Samara Joy @ Birmingham Town Hall - April 25

Samara Joy (vocals); Connor Rohrer (piano); Felix Moseholm (double bass); Evan Sherman (drums); Kendrick McCallister (tenor sax); David Mason (alto sax, flute); Jason Charos (trumpet); Donavan Austin (trombone) 

First Emmet's Place, then Ronnie's, this evening Birmingham Town Hall. Samara Joy, all of 23, is touring the world as the bona fide superstar she has so rapidly become. Accompanying our NYC-based singer was an all-star septet featuring several familiar name's. The suited-and-booted septet walked out onto Birmingham Town Hall's vast stage, took their seats and began to play. We were awaiting Ms Joy's entrance. And there she was, strolling out from the wings. An almighty roar greeted our superstar. Wow! 

Tonight @ the Glasshouse: Paul Skerritt w. the Danny Miller Big Band.

Tonight north east jazz and swing singer Paul Skerritt makes his Glasshouse debut with a concert in Sage Two in the venue previously known as Sage Gateshead.

Backing Paul will be the fourteen piece Danny Miller Big Band. The band, mainly from the north west (although usually with a couple of top notch local ringers), has backed Paul on several occasions, including a couple of concerts at South Shields' Westovian Theatre where packed houses gave singer and band a standing ovation and deservedly so.

Album review: Ricky Alexander - Just Found Joy (Turtle Bay Records)

Ricky Alexander (soprano sax, clarinet, vocals, arrangements); Jon-Erik Kellso (cornet); Dalton Ridenhour (piano); Jon Thomas (piano tks 1,3,4,6,7,11); Brennen Ernst (guitar tks 2,4,8,9,10,12); Rob Atkins (bass); Kevin Dorn (drums) + Vanisha Gould (vocals tks 2,5,8,10).

Despite being basically a quintet, the overall feeling I get from my first listen is of those 1940 recordings by the Bechet-Spanier Big Four. On soprano, Alexander has that wide vibrato associated with Bechet although Kellso is a more assertive figure than Muggsy was which makes for more of a level playing field. The illusion is particularly compounded on those tracks where Ernst provides a link between the two just as Carmen Mastren did on the Bechet-Spanier dates. 

This week's Late Night Chicago Radio with Denny Farrell (Thursday April 25 - Wednesday May 1).

George Shearing Quintet: I'll Remember April.

Charlie Parker w. strings: April in Paris.

Gene Ammons All-Stars: Jim Dog. 

Mel Tormé: Body and Soul.

Billy Taylor: Easy Like.

Lester Young w. Count Basie: Polka Dots and Moonbeams. 

Four Freshmen and 5 Saxes: This Love of Mine.

Their mothers called them Arthur

(© Ken Drew)

The knockout concert by Art Themen (pictured) at the Globe last Sunday got me to thinking as to how a lot of great jazz musicians were called by, or adopted, that first name. It also had me imagining what if the 'Great Reaper' had worked his wonders to perform and reincarnated those 'Arts' that were no longer with us to join those that are still around. Imagine this line-up (and, according to Fats Waller, God himself would be on piano!):

Art Farmer (trumpet); Art Baron (trombone); Art Pepper (alto sax); Art Ellefson (tenor sax); Art Themen (soprano/tenor sax); Art Tatum (piano); Art Davis (bass); Art Blakey (drums); Art Baxter (vocals). 

Also, waiting for their wings, Artie Shaw (clarinet), Artie Bernstein (bass), Art Hodes (piano), Art Lund (vocals) and Art Taylor (drums). Lance

Album Review: Julian Costello Quartet – And All The Birds Were Set Free (33 Jazz)

Julian Costello (tenor/soprano saxes); John Turville (pianos); Andy Hamill (double bass, harmonica); Tom Hooper (drums) + Georgia Mancio (vocals).

This album is definitely a grower. It has moved from acceptable background music to the front of the stage with every listening. There is some very fine playing, especially from Julian Costello and John Turville and it was nice to ‘catch up’ with Turville after not hearing much by him in recent years. Costello has, for the most part, a lovely flowing style, forceful but not overwhelming. Don’t be misled into thinking he’s a smooth operator, though. He has a big voice and his sound, unless he is sharing the metaphorical front line with Turville’s piano, dominates. Turville is the other star of this session. I remember him from a concert at Newcastle University back in 2013 and was hugely impressed then. This recording only serves to increase my admiration for his playing.

Album review: Ted Nash and Kristen Lee Sergeant – Holidays (Sunnyside Records)

Multi saxophonist, composer and arranger, Ted Nash collaborates with his partner in life and song, Kristen Lee Sergeant on Holidays, released in November 2023. Despite the title, Holidays delivers a much deeper and broader remit than a token collection of Yule melodies that are attractive to the refined chattering classes for its jazzifying of this great trove of 19/20th century songdom. Many of the selections are songs equally playable 12 months a year and celebrate the joy and hope that is not unique to Christmastime.

Claus Jacobi - RIP

We're very sorry to have to tell you that our friend and Classic Jazz Party music director Claus Jacobi has died after a brief illness. Jonathan Holmes (Mike Durham's International Classic Jazz Party) continues: The Jazz Party will not be the same without him. Claus was responsible for so many concert themes and ideas over the last 10 years. He inspired the musicians that he played with, and all of us at the Jazz Party will miss him dearly.

Photo credit: Malcolm Sinclair.

Album review: Cornelia Nilsson - Where do You go? (Stunt Records)

Cornelia Nilsson (drums); Daniel Franck (bass); + Aaron Parks (piano on tks 1,2,4,6,8,9); Gabor Bolla (tenor sax on tks 3,5,7,10)

I posted a clip of this fine album back in March with the promise of a 'proper' review to follow and then one thing led to another ad it slipped my mind which is unforgivable as it really is worth checking out. So, only one month after its March release date, here it is.

It gets off to a flying start with Bud Powell's John's Abbey. Parks almost outdoing Bud and being driven along by Nilsson with Franck doing what bass players are paid to do which is to keep the harmonic structure in place.

Sam Lightwing Quartet @ the Railway Stockport - April 21

(© Jeff Pritchard)

Sam Lightwing (tenor sax); Max Rosen (piano); Steve Berry (bass); Calum Montgomery (drums).

Tonight the train I usually take arrived on time so I anticipated arriving at Stockport Station around about 7:00pm ready for a 20 minute stroll to the Railway, but, guess what happened? Nothing! Even though I'd pressed the green button on the doors - nothing!