Darlington Jazz Festival: Darlington Big Band - May 2

Tony Eales reports

Bebop Spoken Here’s County Durham correspondent likes big bands, he likes Darlington, so it was a no-brainer to send our man along to Darlington and Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club on the first night of this year’s Darlington Jazz Festival. TE reports a very large turnout, far more than usual at this weekly big band session. Clearly, the word had got out, there’s a festival going on in Darlington!

TE’s highlights included Richie Emmerson’s tenor playing on What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life? trumpeter Bill Watson featuring on Benny Golson’s I Remember Clifford and bass trombonist Chris Hibbard’s reading of A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square.

The Darlington Jazz Festival continues this evening (Thursday 3rd) with Matt Roberts’ workshop in Crown Street Library (registration at 5:30 for 6:00pm) and tomorrow night Roberts’ stonkingly good sextet will tear it up playing a Kenny Dorham set at the Voodoo Café (8:30 doors, 9:00pm first set). For full details visit: darlingtonjazzfestival.co.uk

Russell                 

Remi Harris Trio @ The Jazz Café, Newcastle - May 2

Remi Harris (guitars,  ukulele); Caley Groves (rhythm guitar); Mike Green (double bass)

(Review by Russell)

Some eagerly anticipated gigs meet or exceed expectations and this first Newcastle appearance by Remi Harris ticked every box. Guitarist Harris arrived in good time with rhythm guitarist Caley Groves, bassist Mike Green and tour manager Dani Harris. The trio set up, sound checked, then, perhaps, went for a wander. Whatever their pre-gig routine they were on the premises in time for the first of two sets beginning at eight o’clock.

Rock 'n' bankroll... music acts given governmen grants.

Reading in the i newspaper, under the above headline, I discover that the Department for Trade's Music Exports Growth Scheme has allocated £295,000 to artists to help fund projects across Europe, North America, Asia and Australia. 

The scene, seemingly, supports small UK music companies by contributing to artists' marketing campaigns and promotional activity.

The breakdown shows thus:

Rock acts - 34%

Pop acts   - 25%

Jazz & blues musicians 3%.

Total 62%.

So who's trousered the other 38%?

Significantly, rock and pop are classified as 'acts' whereas jazz and blues are 'musicians' which we knew all the time.

Read the full article in the Independent.

Lance.

September Song

September 16
Hoochie Coochie
Polly Gibbons
Strictly Smokin' Big Band
Don't miss!

Michael Lamb, in conjunction with Hoochie Coochie, annually features the band with a name vocalist. Last year it was Joe Stilgoe, the year before it was Hailey Tuck. This year it's Polly Gibbons - a more soulful singer than the others.  Check out my 2017 review of her, then, recently released album Is It Me? 

Polly is ideally suited to the band and to the Hoochie Coochie audience - get your tickets here.

Lance

The Road to Jazz FM Fifth Annual Awards Ceremony - April 30.

(Report by Steve T)

Wow, how did little old me end up at a posh do like this? Actually, I'm exactly the sort of person who should be here, but that's not generally how it works. It's not what you know but how much dosh you've got. Full credit must go to Liddle ole Lance who has all but single-handedly turned this blog into a "Thing".

It was months ago when Lance asked me for suggestions for the blues and soul categories. I can't remember my suggestions for blues but I'm sure I'd have included Lucky Peterson (nominated), who played one of the best gigs Sage Gateshead has ever had. I consulted big brother, who grudgingly went for Robert Cray, a fine soulful voice and unique guitar stylist, who gave blues a much-needed shot with a brilliant second album in the early eighties, but the next album brought him within the sphere of Clapton etc and he's just brought out a similar album every year or two and toured it at various venues every other year ever since. 

My Kind of Town

Last month I posted an item about Chicago DJ Denny Farrell who hosts a late night Chicago jazz radio program. Denny was appreciative of the plug and gave BSH and myself a mention on his show. The mention comes in between Sarah Vaughan and Dave Pell playing Artie Shaw which isn't a bad place to be!

Listen to the show by clicking on the Chicago Late Night Jazz link. He plays some good stuff. Our mention comes in at about 19 minutes of the hour-long show.

Thanks Denny.

Lance

Jazz Café Jam Session - May 1.

(Review by Lance)

With James Harrison on keyboards, I knew this would be no ordinary jam and it wasn't! Young 'Jack-in-a-Box' is guaranteed to enliven any gathering - sometimes to excess - and this was no exception.

Bourbon St. Parade was an unlikely opener with James ripping through the traditional New Orleans flag-waver like as though he was in a bar off Congo Square. Russ Morgan kept up the Red Beans and Rice flavour with some parade drumming whilst a bemused Paul Grainger played all the right notes in all the right places.

In a Mellow Tone and the seemingly obligatory bossa nova (Summer Samba aka So Nice) followed before it was time to start the jam session proper!

Edinburgh Festival Program

Looks good!
Details.

International Jazz Day @ The Globe Jazz Bar April 30 (continued)

(Review by Ann Alex)

I was that ’presence’, which makes me sound like a ghost, but there was nothing ghostly about the Blue Jazz Sextet and singers. I was chatting (this was a very sociable do) when I became aware of that band playing  Some Day My Prince Will Come with their usual aplomb:-  George Anyfantis (keys); Keith Barrett (guitar); Karen Rann (sop sax); Jeff Smith (ten sax); Dave Parker (electric bass); Michael Howard (drums). Then they were joined by the first of the singers from Indigo Jazz Voices, Jen Errington, who was in fine voice on Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered and one of her favourite songs, East Of The Sun. After the band played Wave, up steps Jenny Lingham with spirited versions of No Moon At All and At Last. Miriam McCormick gave us what many would consider the song of the night: a wonderful gutsy version of Mean, Mean Woman, with fitting comments from guitar and saxes. 

International Jazz Day @ The Globe Jazz Bar - April 30

April 30 - International Jazz Day. From St. Petersburg to Shoreditch to Newcastle and all points north, south, east and west the celebrations were taking place. Didn't you see the headlines in your local newspaper? Perhaps not.

Most of the big hitters were in St. Pete's and it would seem the Russians did them proud. Down in Shoreditch, in the opulent Town Hall, the celebrations were held in conjunction with the Jazz FM Awards which will be duly reviewed by our roving reporter Steve T. In Newcastle there was also a dual celebration at the less opulent Globe Jazz Bar, home of the Jazz Co-op. 

Four years to the day, The Jazz Co-op bought the pub and turned it into a venue featuring both local and national musicians and, on occasion, international musicians e.g. this coming Sunday (May 6) in a co-promotion with JNE, they present Pericopes + 1, an Italian/New York trio.

Last night though, the emphasis was on those local musicians who have helped keep the show on the road so to speak.