Alan Glen Trio - excellent as ever.

Alan Glen (pno), David Carnegie (dms), John Pope (bs).

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Dave Weisser (tpt/vcl), Darren Grainger (ten), Nicola Weaver (alto), Barry Ashcroft (pno), Jim Crinson (bs), Eric Stutt (dms), Stuart Davies (gtr). + Mark Williams (gtr), Solly Bashiri (dms), Harley Johnson (pno). Also ran: Lance Liddle (ten).

----- The monthly visit by the Alan Glen Trio saw John Pope replacing Lawrence Blackadder on bass. The new boy seemed to slot in okay. My only thought was he could possibly have been slightly louder. However, he did the business as did David Carnegie, sporting his new minimalist haircut, on drums and, of course, Alan Glen. Dave Weisser summed it up in his inimitable style when he said "There ain't a superlative superlative enough!"

Once again Alan came up with a different set - he very rarely repeats himself and tonight was no exception.

"You Don't Know What Love Is", "Billie's Bounce", The Song is You", "I Fall In Love Too Easily", "She Loves Me", "Like Someone in Love", "I Love You" - could there be a better selection? It was also Alan's birthday and Dave and everyone sang 'that tune'.

Earlier, TITTB blew a strong set opening up with "Moanin'" then Duke Pearson's "Jeannine" and a Barry Ashcroft original, "San Miguel" all with good solos all-round.

Various itinerants sat in for the jam with Harley Johnson once again impressing with some Monkian piano solos, Solly took over on drums and Mark Williams kept the pot boiling on guitar.

A lot of big hitters in the audience tonight.

Lance.

Happy Birthday John Taylor

John Taylor, who is to jazz in Ashington what Bobby Charlton was to football had his ** birthday yesterday. He celebrated it with Melody Gardot - not a bad way to celebrate even if it was only on CD.

Congrats. John - Friends in Jazz eh?

Lance.

Click here for earlier ref to Melody G.

Rainy Days and Tuesdays Always Get Me Down

I'm listening to Carmell Jones and Harold Land playing "I'm Gonna Go Fishin'", one of the many Harold Land tracks on Spotify. You don't hear Jones' name mentioned these days (he died in 1996) but he was a fine Clifford Brown inspired trumpet player who deserved to be given a lot more acclaim.

Harold Land too - he was a superb tenorman in the hard blowing Hank Mobley, early Trane style.

So, if I'm enjoying the music so much why am I letting Tuesdays get me down when it isn't raining?

Simple! since the River City Jazzmen booted their Tuesday session at Jesmond into touch there is absolutely no jazz in or around Newcastle on a Tuesday night apart from the monthly Schmazz sessions at the Cluny and it does hurt - even if you don't always go to a gig it's important to know it's there for you.

Jones/Land are now playing "Full Moon and Empty Arms" and that is just how I feel tonight!

Now must surely be the time for some enterprising band to kick something off.

Don't ask me who, where, or when though!

Lance.

R.I.P Jimmy Forsythe

Jimmy Forsythe, who died aged 95 on July 11 hardly qualifies for inclusion on a jazz site even though his life probably mirrors that of an early jazz musician.

He was a photographer - not one of your David Baileys or Lord Litchfields but a man of the people who snapped life as he saw it in and around Newcastle. His stark black and white images captured his home city as few others have. Click here if you doubt me.

One of his most memorable shots was of the Royal Arcade Jazz Club which is my excuse for this obituary. Unfortunately I haven't got a copy but it is available in one of his books.

A true character, Jimmy was active almost to the end.

I'm grateful to Russell for drawing this sad news to my attention.

Lance.

A Vieux Carre Vignette @ The Corner House. July 14th

Brian Bennett (banjo), Brian Sibbald (double bass), Fred Thompson (drums), Barry Soulsby (clarinet), Peter Wright (trumpet), Laurence McBriarty (trombone). Having been detained elsewhere (not, I hasten to add, at Byker cop shop), I arrived at the Corner House in the company of Mr.P.Bream, the north east's free jazz/improv supremo, mover and shaker, Mr.Fixit blah, blah, to catch the last thirty minutes of the Vieux Carre's regular Monday night gig. The regular sextet was in full flow, restored to the function room after last week's one-off performance in the main bar. The highlight of the half hour was Ellington's 'Creole Love Call'; tight ensemble work and exquisite frontline interplay courtesy of Messers.Soulsby, Wright and McBriarty. More, much more, next week. Russell PS. I think Mr.Bream was reasonably impressed!

