Gig of the Year

Chris Yates has come up with the following suggestion: Nominations for the Gig of the Year.

Chris's own suggestion is:

"Gateshead Jazz Festival March, 2009 : the double bill of JOSHUA REDMAN TRIO and GUY BARKER JAZZ ORCHESTRA. The Joshua Redman Trio would have been my 'Gig of 2009' by itself, but sharing a concert with Guy Barker's terrific Jazz Orchestra...no contest, as they say."

I'll have to think about mine.

Also, perhaps two categories a general one and one involving local (local to you) musicians rather than 'visiting firemen'.

As local can mean anywhere from Newcastle to New York (and 'Old York') state clearly where the gig took place.

Please email suggestions to lanceliddle@gmail.com

Lance

Tonight - 'Hims' Ancient and Modern

There is a treat in store tonight for modern/maainstream enthusiasts at the Cherry Tree Restaurant on Osborne Road, Jesmond.

The Graham Hardy Quartet, that is Graham waxing lyrical on trumpet and flugel horn, Mark Williams eulogising on guitar, Neil Harland selecting only the most effective bass notes and Rob Walker keeping it together and driving it along on drums.

Coupled with a two-course meal for a tenner this looks like a lovely way to spend an evening.

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If your tastes run to more traditional fayre the the Vieux Carré Jazzmen serve up their brand of New Orleans Hot Pot at the Corner House Hotel in Heaton.

Lance.

Tomasz Stanko Quintet @ The Sage, Gateshead.

Tomasz Stanko - trumpet, Jakob Bro - guitar, Alexi Tuomarila - piano, Anders Christensen - bass, Olavi Louhivuori - drums.

Some years ago I read a collection of short stories by William Price Fox - "Southern Fried". They are magnificent tales of the American deep south - seek it out, I think it has been re-printed with 6 extra stories.

The particular story relevant to tonights little adventure is a one called "The Rope". It's a story centred around a group of down and outs who challenge each other to name the worst place they have ever slept in. The winner was a doss house which had a room with a rope stretched across the middle - no beds - just a rope. The idea was that the 'guests' draped themselves across the rope and then tried to sleep. The most comfortable position was in the centre of the rope but if you were late arriving it meant you had to make do with the end of the rope and had to try and sleep at an angle. Not easy.

Tonight, I opted for a £7 standing ticket on Level 3 in The Sage's Hall 2. This was only marginally more comfortable than I imagine the rope to have been and possibly contributed to my cup not running over with joy.

Roz Rigby introduced the quintet who last night had been part of the London Jazz Festival and tonight were performing, possibly, as part of Polish Week in Newcastle. I wondered idly if they were having a Newcastle Week in Poland!

The first 20 minutes were of a dirge like nature; probing, introspective, long drawn out notes that suggested a lament to a fallen soldier or a departed love, possibly the introduction to a dream and indeed sleep did beckon but I fought it and won (or did I?).

The set was played non-stop without interval or announcement and there were moments when it came beautifully and excitingly to life. Tomasz does have a wonderful tone (so he should playing all those long notes) and when he chose to despatch some Miles-like runs he displayed an impressive technique and nobody slept.

But, having fortified myself by listening to his earlier quartet recordings I realised that I was really at the wrong concert. The fault is entirely mine.

Piano, bass, guitar and drums had their moments but by and large their role was supportive.

The attendance was good with Levels 1 and 2 close to sold out hence my being up there where the air is rarified.

Next time I'll opt for a seat in the stalls.

Lance.

Zoe Gilby Quintet @ Saltburn Jazz Centre - Friday 13th November

Zoe - vocals ; Andy Champion - double bass ; Noel Dennis - trumpet & flugel horn ; Richard Brown - drums ; Mark Williams - guitar.
As Mark Williams and I arrived in Saltburn tonight, darkness rained heavily on the small seaside town yet, lucky for some, the Community Centre was bathed in a welcoming ecclesiastical light with a large banner proudly announcing : JAZZ CONCERT TONIGHT ; "Are you sure this is the place?!"

