Don't cut BBC Jazz Now!

From Geoff Amos 
 
Hi everyone, it looks like the Beeb are at it once more, cutting broadcast times / "resting" programmes; not just jazz programmes, but other contemporary music programmes such Radio 3's Late Junction Maybe you'd like to support our objections to this crass decision? If so, check out this below, best wishes,


Dear friends,

I just signed the petition "Don't cut BBC Jazz Now!" and wanted to ask if you could add your name too.

This campaign means a lot to me and the more support we can get behind it, the better chance we have of succeeding. You can read more and sign the petition here:

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/don-t-cut-bbc-jazz-now

Can you also take a moment to share the petition with others? It's really easy – all you need to do is forward this email or click these links:

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Thank you!

Geoff

Russell Corbett's North East gig round-up

Jade Quartet 

 

The month of March began with a bang. The 16th Great North Big Band Jazz Festival staged at Park View Community Centre in Chester le Street over three days (Mar 1-3) is one of the jazz world's great - yet little known - success stories. Festival director Bill Watson has established the competition event to such an extent that no fewer than thirty two big bands vied for a National Glass Centre-commissioned trophy. Friday evening (Mar 1) was devoted to a concert performamce by Musicians Unlimited and a specially assembled Festival Band. The competition proper began on Saturday and from there on iit was a non-stop big band bonanza through to Sunday evening. Senior bands (many of them university outfits), schools and youth jazz orchestras - a feast for big band fans.

Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club's March concert (Mar 2, lunchtime) promises to be a hot affair. Clarinetist Adrian Cox will be in town to present his Profoundly Blue show in tribute to Edmond Hall. Cox will be working with an A-list band; Joe Webb, piano, Simon Read, double bass, and drummer Gethin Jones. Recommended.

Sunday 3 March at Sage Gateshead presents a dilemma - in Sage One it's the hugely popular Postmodern Jukebox and in Sage Two Laura Jurd introduces a multi bill including her own band Dinosaur and the Ligeti Quartet. 

The Jade Quartet featuring trumpeter Nick Malcolm stops off at the Globe (Mar 7), one week later (Mar 14) its West Coast cool with the accomplished Lickety Split, and seven days on (Mar 21) blues shouter Mo Scott rocks up with her band which includes Mo's perfect foil, guitarist Gary Dunn. 

A new Wednesday afternoon venture at Newcastle Arts Centre launches on March 13. 'Jazz Cafe Mezzanine' is a new, first floor performance space which will present duos on a fortnightly basis. First up is vocalist Julija Jacenaite working with guitarist Steve Glendinning. Two o'clock start, free admission. 

Hard bop comes to Darlington's Opus 4 Jazz Club in the shape of Alter Ego (Mar 8), the Pasadena Roof Orchestra (with several familiar faces in the line-up) will be in concert at the Customs House, South Shields (Mar 28) and the Customs House Big Band itself heads to the Newcastle Jazz Co-op with Ruth Lambert fronting the band on March 31.

The legendary River City Jazzmen called it a day some time ago. Now, the name lives on with the formation of the River City Hot Four. Three of the four musicians were members of the aforementioned New Orleans outfit including trombonist Gordon 'Solly' Solomon (the man who, it is said, gave Gordon Sumner his nickname during their time together in the Newcastle Big Band...Mr Sumner aka Sting). Catch the quartet at the Beresford Arms near Morpeth on Monday 4th.

Blaydon Jazz Club is fast approaching its 35th anniversary and to kick-off the 2019 programme there is a triple bill fundraising gig on Sunday 17th. Beginning at 7:00pm with the Early Bird Band (alumni include Francis Tulip and Matt McKellar), the Alice Grace Quartet follows with the Noel Dennis Quartet closing the evening. £10 on the door, do get along and show your support.

Jazz Record Requests is to be broadcast live from Sage Gateshead on Saturday 30. Alyn Shipton invites listeners to pop along, sit on the concourse and marvel at the mechanics of a live on-air programme. Jo Harrop and Paul Edis will perform live alongside Shipton, it all starts at 4:00pm, no ticket required. 

Finally, if you can get to just one gig this month, then this is the one...the Mick Shoulder Quintet at Bishop Auckland Town Hall, March 15 (1:00pm). A Jazz Messengers-plus outfit, on tenor sax is the rarely heard Lewis Watson. Pull a sicky, bunk off school, one word describes this gig...'unmissable'.  

