What, no Drums? The four instumruments had much more clarity and presence than with a drummer. Even with the individual presence, the group sounded together. That is interesting considering that the piano and guitar have roughly the same pitch range and fought each other as sometimes happens: it can be a sound guy’s nightmare to provide them with clarity.

It was really great to see and hear Andrew Cleyndert lead the group on bass. His pianist was Mark Edwards, Martin Shaw played Flugel throughout, with the trumpet firmly on its stand. Colin Oxley is a favourite guitarist. This band has been around for a decade now, and though Mark was an early deputy, they listened hard and had great unity. 

Colin had some great solos, but I was interested in his accompaniment. Rhythm guitar is one of those things that you don’t notice until it goes away, and then you really miss it. Colin kept it at just the right level. If you chose to focus on him accompanying, his choice of chord seemed to be controlled by his listening to the soloist. A piano, which is a percussive instrument, seems more forward in accompaniment.

Mark is a superb pianist. He hasn’t been with us since he was with Ben Castle back in the Fleece pub. Mark uses the whole piano, even using the soft pedal to change the piano’s timbre. He is man of power, like McCoy Tyner. His accompaniment was excellent.

I have loved Martin’s work for many years. Chatting, he described himself as just a guy who plays for other guys. He didn’t mention that he was also continuously on call for that, and that he does session work with all that demands. Wednesday was flugel playing at its best, leaving the trumpet and Harmon mute lonely on the floor.

And our leader? Andrew’s essentials (pitch, technique, solid beat) are perfect, of course. But it is wonderful to hear the result of his musical thinking, which demands things like top range to bottom range twice in an up-beat bar. He put together, it seems on the fly, an excellent programme (see Steves set list below) with lots of variation of tempo and feel. There was a lot of music from a range of latin vibes. Everything had a common feel as being from this band at this time. 

It was a very enjoyable gig. 

You need to know about a special gig coming up on Wednesday 25 October. Josh Kemp is giving us an evening of the “Love Supreme” side of John Coltrane. He is bringing Gareth Williams on piano, Dave Manington on bass and Tristan Maillot on drums, and some remarkable visuals. I hope to see you there.

THE ANDREW CLEYNDERT QUARTET: “ECLECTRICITY” 

SETLIST, FLEECE JAZZ 11/2023

1. Two Little Pearls (Oscar Pettiford)/Unrequited (Brad Mehldau) 
2. One Hundred Ways (Kathy Wakefield)
3. Valse Triste (Jean Sibelius) also adapted by Wayne Shorter on The Soothsayer
4. So Tender (Keith Jarrett)
5. A Felicidade (Antonio Carlos Jobim)
6. Secret Love (Sammy Fain/Paul Francis Webster)

*          *          *           *         *        *        *

7. Você Que Não Vem (Toninho Horta) 
8. Ojoe de Rojo (Cedar Walton)
9. Answer Me (Gerhard Winkler)/ Dexter’s Tune (Randy Newman). ‘Answer Me’ was originally titled Mutterlein with German lyrics. Contemporary recordings with English lyrics by Frankie Laine and David Whitfield topped the singles chart in 1953. ‘Dexter’s Tune’ was from the film ‘Awakenings’.
10. Song of the Sabia (Antonio Carlos Jobim) arranged by Cedar Walton
11. Hamp’s Blues (Hampton Hawes)
12. Come Dance With Me (Eddie Harris) 
13. ENCORE: Danny Boy (Trad.)

 

As well as doing the setlist below, Steve Jordan has made the following comment about the gig: “Jo Harrop was a great hit with the audience, myself included, with her seductive phrasing and warm delivery – one of the very best jazz vocalists that I have ever heard.  Of course, this was all complimented superbly  by the other musicians especially Paul Edis’s extraordinary pianism and Nigel Price’s mellifluous guitar-playing.  A special mention also to Simon Thorpe who never disappoints.”

I agree.

One of the trials of doing publicity is hunting for information about people. it helps if you have the right name. We were given Peter Adams for the drummer, could find nothing. His name is Peter Adam Hill, and there is lots out there. So there should be. Peter played the room beautifully – he is an honest listening musician and I would like to see him back again . He made Nigel grin trading riffs. Apologies, Peter, about the misnaming.

