
Crosland, who anchored things superbly throughout, describes the album as “a love letter to the North York Moors” and like the Moors there’s much to be discovered in the music and, in his typically-relaxed style, Crosland also relays some of the stories behind it.
But from first to last note the Quintet’s playing is peerless; gentle and relaxing one minute before soaring to propulsive heights the next.
https://www.ayclifferadio.co.
Playlist 27/09/26 (repeated Tuesday 29/09/26)
Seasonal: Alan Barnes & Dave Newton.
Requests: Sue Ferris, Musicians Unlimited, Al Cohn & Zoot Sims, Stan Kenton, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers.
New Releases: Eddie Parker, Paula Jeanine Bennett, Richard X Bennett.
Memories: George Gershwin, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole Trio.
What’s on in the NE: Olie Brice Quartet.
Seasonal: Chet Baker, Paul Desmond, Gene Ammons, Sonny Stitt, Stan Kenton.
John Coltrane Centenary.
Kings Place Jazz Orchestra named Jazz Ensemble in Residence and will present a series of projects, including a 70th anniversary celebration of West Side Story
Additional performances from Tony Kofi & Denys Baptiste, Joe Webb, Alexandra Ridout, Snowpoet, Olivia Murphy, Marlon the Pannist and more
Tickets on sale on Friday 25 September from www.kingsplace.co.uk
See the graphic for full listing.
Also: Gosforth Civic Theatre. Lit & Phil. The Globe. The Glasshouse.
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| Courtesy Chris Perrin |
He learned to play the
cornet and then the trombone with the Salvation Army. This led to him playing
in brass bands and he started his jazz career playing with local jazz bands
including the Clem Avery Jazzmen.
He later moved to Canada to work in the wine industry and then on to San Francisco where he established a successful calibration business. When he ‘retired’ he became a consultant and was still testing the structural integrity of the Golden Gate Bridge up to his 90th birthday.
BERLIN RADIO FESTIVAL 2026
I've just returned from the Berlin Radio Festival, where my audio short Nothing but hope was shortlisted for the MikroFlitzer competition. Truly inspired and uplifted by all the fantastic audio pieces and the enthusiastic audio makers, I am now looking forward to the second season of RADIOPHONICx, communal listening event at Cobalt studios.
RADIOPHONICX - Season 2026/27
Yes, we are back with more outstanding international audio plays and sound art.
RADIOPHONICx is the only event in the north east dedicated to international radio and sound art. Celebrating a 100 year old art form, which resulted directly from the invention of a new communication medium, the radio.
From October to January Cobalt Studios will be hosting RADIOPHONICx, the communal listening event, once a month on a Saturday afternoon from 2 till 4pm.
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| Photo © John Lyons |
The Lewis Watson Quartet's magnificent tribute to John Coltrane will be reviewed tomorrow. In the meantime log on to Roy Woodcock's three-part programme dedicated to JC himself on Roy's Blues and JazzTastic Mixcloud show..
The podcast link to the shows is HERE.
A word of warning - it works fine on my smartphone but not on my PC. Strange.
Let me know if it works for you. Lance
Sunday 27th September 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)
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| © Richard Morris |
Neil Yates (trumpet, tenor sax); Antony Stevens (trumpet); Andrzej Baranek (piano); Grant Russell (double bass); Johnny Hunter (drums)
The concept for this concert, as explained by Neil Yates, was to have a band with two trumpets. There are a few albums that have explored this concept including Two Trumpets recorded by Art Farmer and Donald Byrd in 1956.
Neil is renowned for his jazz trumpet playing. Antony Stevens is better known for playing the sousaphone on which I last saw him play at this venue. However, he gave a very good account of himself on the trumpet remarking that,at age 18, he was a student of Neil Yates and now at age 42 he was playing Step Lightly - a number Neil had taught him 24 years ago! Antony is a member of the roving brass band The Stray Horns who specialise in bringing their music to all sorts of events such as weddings, parties etc all around the country with other prominent members such as Jamie Brownfield and Mike Smith.
Ben Crossland (bass guitar); Rod Mason (soprano/ tenor sax); Dean Stockdale (keyboards); Dave Tyas (drums).
© Jeff Pritchett
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| © Roly Veitch |
First Song (Charles Haden): A dreamy, plaintive, esoteric exploration on, I presume, the mezzo sop sax. followed by Lage in a similar mode.
Amsterdam: Lovano sticks with the soprano enjoying some interplay with Lage. Debriano has his say on bass and Calhoun paradiddles. Lage produces some harplike sounds on guitar.
The Call: The soprano sounds eerie, almost phantasmagoric. I checked that all the doors and windows were closed. A shot of the 'cup that cheers'* calmed me and I found myself drawn into the mysterious aura surrounding the track.
Ross is surely the world's greatest 5-string jazz viola player. That he may be the only 5-string jazz viola player doesn't detract from his ability to swing the oft maligned instrument. Those who rank the viola alongside the banjo, oboe and accordion obviously hadn't heard Jimbo. He gets a mellow sound that doesn't grate like violins sometimes do. The extra string means he can stray into violin territory should he wish to do so. Perhaps if children began learning on a suitably sized viola rather than a violin the parents would be more tolerant towards their early strivings. Just a thought.
