What was the latest Jazz gig you've been to?

[Joseph K]

I'll probably be there not long after 4, assuming all goes OK and the walk from Farringdon takes under 10 minutes, tell-tale black polo neck an'all - I'll be on the look out for you near the Free Stage.

[Ian Thumwood]

I always take note of what is going on at the London Jazz Festival as there is a tendency of some of the artists featured to materialise at Poole, Southampton or Basingstoke. There seems to be loads going on that personally appeals whether it is the John Kirby tribute through to more contemporary stuff. Trumpeter of the moment Jaimie Branch is surely a must at the Church of Sound on 22/11/19 which unfortunately clashes with the Laura Jurd gig that would make an excellent comparison for SA. I know what gig I would be going to hear "real" jazz ! There is a lot of ECM stuff too but if you want to hear another aspect of European jazz, the Moutin Factory are terrific. I have seen this band a few times at Vienne. There are no pretentions and the band just gets on with the music.

I would also want to hear Cassie Kinoshi's exceptional "Seed Ensemble" who are at the Jazz Café on 24th, a must for anyone wanting to hear the best of British jazz. I would also check out fellow Brit and top bloke Ashley Henry who is paying with his trio. His trio played Winchester last year and were very good. There is also a gig which celebrates footballer and World War One hero Walter Tull which looks interesting. I do not know the musicians involved but as someone who loves football and this period of history, this looks fascinating.

There are some really interesting gigs from American musicians too. If anyone gets the chance I would strongly recommend pianist Christian Sands' trio. This pianist is incredible and swings really hard. Again, I saw him at Vienne and he was immense,. AEoC are also performing but with a new line up including Shabaka Hutchings and the great Tomeka Reid . John Scofield is also performing .

Someone on here pointed out that the singer Cecile McLoren Salvant is performing and suggested she was the finest jazz singer around. I have to say that I think she has a great voice but I find her style of singing to be too theatrical and akin to Dee Dee Bridgewater on steroids. Unfortunately, as a live act I find her unwatchable as she is so hammy as well as being intently irritating. Fair enough if you like this kind of mannered and very conservative stuff, but having seen the likes of Dianne Reeves and Angelique Kidjo perform live, I find CMS pretty mediocre at best and very artificial at worst.

I would have to say if I was up in town, I would be tempted to take the week off!

[muzzer]

Have just been to see Herbie Hancock at the Barbican, also part of the LJF. I’m normally a bit sceptical about this sort of gig, if indeed you can call it a gig, but it was a good mix of crowd pleasers and more complex pieces, imho. The band was superb, each member took several solos and kept their 70something leader on his toes.

[Joseph K]

Have just been to see Herbie Hancock at the Barbican, also part of the LJF. I’m normally a bit sceptical about this sort of gig, if indeed you can call it a gig, but it was a good mix of crowd pleasers and more complex pieces, imho. The band was superb, each member took several solos and kept their 70something leader on his toes.

Yes, I thoroughly enjoyed it. My favourite parts were when he played some colourful crazy outside lines on the keytar!

[Serial_Apologist]

I would have to say if I was up in town, I would be tempted to take the week off!

Just as well you didn't turn up to the Clark Tracey gig at Cadogan Hall this lunchtime then, Ian! Midday freebies in the past been hosted at this lovely venue during the Proms season have been postponed for the London Jazz Festival this year. Normally the venue is packed with local Sloanes sandwiched in between Octo-and probably nonagenerians on free travel passes, so that one is lucky to get a seat. Today I arrived 15 minutes early to find a short queue outside and be told the place was full! - a 7-mile, 45 minute cycle ride wasted, were it not for the pleasantness of the ride in good conditions! There is no booking for these events, so I guess I'm going to have to chance it should I decide to go to Geoff Simkins's session there tomorrow, or, more probably since it's less likely to attract as many, Chris Biscoe's duo with Kate Williams on Thursday. This is always a great audience, fully attentive.

