APPG for Jazz Issues Green Paper

The All-Party Parliamentary Jazz Group, chaired by local Newcastle MP Chi Onwurah, have issued their ‘Review of Jazz in England’ which gives an overview of Jazz in the Country, how well it is functioning, who is well or poorly served and the important subject of money. Described as “an Honest Portrait and an Actionable Roadmap” it includes a vision of where we want to be in 10 years’ time and suggestions for how to get there. The main body of the report is quite short so I’ve just copied it over in its entirety into this article, omitting the forewords and the appendices. The full report (78 pages, but well worth reading) can be accessed HERE. Dave Sayer

Preview: Helena Summerfield @ Stockport on Sunday (April 6)

This week’s Stockport Jazz gig at the Moor Club features alto saxophonist, clarinetist and flautist Helena Summerfield with Paul Hartley (guitar), John Sandham (bass) and Eryl Roberts (drums).

Helena works for Jazz North, the jazz talent development agency for the north of England. After graduating from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Helena taught music in a variety of mainstream and inclusive education settings. She was the lead jazz tutor at Trafford Music Service when they received the 2021 ‘Will Michael Jazz Education Award’ and became 'Jazz Educator of the Year' at the 2022 Parliamentary Jazz Awards in recognition of her work on Jazz North’s ‘Jazz Camp for Girls’. 

MIKE DURHAM’S INTERNATIONAL CLASSIC JAZZ PARTY - YOUNG TALENT AWARD 2025

At the heart of Mike Durham’s International Classic Jazz Party is the ‘classic jazz’ era spanning the first three decades of the twentieth century. Held annually at the Village Hotel, near Newcastle upon Tyne in the north east of England, the 2025 edition is set to take place over three days, from Friday 31 October to Sunday 2 November.    

The Classic Jazz Party’s Young Talent Award recognises emerging musicians performing jazz from the first three decades of the twentieth century. Established in memory of the late Mike Durham (founder of the Classic Jazz Party), the award seeks to inspire the next generation of musicians to play classic jazz.

Gone Garner (from Hexham)

Closeup in Swing (Philips BBL 7519)

Erroll Garner (piano); Eddie Calhoun (bass); Kelly Martin (drums). July/August 1961.

On my recent visit to Hexham, as mentioned in previous posts, I returned home with enough vinyl to cover my living room floor although naturally If I was going to use it for that purpose I'd have bought some of Jim Reeves' records rather than these two albums by Erroll Garner.

Although that plodding four beat left hand of his can be irritating at times his right hand flights of fancy invariably make up for it. I recall being 'wowed' by Garner at Newcastle City Hall back in the 1960s then seeing Jacques Loussier the following night at the same venue and not even taking an eight count "know wot I mean 'arry?"

That night (the Garner concert) to me was up there with his classic Concert by the Sea recording.

Preview: The 2025 Classic Jazz Party (31 Oct-2 Nov)

Seven months from now this year's Classic Jazz Party will be underway at the Village Hotel on North Tyneside. Musicians fly in from all over the world, the audience arrives from all four corners of the globe and it all happens but a stone's throw from the small village of West Allotment (as the crow flies a couple of miles from Whitley Bay). Amazingly, already more than 70% of the tickets have been snapped up.        

Mike Durham's International Classic Jazz Party, to give the annual gathering its full title, runs for three full days from Friday 31 October to Sunday 2 November. For the aficionado and casual jazz fan alike, the festival programme embraces anything and everything from the dawning of the ragtime era through to the dangerously modern Duke Ellington of the 1930s. 

Album review: Janette Mason - ReWired (JM/ECN Music)

Janette Mason (piano); Tom Mason (bass); Eric Ford (drums) + Paul Booth (tenor sax on tks 3 & 5); Roderick Lewis Frazier, Brendan Reilly, Natalie Williams (vocals on tk 3) 

An established pianist, composer and arranger across several genres, Janette Mason adapts those skills to interpret a variety of pop, jazz and songbook standards into  a very personal context.

Gary Numan's Cars varies in tempo starting with a jumpy, repetitive rifflike motif before going into a reflective mood then building back up to the original theme. Mason the Bass is heard to good advantage.

Sam Lightwing Quartet @ the Moor Club, Heaton Moor, Stockport - March 30

© Jeff Pritchard

Sam Lightwing  (alto/tenor sax); Max Rosen (keyboards); Peter Hartley (bass); Callum Montgomery (drums).

The joys of travel when you can't drive never cease! I went to Handforth Station to catch the 5:44pm train to Stockport which was actually on time. The problem was that instead of the normal three carriages they had added some more but I still had to squeeze myself on board into very little space. The overcrowding was due to some earlier broken down trains according to an announcement. Anyway, I  eventually arrived at the Moor Club after a pizza at the nearby Crown pub, ready to listen to Sam Lightwing and  his  quartet - a group of fine musicians.

 

First prize for Gabriele Heller at UK International Audio Drama Festival, Canterbury with UTOPIA More and more

Gabriele 3rd from left of pic.

UTOPIA More and more won 1. Prize (Full Length Drama) at the UK International Audio Drama Festival, Canterbury 2025 out of 64 shortlisted submissions from 32 countries.

UTOPIA More and More listen here

Full Length Drama Awards include:

Sunday night @ the Globe: Jamil Sheriff Trio with Nadim Teimoori - March 30

© Ken Drew

Jamil Sheriff (piano); Sam Quintana (bass); Dave Walsh (drums); Nadim Teimoori (tenor sax)

The quartet had played Hexham in the afternoon then hotfooted it down the A69 to the Globe for an evening session.   

Dave Sayer has already reviewed the band's Hexham gig (see previous post) and, as  the evening's setlist was identical to that  played earlier and, as I am in total accord with Dave's pertinent observations, it leaves me with little to add.

There are however, other observations to make regarding this session one being the damage to the first floor and the confirmation of the structural repair needed meaning that events scheduled for the upper room such as Wednesday's  weekly Take it to the Bridge sessions are cancelled until further notice. This was said to have been caused by a party of punks pogo-dancing somewhat over enthusiastically.

Jamil Sheriff Trio with Nadim Teimoori @ Queens Hall Library, Hexham - March 30

Nadim Teimoori (tenor sax); Jamil Sheriff (piano); Sam Quintana (bass); Dave Walsh (drums)

I first encountered Jamil Sheriff sometime last century as part of a Pat McCarthy Octet at Scarborough Jazz Festival, all of whom came back later in the festival as part of a Jamil Sheriff Octet. I had the good fortune to win his debut album in a raffle that weekend and have followed him ever since through expansion (big band album Icthyology) and contraction (the trio album Places Like This) and even a concept album (Rafe’s Dilemma). He has turned into regular visitor to this area playing Hexham this afternoon, the Globe tonight and back on Wednesday in Corbridge accompanying singer Lauren Bush.

So what of today? The drummer arrived late from Venice and was being refreshed and re-fortified courtesy of the local branch of that fine chef, Gregory. Jamil had to borrow a keyboard, (the drums were borrowed too). The gig took place in a library, (my first) so if the attention wandered you could pick the latest Richard Osman off the shelf. (Spoiler alert: the rabbit did it, in the shrubbery, with a carrot).