Charles and Friends @ The Black Bull, Boldon.

Charles Gordon (kbd), Ken Hewitt (ten/alt).

After the profoundness of the Profound Sound Trio I felt in need of something to sooth the savaged breast. The Black Horse at Boldon provided just such sanctuary.

Currently Charles Gordon holds court although he only had one friend tonight in the form of Ken Hewitt and a built in rhythm section.

It's predominantly jazz funk with such as "Watermelon Man", "Light My Fire", "Give Me The Night" seemingly the staple fair although they did do a few ballads such as "Nearness of You" and "My Funny Valentine". Because of the lack of a live drummer the formula works best in the funkier groove and both guys played some good stuff - Ken with a touch of the Grover Washington's and Charles in Herbie Hancock/Ramsey Lewis mode.

Having known them both from my days working in Newcastle's premier music store it was nice to hear them in situ and I enjoyed it.

At closing time I was invited to 'have a blow' - I suspect they wanted the bar cleared - and I fumbled my way around "Ain't Misbehavin" "Canteloupe Island" and "Green Onions".

Thanks guys.

Charles and Ken jam here every Thursday and sitters in are welcome.

The only problem is remembering the name of the pub as Boldon has a Grey Horse, a Black Horse, a Black Bull and a Red Lion and it is essential to co-ordinate the animals and the colours.

The Black Horse is the one on Rectory Bank and is run by former frontman of the Punk band the Toy Dolls, Pete Zulu (or is it Zulu Pete?) He is also a highly respected chef.

Lance.

PS: I've just counted - 3 gigs in one day no wonder I'm tired!

The Profound Sound Trio @ Gateshead Old Town Hall

Andrew Cyrille (dms), Henry Grimes (bs & vln), Paul Dunmall (ten/sop/bagpipes).

What can I say? Three brilliant players who, in a single set lasting just over an hour, took free improvisation to a new height. So intent were they on their marathon solos that not a word was spoken. Instead they delved deep into their innermost soul. Searching, probing and finally exploding with a cascade of notes which, in the case of Dunmall, shot from the instrument with the speed and multi-directional aim of a box of firecrackers after someone had simultaneously lit the blue touchpaper on all of them.

Not content with tenor and soprano he also delivered sheets of sound on the bagpipes.

Whilst all this was going on, Cyrille and Grimes went off down their own journey into the unknown. Grimes swapping the big fiddle for the little fiddle and producing some sounds that Stephane or Yehudi might have disputed actually came from a violin.

Master percussionist Cyrille, not to be outdone had his moments in the spotlight displaying his prodigious technique to great effect. On one occasion he was on the verge of swing but he checked himself in the nick of time

With all this going on it is not surprising that the audience, almost to a man, were vociferous in their applause.

You might note I said "almost"...

Lance.

Maine Street Jazzmen @ Rosie Malone's

Herbie Hudson (tmb/hca/vcl), Jim McBriarty (clt), Malcolm Armstrong (pno), Alan Rudd (bs), Tommy Graham (dms), Olive Rudd (vcls & Raffle tickets).

Another stomping good afternoon with the Maine Street Mob. No startling innovations or earth shattering flights of fancy - just solid, straight down the middle dixieland.

Both the frontliners soloed well; Jim seemingly effortlessly produced some clichéless runs with that Peanuts Hucko type sound so suited to this music.

Herbie, versatile as ever, switched from harmonica to trombone to vocals with ease.

Tommy, Alan and Malcolm provided the firm foundation whilst our girl Olive ran her vocal chords around such gems as "Meet Me Tonight in Dreamland" - I'll be on the next bus Olive - "All of Me" and her beautiful rendition of Bix's "Singin' The Blues".

Sadly her magic didn't extend to the raffle tickets...

Lance.

More on Sonny Rollins at the Barbican.

(This comment, I decided is worthy of a seperate posting - Lance.)

We endorse everything said about the Mark Toomey Quartet at the Cherry Tree. A wonderful evening of jazz and a credit to the local jazz scene.

With reference to the Sonny Rollins Concert at the Barbican, which we and the family had the privilege of being there, it was the best jazz concert I have ever been to, for many reasons.

"The living embodiment of a great tradition" was Geoffrey Smith's description as he welcomed the band to the stage. How many musicians get a standing ovation before they actually get onto the stage, and at 79 years old give a performance with such enthusiasm and most of all, the creativity, was something to be seen (and heard of course)?

