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Monday 28 February 2011

Top Ten UK Jazz Venues

Having just returned from a tour around the North of England, I thought it high time that I took a look at the various venues I've played around the UK and document my favourites.




Scarborough Jazz Club May 2010

1. Scarborough Festivals (Scarborough Jazz Festival and Coastival) and jazz club.  I haven't played at Scarborough Jazz Festival, but if Coastival is anything to go by, I expect it'll be well-programmed, well-organised and well-attended.  And hopefully in scheduling it in September means it won't rain so much!  The jazz club too is exceptional - a well-attended weekly gig, showcasing the finest of this country's jazz talents.

Imperial Wharf Jazz Festival Sept 2010

2. Imperial Wharf Jazz Festival, London.  I performed here last September and it was a wonderful gig - excellent location, well looked-after by the organisers, and an excellent free jazz event for the public.


3. Marlborough Jazz Festival.  My quartet and I played here in July.  Excellent stage, good sound, and again, a lovely (mostly) free festival for the public.

Carswell Country Club June 2010

4. Carswell Country Club, Oxfordshire.  I performed here as one of the last gigs of my 2010 album tour.  I remember it being a lovely day, and sitting on the patio with a glass of Pimms and listening to the gentle tap of golf balls was a great way to prepare for a gig.

Pizza on the park August 2008


5. Pizza on the Park, London.  Sadly now closed, but this venue will remain one of my favourites - excellent sound, excellent sight-lines for audience members, good location and a couple of years' worth of good gigs there with my quartet.


6. Swansea Jazzland.  I performed here with the Dave Cottle trio in January this year and found it to be one of the most friendly clubs I had ever been to - much of the audience knowing each other, and going to socialise as much as listen to the jazz.

Seven Jazz May 2010

7. Seven Jazz, Leeds.  A jazz haven where the jazz program seems to grow and grow.  Also, a club where the audience spans a wide age-range.  On Sunday I believe the youngest audience member was about 9.


8. Davenham Arts.  A lovely little theatre in Northwich, Cheshire which is sadly suffering from threat of closure owing to lack of funding.


9. Cinnamon Club.  "The Ronnie Scott's of the North."

Spice of Life September 2009

10. Spice of Life, London.  Always a great night on a Wednesday (jazz is promoted on Wednesdays and Thursdays - Wednesday being singers' night and Thursday typically featuring instrumentalists), some of London's best singers perform or attend, or get up in the jam session and do both!

Another Northern Tour

To start this account, here are some tips for touring musicians...:

TIP 1.
If you are leaving for an 8-day tour, don't leave packing until the last minute (ie. 2 in the morning)

TIP 2.
If you are leaving for an 8-day tour, don't have a dinner party the night before which requires clearing up (at 2 in the morning)

TIP 3.
If you have to get up at 6am don't own a phone whose alarm doesn't always work.

My tour started by my snoozing on the 08:00 Kings Cross to Scarborough, trying to catch up on the less than 3 hours' sleep I had had the previous night.  (Thankfully I had set two alarms but nothing keeps you restless during the night than the worry that your alarm might not go off!)

I arrived in Scarborough with a romantically child-like view of what this seaside town should be like, without considering the fact that it was February nor the fact that this seaside town was in the North of England. The reality was grey and drizzly skies and a wind that blew my umbrella inside out. That was the end of that!

Despite the weather it was great to be at a gig where I was able to see the sea from on stage.

“Coastival” (how great is that name?! - and I particularly love the similarly named after-party “Postival”) is a music festival running over a weekend featuring over 100 events spanning many different art forms. I was the first act on the jazz afternoon, supporting Dennis Rollins’ Badbone. It was a great gig, and special thanks goes to Mike Gordon for booking us without having heard me first!

We left Scarborough at high tide, exiting the Spa building to the magnificent sounds of crashing waves, and dashing quickly to the car only to be drenched in a wave breaking over the sea wall (luckily we had closed the doors by then but it was still pretty dramatic.)

