Calendar Girl

I thought our jazz friends might be interested in a Jazz Calendar? They are not so easily found these days. In the past I have been lucky and got a couple from Waterstones or Fenwicks, they dont appear to get them now tho? Two years ago I bought 5 in NYC...;o)

There is a site called 'Calendar Club' and they do one called 'Classic Jazz' The photo's are mostly 50's & 60's with a couple from the 80's and are all black and white. The photographer is Chuck Stewart who was apprenticed with Herman Leonard. There is a slight error on the website but the price I paid was a reduced price of £6-99 each. They had been £9-99...the couple I purchased arrived within a week of ordering.

Hil.

Tonight @ The Cluny - Battle of the Bands.

Tonight's event at The Cluny is a SCHMAZZ promoted 'Battle of the Bands' with the winning band getting a gig at The Sage, Gateshead and they don't come anymore prestigious than that outside of London.

£3 - 7:30 pm.

Lance.

Customs House Big Band - Open Rehearsal

Listening to the Customs House Big Band in an auditoreum is quite an experience; listening to them in the confined space of the New Crown Hotel is positively mindblowing! Imagine being dropped into a massed band session by the Stan Kenton, Count Basie and Woody Herman Bands and it gives you an overall impression of the sound. Simply incredible.

Not than I'm suggesting that the CHBB is equal to all 3 of those legendary bands but they are getting pretty damn close. Even listening to the same piece being taken over and over again in segments and as a whole doesn't diminish the experience. Indeed it serves to prove just how meticulous these musicians and their leader Peter Morgan is.

Add vocals by Ruth Lambert and the cup is full - it runneth over.

Ruth's piece de resitance today was "Come Fly With Me" done so well that I was ready to phone EasyJet and book a flight to 'fly off into the blue'.

Splendiferous.

Lance.

The Primacy of the Ear...Part 3

The grand success of any workshop is when seeds of new concepts are sown, to grow in a mind free to be receptive. Even more so, if the person casting them has explored their art to the extent that they can see it in its fundamental simplicity and want to show you what they know. That was what was so good (more than good) for me about this workshop with Gilad Atzmon. It was great to hear that the key to all those fabulous sound that he makes with his saxophone is so simple and clear. His opening question was to ask whether we understood consonance and dissonance. The first thought that came to my mind as he described those words, was a memory of description of an essential character of Indonesian food, the subtle interplay of salt and sweet...

Tension and resolution and evidence that we were listening and responding to each other, I think that was what he was listening for as some of us improvised, eyes closed (to escape self conciousness) with our various voices. That was the idea that I took away with me to explore, something which is subtle and captivating in any form of expression. There were other aspects of the workshop that I have to think on too, they have been described in the previous blogs, so I need say nothing more, really, except that those seeds of ideas have been sown in my mind, in this workshop, and are happily sprouting away.

Fiona.

PCeed Off

I must apologise for any delay in responding to Emails and Posts but my PC is currently refusing to have anything to do with the Internet - perhaps it's got more sense than me - so, until it is sorted, I will be utilising our local library.

Lance.

Happy Birthday David Carnegie

Many Happy returns from Bebop Spoken Here to a great drummer and a great guy. Here's to the next 30 years

The Great American Songbook - beginnings to maturity

A short course from NE Centre for Lifelong Learning (Newcastle University Campus, Wednesday 4th & 18th November, 3.00.p.m.) titled 'The Great American Songbook - beginnings to maturity'. Two illustrated two - hour sessions. Tutor Ron Guariento. Course ref: E20091PE000131. To enrol, or for further details, tel: 0191 515 2800.

Russell.

Gilad Atzmon Workshop - The Primacy of The Ear (Part 2)

This was a hugely rewarding and fascinating experience. Distilling down huge knowledge and experience Gilad kept the whole thing simple, relevant and disarmingly honest. That honesty tended to focus on we instrumentalists who demonstrated some degree of disconnection between ears and instrument.

The answer?

Singing of course!

Now most jazz pedagogues (Jamie Aebersold and just about all others you might think of) recommend this, but Gilad demonstrated with amazing fluency and style, dividing scales and patterns between voice and alto sax. And in our impromptu instrumental groups his playing confirmed the benefits with astonishingly accurate replication of themes and patterns and answering phrases. He even got me singing - a belated apology to the other group members for my rendition of "Well you Needn't."

