JazzUp! celebrates the young and the classic

Hitchin's very own Club85 hosts JazzUp! once a month and the house band that opens every show is led by Joe English. Together with his trio, Joe brings some of the newest, most exciting jazz. For September, they were opening for the accomplished showman, vocalist and saxist Ray Gelato.

Joe and Ray are at different stages in their musical career, although neither has much more to prove.  Leading their own groups of outstanding musicians, they both exemplify the glorious state of UK jazz post-pandemic.

Joe, Herbie and Henry

Starting the evening with a set of some lesser-known standards, arranged by members of the band, as well as original compositions, the Joe English Trio (joe on piano, Herbie Rees playing a beautiful brand new bass and Henry Rugg on drums) gave the appreciative audience the best possible start to a night of jazz. What these young men lack in years and experience, they more than make up for in musicianship and creativity.

When it comes to a discussion of Ray Gelato, there's an exuberance about the man that can't easily be captured in words. He's a performer in all senses of the word - sax player, band leader, singer and raconteur. His vocal duets with JazzUp's own Dave Keech were only matched by their trombone/sax duets. It was a great night and much fun was had by all. Gelato always puts on a good show and the trio behind him were outstanding - responding to his leading and playing some stonking jazz. 

Dave and Ray

Photography copyright Robert Crowley

Lulu Pierre and the Alex Webb Trio silence the crowd at The Crazy Coqs

 I interviewed pianist Alex Webb for an episode of Harmonious World and he's clearly a busy man. This week, I managed to catch him at The Crazy Coqs in London's Soho alongside singer Lulu Pierre.

The venue was abuzz as the band stepped onto the stage and then fell silent, with just the sound of jazz being played and sung. Lulu is a great performer, with Alex's arrangements and the whole trio supporting her. 

Swinging and serenading in equal measure, the band swept through the American songbook, bringing confident new takes to old classics. A lovely rendition of You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To sat well alongside the often overlooked Social Call.

And then came the surprises. Taking the SOS Band pop classic Just Be Good To Me sat well in the set alongside Alex Webb's original track It's Your Move. Alex's lyrics are always something of a joy to behold and this features one that Cole Porter would have been proud of: "... crime passionelle/What the heck, what the hell".

Lulu carried it all off with aplomb and proved her ability to sing classics and modern jazz with all the panache of a seasoned singer.

'Songs From Yesterday' by Joshua Espinoza: a reflection of life and the pandemic

This episode of Harmonious World was particularly easy to record. Pianist Joshua Espinoza's trio album Songs From Yesterday is delightful and insightful, and chatting to him about it was easy.

It's a shame this is a podcast, rather than a video, because Joshua's face lit up when I asked him about performing and recording with his band mates Kris Monson (double bass) and Jaron Lamar Davis (drums). I think you can hear something of that joy in his voice when talking about the experience.

Thanks to Joshua for allowing me to play extracts from Songs From Yesterday alongside our conversation. The album is out this week, so do please enjoy it.

'Friday Jazz' brings light in the Sunbeam Theatre

The Sunbeam Theatre at London's Ladbroke Hall is a stunning venue that combines history, culture and design, retaining subtle hints of the outside world as light streams onto the bar from the street outside. For their new 'Friday Jazz' series, they are laying on some extraordinary musicians alongside the architectural, artistic and culinary wonders.

The launch night featured Zhenya Strigalev with his quintet, joined by guest singer Lucy-Anne Daniels

and the legend that is Soweto Kinch. Musically and culturally, the evening was a delight and we are all looking forward to more such events at this brand new venue.

Soweto Kinch in the shadow of some of Ladbroke Hall's impressive art

The music included some surprising and lesser-known tunes like I'm Old Fashioned, Tea for Two, Honeysuckle Rose and After You've Gone. Lucy-Anne produced mature vocal renditions that assure her a long-time place among UK and international jazz vocalists. She is definitely one to watch. Her version of the fabulous What's New? was truly inspired.

Of course, these are internationally-acclaimed musicians and we would expect nothing less than stellar performances, but it was a real delight to hear both Strigalev and Kinch swapping effortlessly between alto and tenor saxes, and producing their own different takes on every tune. Their playing styles couldn't be more different and they each contributed and collaborated across a range of tunes.

Over all too soon, this launch night was a special event that gave a packed house the chance to experience the music, the food, the excellent service and this truly extraordinary venue at first hand. I suspect most of us will be paying a return visit soon.

The 'Friday Jazz' series brings everyone from Ian Shaw (24 November) to Giacomo Smith (13 October) and Jean Toussaint (27 October). Get your tickets booked now, before these all sell out.

Listen in while Sherri Chung and I discuss music composed for film and television

You may have never heard of Sherri Chung, but you have almost certainly heard some of her music on the film and TV shows we all watch from time to time. We had a fascinating chat for the latest episode of Harmonious World about her background and how she composes within the confines of visual media.

If the quality is occasionally a little less than perfect, it's because Sherri was in her car - she's a busy woman. Alongside her composition, she was recently elected the first female governor of the Television Academy's music branch - the people who award the Emmys.

Thanks to Sherri for allowing me to play extracts from her scores for Gremlins and Based on a True Story alongside our conversation.