I should also add that Simon was a very last minute dep, That is still magic to me. I was expecting a difficult sound check. It took, as part of their rehearsal, about 5 minutes. Nobody commented on the sound. I got it right. There is a trick to this: make your ears do their research before the gig. In this case it was a real pleasure.

Highlights? To start, the programme design. It was varied in tempo and mood, and showed off Jo’s range of tone and sensibility. The contrast between “Ain’t Got Nothing but the Blues”, which had a lovely growl to it, the sweetness of “Our Love is Here To Stay”, and the up-beat “Secret Love” showed off that range. Jo is a great lyricist. Her collaborations with Paul, Hannah Vasanth and Natalie Williams were most enjoyable. 

During the rehearsal, Nigel took a moment to introduce the other instrumentalists to “Four On Six”, which they played at the start of the second set. “Brilliant” said the chap sitting next to the sound check. Indeed it was.  Their accompaniment was great, and Jo gave the lads lots of room to blow all through the evening.  She had one tune with just Paul, and one with just Nigel. You do that and you have nowhere to hide, In fact, those tunes were stunning collaborations.

Our next gig is on the 11th of October, and what a crew! Andrew Cleyndert leads on bass,  Mark Edwards on piano, Martin Shaw on trumpet and flugelhorn and Colin Oxley on guitar. it will be a feast for their and our soul.

Take care, 

Dave

JO HARROP QT PLUS NIGEL PRICE 

SETLIST, FLEECE JAZZ 27/09/23

1. How Deep Is the Ocean? (Irving Berlin) Performed as an instrumental before Jo Harrop joined the band

2. Easy To Love (Cole Porter)
3. Short Story (Paul Edis/Kate Edis)
4. Time After Time (Jule Styne/Sammy Cahn)
5. Ain’t Got Nothing But The Blues (Duke Ellington)
6. Our Love Is Here To Stay (Gershwin)
7. You’ll Never Be Lonely in Soho (Edis/Harrop)
8. Charade (Henry Mancini) from the film of the same name
9. No Moon At All (Red Evans/David Mann)

*          *          *           *         *       *        *

10. Four On Six (Wes Montgomery) Performed as an instrumental before Jo Harrop, once again, joined the band
11. Red Mary Janes and A Brand New Hat (Jo Harrop, Hannah Vasanth, Natalie Williams)
12. If Ever I Would Leave You (Lerner/Loewe)
13. East Of The Sun, West Of The Moon (Brooks Bowman)
14. The Heart Wants What The Heart Wants (Jo Harrop, Hannah Vasanth)
15. Early Autumn (Woody Herman) 
16. Secret Love (Sammy Fain/Paul Francis Webster) – as sung by Doris Day in the film, Calamity Jane
17. Only Spring Will Decide (Paul Edis/Jo Harrop)
18. On The Street Where You Live (Lerner/Loewe)
19. Fine and Mellow (Billie Holiday)
20. ENCORE: It’s That Old Devil Moon (Burton Lane/E.Y. Harburg)

 

Thoughts on Loz Speyer’s “Time Zone”, 13 September 2023

The earlier writeup for this gig made me expect something different and original, and I was not disappointed (you can see that writeup here). Loz Speyer gave us a programme which varied from fun to profound. He writes with freedom in the chording and time signatures, and uses a wide variety of rhythms. The rhythms came mostly from the Cuban tradition, where Loz spent some of his life.

“Lost at Sea” was a memorial for the dead from boat crossings around the world. It was very affecting. There were shocks of pitch, chording and volume changes that got to you. The quiet but dissonant quiet periods and the heavier sections were evocative of what the boats were facing.

Loz wanted us to get up and dance for one number. Our audience? Perhaps not. The last number, “Dalston Carnival” almost did it: it was joyous. Friedrich Nietzsche’s comment, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” transports into Cuban as “What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Fat”, another joyous song. 

What a fascinating use of time signatures, Loz has. There was lots of 4/4 and a bit of 3/4, but 11/16 takes a chorus to get into. But then is just felt right in the song. There were a couple of 10/8 (or 2*5/4?) tunes as well.

The excellent crew were Loz on trumpet and flugel, Martin Hathaway on sax and bass clarinet, Chris Allard  on guitar, Dave Manington on bass, Satin Singh on congas and Anmol Mohara on drums. If I had to pick up one thing from the excellent work of them all, I would choose Anmol  and Satin who had a couple of trading 4s and 2s which were delightful.

