It’s a strange and beautiful
thing to witness a band with sixty years of history sounding not just alive,
but newly awakened. Soft Machine - the psychedelic adventurers who once shared
stages with Hendrix, the Canterbury visionaries who helped define jazz fusion
before the term even existed - return with Thirteen, an album of
thirteen new tracks that feels both deeply rooted and unexpectedly fresh.
What has always set Soft Machine apart is their willingness to inhabit contradiction: experimental yet melodic, precise yet spontaneous, cerebral yet playful. On Thirteen, those contrasts are magnified. The sound is broad and cinematic in places - widescreen, atmospheric, alive with colour - yet close, intimate and intensely personal in others. Music that can bloom with orchestral expansiveness, then fold into the quiet of four musicians breathing as one.
Sunday 8th February 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)
Tees Bay Swing Band meets at Hartlepool's Blacksmith's Arms on Saturday (Feb 7th, 1:30pm). It's an open rehearsal and you're invited to pop along, sit with a drink and listen to the band as it's put through its paces and it's free admission! Up the road in Newcastle on Sunday evening (Feb. 8th) one of the great bands makes a swift return to Jazz Co-op HQ. In October last year Gerry Richardson's Big Idea sold out the Railway Street venue and the nine-piece band is on course to do the same thing this weekend. The Globe is a thriving, independent music venue, to show your support, book in advance at: www.theglobenewcastle.bar. Do it now or miss out!
Fans of top quality vocals were fully pleased, impressed and satisfied at the closing show of the fourth annual Southport Jazz Festival on Sunday, Feb. 1 at the spacious and well appointed Grand Hotel. The multifaceted vocalist, Claire Martin delivered a two hour concert of a winning and eclectic mix of jazz, classic standards and 1970s' pop songs.
The trio of pianist, Nikki Iles, saxophonist/clarinettist, Karen Sharp and Ewan Hastie’s bass accompanied her with sensitivity and aplomb in equal measure. The slightly unconventional absence of a percussionist was more than made up for with Hastie’s driving bass along with Iles’ relentless rhythmic fluidity of comping and fills. Sharp’s seamless verve in her swinging melodic solos, scored highly in lifting the bar of intensity and depth to engage the audience throughout.
I have so many memories of seeing and hearing him over the years both live and on disc.
A Corner House gig with the Bill Harper Trio in, I think, the late '80s/early '90s got me hooked, Around about then he also took part in one of the all-time greatest north east jazz concerts at the (then) Saville Exchange, North Shields...
Marty Grosz (guitar, vocals) and Ken Peplowski (tenor sax, clarinet) were not only musically compatible but could also lay claim to be the best comedy duo to come from America since Abbott and Costello.
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| © John Lyons |
The room was crowded, there was a feeling of youthful pizzazz in the air. An air of eager anticipation from the younger element and curiosity from those of a more mature persuasion. Come the end of the evening both factions were happy with what they'd heard.
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| © John Lyons |
Leading from the front he led his troops through a mix of well crafted originals and a few contemporary standards that were after my time but which I loved anyway. Several numbers had unaccompanied tenor passages in which his rich tone shone through whilst others displayed his formidable technique only rarely travelling too far in to the harmonic extremes of the instrument. The same agility was applied equally effectively to soprano. Olly Styles is the real deal.
Every so often, an album arrives that feels less like a release and more like a quiet revelation. Moon Over Mildmay is exactly that - a record that sidles into your life with the intimacy of a late-night conversation and leaves you wondering how this voice has been hiding in plain sight.
Emerging from the vibrant jazz scene of Newcastle upon Tyne,
tenor saxophonist Olly Styles is bringing his unique sound and energy to the
Globe for his debut headline show.
Inspired by the both the modern and old school tenor sax titans Olly’s music draws inspiration from the likes of Joshua Redman, Chad LB, Bob Reynolds and Hank Mobley. His sound fuses the old and new, blending bop with groove based music and the great songwriting storytellers, to create his own unique voice.
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The second album by Five-Way Split maintains the high standard set by their 2023 debut album All the Way. The hard bop quintet still relates to the founding fathers of the idiom such as the Jazz Messengers or the Clifford Brown/Max Roach Quintet only this time re-imagining them in terms of today. It's not as raw as the originals, maybe a little softer around the edges which is no bad thing.
