The evening featured a selection of Dolphy’s compositions, many from his 1964 classic album Out To Lunch, interspersed with a number of Marco Colonna’s own tunes. Opening with a driving rendition of “Miss Ann”, Hawkins’ pounding left hand providing a foundation for Colonna’s soaring and spluttering bass clarinet. “Out To Lunch” was soulful and nourishing, as one would expect, and the first set continued in this vein, one tune segueing into another before Colonna’s tune “Frame” brought an end to the sequence. Colonna then finished the first set with an extraordinary solo rendition of “God Bless the Child”.

The second set opened with “Something Sweet, Something Tender”, Hawkins’ hands dancing up and down the keyboard before the bass clarinet introduced the melody and the intensity slowly gathered before ebbing away as the tune gave way to Colonna’s composition “Fishbone”, the title of which leaves little to the imagination; very spiky, with Hawkins delving into the piano’s internal workings, damping and plucking the strings to great effect.

More from Out To Lunch followed, with fine a performance of Straight Up and Down followed by Colonna’s Indelebile and a quirky, humorous take on “Gazzelloni”. “Mariposa” followed and the evening was brought to a close with a slow, bluesy version of “245”.

This was an assured and remarkable performance with both artists at the top of their game. Marco Colonna is one of the few bass clarinettists performing today who can adequately do justice to Dolphy’s compositions and Alexander Hawkins is the ideal foil, his consummate skill as a performer injecting new life into Dolphy’s extraordinary repertoire.

Sadly, this was the final date on this brief tour, but the duo’s 2020 CD Dolphy Underlined is available via Bandcamp.

Set 1
Miss Ann
Out To Lunch
Un Filo (Colonna)
Serene
Phalena (Colonna)
Frame (Colonna)
God Bless The Child

Set 2
Something Sweet, Something Tender
Fishbone (Colonna)
Straight Up and Down
Indelebile (Colonna)
Gazzelloni
Mariposa
245

Compositions by Eric Dolphy except where noted.

The post Alexander Hawkins and Marco Colonna at Wakefield Jazz first appeared on UK Jazz News.

Joost Lijbaart (percussion), Bram Stadhouders (guitar & electronics) and Sanne Rambags (voice, harmonium, percussion) formed Under the Surface nine years ago and have since performed improvised concerts all over the world. This event in this Suffolk market town was a little different, however.

During the past three years, the trio’s visits to the UK and Ireland have been documented by photographer/artist Mark Wilkinson and film makers David Lam and Hannah Thompson. Friday marked the UK launch of both Wilkinson’s book and Lam & Wilkinson’s short documentary on the band. Both are beautifully presented and give a deep insight into the trio’s approach to their creativity and musical relationships.

The performance opened with the documentary, which was beautifully shot on the River Stour, on the Essex-Suffolk border and in the west of Ireland. All captured in atmospheric soft focus, the film is a fitting tribute to a wonderfully creative ensemble.

As it ended, Lijbaart and Stadhouders appeared on stage, creating an ambient wash of sound with shimmering guitar and electronics and rings and light touches from Lijbaart’s bewildering array of percussion collected on his travels. They were soon joined by Rambags, whose lilting voice and wordless improvisation added to the soundscapes that ebbed and flowed, holding the audience mesmerised.

As the music increased in intensity, Belgian Nathan Wouters added arco double bass, its drone giving a further dimension and depth to the performance which built to a crescendo before subsiding and bringing the first half to a close.

The trio’s eponymous first album was recorded live in the studio, while their second, Trinity, recorded in 2018, comprises live improvisations from venues around Europe. In a departure from their improvised approach, for their third album, Miin Triuwa in 2022, Stadhouders composed pieces to which Rambags added lyrics in Old Dutch. This formed the second half of the evening.

Joined again by Wouters’ bass, with Annabel Laura adding vocals, acoustic guitar and percussion, the trio added improvised passages, the music ranging from quiet ambience with delicate percussion and almost whispered vocals, to surging, guitar heavy washes of sound with Rambags’ effortless voice soaring high into the rafters. The standing ovation they received was no less than the music deserved. This was improvising and musicianship of the highest calibre and, as always, pure brilliance.

Under The Surface return to the UK in October and again in 2025.

Joost Lijbaart – drums, percussion
Bram Stadhouders – guitar, charango , electronics
Sanne Rambags – voice, harmonium, percussion
with Nathan Wouters – double bass
Annabel Laura – voice, acoustic guitar, percussion

The post Under the Surface at Sudbury Arts Centre first appeared on UK Jazz News.

His third CD, ‘Homing’ has a more international feel; indeed, the press release states that Sam’s ‘feeling of home isn’t tied to a particular place anymore, and the album is inspired by that process of building a new feeling of home’.

The album’s opener “Barba Tenus Sapientes” (wise as far as the beard) starts with a light funky groove, but this is interspersed with a number of quirky interjections before Xavi Torres’ piano takes on a Monkish mood, although not as spiky. Newbould’s alto follows underscored by Bernard van Rossum’s tenor sax with backing voices adding a third layer.

