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I have just discovered your site and it's invaluable in giving information about the North East. Been looking for something like this for years. Thanks a lot. Elaine D.

Jim Birkett Quartet @ The Cherry Tree Restaurant, Jesmond.

Jim Birkett (gtr), Sue Ferris (ten/fl), Neil Harland (bs), Adam Sinclair (dms).

All of Me with Sue Ferris blowing tenor like Lester made for a good starter as indeed did my Confit Belly Pork with Caramalised Apple & Black Pudding Puree.

Bye Bye Blackbird was a fitting number to bid a reluctant farewell to the Black Pudding Puree whilst lingering over a bottle of Black Sheep Ale in anticipation of things to come which, musically, included the Theme From Black Orpheus played by the all in black Sue on flute. It was a gorgeous rendition helped along by some fine guitar work from Jim Birkett.

All The Things You Are was next up and I was amazed at the ease with which La Ferris, back on tenor, effortlessly rolled out chorus after chorus on this the most awkward of changes.

The girl came through unscathed setting a high benchmark for Jim Birkett - not to mention my Pan Fried Salmon to follow.

Needless to say, Jim did the business with some blistering chorii of his own and the Salmon, served amid Potato Gnocchi Gratin, Smoked Salmon & Horseradish - a rare combination in my experience - also worked well.

There were other delights, Clifford Brown's Daahaud, a couple of my fave Ellington's - In A Sentimental Mood and Sophisticated Lady, Have You Met Miss Jones, a soft and sensuous Willow Weep For Me played on flute. All of these aperitifs put me in just the right mood for Baked Vanilla Créme Brulee.

This was absolutely mouthwatering - my tastebuds will never be quite the same again or at least not until my morning cereal.

Nor will my musical tastebuds after a flutey Nightingale Sang in Berkely Square and a Doxy a la (ish) Rollins.

To make the night complete the interval CD was by Diane Schur and the traffic lights were on green all the way home!

Lance.

PS: Also compliments to the rhythm section - they were cooking on nuclear in a gentle sort of way.

Claude Werner Quartet at Zeffirellis, Ambleside, Sat March 6th

In a packed Jazz Café Bar at Zeffirellis on Saturday night this truly international line-up seemed to drift aimlessly into their opening set. Four very busy musicians, playing in a variety of line ups in their adopted home city of Newcastle, probably welcomed such a low key start as it gave themselves time to re-acquaint. However, after a rave review of the previous weeks gig at The Bridge Hotel in Newcastle we need not have worried about what was to come. Laurence Blackadder (Carlisle) on bass solidly underpinned every number together with a relaxed and rhythmical David Carnegie (Barbados) on drums. The solos from Claude Werner (Chile) on tenor sax and Mark Williams (Northern Ireland) were the highlights of the evening as they soared above the steady meter of their colleagues. The first set had highlights in ‘Sitting in The Sun’ and ‘Inner Image’ however the second set was where the musicians found their feet and brought Werner’s clever compositions to life. The opener was ‘Daydreaming’ with bass and tenor sax weaving intricate patterns around a beautifully simple tune heralding some great things to come. The next number was entitled ‘City’ and, although Rush Hour as a title would have summed it up better, the sound was full of street aggression and angst as we pounded the streets looking for a way out with Werner our scintillating impatient driver on tenor saxophone. Next it was the turn of Mark Williams on guitar to provide a wonderfully melodic solo over the steady back beat on ‘I Have Nothing to Say to You’. Blackadder again opened on ‘Drawings Across The Street’ as these accomplished musicians continued to move through the gears. All the tunes played were from the bands album Thoughts and Recollections (available http://www.claudewerner.com/) which is a fine collection of tunes and hopefully the forerunner of more exciting music from this very talented set of young musicians. The final act at Zeffirellis was, my favourite from the album, ‘Gorka’ a bouncy lyrical number and a fitting tribute to another great night.

David Gosling.

The People's Crooner Final Tonight

The Alan Titchmarsh Show tonight stages the final of the People's Crooner Competition on ITV 1 at 5:00 pm.

The finalists include north-east 'swooner' Jason Isaacs and 3 others.

Unlike the heats, the final is a phone-in vote so be sure to pick up the phone.

Lance.

Well it was pretty close but our boy Jason ran out the winner.

I say 'our boy' but I did also have strong affinity with the other two guys. Alex Stewart I saw at The Spice last year and I caught Atilla Hosein supporting Buddy Greco at Durham so I knew it would be tight and well done all of you.

Lance.

Sweet Thursday

This Thursday again looks good and a shame that we have, once again, a three buses coming along at once situation.

As well as Jazz North East's Brubeck Project at Gateshead Old Town Hall, the Blaydon Jazz Quartet - that's Roly Veitch (gtr/vcl), Neil Harland (bs), Jeremy McMurray (pno) and John Hirst (dms) - are at Blaydon Jazz Club. If only I could be in two places at once...

Earlier, on the same day, at Rosie Malone's, The Maine Street Jazzmen ply their wares from 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm. This week, however, apart from the regulars, the word on the street is that Mike Bird, that excellent clarinetist from Wakefield who played so well here last June (see review) may be sitting in. If you like Goodmanic clarinet then Rosie's is the place to be this Thursday.

