Courtney Pine

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

an entrancing track last night on Late Junction and this on In Tune:

[Alyn_Shipton]

Boardees who have a more, er, tolerant attitude to Jazzwise Magazine than some here, can read my very long interview with Courtney and Zoe about this album in the current issue: taster on the website: http://www.jazzwisemagazine.com/brea...album-and-tour

[Bryn]

Boardees who have a more, er, tolerant attitude to Jazzwise Magazine than some here, can read my very long interview with Courtney and Zoe about this album in the current issue: taster on the website: http://www.jazzwisemagazine.com/brea...album-and-tour

A tad MOTR for my taste, perhaps, but I am willing to tolerate it.

[eighthobstruction]

Must admit I didn't connect with this CP track and never have quite felt much enthusiasm for CP music....I've never had a Wow from him....

....Must admit I did have a lot of PLEASURE (yes, me) from the rest of the Late Junction show....too many to mention all but....from Lauren Redhead to the last track of show Nathan Parker Smith had my listening buds well opened....

[Old Grumpy]

Boardees who have a more, er, tolerant attitude to Jazzwise Magazine than some here, can read my very long interview with Courtney and Zoe about this album in the current issue: taster on the website: http://www.jazzwisemagazine.com/brea...album-and-tour

Be assured it is on my reading list, Alyn - and I also have tickets for the Alnwick (Capital of Northumberland) Gig. Hopefully there will be plenty of music and not too much politics!

OG

[Ian Thumwood]

Old Grumpy

I must admit that the principle reason for me ditching "Jazzwise" was Stuart Nicholson's rants about George Bush. When the magazine first came out in the 1990's, it was difficult to out down but the advent of the Iraq war and emergence of groups like EST were a bit of a double-whammy and, as I already subscribed to bird-watching, history and a butterfly conservation magazine at the same time, I knocked it on the head. Nowadays I limited myself to the BTO garden-watch magazine, the BBC History magazine and "When Saturday comes" - easily the most interesting football magazine out there.

Courtney Pine is intriguing in that he still manages to divide fans thirty years after he emerged on the scene. I first saw him as a member of George Russell's big band and was knocked out but his debut album that followed was a huge disappointment and made me pretty sceptical. I remember going on a jazz workshop around 1992 and the session drummer who was teaching was extremely critical and reinforced my own perception. That said, I've been to gigs where he was been ordinary and another in Winchester where he was good value for money and very entertaining. The records seem to be a bit uneven yet you can't take anything away from his crusading promotion of jazz. When "The Jazz" was on DAB his radio programme was excellent and his avuncular style of presentation made his feel like he was a mate sharing his favourite track with you. I warmed to him as a listener to his show. I think many older fans struggle to take him serious and if he is a bit "MOTR" sometimes, I'm glad he is flying the flag for jazz.

It's easy to knock Courtney but then he can produce something like this which is amazingly enjoyable. As for Zoe Rahman, she was the best thing about CP's group when I saw them perform. I like the fact that she is under the radar and not hyped by the press. She just gets on producing great piano playing. I'm a fan. (Take note, SA!)

[Tom Audustus]

Yep. Stuart Nicholson's rants are very tedious and very, very predictable. Of couse, you can just turn the page and go on to the next article. Its a bit like going to a Gilad Atzmon concert: you listen to the music and then just ignore the rather immature political tosh he sometimes spouts between the tunes.

[Old Grumpy]

As you say, TA, it is possible not to read Stuart Nicholson's piece and move on. As regards CP, I have been to his gigs where there has been almost as much "political tosh" as music. In the intimacy of a duo partnership, in a small theatre in rural Northumberland (albeit the Capital) I am optimistic for the music to prevail. Must admit I am going as much to hear ZR as CP.

OG

P.S. Where exactly is Kendel?

[Serial_Apologist]

Nearly everyone in this country of our's follows the newspeak synonymisation of politics with Parliament. If jazz remains true to its roots in standing as an alternative to this limited view, which it certainly did in John Stevens's case, I have all the time in the world for Mr Pine, who has waymarked Stevens in tracing his early journey and is imo an excellent musician, as committed in his playing as its promotion.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

Yep. Stuart Nicholson's rants are very tedious and very, very predictable. Of couse, you can just turn the page and go on to the next article. Its a bit like going to a Gilad Atzmon concert: you listen to the music and then just ignore the rather immature political tosh he sometimes spouts between the tunes.

neither immature nor tosh in the eyes of many Tom Adjustus, but partisan certainly