Contacts

This blog will be devoted to just jazz and I will be putting drafts of articles published or about to be published (with some alterations and photographs) in Just Jazz magazine - which is higly recommended. Available from Just Jazz Magazine Ltd, 29 Burrage Place, London SE18 7BG.
Anyone wanting me to cover a session is asked to contact me at richardjwestall@yahoo.co.uk - preferably with two tickets and not too far from Surrey - London is OK. Also images would be great. Any tickets please email so we can arrange either collection at the gig or sending them in the post.

Previously I have written about jazz for Time Out, Melody Maker and other jazz papers and will be putting some of the reviews from these publications on the blog as time goes by.

Remember jazz is about to take off again in this country - being discovered by a new generation who never realised what treasures were available.

Barry Martyn & The Young Bloods Carshalton Jazz Club 15 Feb 2011

From being a key figure in bringing to our notice some of the Legends of Jazz, Barry Martyn has become something of a legend himself. Born in Viginia Water he moved to New Orleans some fifty years ago to bring up a family and mix with the musicians of the City. One of Barry’s sons, Ben plays Bass in the current band. It would be difficult to find somewhere so different to Virginia Water than the Crescent City but Barry has made the transition and he sounds like an American.

Mindful of the future Barry has assembled talented young musicians – the Young Bloods – to make up his band. On the current tour Julian Webster Greaves, his reedman, couldn’t make it so a not so young blood Frank Brooker ably took his place.

To complete the line up there was Allen Beechy, a competent trumpeter, Graham Hughes on trombone who reminded me of Roy Williams (a compliment in my book) and Tom Kincaid on piano who gave me the best moments of the evening.

This was not the type of traditional jazz band we usually hear in the UK. Sylistically it was fairly all encompassing – from jazz standards, to mainstream and to popular songs. There was something of the old Avon Cities band in the use made of familiar hit songs and, although not so ambitious as the French Anachronic Jazz Band there were wide jazz influences. It is tempting to call this music jazz influenced rather than straight jazz but that is perhaps what is required as Barry puts it, to attract the ‘man in the street’.

Personally I prefer the pavement on the traditional side of the road.

The high point for me was Tom Kincaid’s interpretation of Oscar Peterson’s moving ‘Hymn to Freedom’ and the duet between Ben Martyn and Tom Kincaid on Ben’s lovely composition ‘My Heart Stays in New Orleans’. The drumming throughout, with the snare drum prominent, was a joy. ‘Body & Soul’ gave Frank Brooker a chance to display his Tenor sax whilst ‘High Society’ gave the clarinet its well known spot.

However, I have one grumble. It was the singing. In past years I have got into trouble when commenting on

singing by traditionalists. I once described Campbell Burnap’s singing as dire to his great annoyance. It is clearly important for bands to communicate through song and Barry’s showmanship and style, as with George Melly, can take you a long way. But from the pure swinging gravel of Louis Armstrong to that lazy drawl of Jack Teagarden, let alone the great vocalists like Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan, we have real quality in the singing. British jazz, in my view, matches some of the best jazz from the other side of the pond, except in the sphere of vocals

We have had exceptions as with Ottille Patterson and Steve Lane introduced a number of able vocalists over the years but when Barry sang ‘Secret Love’ I swear I saw Doris Day – my childhood sweetheart – quietly cry in the background.

Jerry Westall

Youth & Jazz

National Youth Choirs of Great Britain and the National Youth Jazz Collective

Barbican 25 April

Jerry Westall

I have just witnessed just over 200 14-18 year olds singing in a wonderful choir together with ten jazz musicians of the same age. They were performing to a packed enthusiastic audience at the Barbican on Easter Monday and being there was an unforgettable experience.

