Winchester Jazz Festival - 2018

[Ian Thumwood]

The third, annual Winchester Jazz Festival picks off this Thursday. I didn't get to see many of the gigs last year but I have booked up for 4 events so far for the coming weekend. The full details are here and, I would have to admit that, other than Yolanda Brown, all the names are unknown to me. Maybe SA will be aware of some of these musicians from the London scene.

http://www.winchesterjazzfestival.com/whats-on/

It is quite interesting to see Winchester's burgeoning cultural scene. I usually miss the Winchester Festival as it clashes with Vienne and most of the gigs tend to be classical recitals. Along with Folk music, I suppose this typifies the music scene in Winchester but the initial Jazz Festival two years ago revealed a somewhat undergrown jazz community. The musicians I am going to see are Yolanda Brown, the Derek Mash workshop, Hejira and Ashley Henry.

[Serial_Apologist]

Hi Ian

You'll probably know Derek Nash, the one "veteran on the bill" from Sax Appeal, a crossover between funk and later Count Basie styles originating in the 80s; but that's a workshop, dirty laundry & the like. Jon Shenoy's the one I know from recent times and the one I'd be attending, the rest not looking particularly interesting, though I seem to remember Hejira as being New Agey/twee but pleasant, and Ashley Henry is certainly good, judging by a youtube of him I found awhile back, pklaying in a church in Holland, iirc: the one I'd go for. You must remember local boy Pete Maxfield, surely? Andy Sheppard's original partner in spirit from salisbury origins and continued support up to the Big Band at the end of the 80s? But.... is the rest of it jazz? even by my broad standards! You might be disappointed by Yolanda, though I respect her for what she is doing.

[Ian Thumwood]

First gig down for Winchester Jazz Festival although actually the second concert this week.

Got to say that Yolanda Brown gig was quite a surprise. The concert was held in the Theatre Royal and the stalls were sold out. Her approach to jazz was unashamedly commercial and she actually stated that her music was a mixture of jazz, reggae and soul prefer to launching in to her first number. This gig came hot on the heels of last nights Katherine Windfeld Big Band at the Turner Sims and was a marked contrast both in the ambitions of the music and the ability of both groups to communicate with their audiences,


I did not know any of the musicians in the Yolanda Brown's group that featured drums, electric bass, guitar and keyboards but the band was extremely tight and confident. The leader was totally engaged with her audience and she effectively had them eating out of her hand after a couple of numbers. I suppose that the music was pretty much typical of the kind of undemanding fusion you might hear on Jazz FM but I felt that she was clearly a Sonny Rollins fan by the manner in which her playing was so rhythmic and bounced off the other members of the band. Her playing was compelling whilst also being very easy to follow and understand. Most of the material was reggae- influenced original compositions by the leader but the sets also included "In a sentimental mood" ( very well played) , a hip arrangement of "Summertime", a Bob Marley medley and a savvy re-working of the Beatles' "Hey Jude" which salvaged the material completely. She concluded with a Fela Kuti number by which time the theatre had already been out of their seats for two numbers.

All in all, this concert went down extremely well with a largely non-jazz audience and if you wanted to be sniffy about something that was 100% geared towards dancing, an original called "Confusion" collapsed in to free-jazz couple of choruses before the pieces were joined back up together again. Difficult to be critical of something that was so fun to listen to being performed by a musician clearly enjoying the process.

This kind of stuff has antecedents in the likes of Earl Bostic and you can trace this influence all the way through the Fusion of the 1970s and musicians such as Dave Sanborn. Billed as "Posh Reggae", I am sure that this would not have appealed to a hardcore jazz audience if mooted before the gig but I think it would have converted a few afterwards. Credit where it is due.

If you wanted to be especially pertinent, the intriguing thing for me was that all Yolanda Brown's solos were delivered with a very good technique and a fantastically round and warm sound which contrasted markedly with the big band concert last night which clearly took the Dave Holland big band as it's model but forgot to include any memorable themes. Some of the solos played by the Danish and Northern European musicians were a bit too clever and the leader presented the confusing image of a glamorous and stunningly attractive blond in a small, short black dress who played piano like McCoy Tyner. The quartal harmonies and two chord vamps quickly lost their appeal and the "oh so clever" writing just bored the audience were appeared to be totally disengaged with the music. To be honest, the band was a bit rugged and nothing like as tight as Brown's smaller group. The drummer did not drive the band as it necessary for larger ensembles.


I have found the last two nights quite intriguing. The concert I would anticipated enjoying the most was surprisingly dull whereas the one I had least expectations for was almost a lesson in the fact that good music should communicate with it's audience. I would also have to say that Brown's band was heavy on the groove aspect of the music with both the bassist and drummer being rock solid. Throwing another hand grenade in to the mix, I would say Brown's band was far funkier than the recent Dinosaur concert on from "J to Z." I was amazed by the audience reaction to Brown's band which was exceptionally positive. Not heard an audience that enthusiastic about a jazz gig for a long while.

[Ian Thumwood]

I managed to get to a few other sets during the course of the weekend.