Zoe Gilby Quartet @The Georgian Theatre, Stockton

Zoe, vocals ; Mark Williams, guitar ; Andy Champion, double bass ; Richard Brown, drums. Well there weren't a great deal of people turned out for a choice gig like this on a Stockton Thursday. The high ceiling and high stage didn't really do anything for the intimacy either but, the black backcloth was great for photos and the echo made the generous applause sound encouraging. This set was advertised as a quintet but Noel Dennis (trumpet) couldn't make it. Nevertheless, the as-ever undaunted Zoe sang as if the place was packed. Still reeling from her birthday and flashing an unexpected present from Andy - the knee imprint is still visible on Cullercoats beach - of white gold with diamond solitaire, Zoe set off in style with two engaging numbers: Cole Porter's, "You'd be so Nice to Come Home To" and of course, turning to Andy, "I Only Have Eyes for You" - ah! Gradually feeding us the Bass & Vocals duo set for Marsden's (West Yorks) October Jazz Festival, we were treated to another of Andy's daring arrangements - "Nice Work if You can Get it", with fantastic counterpoint and harmonic high wire tricks from Zoe - no safety net - exhilarating. For a Monk fan it was great to hear her passionate delivery of Carmen McRae's ironic take on "Round Midnight" and "Get it Straight" (Straight No Chaser) - Mark really lighting the blue touch paper on the latter with some cracking, jumping jack repetitions that had me hoping (or was it hopping) that the Saltpetre would never run out! The fireworks then spread to Andy, working his fingerboard right to the edge in all respects - green, red, blue stars, falling over Stockton! More pyrotechnics, this time from drummer Richard Brown in Andy & Zoe's bossa nova arrangement of Jimmy Van Heusen's "Darn That Dream" - a good solo, considering the difficult sound bounce in such a big box of a theatre. The reverb was also difficult in "Weaver of Dreams" where brushes might have come in useful to keep with the soft lullaby feel. Then, as the Roman Candles were reduced to a glow, Mark Williams created such a deep Mississippi blues solo in "Angel Eyes" that you could feel the wash. Finally, there have been reports of scat singing being overdone - can't comment on the others, but tonight's solos were deftly delivered and gave us a chance to hear Zoe's higher pitches and trapeze like chromatic control ; anyway, someone had to stand in for Noel Dennis! This woman is a natural and should be performing to bigger houses. Take it easy Zoe, but Take it! George M.

Photos. (courtesy of Gabrielle)

Mouth of the Tyne Festival - day 2. "I Fall in Love Too Easily"

The area around the Gibralter Rock pub is alive with the sound of banjos and sousaphones as the annual invasion of tradderie takes place.

The al fresco extravaganza stomps off with Canada's Hot Five Jazzmakers who move away from the image their name projects when Janet Towers puts baritone sax to lips. The girl with the big full sound brings the instruments sonority to the fore. This is exemplified by her rendition of "You Brought a New Kind of Love to me" - poetic in its eloquence. Janet throws in a vocal on the tune and it doesn't hurt a bit.

Canada relinquishes control to Switzerland and the entertaining Yerba Buena Jazz Band who bare no resemblance to their San Fransisco names sakes from way back in the old days of the revival.

This YBJB is a medium sized big band who play much Ellington and even more washboard; 'tis fun. As a matter of embouchurial interest the lead trumpet doubles on tenor sax.

Time runs out on me so I only get to hear one number from France's Red Hot Reed-Warmers. One was enough for me to almost fall in love with Aurélie Tropez's clarinet playing. I say 'almost' as Janet got there first with her baritone! Is there such a crime as musical bigamy?

Nevertheless, to sample Aurélie's delights check her out on YouTube.

A very pleasant afternoon with only the hint of a shower.

Lance.

Photos.

Jazz Orchestra in an Afternoon - The Sage, Gateshead.

Approx. line-up; 1 x clt, 3 x sop, 5 x alt, 2 x ten, 2 x bar, 2 x tpt, 1 x tmb, 1 x vln, 1 x mand, 2 x bs, 3 x gtr, 1 x dms, 2 x pno, 3 x vcls.

