Maine Street Jazzmen @ Sunniside Social Club - May 20

(Photo by Russell)

Herbie Hudson (trombone, harmonica, vocals); Ray Harley (trumpet); Jim McBriarty (alto sax, soprano sax, clarinet, vocals); Jimmy Cassidy (piano); John Hedley (bass); Ian Hetherington (drums)

Earlier in the day Jim McBriarty said: It's either feast or famine. A lunchtime gig with the Vieux Carré Jazzmen on North Tyneside, then, this evening, across the Tyne in a not-so-sunny Sunniside, a session with the Maine Street Jazzmen. In an all but gig-less year, McBriarty had the luxury of two sessions in a day. One question remained...would anyone turn up in not-so-sunny Sunniside? 

And the next event is a tenor saxophone contest between ...

Bring back the jam sessions - I mean the real, no-holds-barred battle royals of yore. They're a part of jazz folklore. Hawkins blowing all night and early morning trying to cut the cats in Kansas City. Flip, Illinois and others making a name for themselves and some dough for Norman Granz on the JATP tours. Dexter and Wardell smashing the place up blowing The Chase. 

I remember the disappointment when I first heard JATP  at Newcastle City Hall back in May 1958. This was going to be something, I thought, and it was. How could it not be with Stan Getz, Sonny Stitt, Coleman Hawkins, Dizzy and Roy Eldridge on the bill?

Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone - May 20

(Photo by Russell)

Jim McBriarty (alto sax, soprano sax, clarinet, vocals); Lawrence McBriarty (trombone, vocals); Brian Bennett (banjo); Paul Grainger (double bass); Fred Thompson (drums) + John Broddle (vocals)

The Vieux Carré Jazzmen were first out of the traps with a socially-distanced indoor gig. The band's loyal followers - jabbed or not - turned out in good number. What's the odds of the first four numbers featuring four different vocalists? On this VCJ gig that's what we got. First up, guest John Broddle singing Honeysuckle Rose. 

Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music 2021

 

(Press release) Thursday 30th September - Sunday 3rd October (Exhibition Preview and Warm Up: Saturday 25th September) A multicultural mélange celebrating the rich tapestry of improvised music from the UK Jazz scene.  In 1995 the original Newcastle Jazz Festival closed it’s doors, leaving a void in the city, until Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music was launched for the first edition in 2017.

Ten albums by bass players - Part two

3. Charles Mingus – The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (1963)

One of the great Impulse modern jazz albums. If you don’t have this in your collection you should go and stand in the corner of the room until you feel better. Despite not containing any of Mingus’ best known tunes this is a tremendously strong suite of compositions that stands up against anything else recorded before or since, the opening track alone includes enough themes and variations to fill the career of a lesser composer. This album throws up the question whether Mingus is a greater composer than he is a bass player. Difficult to answer when, at times a huge, wide, interactive frenzy is built on the support provided by Mingus’ bass. He gives us soul, wailing plantation blues, weeping gospel, urban torch song, a folk waltz, frantic Mexicali strumming and Gershwinesque grandeur and it all hangs together. It would be a breath taking ballet.

It's Not All That Jazz

Back in my cycling days, jazz was never far from my mind. In my very early days as a teenager, on club runs, we used to sprint for signs. As we went hell for leather to be the first into Morpeth I'd be pedalling to the tune of High Society. I always came, at best, second, maybe future track champion Vince Burns was hearing Scrapple From the Apple.

The reason for this, seemingly unlikely post, springs from a Twitter (Tweet?) by Paul Edis promising to deliver an article on the relationship between music and exercise - in Paul's case jogging - as well as a book by someone else on the relationship between jazz and cricket.

Ten albums by bass players - Part one

1. Paul Chambers – Bass on Top (1957).  

This is a joyous, tight, swinging collection of covers (with a Chambers original added for the CD reissue). Chambers is ably supported by a crack quartet of Kenny Burrell (guitar), Hank Jones (piano) and Art Taylor (drums). By this point Chambers was a member of Miles Davis’ group and, along with Red Garland and Philly Joe Jones, he made up The Rhythm Section who ‘met' Art Pepper the same year that Bass on Top was recorded. Chambers bows his bass through two tracks, the stately Yesterdays and the more upbeat The Theme (the Miles Davis tune). Throughout the album the bass is mixed so high and so far forward sometimes feels that Chambers could be behind you. There is no doubt about whose album this is.

On choosing an instrument

On today's edition (May 19) of Radio 4's Life Changing series, presenter Jane Garvey asked Tony Kofi: Is there any instrument you would have rejected? Banjo? Pausing a moment, saxophonist Kofi replied: Er...banjo!  Russell.

Link

Just thinkin' ...

This quote from KT Reeder is interesting, controversial and must surely provoke some further comment: "The idea of teaching somebody to improvise is just bloody ridiculous. In this country jazz has been appropriated by universities. They have jazz courses, and they churn out people who have a degree in jazz, which makes me feel very nauseous, the idea that you can be trained to do jazz." - (Giant Steps by David Burke).

This is something I, as one who struggled through various  teach yourself jazz tutors as well as gleaning 'knowledge' from semi-pros, regarded this as the way to go. I mean, did Louis or Bird go to Berklee or Julliard? No, they went to the School of Hard Knocks before graduating to the University of Life.

EFG London Jazz Festival: We are back and live from 12 –21 November

(Press release)

Following an exceptional digital edition last year, the 29th EFG London Jazz Festival returns to live audiences with a programme of highest quality live performances by an electrifying line up of global stars, special collaborations, new commissions and the finest and freshest music from the UK.  

We are back with the complete experience of living London to the fullest, with a city-wide selection of venues, clubs, partnerships as well as creative engagement projects, talks and free-stages, whilst retaining our commitment to our nationwide and global outreach through our digital work.