Inside, all was cosily organised with table-clothed and glowing-candled settings, arranged in sweeping arcs around a 'giant 4 poster bed' of an artists' area. Quoting from Saltburn's Community website: "The hall was completed in April 1910 as a Primitive Methodist Chapel. It is an historic building with Grade II listing constructed of glazed brick and a slate roof. It is heated by gas fired central heating radiators." Fascinating stuff and what's more, it was literally packed with expectant jazz fans - such a contrast to The Georgian Theatre Stockton - the warm welcome from the organisers even extending to drinks being pressed into the hands of the band as they arrived - such a human touch, nice!
This was a passionate 'back with a vengeance' performance, after Zoe's 3 week absence due to a throat infection and, surprisingly, in a venue that projected the sound of the band without any clashing echos, although it may be worth considering a PA when beyond a trio, to let Zoe's voice dominate the mix on all sides. I'd not heard the announced "Zoe Gilby+quartet" with a trumpet/flugel frontline before but I was soon impressed as Noel pulled a variety of lively chromatic rabbits out of the hat with his cool Chet Baker kind of blue magic!
Zoe's standards were high as usual and, nearing the end of the 1st set, I got another chance to attempt to work out the duo arrangement of 'Nice Work if You Can Get it', as the rest of the band were sent to get the interval drinks. Unfortunately it is for sure, 'Nice Work' but I just can't 'Get It' - how do they do it? With the voice/bass counterpoint, the extended melody harmonics - could be Lydian Dominant meets Abbott & Costello: it's just SO clever and pulls out all the tricks in Andy's amazing conjurer's cabinet.
Zoe's a great fan of writer Dave Frischberg (Fresh-Mountain) and, rallying those like-minded women in the hall who expect equality to be weighed in their favour, ordered up her sweet in the 1st set with her slinky delivery of Peel Me A Grape - "....Don't just do it, jump to it!" So it was in Set II that those who are fed up with being told to avoid what those kill-joy scientists tell us just might kill us, got another rare heartfelt Frischberg number - 'Forget About Living' with its list of all the things we like that are bad for us, concluding that without a bit of excess, "..you might as well be dead!" A sort of Dorothy Parker reversal.
I just love their treatment of 'Caravan' and tonight we got a deftly delivered drum solo from Richard Brown of the highest order - you were there with him on camel-back - a great sound. Meanwhile Mark Williams is thankfully never predictable - every solo he takes, he takes it easy but he really does take it! This was a showcase performance of the highest order.

George M.

An Invitation to The Boiler Room (Bridge Hotel, Newcastle.)

Hey Folks,

It would be great to see more of you come down! You're missin' out on a good night and plenty of good music and good fun to be had. Hope to see more of you on Tuesday! This will be the penultimate gig and then we're finished during December. We will aim to be relaunching during January so come down these last two weeks!

Chris Tippy Geehan.

(Admission £2 but if you bring your instrument and have a jam it is free.)

Trinity Jazz - It's a Sin to Tell A Lie but Fats Lives!

Mike Durham (tpt/vcl/narration), John Crocker (Ten/clt), Keith Nichols (pno/org/vcl), Keith Stephen (bjo/gtr), Bruce Rollo (bs), Pete Soulsby (dms).

A tried and tested formula by the musicians involved pleased another well-attended session at Trinity Church, Gosforth - this time held in the church itself to enable Keith Nichols to play "Sugar" on the mighty church console.

This was an evening, devoted to the life and times of Fats Waller, that rolled pleasantly along. The legends and annecdotes related by Mike and Keith Nichols, old-hat to regular jazzianardos, were new to many of the parishioners and rewarded with the appropriate chuckles and occasional guffaw - not too many of the latter as, after all, we were in church.

Musically there was much to offer. I've already mentioned Nichol's organ-playing but it was his stride piano and the workout's he gave to such Waller comps. as "A Handful of Keys", "Viper's Drag" (but surprisingly not "Alligator Crawl") and others that hit the jackpot.

