As the interval after set 1 began, an audience member said to me, “you are going to have to find a lot more superlatives for this one”. Whisperings of “best gig” occurred. Yes, it was that good, so this will be a shortened note. Details don’t matter.

The personnel for this amazing gig were Tony Kofi on alto sax, Andy Davies on trumpet and flugel, Alex Webb on keyboard, Andy Cleyndert on bass and Dave Ohm on drums.

Tony and Alex compered the gig. we got an excellent picture of the life and career of Cannonball Adderley as the show went on. The programme followed Cannonball’s career, and included work that he recorded, some that he wrote, some that was written for him, an example of the latter being Miles Davis’s “Nardis”. A couple were by brother Nat. There was a fine balance between ballads and up tempo tunes.

Everybody soloed wonderfully. Everybody accompanied with strong empathic connections to their colleagues. Everybody seemed to be having a good time. So did we.

I want to single out two people. Dave Ohm was a dep, new to the music. He played as if he had been part of the band for years. Both Tony and and Alex made a point of thanking him for his fine work. So do I.

Samuel on the desk produced beautiful sound. He worked particularly hard to make the keyboard feel like an acoustic instrument.

Part of the function of the club is to give gigs to fine young musicians. You may not have heard of the names in the Calum Gourley Quartet, but you will soon, they are special musicians. Helena Kay is on saxophone; Kieran McCloud plays trombone; James Maddren (you might know this name) is on drums; the gig is led by bassist Calumn Gourley. The music will be great. Come along.

Take care,
Dave

We haven’t had tenorist Benn Clatworthy in far too long. The wonderful pianist John Donaldson delighted us recently, and again last Friday. Simon Thorpe, with his bass and grin, is always welcome. New to us was Darren Beckett, a drummer of style, dynamic and tonal range on a very small kit. The audience loved the Benn Clatworthy Quartet.

Benn constructed a very good programme, varied in mood, speed and tone. He plays mostly in the upper registers of the tenor sax, with big changes in timbre. Some examples: the opening number of the first set was his “The Pursuit”. His tone was weighty, perfect for this tough up tempo number. The next number was Strayhorn’s “My Little Brown Book”. This was a 3/4 ballad, and Benn’s beautiful solo had a lightness and sweetness that was delightful, He also has a good rapport with the audience, having fun, but telling us what we need to know.

The programme left tons of room for the trio to blow. People who knew were anticipating wonders from John, and were not disappointed. His solo on Ellington’s Latin up beat “Angelica” was very special.

Darren had an excellent solo on “Angelica”, but the one that caught my ear was Benn’s “Bolivian Odyssey”. Darren has all the speed and technique, and fast streaming ideas, but he is not afraid of being very sparse with the notes.

Simon’s accompaniment is always special. His work, solo and accompaniment on Tyner’s “Search for Peace” was outstanding. He had a great duet with Darren on “Blues for Dicky” (I think by Torolf Mølgaard). Simon watched the others closely, often with a big grin on his face.

The song of the night for me was “Search for Peace”. It had superb solos and accompaniment from all, but more important, you felt what Tyner was writing about.

A special gig to be followed by another. We will gather together (in the Garden Room, please note) for “A Portrait of Cannonball“. This is a super band. We will have Alex Webb on keyboards, Tony Kofi on alto sax, Andy Davies on trumpet, Andy Cleyndert on bass and Dave Ohm on drums.
“An absolute blast, one of the most exciting gigs of the year … a brilliant all-round package.”- London Jazz New
“Kofi’s spirited approach was supported by a tight rhythm section and Andy Davies, whose trumpet solos were sharp and clear.” – Jazzwise

I was really sad to have to leave the Catherine Lima gig at the interval, because the first set was a cracker. I am told that it got even better in the second set. So this will be a truncated note.