There were three interpretations of Duke Ellington numbers: a lively ‘Drop me off in Harlem’, a superb ‘Mood Indigo’ and a short ‘Come Sunday’. There was a lovely, dreamy ‘Lil’ Darlin’, Neal Hefti’s composition for Count Basie, Irving Berlin’s ‘Steppin out with my baby!’ and a surprisingly accessible Kenny Wheeler melody ‘Breugel’. New compositions included Issie Barratt’s ‘Some folk do say’ in a world premiere, Dominic Peckham’s lively ‘Mash’d’, Karl Jenkins ‘Scatty!’ and Peter Churchill’s ‘Expectation’.

In most cases the composers themselves conducted either the full Choir, or sections of it.

After just one intense week together the pick of Britain’s accomplished young singers embraced jazz music with enthusiasm and extraordinary ability, although at times a more relaxed looseness would have improved the jazz empathy. On occasions the sounds were quite beautiful as with ‘Mood Indigo’, arranged by Peter Churchill. The Duke would have been overjoyed at a fresh generation singing this lovely composition with such discipline and tunefulness.

The Choir were accompanied by the National Youth Jazz Collective, a handpicked band from among the best of today’s young talent. They were both solid in complementing the Choir and startling with individual talent. There were some all too brief solo vocals, signalling some truly outstanding performers who could sing with most jazz outfits in the land. Julian Joseph, a vice-President and a Trustee of the National Youth Jazz Collective introduced most of the music, shedding a few years at one time to join the Collective in a fine piano solo.

For any open minded person this was an enthralling experience. In this context Ellington is a key figure, within jazz where he links the major streams of the music and in the wider world where he entices the classically trained enthusiast.

My personal fancy would be to widen the jazz framework. It might include something from Jelly Roll Morton – perhaps my favourite ‘Sweet Substitue’ - or even some New Orleans sounds with tunes like ‘Didn’t he Ramble’ or ‘St James Infirmary’. Perhaps a Mahalia Jackson gospel song or a composition from Abdullah Ibrahim would give other perspectives.

Karl Jenkins sums up my feelings completely when he writes: ‘In these days of ‘dumbing down’ and crass TV reality shows the National Youth Choir’s pursuit of musical excellence is a lesson to those in government and elsewhere that there are pockets of today’s youth that are to be admired, cherished and extolled’. That there are such youngsters flourishing answers the despair of those who worry about the continuance of jazz in this country.

New Orleans Preserved

Jerry Westall

Henry VIII may have had six wives but he missed out on the seventh wonder of the world! This occurred just down the road from Henry’s old pad at Hampton Court on Saturday 28^th August, 2010.

This was witnessed by a large crowd of enthusiasts who experienced the only performance of the New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band in this country this year. They appeared on stage after the Ronnie Scott All Stars and rhythm and blues singer Ruby Turner. She has recently been vocalist with the Jules Holland Big Band and had a good session.

As the evening arrived and the weather became cooler the music was anything but cool. Hot jazz from the beleaguered home of ‘a revolutionary way of making music’ as Alan Robinson put it so well in ‘Jazz News’ August 2010.

The Preservation Band was a fine ensemble playing the unique music of the Crescent City. They were led by Mark Braud, a powerful trumpeter with the outstanding Charlie Gabriel on clarinet, Freddie Lonzo on trombone and Clint Maedgen on alto sax. The rhythm section of Benjamin Jaffe on sousaphone (who also played string bass and shook a vibrant tambourine at times), Rickie Monie on piano and the brilliant drummer Joe Lastie completed the line up.

As well as a mastery of their instruments most of the band demonstrated capable vocals with my favourite being by Charlie Gabriel and Freddie Lonzo on Morton’s lovely tune ‘Sweet Substitute’.

Charlie Gabriel, a sprightly 78 year old, was the star of the show yet as always with New Orleans jazz the whole band are important. Charlie has a family inheritance to be proud of. His great grandfather played the bass in New Orleans in 1856, his grandfather’s instruments were accordion and cornet. His father played clarinet and drums. Charlie himself started his career at 16 playing with Lionel Hampton and was a member of Aretha Franklin’s orchestra in the 1970’s. But it is traditional jazz with the loves, having played with Jim Robinson and George Lewis among others.