Playlist 01/02/26 (repeated Tuesday 03/02/26)
RIP: Brian Carrick.
Birthday Memories: Ray Anthony.
Requests from the Sue Ferris gig: Mulgrew Miller/Roy Hargrove, Buddy Rich/Art Tatum/Lionel Hampton, Eddie 'Lockjaw' Davis, Bob Mintzer, Carmen McRae/Dave Brubeck, Mary Halvorson, Buddy Rich.
Requests: Ella & Louis, Frank Sinatra/Red Norvo.
Memories: James P. Johnson, Stan Getz w. Bob Brookmeyer Quintet, Sonny Stitt.
Remaster: Tommy Smith, Edwin Morgan (poetry).
What’s on in the NE: The Big Easy, Gerry Richardson's Big Idea.
Aycliffe Radio is now available on DAB in County Durham & the Darlington Area or via your smart speaker.
Dan Coulthurst arrived at Gateshead's Central Bar twenty four hours after a successful gig (100 plus audience) at Cobalt Studios in Newcastle. This evening, on Half Moon Lane, the affable Coulthurst would play to a somewhat smaller audience.
The Dan Coulthurst Quintet opened with What is to be Done? In possession of a formidable technique, trumpeter Coulthurst touched base with NYC's loft scene of some sixty years ago, similarly Chicago's AACM, through to twenty first century developments, jazz and, fleetingly, improv. Studious, if not earnest, in demeanour, Coulthurst and his bandmates were fully immersed in the music.
Rummaging amongst the shelves of the Cancer Research shop in Morpeth can sometimes reveal hidden gems. A large tranche of CDs by the BBC Concert Orchestra (Plays Bach, Plays Debussy, and, I wouldn’t wonder, Plays Dominoes and Darts), was neighboured by Glad Day: Settings of William Blake by Mike Westbrook.
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| Photos © Neil Todd |
It was a full house at GCT last night, they had travelled far and wide, I overheard one person saying he'd come from Wakefield and, judging by the various accents/dialects that circulated around the auditorium, he wasn't the only one drawn to the event promoted by Independent Venue Week.
Perhaps they, the audience, had been persuaded by Russell's glowing BSH review of the trio's Tuesday night gig at Darlington (HERE) or maybe they wanted to see and hear rock drumming legend Bill Bruford back on the scene after a 15 year hiatus - who knows?
Take a professor of jazz and fourteen supremely talented young musicians, what have you got? The Fletcher Henderson Project, that's what! Professor Malcolm Earle Smith coaches a group of Trinity Laban music students and they've got themselves a regular gig at Jamboree, King's Cross, London. Our MD observed that his young charges are, understandably, into modern jazz. The music of Fletcher Henderson and his contemporaries - Ellington, Mary Lou et al - was new to most of them. How would they fare?
The series introduces listeners to three of today’s most exciting
emerging artists from the Tomorrow’s Warriors programme, reaffirming the
broadcasters’ shared commitment to championing the next generation of UK jazz
talent and providing them with a national broadcast platform.
Over six episodes, I AM WARRIOR introduces three artists; pianist and composer Emily Tran, singer-songwriter Kianja and trombonist-composer Christ-Stéphane Boizi.
Each episode sees one of the three rising stars weave personal storytelling with music from classic artists who’ve inspired and shaped their sound - alongside their own tracks and selections from Tomorrow’s Warriors alumni and fellow contemporaries across the current UK jazz scene.
Marco Cafolla (piano); Rachel Lightbody (voice); Konrad Wiszniewski (tenor/soprano sax); Mikey Owers (trombone); Ross Saunders (double bass); Doug Hough (drums)
I knew this was going to be good but I never dreamed that it would be this good! Even the clips on YouTube only hinted at what to expect. Those expectations were surpassed after only a few of the opening bars.
With your average band, 90 minutes without an intermission can be a testing time. Not so last night at Pilgrim, the time just flew by. We were in awe of the sheets of sound that were enveloping us.
The material, mainly original, came from the band's albums - past, present and future.
A first visit to Scala, King's Cross.
