Album review: Janinah Burnett - Love the Color of Your Butterfly

Janinah Burnett (vocals); Terreon 'Tank' Gully (drums, producer, co-arranger) and on various tracks: Christian Sands, Sullivan Fortner, Keith Brown (piano); Luques Curtis, Ben Williams (bass); Casey Benjamin (vocoder)

Well I certainly get some strange albums to review and this must surely be one of the oddest! Good in parts and rather peculiar in others. Nothing to do with the instrumentalists, who are long established jazzmen. Ms Burnett is a woman who possesses two voices, one an operatic soprano and the other a sultry alto jazz voice. The intention on this recording was to produce what our singer terms 'clazz' – a meeting of the American indigenous genres of spirituals, blues, jazz and soul with the classical idioms that she is used to performing in opera.

KSRV: Luca Caruso, Dave Archer, Noah Stoneman - Feb. 2

Luca Caruso (drums); Dave Archer (guitar); Noah Stoneman (organ)

(Screenshots by Ken Drew)

An organ trio! Lead on McDuff, bring it on McGriff, get in the Groove Holmes, let's hear it for Jimmy Smith!

This was what I expected and I looked forward with wild anticipation at what I was about to receive!

It didn't quite work out like that and it wasn't until the final number, Jimmy Smith's Back at the Chicken Shack, that those expectations were realised. Don't get me wrong, it was all good stuff and tastefully played but not what I look for in an organ, guitar and drums set-up.

Sad news ...

So sad to report that George MacKellar died at the weekend. George, father of Berklee student and drum-ace Matt, was a regular at many of the region's jazz gigs - back in the day when we had such things.  He was very supportive of Matt's musical ambitions and ability. I personally found him to be a very affable person, friendly and easy to get along with as I'm sure did everyone else who knew him.

George MacKellar was 60. To say he will be sadly missed is an understatement ...

Our condolences and deepest sympathy go out to his family and friends.

May he Rest In Peace.

Lance

New Blog by Simon Spillett

Tenor saxist cum writer (or is it vice-versa?) Simon Spillett has entered the blogging world. His initial post went out yesterday and can be found here.

Having read many of Simon's posts on Facebook  and, of course, his highly regarded biography of Tubby Hayes "The Long Shadow of the Little Giant", I can guarantee that it will be well worth reading what Simon says on a variety of subjects. 

Lance

Siren temporarily silenced - Feb. 2

Due to a technical hitch this week's Simply Jazz programme on Lincoln based Siren Radio almost didn't happen. The show is recorded in advance of its noon start on Tuesdays. At the appointed time, nothing. The online link didn't work. Thankfully the gremlins were ironed out and the show began an hour later than scheduled at one o'clock. 

Presenter Tom Stevens plays a wide range of material, in truth, stretching the boundaries to include pop-jazz numbers which no doubt tests the patience of the hardcore jazz fan. This week, one item attracted the attention of the hardcore listener. Stevens conducted a Zoom interview with Craig Wild. This Sunday (Feb. 7) trumpeter Wild will be leading his big band in a live stream performance from Ronnie Scott's. 

James Pearson's Rhapsody in Light Blue live streaming from Ronnie Scott's - Feb. 1

James Pearson (piano); Jeremy Brown (double bass); Matt Skelton (drums); Pete Long (alto sax, clarinet); Callum Au (trombone, euphonium); James 'JT' Turner (tuned percussion); Alicja Smietana (violin). 

(Screenshots by Ken Drew)

James Pearson presented a live stream celebration of Rhapsody in Blue. Ronnie Scott's MD introduced an all-star chamber jazz ensemble to perform a selection of compositions from George Gershwin's earliest days on Tin Pan Alley to Porgy and Bess to his An American in Paris Days and the focus of this Monday evening concert, Rhapsody in Blue. 

The house trio is an attraction in itself, the addition of two of Ronnie's regulars (Pete Long, reeds, Callum Au, brass) and a couple of specialists (James 'JT' Turner, tuned percussion, Alicja Smietana, violin) assisted Pearson in creating something akin to the full orchestral voices available to Gershwin (and Paul Whiteman) almost a century ago. 

Preview: Simply Jazz (Feb. 2)

This week's edition of Simply Jazz on Siren Radio looks forward to Sunday's live stream from Ronnie Scott's. Presenter Tom Stevens previews the Craig Wild Big Band in concert from Frith Street, London. The evening (Feb 7) will take the form of a Maynard Ferguson-Alan Downey tribute concert. Some big hitters are in the band so it should be well worth logging on to Ronnie's website (the live stream begins at eight o'clock). Simply Jazz is on air tomorrow (Tuesday) at noon. The station, part of the University of Lincoln, can be heard in the Lincoln area on 107.3FM and online at www.sirenonline.co.uk

Russell

Album review: Andy Champion & Graeme Wilson - Shoes For Losers

Graeme Wilson (tenor sax); Andy Champion (double bass)

Andy Champion and Graeme Wilson are no strangers to one another featuring many times together in various bands but especially in Champion’s own vehicle ACV and Wilson’s The Graeme Wilson Quartet. This recording made on Valentine’s Day 2020 gave the pair the opportunity to produce a CD of free improvisation. I suppose it beats a dozen roses and a candlelit dinner.

Press Statement from Senior Management Board of Cheltenham Festivals

In response to the continuing impact of the coronavirus pandemic, we have taken the decision to make the Cheltenham Jazz Festival 2021 a digital-only Festival running over the weekend of Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 May. Additionally, we hope to bring live Jazz music to the heart of Cheltenham in July in line with whatever government restrictions may be in place at that time. We will announce details of the Jazz Festival line-up and how it can be viewed in mid-March.

Frank Griffith remembers Frank Toms (1937 - Jan. 27, 2021)

(Photo © John Ross supplied courtesy of LJN)

Having  known  and played  with Frank for 25 years (from 1996)  I found him open to playing any type of gig going and would do his level best to attend at a moment's notice - he  so welcomed a challenge.

Frank’s Mancunian accent and humour remained intact throughout his 83 years. We used to discuss classical music a lot and he recommended that I acquire Tchaikovsky’s Serenade For Strings which I duly did and found it a great source for learning about writing for smaller string ensembles.