Dorman's All Stars @ Dormans Jazz Club Middlesbrough Sept. 21

Jeremy McMurray (piano); Richie Emmerson (tenor sax); Kevin Eland (trumpet/flugel); Ron Smith (bass); Mark Hawkins (drums).

Due to holiday arrangements this was the second guest band of the month. However, this led to the formation of some of the best jazz musicians who have regularly played here.

An excellent choice of materiel played with great enthusiasm and skill to an appreciative audience with an age range from 16 (James) to 92 (Frank) made for a first class night of Jazz.

Starting the night with an impressive version of  the Nat Adderley classic Work Song with full band intro before a fine trumpet solo from Kevin, sax from Richie and piano from Jeremy backed by driving drums and bass from Mark and Ron set the style and the standard for the night.

Album review: Logan Kane - Floor Plans

Logan Kane (upright/electric basses, synth, guitar, comps);David Binney (alto sax); Benjamin Ring (drums) + John Escreet (piano on 4 tks); Paul Cornish (piano on 5 tks); Mark Turner (tenor sax on 2 tks); Jon Hatamya (trombone on 1 tk).

Kane, a 26-year-old Los Angeles bassist, is undoubtedly a young man of great talent irrespective of which instrument. The blurb tells us he has already surpassed all ambition on his instrument of choice. I'm not quite sure what that means. Has he no further ambition? 

Three Tsuru Origami + Paul Edis & Graeme Wilson @ Jesmond United Reformed Church, Newcastle (NFOJAIM) - Sept. 22

(© Ken Drew)

This year's Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music (NFOJIM) opened at three in the afternoon with a 'performance' of Newcastle Civic Centre's Edith Adamson Carillon (Jon Bradley, carillon, Paul Taylor, compositions & recording). Two further performances are scheduled for Friday 29 September and Friday 6 October.  

Three Tsuru Origami: Gabriele Mitelli (trumpet, sopranino, electronics, voice); John Edwards (double bass); Mark Sanders (drums, percussion)

In the evening at Jesmond United Reformed Church, NFOJAIM presented a double bill featuring a debut Tyneside appearance by Gabriele Mitelli working alongside two stalwarts of the British improvised music fraternity, John Edwards and Mark Sanders and the church organ-tenor saxophone duo comprising London based pianist Paul Edis and, from Edinburgh, saxophonist Graeme Wilson.

Jo Harrop, Paul Booth & Paul Edis @ Hampstead Jazz Club - Sept. 21

Jo Harrop (vocals); Paul Booth (tenor sax, soprano sax, flute); Paul Edis (piano)

Hampstead Jazz Club is home-from-home to Jo Harrop. Paul Edis is no stranger to the New End venue, on the other hand, the other Paul, Paul Booth, is rarely seen or heard in the leafy London suburb. Here's a thing, Jo and the two Pauls hail from the Chester-le-Street area in County Durham. It wasn't until all three independently relocated to the south east of England that they would meet up on the London jazz scene. This evening they would, unsurprisingly, play to a full house.

Aycliffe Radio: Jazz Time - Sundays 6.30-8.00 pm (repeat Tuesdays 8.00-9.30pm)

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

Aycliffe Radio is now available on DAB in County Durham & Darlington Area.

 

Playlist 24/09/23. (Repeated Tuesday 26/09/23)

 

What’s on: SNJO

Autumn:,  Stringspace, Kenny Dorham.

In the NE: Alice Grace, Dulcie May Moreno,

Memories: Wynton Marsalis.

Request: Chris Tyle's Silver Leaf Jazz Band of New Orleans.

Paul Skerritt The Danny Miller Band, Gregory Porter, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Harry Connick Jr. Matt Monro, Bobby Darin.

Requests: Ramsey Lewis Trio, Duke Ellington.

Album review: Masumi Ormandy - Beyond the Sea.

Masumi Ormandy (vocals); Dean Johnson (bass); Tim Horner (drums); Allen Farnham (piano, synth., arrangements) + (collective on various tks)  Sara Caswell (violin); Jody Redhage Ferber (cello); Bria Skonberg (trumpet); John Allred (trombone); Danny Bacher (soprano sax, vocal); Houston Person, Tim Ries (tenor sax); Mino Cinelu (perc.); Chieli Minucci, Paul Meyers (guitar); Anders Bostrom (flute) Roseanna Vitro (vocal).

Japanese vocalist Ormandy moved to New York, via Tokyo and Frisco, to fulfil her dream of becoming a singer studying with Roseanna Vitro who appears on the final track.

Beyond the Sea is Ormandy's second album. She recorded the previous one when she was a mere seventy-seven years old. Now, seven years later (do the maths) the voice is still younger than springtime yet, paradoxically, with a maturity that defies time.

Dean Stockdale Quartet: Celebrating Oscar @ Hampstead Jazz Club - Sept. 20

Dean Stockdale (piano); Tim Williams (guitar); Asaf Tal (double bass); Gaz Hughes (drums)

Dean Stockdale is currently touring his 'Celebrating Oscar' concert set. Sold out dates in Belfast, Dublin and St Ives won standing ovations. Now it was time to hit London. On a rainy night in leafy Hampstead, pianist Stockdale arrived at the Duke of Hamilton in good time to chill out ahead of an eight o'clock start. 

In due course Stockdale's sidemen arrived (all four had driven from St Ives) and, like the top pros they are, set up without any fuss. Stockdale was able to travel without a keyboard - twenty four hours earlier St Ives' piano served him well, this evening the house Kawai was at his disposal. 

Album review: Mike Davis - The New Wonders

Mike Davis (cornet, vocals); Ricky Alexander (clarinet, alto sax, vocals); Joe McDonough (trombone); Jared Engel (banjo); Dalton Ridenhour (piano); Jay Rattman (bass sax, vocals); Jay Lepley (drums, vocals)

Described as fresh, delightful interpretations of trad jazz gems, this posed a few questions for me such as, how fresh is fresh? 

Plus, bearing in mind the term 'trad' didn't become part of the jazz parlance until the late '50s/early '60s, whereas these gems - and gems they are - were all originally from the 1920s and '30s, where it most likely would have been described as 'hot dance music' as played by, say, the California Ramblers, Red Nichols or Jean Goldkette.

TJ Johnson @ Jamboree, King's Cross - Sept. 20

TJ Johnson (piano, vocals)

When in London, if it's a Wednesday afternoon, St Chad's Place, King's Cross is the place to be. It's three o'clock and a relaxed TJ Johnson ambles onto Jamboree's bijou stage. Piano and vocals, TJ knows how to entertain - engaging his audience, no airs and graces, the kind of bloke you could chat to down at the Dog and Duck.

I Get the Blues When it Rains sang TJ. How apt as the first of the day's rain began to fall. Later in the day Noah's Arc would be pressed into action. June Night - a rare TJ instrumental - mourned the passing of summer, Lonesome Cities (as recorded by Sinatra), I Get a Kick Out of You (a finger-snapping TJ) to BB King's Paying the Cost to be the Boss (TJ smiling as he referenced his ex-wife!). 

Album review: John Donegan - The Irish Sextet, Light Streams

John Donegan (piano/comp); Michael Buckley (alto/soprano sax, flute); Richie Buckley (tenor sax); Linley Hamilton (trumpet, flugel); Dan Bodwell (bass); John Daly (drums).

Recorded in April at Camden Studios, Dublin, this is probably as good as anything currently being recorded in Ireland. North or south of the border, either side of the Irish Sea, maybe even either side of the Atlantic - it's that good!