Gair Carson Quartet @ the Moor Club, Heaton Moor, Stockport - May 4

© Jeff Pritchard

Gair Carson (flutes, alto/tenor sax); Paul Hartley (guitar); Ken Marley (bass); Eryl Roberts (drums)

This event got off to a shaky start as there were lots of people listening to a disk jockey doing his thing and this caused a 15 minute delay before things got sorted out and the musicians could start playing! 

The opening number was You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To which featured Gair Carson on alto sax. I always think of Art Pepper when I hear this tune and his great version with Miles Davis' rhythm section. This was followed by the Clifford Brown classic Joy Spring which Gair played on tenor. I thought his choice of tunes was interesting  although  I prefer to hear bop tunes in a quintet setting but that is just my own view. Considering the late start, Gair did well to play a  total of twelve tunes during the evening.  

Sunday night @ the Globe: the Ben Crosland Quartet - May 4

© Sheila Herrick

Ben Crosland (bass guitar); Rod Mason (soprano/alto/tenor saxes); Dean Stockdale (piano); Dave Tyas (drums)

And I thought last Sunday was great! Well this session was likewise. Whichever way it was a split decision - impossible for me to lean towards either group, both were firing on all cylinders.

I've always been a trifle lukewarm towards the soprano saxophone whether played by Bechet, Lacy, Trane or almost anyone else. However, last night my perception of the instrument changed. Rod Mason blew up a Brecker-like storm on tenor, was superb on his singular outing on alto but on soprano he was simply out of this world!

Dean Stockdale too was on top form, not least when coaxing some B3 sounds from the Yamaha piano. From east coast to west coast Dean's your first keyboard call

Preview: Bridget Metcalfe Trio @ Auckland Castle - Friday 9

This week's lunchtime jazz concert (Friday 9) at Auckland Castle features the Bridget Metcalfe Trio. In addition to a career as a BBC Radio presenter, researcher and producer, Metcalfe is a voice coach (musical theatre, jazz and popular music), visual artist and jazz singer - trio, quartet, quintet and big band (Saltburn Big Band). 

Making her Bishop Auckland Jazz debut at the Old Library, Metcalfe will be accompanied by Dave Archbold (keyboards) and Mick Shoulder (double bass). It's a one o'clock start, £8.00. at the door. Please note, the Bishop Auckland Jazz sessions are very popular and the best advice is to arrive in good time to bag a seat. It could be another full house! Russell            

 

Postmodern Jukebox @ the Glasshouse, Gateshead - May 3

Rogello Douglas Jr, (MC); Sara Niewietz, Tatum Langley, Effie Passero (vocals); Demi Remick (dance); Adam Kubato (bass/bass guitar); Tony DeSare (piano); J.P. Floyd (trombone); Andrew Cox (tenor sax, flute, clarinet); Thor Jensen (guitar); Jack Amblin (drums, washboard, vocal).

The Glasshouse's Sage One buzzed with the pizazz, the razzmatazz and all that (well a little bit) jazz - a sign that PMJ were back!

MC Douglas encouraged us to party and we did. Some had already begun - Brahms and Liszt were well represented in the near full three tiered auditorium albeit somewhat differently than at a concert by the Northern Sinfonia.

The formula was the same as on PMJ's previous visits - only the songs and a couple of faces had changed. As always, hoofer Demi Remick was sensational her tap dancing shoes delivering more beats per bar than a Buddy Rich drum solo or the thimble-fingered, washboard wizardry of Jack Amblin. Given his Welsh origin, it wasn't unusual for Amblin's chosen aria to be It's Not Unusual.

Jazz Time Aycliffe Radio - Sundays 6.30-8.00pm (repeated Tuesdays 8.00-9.30pm).

https://www.ayclifferadio.co.uk/listen

Playlist 04/05/25 (repeated Tuesday 06/05/25)

 

Seasonal: John Hallam, Joe Morello.

Requests: Chick Corea Trio, Red Allen's All Stars, Georgia Cécile, Carmen McRae/Betty Carter.

Memories: Modern Jazz Quartet, Django Reinhardt/Freddy Taylor.

Requests: Blue Mitchell, Al Foster.

Big Band Requests: Thilo Wolf Big Band, La Marechal Big Band, Maynard Ferguson.

What’s on in the NE: David Newton.

Scarborough Jazz Festival. Nigel Price Organ Trio.

Aycliffe Radio is now available on DAB in County Durham & the Darlington Area.

Retro album review: Louis Stewart - I Thought About You (Livia Records)

Louis Stewart (guitar); John Taylor (piano); Sam Jones (bass); Billy Higgins (drums)

A magnificent, major remixed, remastered, rereleased version of a 1980 album that was actually recorded in 1977 by the late Irish guitar icon Louis Stewart. At the time of the recording Stewart and Taylor were part of the house band at Ronnie's where the headline act was the Cedar Walton Trio. Jones and Higgins were part of the trio and readily accepted Louis' invitation to record with him.

To say that the rest is history maybe a cliché but, how else can I describe such an exquisite album? The blurbist at Livia describes it as Stewart's finest studio album and I agree with that although it could be said that this was despite Louis' involvement rather than because of it. I'll explain:

Facing the music

An item under the above heading appeared in today's i Paper  whereby YouGov posed the question, Do you like or dislike jazz?, to 5,302 GB adults and received the following response:

Neither like or dislike - 41%. Like - 22%. Dislike - 19%. Hate - 9%. Love - 6%. Don't know - 2%.

It would perhaps have been of further interest if the participants had been asked to define what they consider to be jazz. Lance

Link to Hugh's comment: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/entertainment/survey-results/daily/2025/04/30/c5920/3

What a difference a day made

As you all know, yesterday was International Jazz Day. What, you're saying you didn't know?! I can only imagine that you blinked and missed the media coverage in print, online and by word of mouth as the world lay down its arms and picked up their  chosen instruments.

Oh and if you don't own an instrument all is not lost because on May 22 it's National Buy a Musical Instrument Day. You don't actually have to be able to play the instrument that you've bought, in fact their are those amongst us who have done more for music than Bach or Beethoven ever did by not playing their instrument.

Andy Bey (Oct. 28, 1939 - April 26, 2025)

DownBeat has released the sad news that legendary jazz/soul singer and pianist died on April 26 at the age of 85 - DETAILS. 

His individual style is well-captured in the above YouTube clip from his definitive album Experience and Judgement.

R.I.P. Lance

Guido Spannocchi Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle - April 30

© Ken Drew

Guido Spannocchi (baritone sax); John Pope (double bass); Steve Hanley (drums)

Did you know it was International Jazz Day? UNESCO, founded in 1945, puts its weight behind the initiative, an initiative designed to showcase jazz to the wider world. There was the option of watching a livestream from Abu Dhabi (Herbie Hancock, Emmet Cohen and others) or getting along to the Globe for a triple bill culminating in a headline appearance by Guido Spannocchi. 

On the last day of April - the 30th (International Jazz Day) - the sun shone and so, the Globe it was. It just so happens, actually by design, Newcastle Jazz Co-op purchased the Globe on Railway Street on this very day eleven years ago. There have been many ups and downs over the years - memorable gigs, funding issues, unexpected repair bills etc - but this was a day to celebrate all things jazz.