Aah! The Med. Given the title I assumed it would be something to accompany the clink as the neck of the first Amstel of the Summer comes to rest on the top of a frozen glass while the sea riffles the pebbles, in and out. But no! This is not an album of Ibiza Chillout. Instead we have a deeper dive into the music traditions of those communities that surround the sea, mainly Arabic. Led by Vretos on oud and more than ably supported by, especially, Verdinoglou on piano. It’s rich in melody and mood, with the four instruments revelling in the space available. The distinctive voice of the oud is wrapped in the other instruments, often singly, but occasionally all together to create brief dramatic moments. Much of the mood is melancholic with either the clarinet or viola providing the groundwork for Vretos’ light fingered single note explorations.
Back in the day, October 16, 1958 to be precise, in a DownBeat interview the yet to be 'canonised' John Coltrane made the following statements which I feel are still relevant today:
"You can only play so much of another man."
"Music is the means of expression with strong emotional content."
"Jazz used to be happy and joyous. I'd like to play happy and joyous"
"Never become so self-important that you can't listen to other players."
"By the time I run up on something, I find that Miles or
Monk has done it already".
Here endeth the first lesson - Amen. Lance
Ever since I heard Tommy Flanagan accompanying Ella Fitzgerald at Newcastle City Hall as part of a JATP package in 1962 I've been a fan of the Detroit born pianist.
Apart from his stints with Ella, Flanagan, who died in 2001, also played on two albums that are particularly relevant this year: Sonny Rollins' Saxophone Colossus and John Coltrane's Giant Steps.
The tracks on Made in Dublin were recorded after a 1984 concert. They remained a well-kept secret until after John Wadham's death in 2003 when a cassette was discovered amongst his effects. Cleaned up, remastered and remixed for release by Livia Records the result is on a par with the restoration of the Bayeux Tapestry.
He wasn't a jazzer although he did once book the Vieux Carré Jazzmen into the Albion pub - on St. Valentine's Night! Neither the music nor the pub was conducive to couples holding hands unless they were arm-wrestling for keeps.
To his credit Joss did sing Hello Dolly with the band - he could hold a tune. In the photo taken by Patti in 2020 Jess was campaigning to save all pubs after the devastation to the trade caused by Covid. The Albion Gin and Ale House - to give it its Sunday name - subsequently closed after a mysterious fire although Jess had since retired.
Everyone in Jarrow knew him and they all had a variety of opinions. I liked him for his sense of humour and his interest in local history of which he is now a part.
R.I.P. Lance
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| https://shortstreet.co.uk/productions |
https://www.ayclifferadio.co.
Playlist 20/09/26 (repeated Tuesday 22/09/26)
Seasonal: John Coltrane, Stan Getz
Requests from Esther Bennett's Bishop Auckland gig: Mark Murphy, Martin Taylor, Mel Tormé, Muggsy Spanier & His Ragtime Band.
Requests: Duke Ellington, New Cool Collective.
Memories: Oscar Peterson Trio & Dexter Gordon, Ray Charles.
New Release: Terje Gewelt.
Seasonal: Lester Young.
What’s on in the NE: Keith Nichols, Vasilis Xenopoulos Trio, Lewis Watson, Mary Lou Williams.
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| © Sylvia/Patti |
Over the years I've seen many Django inspired groups such as Waso, Nany Swing and the various ensembles fronted by Emma Fisk and Mick Shoulder. It was with the latter's Swing Manouche that I'd previously heard Danny Lowndes and here he was with his own group - Danny Lowndes Hot Club - as part of yet another sold out JATLP Lunchtime Concert Series.
A last minute substitution saw Shez Sheridan stepping in for Lowndes' regular sidekick Bryan Day which meant for a change to the set list in the printed programme. Nobody complained it wasn't as if you'd ordered lobster and been served prawns - quite the opposite in fact.
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| © Sylvia* |
There were a couple of changes in the anticipated line-up but it didn't detract from the excitement generated. True, there were times when I could detect moments of uncertainty but that's going to apply to any band with a change of personnel.
It didn't matter, if anything it ensured that the the jazz commandment, the sound of surprise, wasn't broken.
2026 being Miles' 100 year milestone the programme covered many aspects of his controversial musical journey. A notable omission was his 1949 Birth of the Cool band. However, as that band was a nonet that included French horn and tuba it would have been quite an achievement to have made a fist of it.
The 'fists' came later as will be revealed.
Brubeck Living Legacy, in partnership with the Royal Academy of Music and ECN Music, is delighted to announce saxophonist and composer Elliot Wong as the winner of the second Brubeck Living Legacy Prize.
Originally from Sydney, Australia, Wong moved to London to study at the Royal Academy of Music, where he recently completed his postgraduate studies in jazz. He was unanimously selected by a panel of Darius Brubeck (Brubeck Living Legacy), Nick Smart (Head of Jazz Programmes, Royal Academy of Music) and Emma Perry (Director, ECN Music).
Sunday 20th Sept. 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