Top gigs at Wakefield Jazz during the rest of March

Huw Warren 15 March

This Friday 15th - album launch gig with the Huw Warren Trio - plus special guest Iain Ballamy - Welsh piano maestro, with Percy Pursglove (bass/trumpet) and Zoot Warren (drums), plus special guest Iain Ballamy on saxes. Top contemporary British jazz. Here’s a track from the brand new album, available in Wakefield before anywhere else: https://soundcloud.com/huwmusic/everything-in-between-album-preview 

Next Friday 22nd - Steve Fishwick/Alex Garnett Quartet, with special guest Mick Karn, New York bassist. Sax/trumpet/bass/drums (twin Matt Fishwick on drums) - freewheeling hard bop at its finest.

Friday 29th - Flying Machines featuring Alex Munk (guitar), Conor Chaplin (bass), Dave Hamblett (drums) and ex-Wakefielder Matt Robinson (piano/keyboards) - post-rock/post-jazz soundscapes and more.

Bookings and more details at www.wakefieldjazz.org 

As ever, doors open 7.00pm, food available (best to book first - see website) - band onstage 8.30pm for two sets, with the famous raffle and bookstall during the interval. Venue is Wakefield Sports Club, Eastmoor Road WF1 3RR

Jazz happening in Hull

Dave Ellis has forwarded the Hull Jazz Flyer for march and April with as special mention for Latin Jazz band "Jazz Orbit" at the Goodfellowship Inn in Hull on Wed March 27th

Roosevelt Collier at Parr Jazz 14 April

A fabulous evening of Jazz with Roosevelt Collier! So proficient he's affectionately known as "The Dr"

In January Roosevelt performed with Bokanté at Phase One, He asked us if he could come back and we said YES. Roosevelt is now returning to perform at Phase One on April 14th
(40 Seel St, Liverpool L1 4BE)

Soft spoken by nature, South Florida-bred Roosevelt Collier does his hollering on the pedal steel guitar. Brought up in the "sacred steel" tradition of the House of God Church, Roosevelt built his reputation alongside his uncles and cousins in The Lee Boys, known for their spirited, soul-shaking live performances.Seated front and center, "The Dr." leaves an indelible mark on listeners, flooring audiences with his lightning-fast slide work on the pedal steel.


At festivals, he is a regular "Artist at Large," performing alongside many of music's most prestigious acts, from the Allman Brothers, Tedeschi-Trucks, Los Lobos , the Del McCoury Band and countless others. In 2017, Roosevelt debuted his new project Bokanté - a "World Music All-Star Band" created by Snarky Puppy founder Michael League and featuring the vocals of Malika Tirolien.


As a bandleader, Roosevelt leads his world famous "get-downs" featuring a mixture of "superstars and church folk", his own "Jimi Hendrix Experiment"-style all-star trio, and in 2018 will release the long-awaited Roosevelt Collier debut record, featuring an incredible mixture of blues, gospel, rock, and funk all rolled up by producer and bandmate Michael League.

"Simply put - Roosevelt Collier is a Bad Bad M...….!" - Quincy Jones

Limited early bird tickets £11 or £15 on door Roosevelt Collier has also been nominated by Jazz FM as the Blues artist of the year
www.parrjazz.co.uk 

Kate Peters and Swing Manouche at Huddersfield Jazz

Kate Peters 24 March

Swing Manouch 14 April

Come and join us at Café Society with the first two our artists in our Spring & Summer, 2019 season. On Sunday 24 March at 2pm Huddersfield Jazz and Café Society are proud to present Kate Peters. Kate is one of the most exciting new performers to come out of the UK. A uniquely talented and versatile vocalist based in the north of England, Kate has worked in a wide variety of styles and areas of the music industry, performing with some of the UK´s most talented jazz musicians.
Kate Peters: vocals Martin Longhawn: piano John Marley: bass Tim Carter: drums 

The second of our artists in our season is on Sunday 14 April at 2pm. Huddersfield Jazz and Café Society are proud to present Swing Manouche. Swing Manouche was formed by Mick Shoulder, the leader and songwriter of former gypsy jazz outfit “Djangologie”. Continuing to work with guitarist Giles Strong, he recruited clarinet and bass players to form a band based upon Django Reinhardt’s second group - the Nouveau Quintette du Hot Club de France.
Mick Shoulder: guitar Giles Strong: guitar Gavin Lee: clarinet Paul Grainger: double bass

Cafe Society Byram Street Huddersfield
www.huddersfield-jazz.co.uk
Tickets: £10 (£5 students) available from:-Cafe Society, iPoint Reception (Huddersfield University)
Huddersfield Jazz Website (www.huddersfield-jazz.co.uk/buytickets/)

Springtime (swingtime? singtime?) in Leeds

It's been a lovely February for us - thanks to you coming out and supporting us! So how about the coming month? Well we've some South African jazz (hence the picture!) and the first two concerts we're pleased to say are both by women led bands, trumpeter Kim Macari and sax player Jasmine Whalley...