John Crocker, romped happily through "Honeysuckle Rose" on tenor and "Sweet Sue" and "Dinah" on clarinet. His tenor-playing has that richness Waller's man Gene Cedric had and is totally in period.

Mike Durham provided the trumpet lead necessary to recreate the sound of Fat's Rhythm as well as donating some throwaway vocals.

Perhaps the relatively unsung heroes of the night were the rhythm section. Keith Stephen did the Al Casey bit to perfection with Bruce and Pete solid in both support and solo.

Fats wrote some lovely tunes and tonight they were given the treatment they deserved.

"I've Got My fingers Crossed", "Blue Turning Grey", "Ain't Misbehavin'", "Milkman", "Louisiana Fairytale" etc. all gems.

Photos.

An ambitious program has been proposed for next year including an unmissable Daryl Sherman with Digby Fairweather - March 13.

Up next is the New Century Ragtime Orchestra on Dec.5.

Well done Trinity Church, maybe jazz is 'parochial' after all.

Lance.

Name That Tune

Colin Aitchison sent me this ten minute video clip of Flip Phillip's 80th birthday bash. It has Flip on tenor, Phil Woods, alto, Randy Sandke, trumpet, Herb Ellis, guitar, Scott Hamilton, tenor, Carl Fontana, trombone, all jamming on ............

This is the question Colin poses. Name the tune before it gets to the end when all is revealed.

You have to listen closely to the changes played by Derek Smith on piano.

Clue - not a regular jamming tune.

Lance.

Tonight @ Trinity Church, Gosforth...

... a Fats Waller tribute with Keith Nichols, John Crocker, Keith Stephens, Mike Durham, Bruce Rollo and Pete Soulsby.
Tonight's recital is in the actual church rather than the centre to enable 'Fats' Nichols to recreate some of Waller's work on the 'Mighty Wurlitzer'.
Another 3 figure audience is anticipated so the Gosforth Gang are doing something right in their promotion of 'The Devil's Music'.
Lance

Vasil Xenopoulos Rides Again - Cherry Tree Restaurant, Jesmond.

Vasilis Xenopoulos (ten), Paul Edis (pno), Mick Shoulder (bs), Adam Sinclair (dms).

Different venue, different audience, same band, same tunes? This would be the easy way out but not for Vasy, Paul and Co.

Totally different set list yet equally as enjoyable.

Given that the quartet were playing for diners they began swinging gently along on "Witchcraft" with Vasy playing chorus after chorus incorporating a brief sortie into "Desifinado" before handing over to Paul who kept the mood going. "One Note Samba" and "Wave" provided the obligatory Bossa Nova moments with an original(ish) "Blues For Geordieland" going down the 12 bar route. An almost, but not quite, tongue in cheek version of "Honeysuckle Rose" built up to a blast on "Killer Joe".

Even unmiked, Vasy still has this wonderful sound that clings to the body of the instrument before erupting in a glorious cascade of audio colours.

As the room filled up and the rhythm section was augmented by knives and forks and plates and chitter chatter so the band moved through the gears accordingly and by the interval they were leaving the Earth's gravitational pull - Destination Mars.

At this point I will digress and let my tastebuds describe my Sirloin Steak.

"8 oz of heaven cooked to our preferred medium rare status and served with French Fries, tomato, mushroom and garnish. This was a culinary orgasm. My compliments to the chef he is to haute cuisine what Vasilis Xenopoulos is to le jazz moderne."

Service too is excellent and, above all, the owner is knowlegable and jazz friendly. How many restaurateurs do you know who can wax eloquently about Ellis Larkins (an American Paul Edis) or still recall the magic of seeing Sinatra at the Royal Festival Hall?

Back to tonight. The second set saw the band in orbit - "Smile", the bluesiest instrumental version of "Georgia on my Mind" that you are ever going to hear in a Jesmond restaurant, "Love For Sale", "Canteloupe Island", "The Nearness of You" - so evocative it sent pictures of loved ones past present and future floating across the crowded room.