Occupying a corner site on Pentonville Road, the former 1000 capacity cinema
has undergone many changes during its one hundred plus years - King's Cross
Cinema, Gaumont Cinema, Odeon, La Scala Cinema. Now simply 'Scala', its
principal function is that of a gig venue.
The reason for a first visit? Vintage Explosion! Mr William Hitchell, Glasgow's viral sensation is, as near as damn it, the 'real deal' soulful voice. Hitchell's suited and booted, six piece band hit the ground running. For something like two and half hours, including two encores, Vintage Explosion kept a capacity audience on its dancing feet.
Sunday February 1st
Every Sunday 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)
I never had the opportunity of hearing pianist Richie Beirach live - one of the downsides of living 300 miles from London. I'm sure he must have played at some points north of the capital over the course of his 78 years but not Newcastle (correct me if I'm wrong). However, I did get to review a triple album he made with John Abercrombie which can be read HERE.
As many tributes have appeared online since his passing two days ago, rather than attempt to duplicate them I'll refer you to a DOWNBEAT OBIT by Michael J. West that captures the essence of Richie Beirach as both a man and a musician. Lance
Mike Hope (tenor sax, flute); Neil Yates (trumpet);
Ric Weedon (drums); Andrzej Baranek (keyboards); Joshua Cavanagh Brierley
(double bass)
A wonderful evening of jazz in Llandudno, North Wales, by a stellar quintet led by host Neil Yates who is one of the top jazz trumpet players in the UK.
Making his debut at the club was Manchester based drummer Ric Weedon. It was also the birthday of Andrzej Baranek who has been an integral part of the UK jazz scene for many years. I had not seen Mike Hope before but was impressed by the rich sound of his vintage Selmer tenor saxophone. I regularly see Joshua play in the north west of England and in North Wales. He is an immense talent who gets around.
With the exception of Sonny Rollins and a small number of others, chordless trios can be a pointless indulgence for the players and boredom for the listener. Not so with Echo Fields. With Echo Fields Julian Argüelles can be added to the elite list headed by Sonny Rollins. Whether on soprano or tenor but, particularly on the former, his purity of sound floats in the most mesmeric way over the empathy shown by Grenadier and Rossy both of whom bring their own strengths of creativity to the session.
For two decades and more Durham University Big Band has made an annual pilgrimage to play a prestigious concert in the capital city. On its way to/from London, the plan was for DUBB, as the band is known, to link up with two other universities to take part in a couple of big band sessions either side of the capital date. First, a 'Varsity jazz-off' with Oxford University Jazz Orchestra, followed by a similar shindig with Imperial College London Big Band.
Fifty years ago, on July 16 1976, the very first North Sea Jazz Festival opened its doors with six venues, 300 musicians, and around 9000 visitors, and featuring luminaries including Sarah Vaughan, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, and Stan Getz. Since then, the festival has become a cornerstone of international music culture, presenting around 1300 artists across 17 stages to an audience of up to 90,000 each year.
Charlie
Wood (vocal, piano, organ); Robin Aspland (piano); Daniel Franck (bass);
Laurence Cottle (bass); Ian Thomas (drums); Cornelia Nilsson (drums); Áyoe
Angelica & Sophie Ziedoy (choir); Villads Littauer Bendixen (violins); Lara
Biancalana (cello); James McMillan (trumpet)
Born in Memphis in 1967, Charlie Wood later moved to New Orleans hooking up with Albert King and touring Europe as organist with the legendary blues guitarist before returning to Memphis where his name and music are much revered. The city has an annual Charlie Wood Day and he was given the Freedom of the City as well as a Brass Note on Beale St. - Memphis' equivalent of the Hollywood Hall of Fame.
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| © Sylvia |
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| © Colin Muirhead |
A full house at the Fire Station! Ahead of the main event, there was a relaxed atmosphere in the Engine Room next door, as people enjoyed a good selection of food and drinks in this vibrant eatery. It’s an excellent venue for the monthly Jazz Sundays gigs by the Michael Young Trio (the next one is on February 15 with guest Jason Holcomb). Meanwhile, in the Fire Station foyer, concertgoers we treated to music by pianist Daniel Chandler and his trio. Daniel has previously been recognised by BSH as one to watch and he was given a generous shout-out later on by the headline performers.