Family Band 
Sunday afternoon 3 March 2019 @Inkwell Leeds £9/7 1.30-4pm 25's and under £5, kids under 16 free Kim Macari trumpet, Riley Stone-Lonergan sax, Tom Rivière bass, Steve Hanley drums.
These four popular Leeds ex-pats back in the city again led by trumpeter Kim Macari and featuring music from their new album, “Board of Origin”.

Jasmine
Sunday afternoon 10 March 2019 1.30-4pm £10/8  @Seven Arts 25's and under £5, kids under 16 free Jasmine Whalley alto saxophone, Ben Haskins guitar, George MacDonald piano, Owen Burns bass and George Hall drums. 
Jasmine are the creative outlet for sax player Jasmine Whalley, combining the influences of jazz and hip-hop into an exciting sound, using Ableton Live to introduce layered horn parts over a traditional saxophone led jazz quintet setup.

Adam Glasser Quintet "South Africa and beyond"
Thursday evening 14 March @Seven Arts 8pm-11pm Doors 7.30pm  Tickets £16 full price £14 concessions £8 (half price) for 25’s and under.  Adam Glasser on harmonica and piano ; Steve Watts on bass; Rob Luft guitar, George Crowley sax and Corrie Dick drums. 
South African harmonica player/pianist Adam Glasser brings a great band of leading young musicians to play his trademark township jazz. This concert explores rarely heard township jazz standards across a range of great South African composers from Abdullah Ibrahim to Caiphus Semenya, Victor Ndlazilwana and Themba Mkhize. Support (8-8.30pm) is from Leeds trumpet player Jack Brazier sextet

Frank Brooker and the Jazz Leeds quartet
Friday evening 15 March 8pm Bar on Park Lane at Roundhay Golf Club, £10/8 concessions, 25 and under £5
Our second concert at our new Roundhay venue is veteran Leeds jazz sax and clarinet player Frank Brooker. With his quartet for tonight - Andy Cholerton keyboards, Will Powell guitar, Steve Crocker bass and Dom Moore drums he'll delight you. He’s no mean singer too! A fun evening in prospect

Jack Wilson Quartet 
Sunday afternoon 17 March 2019 @Inkwell Leeds £9/7 1.30-4pm 25's and under £5, kids under 16 free Jack Wilson tenor sax, Ozzie Parker piano, Angus Milne double bass, Joshua Smout drums
Four young Leeds musicians led by saxman and LS6 jazz venue promoter Jack Wilson. Hard bop and hard swinging tunes from the likes of Monk, Stitt and Rollins.

The Jazz of Dudley Moore
Sunday afternoon 24 March 2019 1.30-4pm £10/8 @Seven Arts 25's and under £5, kids under 16 free Chris Ingham piano, Paul Higgs trumpet, Geoff Gascoyne bass, George Double drums. 
Dudley Moore the comic actor, we all know about. Fewer know about Dudley Moore, virtuoso jazz pianist, brilliantly exploiting the stylistic possibilities of Errol Garner and Oscar Peterson. Chris Ingham and his quartet tell the musical story of this flawed genius.

Tony Kofi's "Portrait of Cannonball" feat. Deelee Dubé 
Thursday evening 28 March@Seven Arts 8pm-11pm Doors 7.30pm  Tickets £18 full price £16 concessions £9 (half price) for 25’s and under.  Tony Kofi saxes, Deelee Dubé vocals, Andy Davieson cornet, Alex Webb piano, Andy Cleyndert bass and Alfonso Vitale drums  
Alto-sax master Tony Kofi fronts this loving celebration of the jazz giant (in every sense) Julian ‘Cannnonball’ Adderley. Expect Adderley brothers classics like Things Are Getting Better, Del Sasser, Jeannine, Sack o’Woe and Mercy, Mercy, Mercy - as well as a guest vocal spot exploring the memorable 1961 collaboration with Nancy Wilson. Support is from Yattri (8-8.30pm)

Our Venues: Seven Arts 31 Harrogate Road, Chapel Allerton, Leeds LS7 3PD, Inkwell Arts: 31 Potternewton Lane, Chapel Allerton, Leeds LS7 3LW and Bar on Park Lane (next to Roundhay Golf club) Leeds LS8 2EJ

Tickets www.ticketsource.co.uk/jazzleeds Further information on all our events and links to our Facebook and Twitter pages available on our main website at www.jazzleeds.org.uk  and our jazz festival site  https://www.jazzleedsfestival.co.uk/ Email address to contact us info@jazzleeds.org.uk

See you soon as one of our gigs!
Steve Crocker JazzLeeds