The fullness of his tone was all there and the band with him was first/world class. Bob Cranshaw on bass, Clifton Anderson on trombone, Bobby Broom on Guitar, a percussionist called Victor.Y.See Yuen, and a sensational drummer in Kobie Watkins; all having a ball and thoroughly enjoying backing the great Sonny Rollins.

Having said that, Sonny was very gracious and featured all of them throughout the concert, having the great respect for each other reciprocated, not allowing ego's to get in the way of what was great music.

Some of the tunes played were 'Someday I'll find you'', "They say that falling in love is wonderful", "St.Thomas" and of course "Don't stop the carnival", every tune being fully explored and no stone unturned (in improvisational terms), before Sonny would take it out.

He played one set lasting approximately 90 minutes finishing with the aforementioned 'Don't stop the Carnival' and again receiving his second standing ovation of the night lasting many minutes but returned only to give a wave to the standing adulating audiance.

Following that, you felt that the audience almost danced out of the Barbican with huge smiles on their faces with the haunting melody of 'Don't stop the Carnival' still ringing in their heads, knowing that they had all seen and witnessed one of the worlds greatest musicians still playing at a level beyond comprehension. Long may the 'Carnival' continue, and we hope Sonny Rollins continues to give the world so much pleasure listening to the sound of genius improvising tenor saxophone.

Ron Ainsborough.

(Photo courtesy of Derek Cogger).

And Gentlemen in England now abed, shall think themselves accursed they were not at the Chilli tonight.

Dave Weisser (tpt/vcl), Barrie Ascroft (pno), Jim Crinson (bs), Eric Stutt (dms).

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Harley Johnson (pno), Jim Crinson (bs), Eric Stutt (dms.)

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Dave, Barrie, Eric + Willie Angus (bs), Judith (vln), Matt (gtr).

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Tonight came pdc to being my gig of the year! Harley (pic. left), undeterred by the limited exposure on Blue Peter, took his gentle aggression out on the Duke Ellington songbook giving his unique interpretaions of such Ducal classics as "I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart", "Sophisticated Lady", "C Jam Blues" - with quite an incredible intro and theme - "I Got It Bad" and "Take The A Train" - I may have overlooked a couple.

This was Duke meets Monk on neutral ground with Harley stage managing the end result which was pure Harley. What got me was that by the end of the first tune my pulse rate had gone up several notches as he made the Ellington songbook his own. Not only that but the obvious enjoyment he gets from playing is infectious and transmits itself not just to the audience but to his fellow musicians.

Harley seems to bring something extra out of Eric and his game is raised. Less flambuoyant, Jim kept track of the changes beautifully although a little more volume wouldn't have gone amiss.

A great set that just floated by.

Earlier, Dave and the gang of four did Duke Pearson's "The Chant", "Good Bait", he sang "Invitation" and "God Bless The Child" and blew a mix of muted and open horn throughout.

For the jam, Judith played violin, Matt, a talented youngster, played guitar and Willie Angus did the business on fretless.

Coming after Harley's explosive "A Train", "You go to my Head was a little prolonged albeit with nice solos allround. The final Blues in F (Blues for Duane) saw Judith cut loose with a fiery chorus or two that set a high benchmark for the guys.

It was a magical night - just so much going on musically the place should have been packed. It wasn't but whoever wasn't there, and it's a long list, must surely relate to Henry V's speech on the eve of Agincourt...

...And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day." (William Shakespeare).

Photos.

Lance.

PS: NEXT WEEK's NEWS - "Hot House Dragons" will be doing the guest spot next Wednesday with Take It To The Bridge. You've already heard some of them last night, as this is the project of Willie Angus, who plays guitar in this band, and Judith on violin, along with Matt, whom you also heard on guitar last night. They also bring along a double-bass player, whose name escapes me, and the ambience is sorta "Hot Club Of France" vibe.

Dave.

Ronnie Scott Celebration on Radio 4

Russell has pointed out to me that on Thursday 3rd December Radio 4 is putting out 'The House that Jazz Built' (11.30.a.m.). A half hour programme celebrating 50 years of Ronnie Scott's.

Mmm - 50 years in half an hour? Perhaps we'll hear Stan Tracey's "Under Condensed Milkwood." Still, when it comes to jazz and the media, 'Beggars can't be choosers" is the expression that springs to mind.

Our mentors, 'Telegraph.com', just today bemoaned the fact that the London Jazz Festival, the most successful ever, with 250 events in ten days didn't receive any TV coverage. We could equally argue the same re the Sage Gateshead, Scarborough and other jazz festivals.