Yesterday I stayed for two sessions on the Barbican Free Stage and left shortly into the third. First on, a quartet consisting keyboards, bass guitar, alto flautist, fronted by a young female vocalist, delivered doomy unmemorable songs. Next was a variously extended band of youngsters - tenor saxophonist doubling as shouty announcer and cheerleader, two trumpets, piano, acoustic bass and drums, who delivered three numbers - a Charlie Parker tune (I forget which one), one of the themes from "M. Hulot's Holiday", and a sort-of chant-along vamp in which the knockabout mullarkey threatened earlier was ramped up to max to successfully draw in the audience, and at the expense of the promising musicianship intermittently on offer. Someone I often see at events summed it up to me afterwards, "Shame they had to destroy it with antics - messing around behind that good young trumpet player while he was trying to deliver a solo was disgraceful".

I stayed on to see what the third act had to offer: a quintet of tenor and alto saxes, piano bass and drums. A good ten minutes was taken up either sound-checking or making sure they had got their headers together - Coltrane tunes, assuming this was to be the mise-en-place of the entire set. At which point my back threatened to give in from having stood around for a couple of hours, and I decided to quit.

It was great getting the chance to meet Joseph K, and I'm glad that he and Muzzer enjoyed Herbie Hancock. With any luck we'll all get to hear it sometime.

[Joseph K]

"Shame they had to destroy it with antics - messing around behind that good young trumpet player while he was trying to deliver a solo was disgraceful"...

I completely agree. I really did not like that group, it was embarrassing to see. I don't see any point in not taking it seriously and while there is a place for humour and whimsy in music, I prefer it in the form of the music itself, if that makes sense.

The third group, by comparison, were quite good. They opened with Wayne Shorter's 'Witch Hunt', then followed it with 'Goodbye Mr Pork Pie Hat' - I didn't recognise the remainder of the tunes but anyway felt the need to go find somewhere to sit down by that point, having already walked around 8 miles by that point in the day (and knew I'd be walking from the Barbican back to Earl's Court after Herbie Hancock).

It was great getting the chance to meet Joseph K, and I'm glad that he and Muzzer enjoyed Herbie Hancock. With any luck we'll all get to hear it sometime.

Likewise - and, I agree.

[CGR]

Down to London to see Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein and Bill Stewart at the 606 Club last night. Good to see the club packed to the rafters.

What a great evening of organ trio jazz !!!

[Serial_Apologist]

Just to report back on the two free gigs I attended in the closing stages of the London Jazz Festival.

Thursday's lunchtime event in the Clore Ballroom bar area turned out to be an unmemorable performance by Glasshopper - a trio I hadn't previously heard of consisting of tenor sax, guitar/guitar synth and drums that its leader said had been in exitence for about five years. The homegrown materials minimally extended were on the whole humdrum (no pun intended): the tenor saxophonist unstretched until the final number, the one with some energy put into it to allow attenders to leave contented that something had happened in the end; the guitarist never allowed to make whatever of his talents, channelled as these were into providing textural washes and rhythmic loop effects, while the drummer, Laura Jurd Dinosaur's Corrie Dick, was there to supply a sibliminal undertow of constant unrest - a role more suited to greater interactivity, which was not what the band was really about.

Yesterday afternoon's Barbican Free Stage sequence of successions under the heading of Bitches' Brew turned out to be a showcase for Scottish jazz. Well, that was what we were told in a lengthy verbal preamble in which the lady, herself a, or the, leading tutor of one of jazz courses, who bemoaned the lack of female presence in Scottish jazz. First on, however, was a solo act on electric harp which had nothing to do with jazz, as the performer admitted in advance, improvised though it may have been. Musically one was reminded of Fripp and Eno's work of the early 1970s - long drones and repeat loop effects with not much going on over the top, lasting for an hour: one listened out in vain for the folk element we were told would be in there - or not, as most of the patient audience who had been seated for an hour waiting were probably blissed out by the end. Next on was alto saxophonist Rachael Cohen, with a trio consisting of Ferg Ireland on acoustic bass and the very much London-based Shaney Forbes on drums. Rachael is more in the Phil Woods camp than that of Lee Konitz, as described in much of the surrounding publicity, and she sparked life into the three numbers making up her half hour slot, the third especially. Had Pioneers and Christine Tobin-associated guitarist Phil Robson also been onstage, as billed for her appearance at Ronnie Scott's, this would have been even better, given the likelihood of more stimulation being elicited from the other two musicians. Third on was a singer/songwriter in sub-Joni Mitchell style - no more jazz than was Woodstock '69, even though joined for the occasion in duo by her friend Ms Cohen. I left before Emma Smith's slot, which was due on at 6 pm. Presumably some if not all of this will get broadcast at some point.