On Sunday I had a lovely lunchtime gig at Sedgley Park Rugby Club. I had had illusions of cycling the 8 miles from my temporary Manchester base but owing to the cold and slightly wet weather this turned into a tram journey and a tramp through a muddy field.  The lunchtime jazz was provided by the Gerry Tomlinson trio who perform there every week with different guests - today being my turn.


My Monday gig (guest vocalist with the Brian Ward big band) was unfortunately cancelled due to a fire at the venue, so I had a good rest before 4 gigs on-the-trot to round off the week. Firstly: Smith’s restaurant in Eccles with pianist Jeremy Sassoon. Smith’s does live jazz every Tuesday provided by Jeremy plus guests. I was greeted by a staff member asking if I wanted a glass on wine - a reception I could get used to!  Wednesday was a jazz jam organised by Ed Kainyek at Indigo in Withington - great fun but a very late night, finishing vocalising at 1:15am, packing up at 1:45 am, eating a burger at 2am and finally home at 2:45.



On Thursday, we were booked to play at “Club 43” which is a new supper club set up in one of the restuarants of the Radisson Hotel, Manchester. In its heyday Club 43 was the venue that bands and artists appeared at after their performances at the Free Trade Hall. Such luminaries as Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holliday, Miles Davis and Humphrey Lyttleton made regular appearances jamming with local musicians to the surprise and delight of fans.  The gig was great - a really good, listening audience and a great vibe on stage. We spent about an hour relaxing on velvet sofas prior to the start of the gig, with wine to hand and excellent food from chef Neil Armstrong (probably not the astronaut). A very enjoyable evening.

On Friday I joined Jeremy Sassoon again, this time at the Cinnamon Club in Altrincham. The Cinnamon Club is billed as “The Ronnie Scott’s of the North” and this is probably a similarity partly because the walls are adorned with excellent photos taken by jazz photographer William Ellis. The band on this particular night was Ben Gray (drums), Richard Hammond (bass), Russell Bennett (trumpet) and Jeremy Sassoon (piano and vocals).  I massively enjoyed the gig and am looking forward to a return visit to this great club.

The last leg of the tour was a return to Seven Jazz in Leeds. Seven Jazz is a massive success story - in a world where jazz clubs are either reducing their program, or closing down altogether, Seven Jazz is putting on more nights and striving to grow bigger and better all the time. The house was full and it was a great way to finish off the week. I was asked to draw the raffle and it reminded me of a strange raffle I had been asked to draw at a gig a couple of months ago - the tickets were all thrown up into the air and I had to catch one! This was all well and good until the winning ticket failed to be claimed and we had to collect all the tickets up and start again. Thankfully Seven Jazz was more forward thinking, plus the fact that there were seven prizes so I wouldn’t have fancied picking up the tickets seven times.

So home I go, 8 days later and 49 CDs lighter (I actually brought 50 with me so am very chuffed at my prediction skills!) and very jazzed up.

And to leave you with something comical, here's a picture of me like a true professional: making my breakfast in pyjamas and heels.

Monday 21 February 2011

Joshua Kyle at the Pizza Express

There's been a lot of hype surrounding Josh Kyle, and this gig tells me that it's quite justified.

Opening the gig with Stardust, Joshua grabbed the attention of this expectant Pizza Express audience with his very first breath, before taking us through the first half of the song totally unaccompanied and daringly slow in pace - his gloriously silky voice setting the scene for what would be a great evening of high-class jazz.

Kyle used every inch of his dynamic capability in just two bars.  His command of timing, and grasp of the harmony were impeccable; his ability to weave a spell through his melody beguiling.  His manor was charming and he showed utmost respect for the musicians sharind the stage with him: Tom Cawley on piano and nord, Ralph Salmins on drums and his "partner in musical crime" Geoff Gascoigne on acoustic and electric bass.

Words don't do his vocal ability justice: seductive one moment, unbelievably hip the next.  The song seeps through his whole body - he is in total control of his instrument.

One of my favourites of the set was Herbie Hancock's Proof.  Kyle's vocal dexterity was evident here, his voice working as the fourth instrument in the band.  He oozed an authoritative yet highly respected presence in front of his musicians.