Perhaps ITV and BBC realise their product is so bad that, as jazz enthusiasts move on a higher plane than day to day TV caters for, they don't bother trying to woo us anymore.

Lance.

Mark Toomey Quartet @ The Cherry Tree Restaurant, Jesmond.

Mark Toomey (alto), Jeremy McMurray (pno), Peter Ayton (bs), Kevin O'Neill (dms).

Laid back alto playing from Mark who flew bird-like through the changes on a choice selection of standards and originals.

These included, "East of the Sun", "Autumn Leaves", "Stella By Starlight", "There Will Never Be Another You", "All The Things You Are" - complete with the now obligatory Charlie Parker intro - more Yardbird with "Parker's Mood" and finally, Sonny Rollins' soundtrack theme for the Michael Caine film "Alfie". Now before you throw-up I'm not talking about the song that Cilla used to sing but the actual film theme called "Alfie's Tune", a catchy ditty reminiscent of Rollins' "Doxy".

Talking of Rollins, there was a couple in the audience who had actually been at the great man's recent concert at the Barbican. He described it as the greatest concert ever and hopefully he will elaborate further within these pages.

Getting back to tonight, There were a few nice originals that revealed Mark to be no mean composer. The opener, "High Spirits" was one and another one, "Don't Get Me Wrong", was exceptional! As well as Mark, who played out of his skull, Jeremy too had some outstanding moments - he hit the spot on the aforementioned "DGMW" - and drew some appreciative applause when he played along with a recording of Stu Collingwood that was going out over the tannoy! Somebody ought to get these two guys together for a real live piano duet - move over Rawicz and Landauer (remember them?)

Peter Ayton gave a sound performance on bass whilst Kevin, relatively subdued because of the intimate setting, nevertheless did what was asked as well as keeping the occasional round of fours going.

Of course going to the Cherry Tree on a Monday night isn't just about music - the icing on the cake, so to speak, is the food.

Tonight I had to decide between, Cream of Leek and Potato Soup; Pickled Herring with Potato Salad and Dill; Warm Partridge, Apple and Walnut Salad; Smoked Chicken with Winter Slaw or Salad of Brie, Figs & Walnuts with Honey Mustard Dressing and that was just for starters. I went for partridge figuring we've got Bird on the stand might as well have one on the plate.

There were another 5 choices for main course but, rather than have you salivating over your pc I'll just say that I opted for Seabass with Buttered Leeks, Tarragon Crush & Mustard Butter Sauce which, like the Partridge, was absolutely delicious.

From 5 desserts I picked another winner in the Warm Spice Sponge with Plum Compote.

It's a hard life but someone's got to do it..

Lance.

THIS WEDNESDAY (Nov.25) @ The Chilli

The Harley Johnson Trio makes another welcome appearance. Not, as first reported with John Pope, but with regular Chillimen Eric Stutt and Jim Crinson. Should still be a great night as well as an opportunity for those who have yet to hear the wunderkind perform.
Harley intends to devote his hour-long set to the music of Duke Ellington.
This I gotta hear!
Lance.
PS: Don't forget to catch Harley Johnson a.k.a Thelonious Ellington on Blue Peter tomorrow (Tuesday Nov. 24) BBC One 4:35 pm.

Early Oscar + Barney & Ray

One of my Facebook friends is a guy called Brett or is he a brett called Guy? Anyhow, he goes by the title of "The Jazz Video Guy" and is responsible for a lot of original YouTube material including this one of the Oscar Peterson Trio in the early '50s. Check it out. Apart from the music, the still photos are magnificent.

Lance.

Madeleine Peyroux

As I didn't make it to the Sage on Sunday night for Maddy's concert - only Third Level tickets left - I will refer interested parties (and I'm always interested in a party) to Londonjazz's review of her gig at the Royal Festival Hall 2 days earlier. I would guess they were pretty much identical.

Lance.

PS: More Festival reviews here. (Including Jo Harrup).

Rae Brothers New Orleans Jazz Band with guest Sammy Rimington @ Gateshead Fell Friday Nov. 20