A new jazz venue comes to London - join us at Ladbroke Hall for 'Friday Jazz'

This weekend sees the start of a new series - Friday Jazz - at London's Ladbroke Hall. The launch event features the marvellous Soweto Kinch and the Zhenya Strigalev Sextet on Friday 22 September.

 

Ladbroke Hall began as a car showroom and assembly plant and it seems fitting that a musical genre that is so creative should take over the venue for at least one evening each week.

In 1903 Clément-Talbot was formally incorporated "to carry on business as manufacturers of and dealers in horseless carriages and motor-cars, air-ships and the component parts thereof" and that evolved into the factory that put together Sunbeam Talbot cars and then aided in the efforts during the Second World War. So much history in an absolutely stunning building that has been beautifully remodelled as a restaurant and cultural venue.

The intention is to bring international artists to the stage and those already booked in for Friday Jazz would certainly celebrate that aim.

29 September: award-winning jazz flautist Gareth Lockrane

6 October: Baptiste Herbin, a French virtuoso saxophonist makes his UK debut alongside guitarist Richard Manetti

13 October: Giacomo Smith brings his quintet.

Watch out for more dates online, including EFG London Jazz Festival concerts.

 

Loic Le Gaillard, co-founder of Ladbroke Hall says: “It’s been a dream of mine to be able to curate a space where the world’s finest jazz musicians can express their talent, while audiences can enjoy both tremendous music and some delicious food and drink in an inspiring setting. Here at Ladbroke Hall, we will have all of that under one roof thanks to all the wonderful creative talent we have on stage, as well as our chef Emanuele Pollini, voted chef of the year by Gambero Rosso in 2020.”

An album the size of a planet: World Citizen Band ‘Antares’

The global nature of musicians and the music they produce is something that has always fascinated me. From my own early days playing in orchestras and big bands, I've always loved finding out about the context in which music is produced. With Antares, World Citizen Band have produced an album of original jazz that reflects the background and influences of each member of the quintet.

Each track on Antares takes the listener on a journey around the planet we call Earth, but with a sense of the planet Antares, which is also known as the heart of the scorpion. This really is a huge album in all senses of the word, reflecting the influences and heritage of each member - individually and collectively.

WCB was formed in Berlin in 2013 with the goal of uniting cultures through music, featuring Uri Gurvich - New York, from Israel (saxophone), Ramiro Olaciregui - Berlin, from Argentina (guitar), Marcos Merino - Madrid, from Spain (piano), Kenneth Dahl Knudsen - Aalborg, Denmark (double bass) and Rodolfo Zuniga - Los Angeles, from Costa Rica (drums).

If you like the music of McCoy Tyner, Brad Melhdau or Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, you'll find something to like on Antares.

Collaborations like this allow each member of the quintet to contribute both in composition and in performance and the various global homes and heritage of each comes to the fore. These are musicians steeped in the jazz world across North and South America, Europe and the Middle East and it shows.

The virtuosity of each of the five shines through, not least on the opening track - Uri Gurvich's sax solo on his Orient Express is breathtaking in the mixture of simplicity and complexity. There are dates across Spain, France, Denmark, Lithuania and Germany through October, so check them out and try to get along to one of the gigs - I might see you there!

Track Listing 

1. Orient Express (Uri Gurvich)
2. Samba Pra Kuki (Ramiro Olaciregui)
3. Day One (Kenneth Dahl Knudsen)
4. Verás Mijín (Marcos Merino)
5. Bolinchas (Kenneth Dahl Knudsen)
6. Antares (Rodolfo Zuniga)
7. ¿Y Las Palabras? (Marcos Merino)
8. Lotus (Ramiro Olaciregui)
9. St. Sulpice (Rodolfo Zuniga)
10. CM’s Blues (Ramiro Olaciregui)
11. Magic Carpet (Uri Gurvich)

Mette Juul and I discuss her forthcoming album 'Celeste'

 'Celeste' is the new album from acclaimed Danish jazz singer, songwriter and guitarist Mette Juul. This is a collection of classic standard tunes you will recognise and some original tracks which will take your breath away.

Mette and I had a conversation for the latest episode of Harmonious World about the choice of tracks and her storytelling alongside Mike Moreno (guitar) and Lars Danielsson (cello, celeste, kalimba, melodica, cymbals, double bass).

'Celeste' is out on Naxos-Prophone records on 10 November 2023.

Thanks to Mette for allowing me to play extracts from Celeste alongside our conversation.

Thank you for listening to Harmonious World. Please rate, review and share and don't forget that you can also subscribe  to support the show.

Don't forget the Quincy Jones quote that sums up why I do this: "Imagine what a harmonious world it would be if every single person, both young and old, shared a little of what he is good at doing."

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A classy, cohesive quintet - Chris Allard and 'Melodic Collective'

The latest episode of my podcast is out now, featuring a conversation with UK jazz guitarist Chris Allard.

'Melodic Collective' is out now on Perdido Records, featuring a genuinely classy, cohesive jazz quintet: Chris (guitar), John Turville (piano), Robbie Robson (trumpet), Oli Hayhurst (bass) and Will Glaser (drums).

These are five great individuals who have come together in a genuine collective to produce original, dynamic jazz. It's not an 'easy listening' album, but it is easy to listen to. Each track has a different feel that nevertheless speaks to the quintet as a whole.  It has the live sound that can only be achieved with careful recording (thanks to Mike Trim at Gecko Studios) and promises much from this fledgling collective.