Felled again!

Somebody up there doesn't want me down there in Low Fell. Last Friday, Roy Williams was at Jazz At The Fell with the Vieux Carré Jazzmen but I didn't find out until the following Wednesday.

Tonight, I decided to listen to the New Century Ragtime Orchestra at the Dryden Centre in Low Fell. Now Dryden Road is a well known road in the area and it seemed to me that Dryden Road would be the logical place to site a Dryden Centre.

Wrong!

After driving up and down the long and winding road several times, I failed to uncover any Drydenic Centres. Asking the natives proved to be equally futile. Their responses were uniform; shaking of heads, narrowing of eyes, scratching of heads, widening of eyes. Where they differed was in their solutions. One sent me to a snooker club, another to a care home, yet another to a former hospital. It appeared that nobody in Dryden Road had a clue where the Dryden Centre, presumably a civic amenity, was.

By now, stomp off time had passed and the Ragtime Orchestra would probably have already played a few cakewalks and The Midnight Choo Choo may well have left for Alabam (where my honey lamb, am - beautiful triple rhyme!). Cold and frustrated, I gave up and went home.

Checking the flier, given to me by Ragtime Dave Kerr, I discovered that the Dryden Centre was actually in Evistone Gdns - a Buddy Bolden ff away from Dryden Road.

My own fault, I know, I should have ascertained the correct geographical location before leaving and I was tempted to return and catch the last set but, by this time, I'd made myself a coffee, fed the cat, put a Hank Mobley CD on the player and felt myself returning to normality.

Catch you next time guys - promise.

The Wisdom of Warne (Marsh)

"At some point, you have to be prepared to create--to perform. It's vital, man, if we're talking about jazz, the original jazz, the performing art. It fulfills its meaning only when you play it live in front of an audience."

Down Beat January 1983.

Dave O'Higgins with the Noel Dennis Quartet - Report by Hil

I didn't see any of the usual jazz fans at the gig in Middlesbrough last night. Pity as they missed a real treat. It was Dave O'Higgins on Sax, Noel & Adam Dennis on trumpet and piano + Adrian Tilbrook and Andy Champion on drums and bass. The music, naturally, was great. "Blue Monk" is one of my favourites and they included it.

The venue is a really lovely big room, with a huge screen at the back of the stage (Adrian would be able to tell you about it better than I.) Apparently it's part of the college (don't know much about the college other than its name, MTLC) however, there was lots of secure parking outside. The people who put the gig on are hoping to make it a regular jazz gig and intend to bring more biggish names in. Might well be worth you checking it out at future jazz gigs?

Pics from Adrian.

Big Apple Jazz Tours

Check this site out if you're planning to say "Let Me Off Uptown".

Yaron Herman Trio & Tom Cawley's 'Curios'. The Sage

This was one of those last minute decisions that saw me transported, as if by magic carpet, to the Sage. I'd heard 'Curios' earlier in the year at Scarborough so I knew what to expect. Aggression tempered with tenderness and it was the tender moments that won through for me even if I found it a little strange, or should I say 'curious', that pianist Tom Cawley chose to dedicate one of those delicate moments to an unemployed Formula One driver - Jenson Button! Another moment of rare beauty was a piece called "Truce". This simply cried out for it to be played alongside an appropriate poem - come in Keith or Angela.

Yaron Herman was something else again! He played total piano in the two-fisted way that Peterson and Tatum did; utilising the whole keyboard and even doing a Monk (Thelonius) like dance when the tension became almost unbearable. Of Israeli origin, he beautifully incorporated "In The Wee Small Hours of the Morning" into one of his national folk songs. It could have been arranged by Delius or Debussy such was the harmonic texture.

Bass and drums blended in well and, unlike their 'Curios' counterparts they swung when it was necessary that they 'swung'. In fairness to 'Curios', swinging isn't high up on their list of priorities.

A different, yet nonetheless enjoyable,night.