The Catherine Lima Band is:
The beautiful voice and presentation of Catherine. Her love of the words just shines through.
We know and admire Paul Higgs as a trumpeter, but for this gig he was (mostly) on the piano,, quite excellent. He also had superb work on the trumpet, and the melodica also made an appearance.
The rest were new to us, but I hope they will return. Alex Field played electric and nylon stringed acoustic guitars. We need to see him back at the club.
Alex Keen was our bassist. He is an excellent soloist and a star accompanist.
Our drummer was Jason Campbell, a guy who knows how to play a room. I enjoyed his work on this gig.

Catherine gave me a set list with authorships, so the research was all done for me. Thank you, Catherine. She gave is an excellent start (that first song is so important) with a Latin tinged “A Taste of Honey” (Scott/Marlow). She has an excellent voice and lovely technique, which gave us the words and their emotional effects. So we started off happy, and got happier through the set. The lady can scat, as she showed us on Gershin’s “S’Wonderful”. Catherine’s phrasing on the Altman/Lawrence “All or Nothing At All” was superb.l.

The Mendez/Bergman blues, “Centerpiece” gave Paul a chance to bring out his beautiful green trumpet. He comped behind the vocals and had a wonderful solo. The melodica made an appearance on the Green/Hayman “I Cover The Waterfront”, appropriate tonality somehow for the song.

I am really sorry to have missed the second set. I hope we have them back.

Next week, the Benn Clatworthy Quartet graces our stage again. They are Benn Clatworthy tenor sax, John Donaldson piano, Simon Thorpe bass, Dave Ohm drums. “Some of the most emotive and creative jazz this side of Sonny Rollins” – Edinburgh Evening News.

Take care,
Dave

David Lyons is on holiday so he has asked me to do the review. Normal service will be resumed next time around!

The evening was an homage to the work of Cedar Walton, the pianist, composer and arranger. Born in Dallas, USA in 1934 he produced some lingering melodies and jazz classics which were performed superbly by Renato D’Aiello and his companions.

The first set opened with the Hungarian pianist, Mátyás Gayer backed by Nicola Muresu on double bass and Alfonso Vitale on drums. All three had short solo parts which helped establish the format of the evening. Next up was Cedar’s Blues which highlighted the elegant playing of Renato and Roberto Rossi.

Homage to Cedar was written by Mátyás and he led the band before the relaxed and dapper Renato played a beautiful tenor solo. To my mind this had a slight calypso feel to it and as the evening unfolded this variation of style and mood was clearly evident. The Maestro was a slower song and the following ballad, You’ve Changed allowed us to experience the smooth and mellow style of Roberto in his solo. The final number in the first set was Firm Roots. An up-tempo Walton number which was delivered with pace and energy by all concerned.

The gentle harmonies of Martha’s Prize opened the second set. Roberto Rossi on trombone took lead before handing off to Renato d’Aiello. Both added their instrumental character to this lovely and clear sounding piece. The tempo increases for the next number which has Renato and Roberto taking a double lead before each performs superbly in their solo leads.

Portrait of Jennie was, for me at least, the stand out number of the evening despite not being penned by Walton. Renato played this ballad with a slow and perfect delivery. Superb timing and compassionate playing. The final number is loosely interpreted as “Red Eyes”. At thirteen minutes this was the longest number of the evening and allowed all to highlight their individual skills. Renato and Roberto led in a double act before handing off to each other 17 times for their individual input. They came together for the all-in finale. A fitting end to the night……but of course, being Fleece Jazz, it wasn’t. The encore was a piece called No More. It, and the rest of the evening left the audience wishing for LOTS MORE!

No gig next week, but the delightful Catherine Lima brings her band on 11 October: Catherine on vocals, Paul Higgs on piano, Alex Field guitar, Alex Keen bass and Jason Cambell drums. This gig will be a delight. See you there,

Dave T

Tammy Weis has a beautiful mezzo voice. She is a composer and lyricist, and the text is so clear when she sings. The arrangements were excellent. I had Gershwin’s “Summertime” starred in my notes for the arrangement.

