Darlington Jazz Festival: Alan Barnes with Durham Alumni Big Band @ Central Hall - May 5

(Review by Russell)

Darlington Jazz Festival’s annual Saturday evening set-piece occasion in the Victorian splendour of Central Hall always draws a capacity audience and so it was this year with Alan Barnes performing alongside the magnificent Durham Alumni Big Band. The orchestra is worth travelling a distance to hear, add the name A Barnes to the programme and a sellout is assured. This year’s gala occasion came at the end of a clear blue sky day, a scorching sun raising temperatures beyond the seasonal norm pressing Central Hall’s air conditioning unit into action.

CD Review: Fred Farell - Distant Song

Fred Farell (vocals, lyrics); Dave Liebman (sop and ten sax, wooden recorder); Richie Beirach (piano).

(Review by Ann Alex).

In 1971 Fred Farell had his first singing engagement in a jazz club in Lakewood, New Jersey, and he later studied with pianist Richie Beirach in New York, singing in various NYC clubs and also writing lyrics. After experiencing a dramatic conversion to Christianity in 1978, by June 1980 he had decided to leave the jazz community. However in 2013 he looked again at the lyrics that he had written for the musical compositions by Liebman and Beirach, and decided to record the music and lyrics, and this CD is the result of that project.

Jam Session @ The Dun Cow, Jesmond - May 9.

Pete Gilligan (piano); Paul Grainger (bass); Russ Morgan (drums) + Jenny Kanellea, Debra Milne, Lindsay Hannon (vocals); George Sykes (tenor); Lin Lee Wong (piano).

(Review by Lance).

It had been a fair while since I'd heard Pete Gilligan - I don't get to Thailand too often these days - but I'm pleased to say that a diet of Thai cuisine hasn't done his playing any harm. He let it all hang out on the opening Witchcraft casting a spell on the audience with his bravura solo. the spell was only broken by the prolonged applause that said, "Glad to have you back Pete, even if it is only for a month or so." Grainger and Morgan picked it up as if it was only yesterday that they were setting fire to the Jazz Café's jam sessions and, even if no jammers turned up, it looked as though we were in for a good night.

Of course, some jammers did turn up with the first one being Jenny Kanellea who made her debut at the Dun Cow a couple of weeks back.

Kansas Smitty's House Band @ Ronnie Scott's - May 7

Giacomo Smith (alto); Pete Horsfall (trumpet/vocal); Alec Harper (tenor); Adrian Cox (clarinet/vocal); Joe Webb (piano); Dave Archer (guitar); Ferg Ireland (bass); Will Cleasby (drums).

(Review by Sebastian Scotney of LondonJazzNews - Kansas Smitty's House Band at the 2018 Cheltenham Festival Photo credit and © John Watson / jazzcamera.co.uk)

The Kansas Smittys are on a roll. Their Ronnie Scott’s date on Monday came after no fewer than four shows at Cheltenham. “We played a lot, we didn’t sleep a lot,” explained leader Giacomo Smith - and before long they’ll be off to play at a festival in Nantes in France.

Into my mind came a distant memory. I once reviewed a date of a small band led by Giacomo Smith at Boisdale Canary Wharf in April 2013, LINK

There I was five years ago in the role of “the-only-audience-member-who-sort-of-knows-when-to-applaud-because-this-music-needs-some-kind-of--response-dammit”, dutifully checking out the end just about every solo and every number. That was then, this is now. That was before the “Kansas Smitty’s” name had even been dreamt up, before their well-deserved success started to take wing. The formula, the bar which is their home and all that has worked just brilliantly. Audiences love this band. Everybody loves this band.

Rob Luft @ Cheltenham Jazz Festival. The Daffodil, May 4.

Rob Luft (guitar), Joe Wright (sax), Joe Webb (keyboards), Tom McCredie (bass), Mark Michelle (drums).