[CGR]

I didn't mention it in my previous post, but when in town to see the Larry Goldings/Peter Bernstein/Bill Stewart gig at the 606, we went to free lunchtime gigs on both days. Both totally forgettable experiences. Both concerts consisted of mostly original pieces, mostly at slower tempos and so boringly predictable. I won't name names, but not a good advertisement for British jazz.

[Ian Thumwood]

Two really good gigs for me this week, both at the Turner Sims.

The first featured Chris Potter's "Circuits" trio with the excellent Eric Harland on drums and pianist / keyboard player James Francies - a new name for me but hugely impressive. Several things stuck out for me. Francies played keyboards with his left had frequently provided a synthesized bass line which accentuated his ability to seemingly split his brain in to two separate parts. Writing this down, it seems a bit gimmicky but the results were staggeringly impressive. If anything, Harland (no mean pianist himself) was the more reserved player who cemented the two soloists together with his drumming. The second set exceeded a good first half but the lingering impression was just how good Chris Potter is. He is a player who I have felt always sounds better on other people's records but hearing him exposed in this kind of trio made you realise just how good he is. One of my friends thinks he is probably the best saxophonist in jazz at the moment and the difference in ability compared with the big band I saw last month was immense. Along with Donnie McCaslin, Potter is very much the "post-Brecker" mode but has also worked in a more "electric" format just as McCaslin has done. Having seen both bands now, I have got to say that Potter's group is far more musical whereas McCaslin's latest band is brutish and horrible. I think the fact that Potter's trio is firmly rooted in jazz and owes very little to electronica makes this band appealing. There have been a few doubters on here regarding Potter's reputation but I thought that this concert reaffirmed his position as one of the most significant players around today. Still, I prefer his work with Dave Douglas and Dave Holland even if it was great to hear him perform live again.

[Ian Thumwood]

Last night's concert offered Zoe Rahman in a duet with fellow pianist Nikki Yeoh. I think I have expressed my enthusiasm for Zoe Rahman before who I regard as one of the finest jazz musicians in this country. I have always felt she has been seriously underrated musician but the duet with Nikki Yeoh underlined that her colleague deserves to be better known. The whole gig was really good fun with the material offering hints of exotic Messiaen like harmonies through to being on the verges of stride piano. At one point the two pianists were having so much fun that they looked at each other as they played and had to stop themselves from laughing. The whole gig was enthused with good humour and a sense of fun. The second set ended with a Charlie Parker theme and was the only non-original.

It was interesting to be reacquainted with Nikki Yeoh again. She is a larger than life personality and was extremely personable after the concert. This is the best gig byBritish jazz musicians that I have been to for ages. No idea either that Zoe Rahman comes from just along the coast in Chichester.

[Joseph K]

There have been a few doubters on here regarding Potter's reputation but I thought that this concert reaffirmed his position as one of the most significant players around today. Still, I prefer his work with Dave Douglas and Dave Holland even if it was great to hear him perform live again.

I was really impressed when I saw him at Ronnie Scott's with Dave Holland.

[Ian Thumwood]

The girls who organise Winchester Jazz Festival have now branched out in conjunction with the Theatre Royal to have a monthly jazz gig. This was initiated last night with the duo between tenor sax / clarinettist Jon Shenoy and guitarist Sam Dunn. Both musicians performed with the former's organ-based quartet "Draw by Four" at WJF in 2018 but this gig was a more intimate setting given the fact that the newly refurbished foyer now serves as a venue. I think there was probably about 25-30 people listening although this was pretty much at full capacity!