Thanks to Miles’ daughter for the set list, setting and rolling cables, helping with everything else, and suffering listening to my anecdotes.

On Wednesday 27 September, the wonderful Jo Harrop will be leading a tribute to great voices in jazz. If you have not heard her before, you have been missing a fine and flexible singer with a deep musical understanding of the songs. Her normal quartet has Paul Edie on piano, Jihad Darwish on bass and Peter Adams on drums, but for us she has added our good friend and amazing guitarist, Nigel Price. Don’t miss it.

Setlist for Loz Speyer’s “Time Zone” – 13 September 2023

All songs by Loz Speyer.

1. Stratosphere

2. Now is Always Different

3. Mood Swings

4. What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Fat

5. Guannapacharignero (I think)

……………..

6. Checkpoint Charlie

7. Bilingual

8. Lost at Sea

9. Crossing the Line

10. Dalston Carnival

The pandemic was extremely hard on artists of all kinds: theatre, on and off the stage, for example. It was very difficult for musicians, but many of them found good ways to use the time. One of the best of these was the genesis and work that produced Five-Way Split. Quentin Collins (trumpet and flugel), Vasilis Xenopoulos (tenor sax), Rob Barron (piano), Máyás Hofecker (double bass) and Matt Home (drums) created the band. They wrote music for it, recorded it, and over time produced an excellent CD of  their own tunes, and some standards. 

They  played for us last Wednesday. What a delight not to see music stands! In fact, Rob wanted the piano front off, and asked for the music stand that sits on the open piano. He looked at it for a minute, and realized that they knew the music, so the stand was put away. What was magical was the combination of great unity and precision of the five coupled with the freedom to improvise in such a lyrical way.

The standard of writing was very high throughout the gig. The first number, Vasilis’s tribute to Wayne Shorter, “Out of Waynes Bag”,  brought us into the heart of the band’s music. 

Arranging is a subtle art, and the band is very good at it. Solos flowed out of the heads beautifully. Quentin’s solo with the Harmon mute in “All The Way” was a highlight for me, but every solo shone. I like to listen to the accompaniments to solos, and these were very good, lots of careful listening. But the solos grabbed my attention pretty well totally.

Thanks to Steve Jordan for producing the setlist below. He agreed, a great gig, thank you , guys,

The next gig is on Wednesday, 13 September. Loz Speyer’s “Time Zone” will have us travel with Cuban music around the world. It will be grand, don’t miss it.

Take care,

Dave

FIVE-WAY SPLIT

SETLIST, FLEECE JAZZ 23/08/23

1. Out of Wayne’s Bag (Xenopoulos)
2. Lingua Franca (Barron) 
3. Mr Birthday Waltz (Collins)
4. Asymphonatic (Collins)
5. Evidently (Barron)

*          *          *           *         *        *        *

6. All The Way (Jimmy Van Heusen/Sam Cahn) – a song made famous by Frank Sinatra in 1957 which was introduced in the film The Joker Is Wild.  This arrangement was by Rob Barron.
7. Sunday in New York (Peter Nero and Carroll Coates ) – a song written for the 1963 movie of the same name. It was sung by Mel Tormé in the film which starred Jane Fonda.
8. San Sebastian (Xenopoulos) – named after the city in the Basque region of Spain
9. Theme For Ernie (Fred Lacey) – covered by John Coltrane amongst others
10. Encounter (Mike LeDonne) – based on the chord changes of Love for Sale
11. ENCORE: Bittersweet (Sam Jones)

What a wonderful gig, loved by our listening audience. They really do listen.

You learn something new every gig. A bigsby is a lever on a guitar that can raise or lower its pitch by a bit. Rob Luft make beautiful use of his. He added timbre to individual notes as well as using it for tremolo  or other effects. Rob was one of the leaders of the band. What a stunning guitarist he is. He writes well too, see Steve’s setlist entry below, “Gayetski”. I loved watching him use the bigsby and magically switching from plectrum to fingering. It is not often an intro gets hoots and applause, but two of his did.

The other leader was Dave O’Higgins, and it was such a pleasure to have him back with us. His tenor style suited the very different styles of the Coltrane and Monk music that they played. His blues “One for Six”, about his residence at the 606 club was my pick of the evening. Like on all the tunes, everyone got a chance to blow. It just seemed to me to be the cherry on a very good cake.