Dave Rae bjo, Mac Rae kit, Chris Smith bass, Jim Blenkin tbn,
Peter Wright tpt, Eric Brooks, piano, Sammy Rimington clt/alto
This was a very well attended session and a very enjoyable one. The Rae Brothers play a gentle, infectious brand of New Orleans jazz which has a certain rhythmic lilt that draws you in from the first number. It’s not hard to see why they are so popular at jazz clubs and festivals around the UK and abroad. They are also very popular monthly regulars at The Fell.
For this session, they were joined by Sammy Rimington, a star of the New Orleans circuit who came to the fore with Ken Colyer’s famous band back in 1960 when he was only 17 years old. He was with that band about 5 years. Since then Sammy has worked with Chris Barber, Capt John Handy, Kid Thomas and a host of internationally known old style players both in Europe and the States. He is a very fluent player both on clarinet and alto with an intuitive sense of drama, rhythm and the building of a solo. His unique ‘feel’ for the music shines through and his playing was a delight that was well appreciated by the large audience.
The repertoire was standard traditional fare – When You Wore a Tulip, Bugle Boy March, I Get the Blues When it Rains, The Other Line (Bourbon Street Parade), etc.
All in all a grand evening and everyone went home happy. What more can you want?
All credit to Ron & Joyce Pollard, Lance Cousins and the helpers at this club who have done a fantastic job in successfully keeping it going. It is one of the best traditional jazz clubs in the UK and right on our doorstep. The late Ray Brown, who started it off, would be very proud.
For more info visit
http://www.jazzatthefell.co.uk/
http://www.neworleansjazz.co.uk/ (Rae Brothers)
http://www.sammyrimington.com/

Roly.

A Message from Facebook or was it God?

"Facebook is planning a redesign which will eliminate the boxes on your profile, and will stop sending you concert notifications. iLike will alert you by email when Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, or another artist you like announces a concert near you."

(As long as the concert is near me and not them!)

Lance.

Gig of the Year - The story so far....

...
Joshua Redman Trio/Guy Barker Orch @ The Sage. (Chris Yates)
Sheila Jordan @ The Sage (Evening perf.) (Roly Veitch, Hil Gil & Alan Rudd).
Sheila Jordan @ The Sage (afternoon perf.) (Chris Finch & Jim McDowell).
Norma Winstone @ The Sage. (Debra Milne).
Alan Glen Trio @ The Chilli (local) (Chris Finch & Harley Johnson)
Music of Duke Ellington + Billy Strayhorn (featuring Northern Sinfonia, Guy Barker Jazz Orchestra and Tim Garland) (Jim McDowell & Harley Johnson)
Julian Arguelles Trio + John Abercrombie @ The Sage. (Harley Johnson).
Chicago South Side session with Matthias Seuffert (Germany) and René Hagmann (Switzerland) at Whitley Bay International Jazz Festival. (Mike Durham)
Virtuoso Jazz Trio @ Ashington Jazz Club. (John Taylor)
Vasilis Xenopoulos @ Blaydon Jazz Club. (local) (Derek Cogger)
Vasilis Xenopoulos @ Cherry Tree Restaurant. (Peter).
Sonny Rollins @ The Barbican (Derek Cogger & Ron Ainsborough).
Laurie Holloway Trio @ Leeds College of Music. (Liz).
Ryan Quigley Sextet - Scarborough Jazz Festival. (Lance & Eric Stutt)
Tomasz Stanko @ The Sage. (Fred Grand).
Any Brian Bennett gig (Barry Aitchison).
Any Clare Teal gig. (Sue Vickers-Thompson).
Duology @ The Bridge. (Russell).
Zoe Gilby & Andy Champion @ Blaydon Jazz Club (Hil.)
Jon Taylor @ Blaydon Jazz Club. (Eddie Carson).
Budvivar @ The Chilli. (Allan).
Send us your choice asap.
Lance.

Blues For Night People

It’s 4 AM
Maybe later
Time means nothing
To an all-night waiter.
Ham on rye
Eggs over easy
Southern fry
Spoon is too greasy.
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After hours
Up on the stand
Combo jamming
Maybe Birdland.
One last chorus
The saxophone sings
A trip to the Moon
On gossamer wings.
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Down in the street
A hooker sighs
Time for bed
Alone no guys.
Maybe not yet
Not whilst she’s able
To cop off with a John
Lay a line on the table.
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The patrolman cometh
He’s seen it before
The waiter, the muso,
The drunk and the whore.
A plumber wakes up
To the morning’s light
One man’s day is
Another man’s night.
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Lance.
(Inspired by Charlie Byrd's great disc "Blues For Night People" My favourite guitar recording. )

Melody Lingers On

Liz drew my attention to this review of Melody Gardot's recent appearance at the London Jazz Festival - sounds like the girl came through good.
LondonJazz seem to agree too.
Lance.

BREAKING NEWS! LED BIB GIG CANCELLED

Because of poor advance ticket sales this Sunday's forthcoming gig by Led Bib due to take place at The Cluny has been cancelled.
Lance.
PS: You win some you lose some - click here.