Marlena Shaw - The Sage - Jan 28. Report by Jim McD.

There is something of the raunchy, good-time girl, about Marlena Shaw which instantly connects with the audience; Dee Dee Bridgewater and Tina Turner also have this 'hipnotic' appeal.

Backed by her 'Dream Team', a quintet reminiscent of the Grover Washington band of the 1970's who laid down juicy Hammond chords, funky bass lines and lyrical passages from tenor sax or flute, Marlena served up a cocktail of Soul, Gospel and Blues. With proportionate measures of R&B, Funk and Disco added, the heady brew was both shaken and stirred with such verve that the result was a potion that intoxicated her audience to such a degree that they would have followed her anywhere.

Although not a night of straight ahead Jazz - more a mixture of 'Grooves' - the highlight for me was a tour de force rendition of Lionel Hampton's 'Hey-ba-ba-re-bop' that really set the place on fire. An evening of musical adventure then with Marlena's charisma winning through to the last chorus!

Previously, local act 'Damascus' played their own brand of Soul and were well received.

Jim.

South Shields Customs

That fine organisation, the Customs House Big Band, are holding an open rehearsal at the New Crown Hotel on Tuesday 3rd February. Admission is free and gives listeners the opportunity to hear the band, warts and all, for nowt! Sounds like good value.

My informant, Miles Watson, tells me the band are doing two nights at the Customs House in March (24th & 25th) by which time the warts hopefully will have been dispensed with. There will, of course, be a break of approximately 24 hours between the two concerts to enable band and audience to eat, sleep and whatever. The guest artist will not be Robbie Williams or Brian Bennett. It will however, be Ruth Lambert. Her womanly warblings are ever welcome.

Mobley's Motto

The late great tenor player, Hank Mobley, received this piece of musical advice from his Uncle Dave: "If you're with someone who plays loud, you play soft. If someone plays fast then you play slow. If you try to do what they're doing; you're in trouble."

Sounds like it might not have been bad advice at that. It worked for Hank who was my favourite of all the Blue Note tenor players.

Budvivar Take it to The Bridge

A very pleasant evening at the Chilli including a set by one of the newer bands - Budvivar. Make a note of them - you won't be disappointed.

A swingy octet, they sit comfortably at the modern end of mainstream without making too many demands on the listener. On vocals, Debra Milne gave her own delightful take on standards although a soundcheck would have enhanced her performance even more. Nevertheless, it was all grand stuff with "Love Me Or Leave Me" and "Four" being particularly good. A Jobim number, perhaps she will remind me of the title, sung in unison with the horns, also hit the spot.

The saxes, Fiona Littlewood (alto) and Stuart Findon (ten) too had moments with Stuart playing some fine solos. On trombone, Joe Fowler blew with mucho gusto - perhaps he heard Gareth Roberts last night at the Cluny. It gave a lot of depth to the front line.

Eddie Nickson (gtr), Jim Crinson (fretless), Chris Finch (pno) and Eric Stutt (dms) kept it all together.

Impressed! (Photos).

Take it to the Bridge were a little subdued in the first set but things jumped in the final bash with Paul Gowland once more kicking ass on alto.

John Pope on Jim's fretless, guitarists James and Stuart all did the business. As did Barry and of course let's not forget Dave - talk about Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark!

Dave sang "It's all in the Game" totally unacompanied whilst waiting for the band to get back on. A gem.

Gateshead Jazz Society Lives

Although their inner workings are more mysterious than those of 'Opus Dei', 'The Sons of Sam', or Roy Williams' gigs at The Fell, I note from a "Gateshead Live" booklet given to me by Russell (who is more frequently associated with the 'now departed') the Gateshead Jazz Society is listed as meeting on alternative Thursdays at "Gateshead Heritage @ St.Mary's".

I remember when they met at Caedman Hall - I guess they've moved. More info would be welcomed.