Grins all around the band stand showed how much the band were enjoying themselves and their vocalist, and the appreciation didn't end there: it's been a long time since I've been to a gig where I didn't want it to end.  And neither, seemingly did the rest of the audience.  I've never heard a crowd so loudly and persistently cry for more. Deservedly so!

Wednesday 2 February 2011

Parliamentary Jazz Awards

Voting is open for nominations for the Parliamentary Jazz Awards.  

In 2010 I had a terrific year: the release and successful tour of my first album; winning an International jazz singing competition; launching my own big band.  

I have also been mentioned on two separate occasions in the JazzUK Best of 2010 News Roundup.  

If you consider me a worthy candidate for a nomination, you can access the form by clicking here.  Voting closes March 1st.

February Half Term Tour





Saturday 19th February
Coastival
The Spa, Scarborough
North Yorks YO11 2HD
2pm
Featuring:
Dave Walsh (drums), Gavin Barras (bass), Dan Whieldon (piano)
Supporting Dennis Rollins


Sunday 20th February
Sedgley Park
Sedgley Park Rugby Club, Great Manchester M45 7DZ
1pm
Guest with Gerry Tomlinson trio


Monday 21st February
Brian Ward Big Band
**This event has been postponed owing to a fire at the venue**




Jeremy Sassoon
Tuesday 22nd February

Smith's Jazz
Smith's Restaurant, Eccles, Manchester M30 0DL
7:30pm
Jazz duo with Jeremy Sassoon (piano/vocals)

Wednesday 23rd February
Indigo
Manchester M40
9pm
Jam Session hosted by saxophonist Ed Kainyek




Thursday 24th February
Club 43
Radisson Edwardian Hotel, Manchester M2 5GP
8pm
Featuring:
Dave Walsh (drums), Gavin Barras (bass), Dan Whieldon (piano)
To book a table, please call +44(0)161 835 8904


Friday 25th February
The Cinnamon Club
Bowdon Altrincham, Cheshire WA14 2TQ
7:30pm

Guest singer with the Jeremy Sassoon trio







Sunday 27th February
Seven Jazz
Seven Arts Centre, Leeds LS7 3PD
2pm
Featuring:
Dave Walsh (drums), Gavin Barras (bass), Jamil Sherrif (piano)









Tuesday 1 February 2011

Swansea Jazzland

Being on tour is great, although it does mean that you end up spending only a small amount of time in a town or city seeing the inside of a jazz club followed by the bright lights of the motorway/inside of a hotel room if you're lucky.  If your gig is scheduled between November-February, it's unlikely that any of the time you spend in the aforementioned town or city will be during daylight hours.

This is how I arrived in Swansea on 19th January.  I had a short walk to my hotel and passed a brilliant sign on my way - a slogan written on the outside of a building site saying "Swansea: 2nd best city after Paris."

The gig was at Swansea Jazzland and I had been invited by Dave Cottle to join him and the rest of the house trio for their second gig of the year.  It was such a brilliant gig - my most enjoyable for a long time.  I had a lot of queries before the gig as to whether my "Hughes" was native Welsh and I was proud to say that my Grandfather was from down the road in Llanelli.  I had even prepared a song in Welsh to appeal to the locals.  Unfortunately, I didn't quite realise that I was on Osprey turf, and my choice of Sosban Fach (the team song for Ospreys arch rivals the Llanelli Scarletts) was booed before it even started!!  I had done a jazz waltz arrangement with a latin feel, so during the solos I think the punters forgot what song it was and just enjoyed the jazz!

We finished a little after 11, and I had to head back to my hotel for a few hours' sleep before heading back to London on the ridiculous commuter train of 03:57 to get back in order to teach recorders at my morning school. 3:30am in Swansea on a Wednesday night is an interesting time: rather than being abandoned, I found the town centre full of young drinkers (there was even a bouncer at the door of MacDonalds).
Amazingly, I made it home in time for breakfast on my sofa... then after all that I ended up being late to school because of the ridiculous amount of traffic in Peckham.  I tried!

I'd like to visit Swansea again - not least for the wonderful atmosphere at that Jazz club, but also it would be nice to see the city in daylight and actually stay long enough for breakfast!