Lance.

This Thursday at Gateshead Old Town Hall - "The Brubeck Project".

The Liam Noble Trio's imaginative take on tunes written or recorded by the legendary Dave Brubeck was one of the most highly acclaimed albums of 2009. This Thursday (Mar 11) gives us the opportunity of hearing the event live.

This has got to be a major event. Dave Brubeck (love him or hate him and I love him) was for many years a major force in jazz. Not only did he have an explosive piano style that wowed the fans and horrified the critics - he dared to make money out of playing jazz - but he also wrote some lovely tunes. The Duke, In Your Own Sweet Way, One Moment Worth Years etc..

The Liam Noble Trio take the great man's legacy and put their own individual take on it.

Not to be missed.

Lance.

Splinter @ The Bridge - ACV (not AVC!)

Graeme Wilson (ten/bar), Mark Williams (gtr), Paul Edis (keys), Andy Champion (bs), Adrian Tilbrook (dms).

I must confess I approached tonight's SATB session with reservations. Admittedly the 5 musicians involved are among the brightest stars in the Jalaxy (intentional - jazz and galaxy get it?) but, knowing Andy and Graeme's predilection for Jazz Sans Frontieres I feared tonight could have been 'a Bridge Hotel too far' - for me at least..

And for awhile I thought my misgivings were justified. The music meandered somewhat with very little from Mark Williams which is like signing Wayne Rooney and putting him in goal. Paul Edis too seemed to be on the bench for much of the first half

However, it gradually built up to a climactic midway point with a dramatic baritone blast from Graeme on Well You Needn't that brought everything together. It was at this point I relaxed and let the waves of sound wash over me.

The second half was a whole different ball game - it was a let's go for it from the start mode resulting in some incredible solos, fantastic interplay by all five musicians, changes of mood and tempo; impossible to single anyone out they all played so fantastically free yet within a tight structure.

Congrats too to Cathy and John on their Ruby Wedding - jazz needs more supporters with the enthusiasm of these two.

Bridge photos.

Lance.

Great North Big Band Jazz Festival @ Campus, Sunderland University.Sunday 7th March.

Day Three dawned and after several pints of Guinness the previous evening the prospect of an early start - half past ten in the morning - was a challenge to some festival goers.

Things got under way with a ninety minute workshop session and in no time whatsoever the clock had struck twelve and the bar was once more open for business.

A workshop performance followed and then it was time for the competition to resume.

The Schools' Section was preceeded by a performance by the Tees Valley Music Service Big Band competing in the Youth Section.

The band had a prior engagement the previous day and in a kind of time-shift manoeuvre competed twenty four hours after the others! It worked. So much so that in running through 'Take the 'A' Train', 'Just in Time', NYJO's 'Dog House' and Stan Kenton's 'Intermission Riff' a Special Prize was awarded to the double bass player, the rhythm section took the Section Prize and the band shared the prize of Best Band with Saturday's winners - Durham County Youth Big Band.

The Schools' Section comprised of four bands. Tudhoe Grange School Big Band, previous winners of this competition, played two numbers heard earlier - 'Just in Time' and 'Dog House' together with 'Cry Me a River'. The band's vocalist - Tara Sweeting - received tumultuous applause for her performance on the latter piece. Prudhoe Community High School Big Band offered 'River Rat Shuffle', 'Where Do We Go From Here?' and others. Northumberland Intermediate Youth Jazz Orchestra (directed by Stuart Davies - bassist with Extreme Measures) played three short numbers and had a gem of a player in the ranks - of which more later. The Little Big Band, under the auspices of Gateshead Music Service, boasted no fewer than eight saxophones and all of them were female. The other sections swelled the numbers to twenty or more. 'Little Big Band' - a misnomer if ever there was one! The band breezed through the theme to 'Peter Gunn', 'Sax in the City', 'Lil Darlin'' (another good interpretation) and 'The Judge'. The Best Section prize went to the rhythm section of Prudhoe Community High School Big Band, the Outstanding Soloist prize was awarded to Tara Sweeting and the Best Band prize went to Gateshead's Little Big Band. Oh, yes...the Northumberland Intermediate band's diminutive drummer - Daniel Massey - was deservedly awarded a Special Prize.