Given the above line-up (approx 28 + M.D. Claude Werner) 'Doc the Violin' wasn't far wrong when he said, at rehearsal, 'it's like emptying a bucket of mice and expecting them all to run in the same direction.'

Substitute musicians for mice and the analogy still stands.

The rehearsal began in the usual chaotic fashion as the conductor attempted to get the musicians into line - the starter in the Grand National has similar problems - but eventually a seating arrangement was worked out and it was game on.

Claude's composition, "Big Ben", was the afternoon's focal point and the task was simple, whip it into a listenable state by 5:00 pm ready for a concert at 6:00 pm.

Dedicated to his friend, colleague and pianist Ben Gilbert - shortly to depart for points south - such was the strength of the piece that, in truth, it was worthy of a performance by VOTNJO rather than the assembled crew of disparate players. However, one cuts ones cloth as the saying goes and it is to Claude's credit and patience that, after 3 blistering hours of rehearsal he was able to mould it into a presentable whole.

That the public performance in Hall 2 of the Sage perhaps wasn't quite as tight as the workshop session 'below stairs' where the band was set up in closer proximity of each other did nothing to detract from the day as a whole and all concerned found it an inspirational experience.

As possibly the most disparate of the 'disparate players' I say 'Thank you Claude and good luck Ben.' More here from 'Double Dave'.

Lance.

PS: In the jam that followed Claude proved that he is more than just a compositional master but also a superb tenor sax and no mean pianist.

Cool Cat Blues @ Morden Tower. July 10th.

Frank Reeve (creator/reader), John Lake (keyboards & percussion), Phil Paton (keyboards & reeds). Morden Tower, secreted into the medieval West Walls of the old city of Newcastle upon Tyne, is a hidden gem. The intimate tower is approached via a cobbled back lane off China Town. On a dark winter's night one could well stumble upon a witches' coven but this was a mid-summer's evening and it was the spirit of poets past walking the walls as the cool cats listened, intently, then momentarily distracted, then focussing once more on the words and music of Frank Reeve and friends. Reeve, a tall, seemingly intense, yet genial American sat in front of the cats and read.

'The Blue Cat Walks the Earth' is Reeve's third volume of poems about a cat and things...the politics of being a cat, a knowing cat. Rhythm and meter, jazz rhythm and meter were to the fore. Our cat, at times, wasn't word perfect; it didn't matter, he was a jazz cat. 'The Apology' and 'May Day in Moscow' were but two of many 'jazz' poems - Brighton based John Lake and Phil Paton, multi-instrumentalists both, played cool cat blues - to be heard this night on West Walls. A diversion, a hoedown - 'The Blue Cat Calls a Country Dance' - was a delight; Reeve, Lake and Paton got it just right. An evening of jazz 'n' blues, of New Orleans, Steinbeck, the Dust Bowl, of the stevedore on New York's docks, of solidarity. 'The Blue Cat Walks the Earth' by FD Reeve is published by Smokestack Books www.smokestack-books.co.uk ISBN: 978-0-9560431-0-6. £8.95. (inc.CD). The CD features American musicians Don Davis (sax) & Joe Deleault (piano). Frank Reeve's website: www.fdreeve.org . Morden Tower's website: www.mordentower.org . John Lake and Phil Paton should take a well-deserved bow. They met up with Reeve the day before the Morden Tower performance. Their contribution was as if they were long-time associates of Reeve. Cool, cats. Russell .

(Thanks Russell, your words captured the evening much better than my pedantic prose could have done. Full marks to The Tower and Smokestack for making this experience possible. Now about that blue plaque...)

Lance.

The Other Side of Roly Veitch

As well as being the consumate jazz guitarist and coolest of cool vocalists, Roly also has a deep-rooted interest in the music and folklore of his native Tyneside. In the concert mentioned below he displays those roots in a new light giving the songs a complete makeover - updated harmonies, intimate, natural vocal style, some jazz influence. The Blaydon Aces (Roly and Jim Birkett) This concert will feature some well known ’Geordie’ tunes and some lesser known but lovely songs. The music of the Tyne is woven into the stones of Gateshead Heritage@St Mary’s and tonights concert is a must for all lovers of traditional Tyneside songs!! Where: Gateshead Heritage @ St Mary`s (The church next to The Sage) When:19:30 Thu Jul 16, 2009 Tickets: £3 from Central Library 0191 433 8420 - or on the door.

Sounds good.

Lance.