If I seem to have neglected the rhythm section I hope they'll forgive me. Paul Edis fingered up his usual storm although perhaps marginally undermiked. He got in some good Garner licks (or was it Fats?) on Honeysuckle and a lot of his own brilliant and imaginative solos on the others. Mick and Adam, because of the diner situation were relatively subdued tonight although it didn't prevent them keeping it all together.

As I left "It Don't Mean a Thing if it Ain't Got That Swing" kept the joint jumping and it crossed my mind that "The Cherry Tree Restaurant on Jesmond's Osborne Road is as close to a big city jazz venue that we've had in Newcastle for many years.

The paradoxical thing is that most of the audience are probably only fringe fans yet the ambience is jazzier than in many of the other out and out jazz places.

Long may it reign which it also did outside (rain).

Lance.

Grecian 2009 Blow Wave. Vasilis Xenopoulos & The Paul Edis Trio @ Blaydon

Vasilis Xenopoulos (ten), Paul Edis (pno), Mick Shoulder (bs), Adam Sinclair (dms).

Vasy (Xeno? Mr X?) is one of those players you remember come what may. The sound is warm without being hot, cool without being cold. Tonight It captured the Blaydon audience from the opening notes of "Gone With The Wind" to the closing bars of "Wee" (a.k.a. "Allen's Alley") this is what a saxophone should sound like; aggressive, launching an attack, mellow when romancing a ballad.
In the latter field, "Don't Explain" oozed sensuality as Vasy caressed and totally seduced the tune as Billie Holiday and Dexter Gordon had done in days of yore.

Our old friend, "The Way You Look Tonight" reared it's lovely head once more and the comments from last night's Alan Glen gig apply equally here. This tune is made for swinging even if Jerry Kern didn't intend it that way. Stan Getz, Sonny Rollins, Guy Lafitte are just some of the tenor players who've given it an unforgetable workout. Vasy's version is right up there with the best of them.
Other gems included "Blues in the Closet", "All The Things You Are" (done in 3/4 time) an attractive Vasy original in "A Rose in Spanish Harlem"and Wes Montgomery's "Road Song".

There were also originals by Paul, including a rather moving "Dedicated to Duke" that brought to mind Strayhorn's "Passion Flower".

As is expected these days, Paul's performance on piano was superb, his solos and baroque interludes being outstanding.

On bass, Mick Shoulder was as dependable as always whilst Adam Sinclair slotted perceptively into the ineveitable round of fours and eights as they appeared.

If you missed out on tonight or enjoyed it so much you want a repeat prescription for happiness then Vasilis Xenopoulos appears tomorrow night at The Cherry Tree Restaurant in Jesmond. Couple music like that with the Cherry Tree cuisine then I for one am up for seconds!

Photos.

Lance.

Newport Jazz Festival 1959

Click here if you want to hear some Basie, Blakey or Dakota Staton from Newport 1959.

Lance.

Duology + 2 @ The Bridge Hotel. November 11th.

Duology: Michael Marcus (clarinet) & Ted Daniel (trumpet, flugelhorn & Moroccan flute) +2: Charlie Collins (drums) & John Jasnoch (electric guitar & oud).
Free jazz is an unpredictable art form yet it was odds on that last night's gig upstairs at the Bridge Hotel would be a winner.

Michael Marcus and Ted Daniel have been working together for some time (their debut duo recording 'Duology' was recorded in New York in 2006) and their offer to visit Newcastle as part of a UK tour was accepted without a moment's hesitation.

Marcus has performed on Tyneside in recent years in the company of free jazz veteran Sonny Simmons and here he was with another from the 'fire music' era of the New York loft scene - Ted Daniel.

The opening piece featured Daniel, unaccompanied, on Moroccan flute. A sensitive, single note fanfare reaching all four corners, it invited John Jasnoch to pick up the oud (for the first and only time during the performance), Marcus his Bb clarinet and the eccentric that is percussionist Charlie Collins to complete the quartet.

The two-set performance featured Marcus and Daniel reading written parts (yes, 'free' can incorporate written, structured elements!) with Sheffield's finest Jasnoch & Collins working sympathetically throughout.

