The Abbie Finn Trio @ The Blues, Jazz & Swing Festival. The Exchange, North Shields - July 3

(© the Exchange)

Abbie Finn (drums); Harry Keeble (tenor sax); Paul Grainger (double bass)

Moving from the Exchange's cafe/bar into the auditorium in good time to hear the Abbie Finn Trio, a cabaret table style layout ensured the welcome air of informality evident in the bar area during Ruth Lambert's set would extend to the larger space. It struck your reviewer the room was well lit. As soon as drummer Finn took to the stage the sound suggested an engineer was on the case. Looking around, a bod armed with nothing more than an iPad was doing the business.

Ruth Lambert & Martin Craggs @ The Blues, Jazz & Swing Festival. The Exchange, North Shields - July 3

(© The Exchange)

Ruth Lambert (vocals); Martin Craggs (guitar)

The opening set of the third and final day of the inaugural Blues, Jazz and Swing Festival in North Shields. The Exchange on Howard Street was covered in scaffolding, making one wonder: Is the place open? It was and it is. On entering the enclosed courtyard a gentle hubbub could be heard emanating from the bar. Festival-goers were gathering for the first of the day's concerts. Ruth Lambert was about to give a GASbook singer's masterclass.

Steve Pimlott @ the Railway, Stockport - July 3

(© Jeff Pritchard)

Steve Pimlott (tenor sax); Andrzej Baranek (keys); Ollie Collins (bass); Phil Bennett (drums).

Always a popular performer here at the Railway, Steve opened the show with a fine version of Like Someone in Love and followed this with another well known standard Stella By Starlight - a tune I thought got played too often in recent times but mainly by alto players and pianists. Steve sometimes brings an alto sax to his gigs but tonight he concentrated on the larger horn to good effect. He has a fluent boppy style and, as I have mentioned in previous reviews, he reminds me a lot of the great Harold Land, a very underrated tenor man.

Sunday night @ the Globe: Jeffrey Hewer Quartet - July 3

(© Sheila Herrick)

Ben Powling (tenor sax); Sam Jackson (bass); Richard Moulton (drums) + Will Reece (vocals).

 The first thing you might notice from the band list above is the lack of the bandleader himself who was suddenly rendered incapacitated for this gig. However, the show must go on and the other three band members aided and abetted with some fine vocals from Will Reece (or was it Rees?) produced an evening of  top quality straight ahead jazz. 

The original compositions for this quartet were composed by Hewer so with the bandleader away the rest began to play standards from the likes of Joe Henderson, John Coltrane, Kenny Dorham etc. 

The Wild Women of Wylam @ The Blues, Jazz & Swing Festival. The Exchange, North Shields - July 3

(© The Exchange)

Helen Walker (trumpet); Jude Murphy (vocals/bass); Andrea Harris (vocals); Caroline Guirr (keys); Alison Paton (drums).

These women of Wylam are wild. I'm not sure if they are wanton but they're certainly wonderful!

The wildness began with what sounded like an orgasmic shriek (if my memory serves me correctly) before Andrea and Jude shared vocals on what may have been called Give me Your Love. This was good. The WWOW are the blonde bombshells of 2022 irrespective of the colour of their hair.

Jude did Twisted courtesy of Wardell Gray and Annie Ross, singing superbly and playing nice bass lines. Andrea sang Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered complete with the verse and a virtuosic, almost a coloratura, finale that left the audience totally bewitched without being at all bothered and bewildered! In between Helen blew a lovely trumpet solo.

Helen was on the money again on Senor Blues; a number that also had Caroline playing some runs that you don't find in Czerny!

Spats Langham's Hot Fingers with Emily Campbell @ Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club - July 2

Spats Langham (guitar, banjo, ukulele, vocals); Danny Blyth (guitar, mandolin, clarinet, bass clarinet, harmonica, vocals); Malcolm Sked (double bass, tuba); Emily Campbell (vocals)

Almost four years to the day, Spats Langham's Hot Fingers returned to St Augustine's Parish Centre to play to an expectant full house. Mr Langham is a popular chap in Darlington, attracting fans from all parts...Darlington, Norton, Tyneside and Florida. Yes, this Saturday lunchtime concert was introduced by the Hot Fingers' leader as: A truly International Gathering. And with our American friend in the audience it was fitting that much of the material performed over two sets originated on the other side of the Atlantic. 

The House of the Black Gardenia @ The Blues, Jazz & Swing Festival. The Exchange, North Shields - July 2

(© The Exchange)

Elise Rana (vocals/washboard); Graham Hardy (trumpet); David Gray (trombone); Jim McBriarty (tenor, alto sax/clarinet); Katja Roberts (violin); Elliott Rush (piano); Michael Littlefield (guitar/ banjo/vocals); Neil Hopper (bass/sousaphone); Kit Haigh (drums).

King Bees pulled out at the eleventh hour so in stepped the House of the Black Gardenia who themselves had to shuffle the pack with Hardy and McBriarty occupying the trumpet and sax chairs. Rana, after apologising for King Bees' absence, announced that they did have in actual fact two members of KB in the band. Littlefield we knew was one but who was the other. By a process of elimination, I presume that either Rush or Haigh weren't there. Help please.*

The evening began with a taster session by Swing Tyne for wannabe swing dancers and I was impressed at how quickly most of them picked it up - I should have taken part myself!

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

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

Playlist 03/07/22. (Repeated 05.07.22)

Request for Sedgefield PRG, Chris Barber + Ottilie Patterson.

Request from the Abbie Finntet: Oscar  Peterson, Rob McConnell, Cannonball Adderley.

Requests from Darlington Big Band: Dave Douglas Quartet, Albert Ayler, Ella Fitzgerald, Stan Getz Quartet, Rob McConnell, Marshall Gilkes/ WDR Big Band, Michael Brecker.

What’s on in the NE : Michael Bublé, Tees Valley Jazzmen, Alex Clarke Quartet.

Ahmad Jamal Trio - Perfidia

Happy 92nd birthday to one of my favourite pianists - Lance

The Niffi Osiyemi Trio @ The Blues, Jazz & Swing Festival. The Exchange, North Shields - July 1

(© The Exchange)

Niffi Osiyemi (vocals). Alan Law (piano)  Ifede Osiyemi (bass guitar)

This was the first of a whole smorgasbord of music at The Exchange this weekend and what a way to start. The theme of the evening was ‘Speakeasy’ and while feather boas and headdresses were not obligatory, there were a few who rose to the occasion, none more so than NIffi herself who was indeed dressed to impress.

On this occasion Niffi’s brother, who has just this week followed in his sister's footsteps and qualified as a doctor (congratulations) stood in for regular bassist Paul  Grainger who was engaged at a  jazz gig elsewhere.  Ifede Osiyemi is known for his work with Newcastle University Jazz Orchestra and, also from that campus, the Bold Big Band but on this occasion he was there to do his sister proud as was Alan Law on piano who since his retirement from his day job has been seen more and more frequently at the piano, most recently backing Ruth Lambert at a sell out gig at The Lit and Phil.

But back to the Speakeasy at The Exchange.