Fleece Jazz

On Wednesday 9 October Roger Beaujolais Quartet , ” A Bag of Vibes” – £20

Roger Beaujolais Vibraphone  

Mike Gorman Piano

Paul Jefferies Bass

Milo Fell Drums

We will hear a wonderful gig from vibes maestro Roger Beaujolais, who celebrates both the legendary musician Milt Jackson and the blues with fine performances and more than a touch of class.

Roger Beaujolais is celebrating his 40^th year as a professional vibraphonist. Emerging extravagantly ponytailed into the 1980s acid jazz/dance/jive scene with the Chevalier Brothers, he has stayed true to the tuned percussion line by performing in many settings including a regular slot with Fairground Attraction. Now the ponytail has transmogrified into a beard of ZZ Top proportions, Beaujolais is still entranced by classic jazz and in particular how it can be performed on vibes.

Milt Jackson (1923-1999) was, of course, one of the greatest vibes players of all. Nicknamed ‘Bags’ (apparently because even as a young man he had bags under his eyes), Jackson was a mainstay of the Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ) for over four decades. Tuxedoed and tidy, the MJQ are credited with taking jazz into the concert hall with their polished, restrained cool-school performances. Jackson wrote the classic 12-bar head Bags’ Groove and loved to play the blues, particularly at slow to medium tempos. This album Bags Of Vibes, recorded in 2017 and delayed by the pandemic, is both a tribute to Jackson and his music, a celebration of the vibraphone which first went on sale in 1924, and a wonderful excuse to lay down some great jazz.

We are delighted to welcome back the superb pianist Mike Gorman . He is a gifted and very imaginative improviser, with deep roots in the music, Mike is one of the UK’s busiest jazz pianists. As an accompanist, his taste is impeccable and, as a soloist, he finds unexpected delights in whatever material he addresses.

Milo Fell was with us in 2000 with Cuban Bop and drummed up a storm. Paul Jefferies is new to Fleece Jazz but has a great reputation among musicians.

On Wednesday 23 October The Bryan Corbett Quintet: Blue Note Jazz – £20

Bryan Corbett Trumpet/Flugelhorn

Chris Bowden Alto sax

Paul Deats Piano

Tom Hill Double Bass

Andrew Wood Drums

“Corbett's playing is rousing and fierily expressive and his band are right on top of it.” Jazzwise

"The Bomb" - Courtney Pine

"Founded in 1939 by Alfred Lion, Blue Note Records is loved, respected, and revered as one of the most important record labels in the history of music, designed to serve the uncompromising expressions of hot jazz or swing. Direct and honest hot jazz is a way of feeling, a musical and social manifestation”

During a successful engagement as ‘Curator / Featured Artist’ for the Birmingham Jazz ‘Legends’ festival, trumpeter Bryan Corbett put together a series of concerts with a ‘Blue Note’ theme featuring ever popular and critically acclaimed music from the likes of Blue Mitchell, Horace Silver, Art Blakey and Donald Byrd. Known for his lyrical tone and powerful stage presence, Bryan is not only a great performer of the jazz standards repertoire, but he is also an artist who pushes the boundaries. He has toured and performed around the globe as a guest artist with world-renowned stars such as Ben E King, US3, The Brand New Heavies, Tony Christie and Ruby Turner as well as with his own bands at festivals, concert halls and clubs throughout the UK. 

Saxophonist Chris Bowden works as an arranger and performer with a highly individual style. He first came to prominence with his 1996 funk/acid/Latin-jazz 'Time Capsule'. Pianist Paul Deats is a member of the house trio of the Nottingham-based Jazz Club, Peggy's Skylight. Paul is the co-founder of the club and has been described as "a powerful and intense player . . . lyrical and thoughtful" ; Andrew is one of the most in-demand live and studio drummers in the East Midlands. Bassist and occasional vocalist Tom Hill is an expatriate American who has become a huge favourite with Midlands jazz audiences. He is a superlative bass player and a supremely versatile musician who leads his own bands (Straitjackets and ZZ Bop) and has been the first-call bassist for performers such as Peter King, Brandon Allen and Sam Crockatt.

Drawing from this pool of local, national and internationally renowned musicians, Bryan presents an evening of finest quality jazz; it is an immense pleasure to welcome him back to Fleece Jazz.

“Corbett’s own playing was imperious, with a beautiful tone on both trumpet and flugel and a high degree of fluency." - Ian Mann, The Jazz Mann 2023