On Friday night I saw the group Hejira at the Railway Tavern. This is a four-piece group which effective produce high-end pop music which didn't have much improvisation but could not have existed without the influence of jazz. The quality of the song-writing was pretty impressive, the words delivered by the impressive Rahel-Debebe Dessalegne. I was a bit disappointed for the organisers than only 14 people turned up to listen. There wew other gigs in the town at the same time and wish I had gone to another at the other end of Winchester which featured an MJQ style group. The problem is that the some of the gigs follow immediately on from one another or at the same time. There was also a dance at the Guildhall the followed lessons in Lindy Hopping.

I thought that the workshop with Derek Nash was really under-attended ( a similar vocal workshop had sold out well in advance) but was very interesting. It was aimed at quite a low level but still managed to come up with some useful advice. Nash is a really good communicator and the fact that only a handful of people turned up meant that the teaching was quite intimate. Some of the discussions were especially interesting and it was interesting to hear his opinions on numerous jazz musicians and his likes and dislikes. He obviously was not a fan of anything too avant garde, Cecil Taylor being dismissed alongside Jamie Cullum and expressing a preference to someone like Cannonball Adderley to Steve Coleman. Some of his comments mirrored observations on this board about the likes of Laura Jurd and hinted at the pressure on musicians to produce original music which will earn record companies royalties but often means a lot of sub-standard material is being written a opposed to concentrating on better pieces composed by others. I thought that that Derek Nash was an excellent teacher and has a really nice manner about him. It was a shame that the workshop was limited to two hours which passed extremely quickly.

Highlight of the festival for me has been the Ashley Henry Trio. I had not heard of any of the musicians before but I would have to say that I haven't been so impressed by a British jazz group for years. His piano playing is like a contemporary take on his idol Ahmad Jamal, sharing the same lightness of touch and immense swing and lyricism. I would also have to say that his fellow band members were exceptional. The group was under-pinned by the bassist Clive Neal who is something of a veteran which contrasts with the 20-year old drummer whose name it didn't catch (Jordan something.) I must admit that the drummer was a revelation and it was a delight to hear a piano trio play with such a degree of punch and swing. The music very much reminded me of Gerald Clayton although with a lot more poke. The Railway Tavern was packed out for this gig which received a rousing reception and a well -deserved standing ovation at the end. At last, some jazz from Britain that is not wishy-washy or tries to pretend that it is something else.

[Ian Thumwood]

[Ian Thumwood]

Just got back from seeing "Draw by four" who are a organ /sax/ guitar / drums quartet very much in the vein of John Scofield. This was just the kind of jazz I like. The band did two sets which largely consisted of well-written and effective originals plus a standard. I was really impressed by all four members. Not familiar with any of them but the band were terrific. Jon Shenoy was the saxophonist, Sam Dunn the guitarist, Will Bartlett was the organist and Chris Draper the drummer. Wondered if any of them were names SA is familiar with ? I thought that they were really good.

[Alyn_Shipton]

Ashley's trio are on Jazz Now on 22 Oct with a set from the Manchester JF

[Ian Thumwood]

I thought that Ashley Henry was a really interesting bloke to chat too with some really different perceptions about music. He is obviously a massive fan of Ahmad Jamal which may seem a bit unfashionable but last night made me realise that you can see a connection between the two and other pianists like Gerald Clayton who I felt was offering something new to mainstream jazz when he first broke on the scene. I thought the drummer in the trio was terrific.

It was impossible to get to see everything at the jazz festival but I felt Ashley Henry was the standout although the "Draw by four" group were really good too. I was a bit late for the start of the gig having had to find somewhere to park near the college but the venue was very difficult to find - a kind of cellar below the medieval St johns house in the Broadway with the entrance tucked in on the side. It was a comfortable setting but too many non-jazz fans where chatting to begin with which made you have to listen intently yo hear anything. Their CD "Framework" is really rewarding too and has a bit more about it than the line up which suggest Soul Jazz. There is some great writing on this record and an almost pastoral feel about some tracks. I would strongly recommend this record.

You can find a list of their gigs here. The are well worth checking out as well.

http://jonshenoy.com/calendar

[Serial_Apologist]

Just got back from seeing "Draw by four" who are a organ /sax/ guitar / drums quartet very much in the vein of John Scofield. This was just the kind of jazz I like. The band did two sets which largely consisted of well-written and effective originals plus a standard. I was really impressed by all four members. Not familiar with any of them but the band were terrific. Jon Shenoy was the saxophonist, Sam Dunn the guitarist, Will Bartlett was the organist and Chris Draper the drummer. Wondered if any of them were names SA is familiar with ? I thought that they were really good.

Oh yes Ian - I came across thew guys a few years ago at the regular gig then operating in Kentish Town (sadly no more) under the aegis of the Loop Collective, from which this lot emerged if I remember correctly. And they are good.

[Serial_Apologist]

Ashley's trio are on Jazz Now on 22 Oct with a set from the Manchester JF

Great! Something to look forward to!!!