(Review by Steve T)

This was one of those posh bashes like what Zoe Gilby and Andy Champion played last year or the year before.

Pink sparkling wine on arrival, a tomato cut up with a few salady bits chucked on for starter, sea bass or - if you play the I don't like fish card - chicken in a delectable sauce that Mrs T let me taste, and a very lemony dessert. At £65 a head, do the maths.

A table shared with three other couples could have been tricky but proved to be the best table in the place, so all credit to them including, would you believe, a Chester le Street lad and fellow Old Johnstonian.

Christian McBride Big Band @ Cheltenham Jazz Festival, Town Hall – May 6.

(Review by Steve T)

I had their album Bringin’ It as one of my picks of last year; an unlikely choice from a self-confessed big band philistine, but I saw McBride with his trio in November and if anybody can make a big band cool it's him. 

The start had a stand-in on bass allowing a big introduction for the leader; apparently common-place in such situations. The band were all in white shirts, perhaps reflecting the weather outside, but McBride remained in a suit throughout.

Trumpet solo followed by Marcus Strickland on tenor, backed by the rest of the horns, followed by trombone, the audience now clapping along, before muted trumpets provided the backing with a short bass burst finishing the piece.

Body and Soul @ Dormans Jazz Club Middlesbrough - May 3

Richie Emmerson (tenor sax) Kevin Eland (trumpet) Rick Laughlin (keys & synthesizer) Keith Peberdy (bass) and Stuie Ellerton (drums).

The Quintet, comprising of local musicians,  maintained the high standards of guest bands at Dormans Jazz Club with an impressive performance, starting the evening with Wes Montgomery's Road Song followed by Good Bait and a fine version of a favourite one of mine Freddie Hubbard's Up Jumped Spring. The ballad, Young and Foolish, featured  Kevin showing his great skill on flugelhorn. After playing Speak Low bebop style, the first half was finished off with a very moving Chuck Mangione number Hill Where The Lord Hides with great solos from all of the band. Cantaloupe Island started the second half off in style and then a fast John Coltrane blues Mr.PC.

Darlington Jazz Festival: Jeff Barnhart & John Hallam @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre - May 5

Jeff Barnhart (piano, vocals); John Hallam (tenor & baritone saxophones, clarinet); Keith Stephen (guitar, banjo); Bruce Rollo (double bass, vocals)

(Review by Russell)

Darlington New Orleans Jazz club has been presenting the best in jazz – from ragtime to swing, all things New Orleans to Dixieland, hot dance music and a nod to the ‘revivalists’ – for more than two decades. Darlington Jazz Festival’s decision to change its established late April slot in the calendar to the first week in May meant that the New Orleans’ session could be incorporated into the festival with the prospect of benefitting from the wider publicity generated by a high profile, five-day event.

ECM Invasion

Just when this chap [me!] felt he had every CD in the world awaiting review along comes a package with, not 1, not 2, but 6 ECM releases! Like the fabled camel and the straw this was 6 CDs too many so, rather than just ignore such a prestigious label as ECM, I've linked them up to source so readers can read about them, listen to samples and, maybe, part with their euros.

Here are the links:
Nik Bärtsch's Ronin - Awase. ECM 2603.
Ketil Bjornstad - A Suite of Poems. ECM 2440.
Kristjan Randalu - Absence. ECM 2586.
Marc Sinan - White. ECM 2558.
Elina Duni - Partir. ECM 2587.
Steve Tibbetts - Life Of. ECM 2599.
Lance

Nigel Kennedy @ Cheltenham Jazz Festival, Town Hall, May 3.

(Review by Steve T)

I saw Nigel Kennedy at Scarborough a few years back and he did a set of Django - more or less - and a set of Hendrix - more or less. The former was great but the latter was immense.

I generally go to Cheltenham if there are two acts close together in the schedule. The early announcements met that, but the addition of Nigel Kennedy doing Hendrix meant doing more or less the whole festival for the first time ever became a Thing.