Roger Beaujolais Quartet – 15 June 2018
Roger Beaujolais burst onto our stage in hirsute splendour, and full of energy. The first song of the first set, Lane/Harburg “Old Devil Moon” had an almost shocking beginning, and spendid solos by all four of the band. The evening continued in that fashion, with the band having such fun up there. Roger, of course, was on vibraphone, Robin Aspland on piano, Simon Thorpe on bass and Dave Barry. on drums. It was a tumultuous week for the band. Both Robin and Winston Clifford had car troubles, Winston’s extending to this gig. Dave was pretty new to the band, having…
QCBA: Brandon and Quentin – 1 June 2018
Sam’s Notes, 4 June 2018 Last night saw the return of several Fleece Jazz familiars with acclaimed organ driven quartet ‘QCBA.’ Headed up by the frontline heavyweight duo of Quentin Collins (tr) and Brandon Allen (ts), this aptly titled ensemble exhibits a roster of original compositions infused by the unmistakable colour of the Blue Note catalogue from the 1950’s and 60’’s; a stalwart of the hard-bop golden era. It is primarily through QCBA’s dedication to original compositions that this group surpasses the pitfalls of pastiche, which when coupled with outstanding levels of musicianship ensured an evening of engaging and highly…
Chris Allard Band, 4 May 2018
I often find that the guitar/piano combination is a little muddy, as they both live in the same sonic area. On Friday we had two stunning players, no mud in sight: each instrument rang out clearly. Chris Allard‘s Band was Chris on guitar, Ross Stanley on piano, Oli Hayhurst on bass and Nick Smalley on drums. They played some of Chris’s tunes, a few standards, each sufficiently extended to allow lots of blowing time. We were treated to some great solos from all four of them. Ross first, because he epitomized the magic that non-musicians like me can never figure…
Just who writes these posts?
Just so you know, most of these posts have been and will be written by Dave Lyons, and proofread (and sometimes rewritten) by his wife, Roberta, who’s patience over many years is astonishing.
Dave’s Notes, 22 April 2018 – Gill Manly
Fleece Jazz tries to provide variety with excellent musicianship, and we had a winner again last Friday. Gill Manly’s superb voice and wide ranging choice of material was beautifully supported by Trevor Hyatt on mandola, guitar, backing and up front vocals, and Thomas Coffey on guitar and backing vocals. Gill did some backing vocal work too: what a team! The audience loved her. The problem is that there were far too few of you. Gill;s theory that every culture has its equivalent of the blues, whether happy or sad, was the guiding force in the design of the set list….