A Small Bands Section concluded the weekend's activities. Three bands entered the competition. First on the stand were Ben Richards and the M Cats. A line-up of alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, trumpet, guitar, bass and drums played a few tunes including 'All the Things You Are' (good alto from Callum), 'Freddie Freeloader' and Horace Silver's 'Nica's Dream'. Following Ben & co. was a band with a great (?) name - Part Time Left Foot. PTLF are a quartet of double (& electric) bass, drums, guitar and tenor saxophone. Original compositions and well-chosen numbers by established composers such as Joshua Redman produced an interesting set. Matthew Forster on tenor (soon to graduate from Newcastle College) penned 'When in Rome', guitarist Andrew Simmonds is a writer of tunes with a John Zorn-like brevity (27 seconds in one instance!), bassist Jack Lowe (heard in other bands across the weekend) and a good drummer marked this band as one to watch or should that be hear? The final band, the Tees Valley Jazz Quartet, led by Loretta on tenor saxophone set a groove and went with it - 'Cantaloupe Island', a blistering 'Billie's Bounce' (great tenor on this one) and Hancock's 'Chameleon' brought to a close a fantastic feast of music. Altoist Callum from Ben Richard's band won the prize for Outstanding Soloist and the Best Band prize went to Part Time Left Foot. The weekend was a great success. Many, many musicians, many, many family, friends and supporters - all had a great time. Soloists great and small, in stature or ability, were cheered to the rafters - all will grow from the experience. The event was supported by Sunderland University, Sunderland University Students' Union, the Sunderland Partnership, the Musicians' Union, Jazz Action and others. The competition adjudicators were Mick Donnelly and Paul Jones. Organiser Bill Watson received a well-deserved vote of thanks. Apologies for any incorrect spelling of names.

Russell.

Death Knell of Traditional Jazz?

The photographs on the front cover of this month's edition of the jazz magazine 'Just Jazz' speak volumes on the declining numbers of jazz musicians capable of or willing to play trad jazz.

Pic's of reed player, Vic Ash, and trumpeter, Pat Halcox, celebrating their 80th birthdays and Geoff Downs being carried in his coffin is a depressing reminder of a rapidly aging population of jazz musicians who, apart from a few exceptions, aren't being replaced by a younger generation. Clarinetist Ronny Robinson (RIP) of the Vieux Carre Jazzmen would often say, "There'll be no one to play this music in a few years time!"

Sadly, Ronny passed away, as did trumpet players, Clem Avery and Peter Gascoigne, along with many other stalwarts of the Tyneside trad scene. Will Ronny's prediction come about?

Maybe.

The fact is that there's an increasing demand for traditional jazz music - and from unexpected sources.

Over the past 18 months or so, the Vieux Carre Jazzmen and other bands have performed for various local authorities and town councils. Bistros and restaurants are boosting business by including 'Jazz' on the menu and even churches and chapels are tuning in to the appeal of jazz music for social events and fund raising.

Along with weddings, beer festivals, garden centre promos, corporate events and business fairs if we include regular weekly sessions at pubs and clubs in the area, suddenly the situation doesn't seem quite so grim. The gigs are out there. The problem is being able to do them all with a rapidly diminishing pool of musicians. Quite often, agreeing to do a gig will depend on the availability of 'deps' (take a bow Jim McBriarty and Mike Durham). There's a wealth of brilliant young musicians on Tyneside (Paul Gowland, Sue Ferris, et al) who, unfortunately for the trad scene, appear firmly rooted in other genres of the music. Can we postpone the demise of trad jazz on Tyneside? Another New Orleans traditional revival is unlikely, and no one's going to wave a magic wand. Maybe the solution lies in our own hands. All too often I hear of musicians plying their trade for a pint of beer and a packet crisps which does none of us any favours. Of course, we can't demand the 'union rate' from the manager of a struggling pub on Byker High Street, but we should insist on a reasonable fee for the gig - alternatively, just say NO! If the fee is decent, it's possible we may be able to draw in some of the younger musicians and music college students. If there's a choice between playing in the back room of a pub for nowt or earning £100 at a wedding party, we may be able to encourage some of those musicians who perceive traditional jazz as being old-hat.

Certainly the local jazz scene needs more musicians with the attitude of trombonist, Don Fairley, equally at home with the Voice of the North Orchestra or performing street theatre trad in South Shields Market Place. Brian Bennett,

The Vieux Carre Jazzmen

(I have moved this post forward as the points raised by Brian and Duncan are relevant to all forms of live music not just Trad and, as such, should be thought about. - Lance)

Review - Mark Williams Trio : Balaclava Street

Anyone who didn't pick up Mark's CD after his recent trio gig at the Bridge faces a future of 'what might have been' and 'if only'. For make no mistake this is a very listenable disc by three of the best guys around.

Mark's versatility and ability to fit into whatever setting he is plunged is legendary but here, for 8 of the 10 tracks, it is Mark the jazzman - think of the Tal Farlow Trio and you're getting close.

The switcheroo occurs on track 6 - Cow Pat - here the pedals are pressed, the dials twiddled, a distortion unit comes into play and we're maybe into John Schofield mode. Still sounds good and it's a really catchy riff. The compelling Minor Detail also goes down this road and Mark's wild side emerges - loud, frenetic, yet never losing his inate musicality.

Back to normality for the title track. Balaclava Street is quite a lovely tune with just a hint of How Deep Is The Ocean about it.

Although this is Mark's album it is in effect a menage a trois by three consenting adults.

Paul Susans is one of the ever expanding number of quality north-east bassists capable of doing more than walking the dog. Paul's lines are integral to the whole thing.

Like Mark, David Carnegie's middle name is 'Ubiquitous' - try and remember a gig at The Bridge where neither of them were playing! On this disc David provides the power that keeps the other two on track as well as adding his own directives.

Track Mark down - he's not hard to find - and grab a copy whilst it's still around.

Lance.