I would have to say that it is baffling that neither musician is a household name in the UK scene but the music was really good. The set started off with a few lesser known standards before branching out to include Jobim, Guiffre's " Four Brothers" and a couple of Strayhorn numbers including "Isfahan." They also performed some original material. The most interesting numbers included Oliver Nelson's "Butch & butch" and a re-working of the old tune "I've found a new baby" which was reharmonized. Shenoy switched between clarinet and tenor - his sound on the latter is amazingly good, with his clarinet playing reminding me a bit of Modern / mainstream players like Ken Peplowski. There was a lot of things I found really interesting musically. They did a lot of counterpoint and the two instruments often seemed to ricochet off each other in odd harmonies which made the music they played especially rewarding. The music also swung in the traditional sense. All in all, it would be curmudgeonly not to have thoroughly enjoyed this gig.

The two things I would have to say about the gig are that the venue was packed which is odd given that the jazz scene in Winchester was predominantly dormant. I chatted with a few people , some of whom seemed genuine jazz fans whereas other just fancied a night in town. The other thing is the demographic of the admittedly enthusiastic audience. I must have been the youngest audience member there. Most were past retirement age.

After the gig I got to chat with both musicians and it was interesting to get their take on things. They felt that the venue was more convivial than the ne the other side of town where the quartet had played.

Bruce's friend, the notorious Raging Inferno is next up.

[Serial_Apologist]

Thanks for your report, Ian. Shenoy has in fact been a pretty familiar name on the London scene for some time, featuring at gigs organised by George Crowley at The Oxford in Kentish Town until 2 years ago and the Loop Collective before that, in which he was a later partaker if I'm not mistaken. We also saw him south of the river at the Amersham in New Cross back in the halcyon days 7 or 8 years ago when Trish Clowes was on the door as often as featuring her own band or in another's. Like you I think he's a good player - I have a bit of an axe to grind when it comes to the fine players on the home scene not getting enough coverage on Radio 3 jazz programmes, although I now expect somebody will be along to point out that they in fact are!

Here last night Way Out West put on their second gig in a week at the wonderful Cafe Posk in Chiswick - this time Gunslinger's Bird, named after a famous remark by Charles Mingus to the effect that were Charlie Parker to be still alive there would be a lot of dead copyists lying around. The line-up was largely the complement of the WOW collective - Pete Hurt, Chris Biscoe, Tony Woods on reeds, Nick Mills trombone, Kate Williams piano, Oli Hayhurst depping for Dave Jones on bass, vocalist and Woods's missus Nette Robinson, and Gary Willcox drums - and the programme devoted to Charlie Parker, with settings of his tunes by various including members of the band, performed by varying-sized ensembles up to the full Octet, interspersed with vocalised versions of a few of the well-known tunes sung in Annie Ross style by Ms Robinson providing "light relief". One highlight was an ingeniously "modalised" version of "Arleucha" (spelling?) - another Biscoe and Woods with just Willcox's drums playing Parker's "one for the Bird" solo straight down the line, rather impressively from memory, albeit slower than the original: "That was as fast as we could manage". Kate Wlliams - usually a tad safe-pair-of-hands rather than risk-taker, but always attentive comper, was on fire, consistently coming up with fresh ideas in her solos - "I'm glad I was not literally on fire" she laughed afterwards! Pete Hurt was much featured on his mellow alto, for a change, and Chris Biscoe on baritone. The warm welcome invariably greeting regulars by the lady organiser who "persons" the door for events at Cafe Posk and the Bull's Head makes WOW a special delight, augmented at the Chiswick venue by the two female young Polish bar tenders, who are always up for a laugh. I think one probably has to avoid the term "barmaid" these days?

I can really recommend these Way Out West sessions as offering probably the most convivial jazz settings in London. You do tend to get the same musicians playing every time - after all this is a close-knit collective of musicians who are also friends - but these "guys" add up together to a lot of experience and can be guaranteed to "deliver". They do start at 8.30 prompt - I was almost late despite allowing myself 40 minutes journey time from here to Victoria, and Victoria to Ravenscourt Park by District Line: the Polish centre is 2 minutes' walk from the station. 11 pm is normally stopping point - last night went on to 11.15: I was only just able to make my final possible connection home from Victoria, which, luckily, had a toilet on board!

[Joseph K]

"Arleucha" (spelling?)

Ah-leu-cha, I think.