The curiously titled “Below The Elbow” features another solo from pianist Torres; his love of jazz and Beethoven combining beautifully on this track. This piece is reprised twice later; both brief, the second being a bass and piano duet which is simply sublime.

“Anglesey” is a slow, contemplative and, in a way, sad piece. One imagines a gentle stroll on a breezy overcast day. Sam’s wordless voice underscores the underlying feeling of melancholy that pervades throughout.

The album’s title track is inspired by Newbould’s temporary adoption of a Polish homing pigeon and is multi layered, giving hints of new beginnings and a broadening of horizons. The bass and drums of Jort Terwijn and Guy Salamon are understated yet pivotal to the success of “Homing”.

“Little Boy Ghost” is as disturbing as its title, very sad but beautiful in a simple way. This is followed by “Odd Jobs”. One might have expected something upbeat from the title, but that is not how it starts. But as the piece progresses, a number of ‘odd’ interjections crop up; the piece is very melodic, but at one point it almost sounds as though Terwijn is playing a different tune but then, as if by magic, slips back into line just before the piece’s abrupt close.

“Believe You Me” is upbeat and full of Sam’s Yorkshire humour. “Twinkle Twinkle” is a homage to Monk’s “Trinkle Tinkle” and has become a significant part of the band’s live set (see Sam’s YouTube channel). A fine, boppish alto solo is supported by Torres’ comping, and the tight, yet languid backing of bass and drums, before van Rossum’s tenor rejoins to bring the piece back to the head before the piece seems to almost disintegrate at the close. And the final track, “Dog Dance” is a definite foot-tapper backed by whistles and Salamon’s decidedly Central/South American style percussion and is an ideal set closer.

All in all, this is a highly accomplished and assured third album with a certain ‘coming of age’ feel which will hopefully bring this son of Yorkshire – and now citizen of the world – to a much wider audience.

Sam Newbould – alto saxophone, voice, clarinet, compositions
Bernard van Rossum – tenor saxophone
Xavi Torres – piano, synthesizer, Wurlitzer
Jort Terwijn – double bass
Guy Salamon – drums
Beth Aggett – voice

The post Sam Newbould – ‘Homing’ first appeared on UK Jazz News.

Fergus started with 5 minutes of solo piano on a Yamaha 9ft grand which was specially delivered for the occasion, before the band slipped effortlessly into Morning Moon from their third album ‘Forest Floor’. The trio played off each other beautifully; so accustomed are they to playing in each other’s company that the music flowed effortlessly.

Next up, a fine rendition of Snowcap from the latest album ‘Stream’, with both McCreadie and bassist David Bowden soloing. By way of a change, but in line with the unashamed ‘Scottishness’ of the trio’s playing, next came the traditional tune Old Woman Tossed Up in a Blanket, which brought the tempo down but was still beautifully observed. The slower tempo was maintained through the opening bars of Across Flatlands from ‘Cairn’, however it wasn’t long before the pace was raised to the tune’s more customary level, with Bowden delivering a fine bass solo before the trio brought the tune, and with it the first set to a rousing close.

Stephen Henderson started the second set with a finely executed drum solo, before leading the band into a second offering from ‘Forest Floor’; this time Landslide, a piece whose title tells you all you need to know, McCreadie playing cascading layers of notes over a thrumming left hand bass line, while the bass and drums provided cracking support but also at times, the lightest of touches.

Landslide gave way to an as yet untitled piece which was again delivered with fluidity and fluency by all three players (David and Stephen told me after the gig ‘all we can say is it hasn’t got a title and it’s in D major’). Hopefully we’ll find out its title on a future release. Again, this piece slowed the tempo of the set, but in no way diminished the quality of the playing with all three showing a delicate touch throughout, until again lifting the pace into the set closer, Stony Gate from the latest album which was filled with fire and urgency.

A single encore, Glade, from ‘Forest Floor’, was delivered with a mellow, graceful beauty which brought the proceedings to a calming close which left the audience well satisfied.

When I first saw this trio around six years ago, I fervently hoped that they would, in time, achieve greatness. They are way beyond that now.

Fergus McCreadie – piano
David Bowden – double bass
Stephen Henderson – drums

Set 1
Morning Moon
Snowcap
Old Woman Tossed Up in a Blanket
Across Flatlands

Set 2
Landslide
(Untitled)
Stony Gate
Encore: Glade

The post Fergus McCreadie Trio at the 2024 Leeds Jazz Festival first appeared on UK Jazz News.

Nat Birchall is a saxophonist and composer much better known in the north than in the south; he has been a key part of the Manchester jazz scene for over 20 years, having released his debut album in 1999. I have seen him perform on many occasions in that time, but last Friday night’s event at Café OTO was a sublime spiritual experience.

A sextet with a five-piece rhythm section might sound like a peculiar set-up, but this band have such an affinity with each other that the music flowed in a beautifully balanced way throughout the gig; Michael Bardon, Adam Fairhall and Paul Hession have all played with Birchall for many years, and this band knows what it means to perform as a cohesive and organic unit.