Jasnoch is an unheralded talent - think Joe Morris (recently at the Cluny) and Bill Frisell - giving the impression that he is quite content to remain so (a guitarist's guitarist). Collins, a visually striking figure, is a great listener, responding to and influencing developments happening around him. Marcus and Daniel demonstrated a thorough understanding of the jazz vocabulary reaching back to the syncopated sounds of New Orleans through to bop and beyond. Ted Daniel played trumpet (open and mute) exhibiting a prodigious technique with lyrical passages reminiscent of Clifford or Miles and blistering valve work of which Dizzy would have been proud.

The Bridge Hotel is a great place to hear free jazz (Michael Marcus remarked afterwards:'Nice room') and it struck this listener that much of what was heard last night would have made sense to fans of Alan Barnes, Bruce Adams, Steve Waterman and the like.

The concert was an 'On the Outside' event presented by Jazz North East. The next in the series, again at the Bridge Hotel, on December 10th, features Calling Signals, a meeting of British and Scandanvian improv heavyweights including Frode Gjerstad and Nick Stephens. In addition there is an unmissable gig just across the High Level Bridge on Thursday 26th November in Gateshead Old Town Hall featuring the Profound Sound Trio (Paul Dunmall, Andrew Cyrille & Henry Grimes).

Russell.

Another View on Duology + 2

Another opportunity to get some obligatory free improse off me chest if you'll humour me; so enjoyed the Duology+2 gig at The Bridge and much appreciated Russell's learned piece - up on bebop spoken here... before the larks started larkin'.
After choosing badly last month, trying to introduce my great nephew, George III to Free Improv by taking him to The Gannets at The Star & Shadow, I got a 2nd chance on Wednesday night at The Bridge; this time, thanks to Ted, Michael, John & Charlie - Duology+2 - his initiation was confirmed by the hum, humour & humanity of this performance.

Like the soundtrack to the ultimate fairytale - the one before the one before The Grimms got their censorial hands on it, where the wolf eats granny, red riding hood and the woodsman before padding back to his page in Where The Wild Things Are - the sheer dynamics of Daniel and Marcus, at times in unison, at times in harmony, whipped up a whole library of happily scary pages - Knock, knock! John Jasnoch and Charlie Collins answered the door, "Trick or treat?", "Both! come in!"

"I wrote this yesterday on a train to London - is that the capital?" asks Marcus - some modest hilarity follows - "It's called, In That" and so, with a fast airborne atonal arpeggio on the clarinet, we're off - the train lifts from the tracks at the first bend, dodging between buildings - phew, that was close! Collecting our tickets, Collins deftly shuffles his clipper collection around on the kit as Daniel steps forward on the next-stop platform, catching hold of a carriage as he takes off with trumpet in lively conversation with Marcus over the singing rail communication chords of Jasnoch. Collins keeps up the glorious tensile track until, rubbing a soft stick into a cymbal, hark, a chilling ZING! heralding the entry of the Invisible Man - no bandages, just a sinister floating pair of RayBans; Marcus sees his Waterloo ahead and signals to Jasnoch with a, by now expected, upward arm gesture of wiggling fingers - we arrive in the capital and, 3 inches from the buffers, come deftly to a halt - what a ride!
Ted Daniel announces a tribute to his friend, the late Dewey Redman - no coincidence, this one's called Dewology! An apt heartfelt delivery of a classic piece.
Then my best of the night : didn't catch the title but it had a touch of George Russell's LCC, with John Jasnoch staying loyal to a G root Lydian chord virtually throughout the whole piece - oh he's moved up to a Bb root for a change! Ted takes up the flugel and we're back to the haunting Halloween metaphor - a seemingly innocent breeze swings a creaking screen door on a squeaking hinge as shock horror, Michael's clarinet bursts in like a twister to murder us, the audience in our beds - "Here's Johnny!"
As I write this blog on my return from Saltburn, I'm listening to Duology minus +2, if you get my drift, live at Ronnie Scott's on BBC Radio 3 where they've just turned up from their gig at Cafe Oto (+2) - the perfect nightcap! They must be knackered!
Cheers,
George

Summer's in Bordeaux - un memoir de Dave le Rave

You mentioned Guy Lafitte - Well, in my Army days, I was stationed near Bordeaux for two years as a Medic, and got to be friends with a young trumpeter/university student named Jean-George Bulcourt, whose band sometimes played at the base enlisted men's club.

