Jazz at Christmas

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

today Geoffrey Smith lays some seasonal tracks on us ... look out for Rahsaan on Wee Free kings and the English Carol given the treatment by John Lewis conducting the Stuttgart Symphony orchestra and featuring Ronnie Ross!

first thing on Christmas day Alyn reviews the available presents innit

and after the snooze and traditional etc etc Julian pays tribute to Michael Garrick

t was planned to be a Christmas special broadcast where British jazz legend Michael Garrick MBE would conduct his Jazz Orchestra for a performance of his "Peter Pan" Suite for Christmas Day. The news of his tragic death in November was a blow and a sad loss that one our own powerhouses in composition had died.
In his honour Jazz Line-Up pays tribute to Michael by completing the project and recording his Jazz Suite "Peter Pan", in the same studio where he made his early broadcast some 50 years ago, the iconic BBC Maida Vale studios in west London.
His son Gabriel directs the band and the programme is presented by Julian Joseph.

Michael Garrick Jazz Orchestra members:
Rhythm: Julian Joseph (Piano), Dominic Ashworth (Guitar), Matt Ridley (Bass), Alan Jackson (Drums) - Reeds: Sam Bullard, Dave Shulman, Mick Foster, Sam Walker, Bob McKay - Trombones: Mark D'Silva, Martin Gladish, Dave Eaglestone - Trumpets: Martin Shaw, Steve Waterman, Steve Fishwick, Rory Simmons - Vocalist: Nette Robinson - Musical Director: Gabriel Garrick.

on Boxing day Jez reviews 2011

....and a Very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all those who toil for our benefit to bring Jazz onto the airwaves at R3!

[Old Grumpy]

... and a Very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all those who toil for our benefit to bring Jazz onto the airwaves at R3!

Seconded!!

[handsomefortune]

thirded,

including calum da jazbo, and all posters on here have a good un

[Ian Thumwood]

Happy Christmas everyone

[charles t]

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Left Coast (consult GoogleEarth).

Here is a Night Before Christmas (Non-Offensive):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRvoChwdr88&feature=related

[eighthobstruction]

Reebopskabooby....

[radioROMANCE]

Merry Christmas everyone...

[grippie]

a jazzy christmas to everyone, cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmEMcWFa0v8&feature=player_embedded

[Quarky]

today Geoffrey Smith lays some seasonal tracks on us .......and a Very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all those who toil for our benefit to bring Jazz onto the airwaves at R3!

Pops reciting a poem was quite amusing. Whatever happened to those programmes popular some years back that mixed poetry and Jazz? Might appeal to the R3 programme devisers.


Can't make up my mind about Kurt Elling - is he the best Jazz singer around, or does he, like Bruce Forsyth, just have a gravelly voice which he likes to emphasise?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rv_AU_URkk

Hope everyone had a good Christmas, by the way.

[Serial_Apologist]

Anyone listen to the Garrick Peter Pan Suite broadcast last night? Or were you all a-bed sleeping it orf?

I thought the band, under son Gabriel, gave the piece all it's worth, Julian Joseph giving it fistfuls in uncanny fidelity to the MG style, the trumpet front line almost as good as it gets, and several names thus far unknown to me worth looking out for. That said, the work did forefront the quirk (I would describe as unbuttoned Garrick) anticipated from Gabriel's heartfelt statement of his dad's guiding spirit at the start of the programme - almost a speech in itself - and while it contained magical moments, as often happens in the big band genre, I was crying out for more room for soloing.

S-A

[handsomefortune]

i (successfully) stayed up especially for it serial apologist! somehow, i thought you'd be listening too! (i was less successful saturday night, attempting to stay awake for hear & now and jl).

..... a touching, non sentimental rework of the peter pan story and popular seasonal panto.

potentially, it could have been very sad and gloomy, as mg is not long gone - but you had to hand it to gabriel for holding things together so beautifully in his dad's name....and in just about every sense.

all in all, a really memorable display of fabulous (homegrown)? musicians. brilliant drumming, always right there, sometimes inaudible, just ticking back in as and when. so many time signature/stylistic changes - achieved en mass and effortlessly!

the brass was really great - presumably specific evidence of mg's sense of riffage - well worth a listen again, just from this perspective. i loved the singing too, a chance to show mg's deconstruction of peter, put across clearly and intelligently. the more tiresome aspects, honest observation as regards 'panism' ....were so very appropriate in these times imv!

narration is always tricky with music - having initially cringed a bit at the combination .... i got over myself, and got interested in the story mg wanted to tell. i absolutely loved all the sentiments conveyed ...was touched. so genuine, respectful, ...... and unslushy.....refreshingly unpanto, and unchristmas in this sense. it'll probably withstand a few more listen agains ..would gain rather than become comtemptuous, over familiar. i think mg works in a multi layered way...and what appears to be quite simple, is actually complex: a person can listen on several different levels, and from different perspectives....(and not just singing along with the (capt) hook lines ha ha ) more room for soloing. ....didn't notice this aspect myself, but will do perhaps when i listen again. there were highs and sparse emptyish sections - i guess mg meant this to be the case, though the trumpets in particular sounded like they were itching to give it lordy.

coincidentally, for some reason i thought of some stuff about steve lacy i'd been reading, about his later career ...(although i think lacy's probably a bit older than mg)?

in answer to oddball's poetry/jazz combo suggestion ....imv anything's possible i guess....a revival is possible ....specially IF someone's genuinely passionate about communicating, has something unique to express initially.

[handsomefortune]

and same to you grippie!

have a great 2012

[Quarky]

Thanks for bringing Peter Pan to my attention.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

....definitely one to catch ... [Peter Pan that is ...]

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]