The gig opened with Elevation, the closing track on the Ensemble’s album New World, released in March this year, which set the tone for the evening with all six members of the band making exhilarating contributions. Adam Fairhall’s piano solo was followed by Wastell and Gordon exploring their variety of percussion pieces; Hession’s drums then joined in before the whole band brought the piece to a close. It was clear from the start that this was going to be an evening of highly spiritual music, and so it proved; imagine the spirit of John Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders transferred to the Peak District. This was deep, earthy music which held the audience spellbound.

The percussion element of the band, with Hession on drums, Gordon on small percussion and Wastell on tam-tam, gongs and other large percussion kept up an almost constant rhythm throughout, coupled with moments of delicacy which only augmented the overall performance.

For the start of the second set, the band were joined by 82-year old tenor player Alan Skidmore who was on fine form. Skid produced masterful solos on New World and Exaltation from the new album. Sadly, these were Skid’s only contributions to the performance due to ongoing health issues, but his soloing seemed to inspire the band to ever greater things, and these two pieces were the evening’s crowning glory.

After Skid’s departure, Bardon’s beautifully executed bass solo started the set’s third piece, Unity before the evening was brought to a close with a rousing rendition of Bill & Clifton Lee’s John Coltrane (what else?).

All in all, this was a mesmerising performance; I truly hope that Birchall gains the global recognition that he deserves.

BAND: Nat Birchall – tenor sax
Adam Fairhall – piano
Michael Bardon – bass
Paul Hession – drums
Lascelle Gordon – percussion
with Mark Wastell – percussion
Alan Skidmore – tenor sax

Set 1: New World
Kalaparusha Arha Difda
One For the Sun
Song to the Divine Mother

Set 2 : New World
Exaltation
Unity
John Coltrane

The post Nat Birchall’s Unity Ensemble with Alan Skidmore & Mark Wastell at Café Oto first appeared on UK Jazz News.

Etheridge has been a prominent part of the UK and international jazz scene for over 50 years, playing with the likes of Stephane Grappelli, Pat Metheny, Dizzy Gillespie, Nigel Kennedy, Danny Thompson and of course, several incarnations of Soft Machine… He possesses a faultless technique, and somehow keeps up an extensive round of touring with various ensembles, despite his 76 years. I wish I had as much energy, and I’m 10 years younger! During his long career he has been nominated three times for a Parliamentary Jazz Award, but for some inexplicable reason he is still yet to win a major jazz award, which I find astounding – and I know that I am far from alone in thinking that.

The band’s two sets covered a wide range of musical styles, all interspersed with a large dose of John’s endlessly fascinating banter. In the first we heard an array of standards including Georgia (On My Mind), Skylark and You Don’t Know What Love Is as well as Blue Mitchell’s Funghi Mama, and Hank Williams’ Cold Cold Heart, brought to a rousing conclusion with John Scofield’s Do Like Eddie.

To start the second set, Etheridge returned to the stage alone, fashioning a beautifully multi-layered rendition of God Bless The Child, followed by Stormy Weather (Introduced by John as ‘Stormy Daniels’!). The rest of the set included two originals, Distant Voice and AB4BC (Alt Blues for Ben Crosland), a sublime rendering of Jeff Beck’s Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers which, for me was the evening’s finest moment, and closed out with a Ben Tucker tune made famous by Mel Tormé, Comin’ Home Baby.

All in all, a very entertaining and satisfying way to spend a Saturday evening.

The post John Etheridge Trio North in Huddersfield first appeared on UK Jazz News.

The evening commenced with Gary Barber’s documentary Dreams Are Free, which is a beautifully crafted and detailed portrayal of the great tenor player. It shows Bobby going into great detail on his experiences throughout his career – from meeting players such as Bob Brookmeyer in New York, to a refreshing honesty about his experiences with drugs – all tinged with a light and self-deprecating humour.

In a 2018 LJN interview, the film’s director said, “My camera operator/co-producer, Paul Dutnall, and I went over to Bobby’s house with a camera and one light because we thought, let’s just do a test, see what it’s like filming in Bobby’s living room. Three hours later and Bobby was still talking!”. On the evidence of the film, listening to Bobby recount his experiences was as mesmerising as hearing him play live, which sadly I only managed on one occasion.

The second half of the evening was given over to a performance of a selection of Bobby’s music by a quartet, all of whose members had plenty of experience of working with the great man. Spike Wells (drums), Steve Watts (bass), Mark Edwards (piano) and Mornington Lockett (tenor sax) played a fine and varied set featuring such tunes as ‘What’s Happening, Aura’ and ‘What Is The Truth’, winding up with Bobby’s tribute to Clifford Brown, ‘C.U.C.B’.

The event was superbly staged at the University of Chichester’s Showroom Theatre. I left having gained a significant insight into the life of one of the true greats of British Jazz, and having experienced a great gig too!

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