He made it possible for me to join a wonderful jazz club, "Le Bahut", situated in a basement which had been a 13th century wine cellar in what was once the Roman quarter of Bordeaux, where at the beginning of the night, a two-bar electric fire was required to warm up the 'cave' and its piano!

I sometimes got to sing with Jean-George's band and, one night, who did appear but the wonderful tenor player Guy Lafitte!

Other regulars included Gerard Olimpe, drums, and Jean-Marie Grenuolou, bass. Also a regular, whose name escapes me, was a baritone player who had played with the mambo king Perez Prado, and I felt very lucky to be allowed into this secret world of jazz; I was only seventeen, and the experience changed my life!

They used to play "Parisian Thoroughfare", which I found out years later was Clifford Brown's! In 1976, we took a band from Newcastle, called "Friends Of Jazz" (I know, that name gets used all the time) over to San Sebastian Jazz Festival, and Jean-George arranged accomodation for all seven of us as we passed through Bordeaux, in two show houses on a brand new estate being built by the company he was working for. He also had a little get-together for us and his neighbours around his pool in Medoc, where we all played, and he even got out his old trumpet and joined in.

As I said, we stayed in empty show houses, fully furnished. Imagine Scotty's surprise in the morning, to be walking around in his 'skivvies' and to have the door open and a lady estate agent come into the place with prospective buyers. "No, the drummer isn't included with the house!"

Dave.

(Originally a 'comment' I felt this was worthy of a posting of its own.

Lance.)

Blaydon Tonight - A Grecian Delight

Two Block Busters tonight (Thursday Nov. 12). That knockout Greek tenor player Vasilis Xenopoulos is at Blaydon with Paul Edis Trio. Vasy's playing is as good as it gets - he blew a knockout set here last year after earlier wowing them at the Side Café - and with Paul's trio it is an unbeatable combination. Not to be missed even though I may be late myself.
You can also grab them at The Cherry Tree Restaurant in Jesmond on Friday.
Click here for some MySpace Trio recordings by Paul Edis Trio.

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Budvivar make their Jazz Café debut tomorrow night. Their innimitable style should be just what the Jazz Café, situated on Newcastle's Pink Lane, needs on a Thursday night.
Lance.

There May Be Other Nights Like This But...

Alan Glen Trio: Alan Glen (pno), John Pope (bs), David Carnegie (dms).
Take It To The Bridge: Dave Weisser (tpt/vcl), Chris Finch (pno), Barrie Ascroft (bs), Eric Stutt (dms).
+ Harley Johnson (pno) & Dan ? (gtr).

The stars have rarely shone brighter than tonight at The Chilli. The Alan Glen Trio, making their monthly pilgrimage to perform their miracles before the eyes and ears of the disciples in the upper room, have seldom played better on a host of good tunes familiar and otherwise.

"How Deep Is The Ocean?" - the question became academic as Alan has more depth to his playing than any ocean - "The Way You Look Tonight" swung along superbly as the Jerome Kern tune invariably does when in the hands of such a master practitioner of the black and white art as Alan. "The Touch of Your Lips", a gentle mover, saw some clever bass work from John Pope. John's playing has moved forward in Giant Steps and tonight he was the revelation of the band despite the handicap of some less than perfect amplification. David Carnegie - what more is there to say? He drives when driving is called for and takes a back seat when sensitive brushwork is the name of the game - except, of course, for his powerhouse drum solo finale.

A great set.

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Earlier, Chris Finch occupied the piano chair for the second week whilst Barrie played bass. They both did good.