The two leaders shared the announcement mic with stories about the songs, very interesting and often very funny. I won’t say that they could have a career in stand-up comedy, but they were very entertaining.

Ross Stanley was trapped in Spain, so on the very morning, Jim Watson got a request to play piano for us. The music we had was far from trivial, but Jim handled it with aplomb. He had to read, of course, which from time to time left his accompaniment a little stylistically different from his colleagues. His solos were grand, and met with loud approval from our audience.

Luke Fowler is embedded in the band. You could see him concentrating, often with a big smile, on the soloist. But also, on the accompaniment. There is a real rapport between him and the drummer. He showed us again what a fine soloist he is, but he is so strong as the heartbeat of the band.

There is a very sensitive side to the drumming of Rod Youngs. Like Luke, he was watching each member of the band like a hawk. I do love a drummer that plays the room so accurately. He had a couple of spectacular solos. His use of brushes (both ends!) is amazing.

That left the sound to talk about. We had rigged micing all of the instruments except the drums, with talk mics for Dave and Rob. All but Luke had fold-back speakers. We ended up with the only visible mic was the shared talk mic. The band was totally acoustic except for a tiny boost for the piano. The monitors were still in place, but Daves was unplugged. It sounded lovely.

The next gig has Simon Spillett and Pete Long doing the Jazz Couriers two tenors thing. Rob Barron will be on piano, Alec Dankworth on bass and Pete Cater on drums. We would love to see you with us.

Take care

Dave

O’HIGGINS & LUFT: “PLUTO” 

SETLIST, FLEECE JAZZ 26/07/23

1. Pluto (O’Higgins)
2. Gayetski (Luft) – a composition dedicated to recently deceased, Astrud Gilberto, Stan Getz and Astrud’s husband, João Gilberto, all of whom famously collaborated on The Girl From Ipanema. Getz, was born Stanley Gayetski; his grandparents were Ukrainian Jewish refugees who migrated to Whitechapel in the East End of London to escape the anti-Jewish pogroms.
3. Vague Recollection (O’Higgins)
4. ‘Round Midnight (Thelonious Monk)
5. Jean De Fleur (Grant Green)

*          *          *           *         *        *        *

6. South Wind (Luft) 
7. One For The Six (O’Higgins)
8. Naima (John Coltrane) 
9. Giant Steps GTI (John Coltrane)
10. ENCORE: Green Chimneys (Thelonious Monk)

This gig was a joy. They came, they sang, they conquered. Sarah Jane Morris had all her power, and we loved her close communication with the audience, who reciprocated in song themselves.

Steve’s set list is below, so I can talk about the musicians. First the newbie: we would be delighted to have Marcus Bonfanti back. He is a superbly skilled guitarist, whether finger or plectrum or steel. He had a solo on “Lovely Day” that was light, textured and really beautiful. All his solos were inventive. His accompaniment was thoughtful and interesting. As a backing vocalist, his voice provided perfect harmonies with Sarah’s voice.

Tony Rémy is simply an outstanding world class guitarist. I was surprised to see him using a capo on the first number. Tony needs a capo? What do I know?  Solo after solo, Tony’s guitar sang to us. “Up From the Sky’s” gave a whole new take on this Hendrix song.  Tony usually set the vibe, and he and Marcus  listened very closely to each other and used each other, so their accompaniment form was contrapuntal. Tony’s basso was only heard in a few numbers, but it added just the right support to the songs he sang in.

Sarah used to introduce Henry Thomas as “The Mighty”, and he still is. In the first set he played electric guitar. In the second set he also played with a fretless acoustic bass, which has a wonderful sound: softer, warmer, but just as clear as the electric. His solos on “Head and Heart” and “Lovely Day” were amazing. He is a great backing singer. I was glad of the chance to talk to Henry after the gig. His understanding of music, composition and indeed the current way of the world is quite profound. Conversations with Henry are to be treasured.

What can I say about Sarah Jane Morris that has not been said a thousand times? If you have never seen her before, she can be a bit overwhelming. There were a few such in the audience, but they soon be came like the rest, lovers of her work. She has an immense voice, a big range and lots of tonalities. The commitment she has to the music and what it means is clear. One reason she is loved is that she works so well with an audience. We were all singing in the second half, to her direction.