The evening was mostly music sung and loved by the great Julie London, with songs from the late 50s and 60s. London was an actor and a pin up girl, but we know her as a singer.

With Tammy were Nigel Price on guitar, Julie Walkington on bass and Matt Fisher on drums.

Watching Nigel accompanying is fascinating. He seems to be in the singer’s mind with his highly varied work. Fun too, He and Matt had a great time improvising together on Cole Porter’s “Love for Sale”. Nigel had fine solos. His solo on Pablo Beltran Ruiz’s “Sway” was particularly lovely. Matt’s solo on Bart Howard’s “Fly Me To The Moon” stood out.

I have always enjoyed Julie’s playing as an accompanist and a soloist. There was a beautiful duet with Julie and Tammy on Ray Henderson’s “Bye Bye Blackbird”.

But even though there was lots of room for the instrumentalists to shine, this was a singer gig. A beautiful voice, a love of the words, timbre changed to suit each song, all good. Good writing, some Tammy’s, some with Tom Cawley. A lovely selection of Julie London related songs. I think my favourite was Sonny Burke’s and Paul Francis Webster’s “Black Coffee”, but there was not a dud in the evening.

Next Friday, Renato d’Aiello will be playing the music of Cedar Walton; Renato d’Aiello Tenor sax, Roberto Rossi Trombone, Mátyás Gayer Piano. Nicola Muresu Bass, Alfonso Vitale Drums. Do Join us.

Take Care,

Dave

Bonsai are:
Rory Ingham on trombone,
Dominic Ingham on violin and vocals,
Toby Comeau on piano and keys,
Joe Lee on bass,
Jonny Mansfield on drums, and
one terrific band.

They all write, producing interesting, complex yet accessible music. The arrangements are interesting and diverse, lots of interesting grooves and lots of blowing room. From the opening number, Dominic’s “Bonsai Club”, to the encore, Jonny’s “Itchy Knee”, the band gave us a delightful evening.

I want to talk a bit about musical education. Most of these guys are just out of conservatory (first class degrees abound). So that mastery of the instruments should be a given, and was. But where did they get the blues from? Maybe listening to good rock?

We were very short staffed at this gig, but Gerry and I, with help from Dougy and others got through the work just fine. We are pleased that we should be back to full staff for the next gig.

That gig is the Tammy Weis Quartet. We loved Tammy when she was with us last time. She brings a great band.
“With a grand slam triple threat of sexy smooth vocals, great songwriting and a knockout band with stellar musicianship, a performance with Tammy Weis is unforgettable.” – Randy Bachman.
The band is Tammy Weis Vocals, Nigel Price Guitar, Julie Walkington Bass. Matt Fisher Drums. Do join us.

Take care,
Dave

Peter Fairman writes:
Gerry asked me if I can do a few words about last nights gig as it is not his forte (his words).
I see you have already said something on our site concerning, However I did say to Gerry I would help. Here goes my take in the simplest of ways;-
Dave , you are correct in your assumption that  this was indeed a good gig, no, not good. it was “GREAT” !!!
From the start to finish all the players were absolutely on top form , with their Vocalist , “Lizzie Dean” mesmerisingly breathtaking.
With an excellent, well attended audience enthusiastically showiing  their appreciation during and after each song/tune, the Band clearly was inspired to make this one of the best gigs if not the best gig of the year.Everything they performed , worked so well.
They say perfection does not exist, well, this came pretty damn close.
This is an incredible Band and any recommendations simply would not be high enough.. Their encore number even have everyone on their feet jigging and swaying to their  music’s beat.
What a Band ;-  We had Dave Lewis on Tenor Sax, Robin Aspland on Piano, Al Cherry on Guitar, Neville Malcolm on Bass, Rod Youngs on Drums and the formidable Lizzie Dean on Vocals.