Above all else Gilad is an engaging personality with a highly positive direct teaching style and a wicked sense of humour. Even without the playing experience I would have turned up just to sit and hear him talk for and hour or two. Let's hope we can get him back here again soon - don't miss it if it happens. This is the sort of opportunity which really ought to be a part of the Sage Jazz Festival.

Dr JAS

GILAD ATZMON: THE PRIMACY OF THE EAR - Oct.31 Sage, Gateshead

“I’ll not ask your names, I never remember names, I can’t even remember the names of my children.” Said Gilad Atzmon, with typical self-deprecating humour. Thus began this fascinating and informative workshop. About 10 of us attended, ages from 16 upwards, with a preponderance of sax players, but also a trumpet, violin, electric guitar, 2 pianists and 2 singers. The session was in 2 parts, trying out improvisation and then discussing technique. And Gilad wasted no time in getting a few of us to play together creatively, and it actually sounded not too bad. Further attempts showed up the real problem, which was NOT LISTENING to the other musicians. Gilad explained it well, it’s the ear that matters in music, we shouldn’t be concentrating on looking at written music, but listening. We analyse too much, music isn’t academic. This applies to all music, not just jazz. To improve technique, he declared that you must identify your problem and admit it, decide on the solution, then put it into practice. A demonstration of how to improve tone followed. The saxes were shown how to get a breathy tone out of the instrument with a simultaneous low tone. As a non-sax player I’ve no idea what they were doing but it sounded intriguing. Musicians were encouraged to sing some parts of the scale when practising. It seems we singers are doing it right anyway! We then did rhythm exercises with clapping and stamping out the pulse, and rounded off with Indian Tabla rhythms. This bit was difficult to latch onto, and I think Gilad should return soon to extend our knowledge of this. With loads of discussion and good humour this was a very successful session, which could be enjoyed by anyone who likes music, which is probably everyone. Ann Alexander

(There are more observations on this remarkable experience to follow - Lance.)

Mo Scott Band Banish Those Rainy Day Blues at the Magnesia Bank.

Mo Scott (vcl), Rod Sinclair (dms), Neil Harland (bs/gtr), Rob Walker (dms).

It rained, not cats and dogs but elephants. that's how heavy it was.

I watched Rita Hayworth in "Miss Sadie Thompson". This '50s film has quite a jazzy soundtrack with Manny Klein blowing a fiery number called 'The Heat is On" whilst Ms Hayworth struts her stuff for some GIs. It's a good picture with former Les Brown vocalist Jo Ann Greer providing the vocal to the mime on "Blue Pacific Blues".

The film was based on Somerset Maughan's "Rain" so, with "Blue Pacific Blues" still circulating my brain, it seemed appropriate to go out into the rain to catch some blues across that other stretch of water - the River Tyne.

The Maggy Bank was crowded but I manage to get a ringside seat for the main event - the Mo Scott Band.

This band don't carry no passengers and they don't take any prisoners! Mo socks it to 'em like every number was going to be her last - The latest Living Empress of the Blues.

Wow Mo! you sure do make "Wakin' up this mornin'" a pleasure. a raw and rusty one but still a pleasure - Hot Dog Mama I'm gonna drink muddy water (Ain't got no muddy water in the Maggy Bank boy) and sleep in a hollow log just keep on spreading the word!

Rod Sinclair's got the blues growing out of his bottlenecked fingers - he tell's it like it is in multiples of 12 bars firing off lick after lick that would have made him the Mayor of Memphis had we been in Tennessee rather than North Shields.

Neil Harland, on bass guitar tonight, was once again Mr. Consistancy. It is rumoured he hit a bum note in 1996 but there is no definite proof of this and it does seem highly unlikely.

On drums was the 'Funky Metronome' - Rob Walker. Nobody misses a beat when Rob's in the driving seat. You can set your watch by him - awesome.

On top of that just about everyone I've ever met in my life seemed to be in the pub this afternoon. There was Olive, and Hil and Miles and Davy R and Andy Lee and .... and ... well perhaps not everyone.

Lance.