Dave had some vocal moments on "Secret Love", "A Foggy Day", blew both muted and open horn on "Straight No Chaser" as well as throwing in some muddy water/hollow log lyrics that we may be familiar with. He was also generally entertaining with his inter-round summaries.

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For the final set a young guy called Dan sat in on guitar and had a nice solo on "Autumn Leaves" although he too struggled a little with the amplification.

Then, just when you thought it couldn't get any better on came Harley for "Well You Needn't".

Perhaps he was offloading his frustrations from last week at The Cluny or maybe he was champing at the bit having had to wait until the last number to start kicking but when he kicked he sure as hell kicked.

This was Monk meets Keith Jarrett meets Harley Johnson. Spurred on by Eric's empathic drumming this brought the evening to a close although I think everyone wanted it to last forever.

As someone remarked, "Where else can you get a hundred quidsworth for a pound?"

Only a hundred? Cheapskate.

It's priceless.

Lance.
PS: Admiring remarks were passed on the TITTB poster. Perhaps Dave can scan me a copy and reveal who the artist is.

The Boiler Room @ The Bridge Hotel. November 10th

Kettle Quartet: Matthew T. Forster (tenor sax), Dan Byrne - McCullough (guitar), Matt Browell (electric bass) & Chris Geehan (drums) & guests.
Last night's session simmered nicely and on occasion threatened to boil over as the boys on the stand (where's the girls, guys?) worked up a head of steam running through a choice selection of tunes to a small but appreciative audience.

Tenor man Forster improvised impressively on 'I Got Rhythm', Byrne-McCullough knows his way around a Scofield tune and bass and drums kept the pan at boiling point visiting 'Autumn Leaves', 'Blue Bossa', 'Take the A Train' (Richard sitting in on guitar playing good Freddie Greene/ Wes Montgomery style), 'So What' and others.

A guest alto saxophonist joined the quartet and on the last number of the evening, Zawinul's 'Mercy, Mercy, Mercy' - alto and tenor weaved harmonic lines to great effect.

The Boiler Room is a good night out with the opportunity to support developing, promising musicians in much the same way as Dave Weisser has done for many a year with Take it to the Bridge. Hear the Kettle Quartet and friends Tuesdays throughout November.
Russell

TONIGHT, TONIGHT, WON'T BE JUST ANY NIGHT...

...not at The Chilli anyhow. As well as Dave Weisser and the Take It to The Bridge gang it is also that night in the month when the ALAN GLEN TRIO make an appearance. The trio, Alan (piano), John Pope (bass) and David Carnegie (drums) are as good a trio as you will find in a long night's bop. Sheer class! The support by the resident TAKE IT TO THE BRIDGE outfit is also PDG so tell me I'm dreaming when I say it's only £1 to get in.

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If you do decide to literally take it to The Bridge (Hotel that is) DUOLOGY + 2 present an intriguing meeting of two great cities - New York and Sheffield. From 'The Apple', Ted Daniel (trumpet) and Michael Marcus (clarinet) whilst John Jasnoch (guitar and oud) and Charlie Collins (percussion) are the boys from Sheffield. This is a JNE On The Outside promotion.

Kick off 8:30 but get there soon as parking can be a problem as I found out last night!

£7/£4 for this one.

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Down at the Causeway near Hartlepool, RUTH LAMBERT struts with the JEREMY McMURRAY QUARTET. If you live down that way, and some people do, this will be unmissable.

AND IT's FREE! Think I'll move to Hartlepool - then again...

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New Orleansy types can probably get their fix at Springwell Village Hall where the RAE BROTHERS NEW ORLEANS JAZZ BAND usually play on Wednesdays. Ring to check (number in "Things To Come" box in side panel.)

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There is also a whisper about a new session/workshop at The Swan, Heworth. I await more info on this one. The whisper has become LOUDER. The band is Ps Jazz and they countdown from 7 pm - 9 pm most Wednesdays. Further details from Mike Diggle salamike@btinternet.com or hilarycullingford@hotmail.com

Lance.