Notes on Past Gigs

Steve was away, so I have the honour of writing about this amazing gig. I do the sound for the gig and have no time to make notes. I asked our organist, Pete Whittaker if there was a set list. What he gave me was: Now, “Custard” is “I’ve thrown a custard at her face”; or perhaps “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face” (Loewe). “Wasser” is, I think, Yiddish for “Water From An Ancient Well” (Ibraham). “Braamz” is a stunning jazz take on the music of Schubert, “Brahms I Think”. A fuller set list can be found below. Art deserves…

Steve said: In many ways, we always know what to expect when Simon Spillett comes to Fleece Jazz.  And yet, on Wednesday evening last as before, we were still bowled over by the sheer, unrelenting energy and technical brilliance of his uncompromising, high-octane style on tenor saxophone. He is well-known as the biographer and keeper of the flame of the great tenorist, Tubby Hayes, who died at the absurdly early age of 38, just over fifty years ago.  His close attention to the Hayes legacy has influenced his own playing stance, so much so that he seems to be the…

Steve said: Bryan Corbett’s return to Fleece Jazz had been highly anticipated after he regrettably had to delay his booking scheduled for June for health reasons, which involved a period of extended convalescence.  More than anything, it was so good to see how well he seems to be recovering.  As Bryan explained early on, he had originally been commissioned to present a concert with a Blue Note theme for a private event and this in turn led to wider public performances including tonight’s gig.  He is held in such high regard by our jazz club that it was decided, with…

Steve said: It was a pleasure to welcome back vibraphonist Roger Beaujolais to Fleece Jazz after so long and especially with the three spectacular musicians that made up the quartet. Roger was an entertaining and engaging compere throughout the performance over two sets.  He explained that the evening was a celebration of the great jazz vibes player, Milt “Bags” Jackson, who was best remembered as a member of the Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ)  but also from his collaboration with bebop, hard bop and post-bop players. This year is also the 100th anniversary of the invention of the vibraphone and we…

Steve said: From the very first notes of the gig last night at Fleece Jazz, I knew we were in for a treat as Chris Ingham and his quartet skilfully and passionately revealed the musical legacy of the legendary songwriter, pianist and singer (as well as actor and radio personality) that was Hoagy Carmichael. For cynics and sceptics, of which I am one, our reservations evaporated when Chris wryly informed us that the promise of “Modern Jazz every fortnight” would be an empty one for this evening! Despite this, what we had was a journey through a wealth of well-crafted,…