Our next gig will be on Wednesday 26 July, – O’Higgins & Luft will present work from their album Pluto. This is straight-ahead modern jazz in the African-American tradition, coming from the Monk and Trane lineage, but not bound to emulating it. The musicians are Dave O’Higgins Tenor sax, Rob Luft Guitar, Ross Stanley Piano, Luke Fowler Bass and Rod Youngs Drums. It will be a cracker, don’t miss it.

Take care,

Dave

SARAH-JANE MORRIS: “SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW” 

SETLIST, FLEECE JAZZ 12/07/23

All songs from the first set, as well as the encore, were written and originally sperformed by the late, great John Martyn. 

1. Fairytale Lullaby
2. Couldn’t Love You More
3. Head and Heart
4. One World
5. Sweet Little Mystery 
6. May You Never
7. Over The Hill

*          *          *           *         *        *        *

8. On My Way To You (Morris/Remy) 
9. Feel The Love (Morris/Remy)
10. Imagine (John Lennon) 
11. Lovely Day (Bill Withers)
12. Up From The Skies (Jimi Hendrix)
13. Piece of My Heart (Jerry Ragovoy/Bert Berns) – originally recorded by Erma Franklin, Aretha’s older sister, in 1967 but better known from the version by Big Brother and the Holding Company featuring Janis Joplin on lead vocals.
14. I Shall Be Released (Bob Dylan)
15. ENCORE: I Don’t Wanna Know (John Martyn)

It is amazing to me that in one year, 1959, so many  important things have happened. The list on Wikipedia goes on for pages: The European Court of Human Rights is established; we lose Buddy Holly; Lunar 4 goes to the moon; Nottingham Forest beats Luton in the FA cup; the Mini is released.

And “Kind of Blue” is released; one collection that changed the music in the multitude of masterly jazz compositions  that year.

Bryan Corbett has designed  a beautiful show of great variety from the music of 1959. He gives us Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Paul Desmond, Horace Silver, Ornette Coleman and more. I loved it all, but “Flamenco Sketches” as played by this quintet will stay with me.

And he plays both trumpet and flugel like an angel. His technique is superb, his tonality is sweet and clear. The soul in his mind comes out clearly in his playing. The listening between Bryan and his colleagues is almost palpable. 

 Chris Bowden is a wonderful altoist. He is serious, fast and slow, inventive and fun. Matt Ratcliffe’s piano obligatos are delightful. Carl Hemmingsley is the perfect drummer for the group. 

The joker in the pack is Tom Hill. He presented “Fables of Faubus”, told bad jokes very well, and was a stunning bassist.

I will remember this gig with pleasure. They honoured the intentions of the composers while remaining theirselves. Unfortunately I will also  remember the minor disasters on the sound desk. And I was  the sound guy

The setlist below is compiled by Steve Jordan, for which thanks.

The next gig is a doozy, The power of nature that is Sarah Jane Morris  with her favourite team: Tim Cansfield and Tony Remy on Guitars, and Henry Thomas on bass guitar. See you then.

Take care,

Dave

THE HI-FLY  QUINTET  

SETLIST, FLEECE JAZZ 28/06/23;

1. So What (Gil Evans/Miles Davis) from ‘Kind of Blue’
2. No Problem (Duke Jordan) from ‘Flight to Jordan’
3. Flamenco Sketches (Gil Evans/Miles Davis) from ‘Kind of Blue’
4. Hi-Fly (Randy Weston) from ‘The Cannonball Adderley Quintet in San Francisco
5. Take Five (Paul Desmond) from ‘Time Out’ by The Dave Brubeck Quartet
6. Sister Sadie (Horace Silver) from ‘Blowin’ The Blues Away’

*          *          *           *         *        *        *

7. Lonely Woman (Ornette Coleman) from ‘The Shape of Jazz To Come’/ Concierto de Aranjuez (Joaquin Rodrigo) from ‘Sketches of Spain’ by Miles Davis
8. Fables of Faubus (Charles Mingus) from ‘Mingus Ah Um’
9. Stolen Moments (Oliver Nelson) from ‘Blues and the Abstract Truth’.  The tune was originally recorded in 1959
10. Blues March (Benny Golson) from ‘Moanin’’ by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers
11. ENCORE: Juicy Lucy (Horace Silver) from ‘Finger Poppin’’

All albums were released in 1959 except for ‘Blues and the Abstract Truth’ although an earlier version of the  tune was recorded in 1959.