The next gig on 13 September is Bonsai. They blew us away the last time this young band with blues in their soul played for us: they were formerly known as Jam Experiment.

Ben Crosland‘s “Ray Davies Songbook Vol. 2”. Ben was playing a fretless bass guitar, Josephine Davies played tenor and soprano sax, Chris Allard was the guitarist, Jim Watson doubled on piano and keys, and Dylan Howe was our drummer.

Here are some general things to say about the gig. Ray Davies (in one case with his brother) wrote music which is very amenable to jazz treatment. Ben’s arrangements were superb, and not trivial. The general level of musicianship was very very high, with great solos from everyone. The audience loved the gig.

I have to go behind the scenes to explain about some of the magic. Josephine was a late dep. She had the charts in advance. She, because of a previous commitment, arrived at 7:30, had a half-hour chat with Ben, and walked onto the stage with the band and began to play the tenor on Ray Davies’ “Victoria”. Perfectly. Now Gerry and I knew that she was cold reading, as did the musicians (including one in the audience who knew the situation). From my point of view, what she did was pure magic. Some of the musicians told me it was cold reading beyond what they had heard before.

Just to make it more interesting, Ben had written many duets for sax and guitar, some up-tempo, some balladic, some unison, some in harmony. Josephine didn’t just get the notes right. She got the phrasing right. Oh, by the way, I loved her solos (her soprano solo on “Dandy” was a good example).
,
Chris, Ben and Dylan played beautifully throughout, each with some standout solos. But there is one other bit of magic I want to tell you about.

Ray and his brother Dave wrote “Celluloid Heros”. Ben’s charts indicated an improvised piano intro, and after the head, a piano solo. Jim extended the intro and had us gasping: how do those ideas and changes of texture happen? He carried the ideas into the solo where he was chord constrained and had us gasping again. I think musically this was the highlight of the evening.

No gig next week, but on 30 August, Dave Lewis’s 1UP Band returns, with Dave Lewis tenor sax, Lizzie Dean vocals, Al Cherry guitar, Robin Aspland piano, Neville Malcolm bass, Rod Youngs drums. Dave’s arrangements and the band’s sound are steeped in the blues: Dave’s St. Louis roots come through. We would be pleased if you would join us.

Take care
Dave

Early Saturday morning after John Etheridge‘s wonderful gig, we were off to visit darling daughter, somewhat slowed down coming and going by a power failure. Ironically, in the middle of all of the storm havoc, the fault was internal to the house. Anyway, thus the late report.

People love John. Quite a few travelled long distances to hear him. It is easy to understand. His techniques in every style of playing, the skill with looping, the flow of ideas, the invention of arrangements on the fly are part of the story. But people really like his rapport with the audience. He tells us what we need to know about the songs, and much more, often very funny. This is also improvisation.

He also uses musicians who have similar skills and a similar blues spirit embedded in their hearts and hands. Pete Whittaker is bassist, obbligato and soloist master on the organ. Drummer George Double is a superb accompanist, and his solos and 4s are filled with interest. The three are one unit, moving and bending their contribution with the ideas of their colleagues.

All the songs were great to hear and hear about. My notes show two that stood out.

John’s “The Venerable Bede” was on the dark side of blue. John and Pete both had fine solos on this one. George’s accompaniment was special. Bob Dorough’s and Ben Tucker’s “Comin’ Home Baby” was our encore: fast, loud, stunning from all three.

Enough. Part notes, part memory of a wonderful gig.

Next week, Dave Lewis returns, this time with his 1UP Band. Dave Lewis Tenor Sax, Lizzie Dean Vocals, Al Cherry Guitar, Robin Aspland Piano, Neville Malcolm Bass, Rod Youngs Drums.
“Kinda jazzy, kinda bluesy, kinda souly, lots of influences, great singing, great playing …” – Paul Long, BBC producer.

Take care,
Dave