Mark Braud is also from a jazz family, grandson of John ‘Picket’ Brunois, also known as Wendell Brunois – a trumpeter who arranged for Billy Eckstein and Cab Calloway. He also performed with Chris Barber. Mark, also the nephew of Ellington bassist Wellman Braud, has been with the Harry Connick Jnr Big Band and played for the Broadway production of ‘One Mo’ Time’.

Freddie Lonzo, Kid Ory style trombonist has recorded with Wynton Marsalis among many others. He is keen on Gospel music, Spirituals and military marches.

The youngest member of the band, Clint Maedgen straddles the line between traditional jazz and rock and roll and has fronted punk style cabaret acts. His eclectic approach was absorbed into the new Orleans style without any problems.

Rickie Monie has known all styles of piano jazz. He is a long time member of the Band, being with them since 1982. He previously played with the legendary Olympia Brass Band.

Joe Lastie has been a drummer since he was eight years old. He played with Prof. Longhair and was a classmate of Wynton and Branford Marsalis. He has expressed the view that ‘playing in Preservation Hall is like playing in a Church – you are sharing a gift from God’. Joe was a sufferer from Katrina and lost nearly everything at the time, including two drum sets.

Ben Jaffe’s parents Alan and Sandra Jaffe founded the Preservation Hall and Ben now co-manages the band. He has declared: ‘We live for the music’. His agile and light sousaphone was a bedrock for the band.

Individually fine musicians, the Band had the type of unpretentious dedication so associated with New Orleans music. There is something almost religious about real New Orleans jazz. This is shown by those who visit the city regarding as something of a Mecca. The style is looser and more outward looking than some of the traditional jazz music we are used to hearing in this country.

The crowd must have been the youngest jazz audience seen in Britain since the 1950’s. With Jamie Cullum playing to a packed and fairly young audience at the Albert Hall in the Proms the same week (where he performed one number inspired by his visit to New Orleans) we have perhaps the beginning of a new jazz revival in this country. In future, let us hope, that genuine New Orleans jazz will be coming to Britain more than once a year!

A CD by almost the same band ‘New Orleans Preservation Vol 1’ (no 2 is promised), obtainable through www.preservationhall.com is available and captures much, but not all, of the band’s performance. My memory is that the live singing was more in tune than some of the singing on the CD and nothing quite meets the experience of a live performance.

Jools Holland

Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra Hampton Court June 9^th

This rocking Rhythm and Blues Band with some fabulous guests and plenty of Boogie piano from Jools warmed a packed audience and created an atmosphere of bonhomie and excitement for the appreciative crowd, marked by a range of ages from young children to the very old.

Jools is a marvellous pianist and an outstanding host, his band is tight and swinging – on this showing better perhaps as group musicians rather than as soloists in the main. Jools is adept in several styles but a Wallerish solo was my favourite and to my ears almost up to the original lacking, only, some of Waller’s delicacy. A small group from the orchestra recreating some of Waller’s numbers would be a fine addition to the show.

The Band had something of Cab Calloway, quite a bit of Basie influenced musicl, a reggae feel for a lovely ‘What a Wonderful World’ and even a Glenn Miller sound on one number. From the guest vocalists we had something of Sinatra from Roger Cicero, something of a Blues roar from Ruby Turner spurred by the Band behind her and some young singers of great potential: Gilson Lavis and Louise Marshall. There was a surprise with Pop idol of yesteryear: Sandie Shaw who came on shoeless flaunting her lovely long legs and with some jazzy arrangements almost left her fluffy past to become something close to a jazz singer. Paradoxically it was her rendition of the catchy ‘Puppet on a String’ that freed her most when she got closest to jazz feeling. A charming section was when Sandie sat on the stage enthralling a group of dancing children at the front of the audience. One wonders what a witty Fats Waller would have made of ‘Puppet on a String’.

I heard Ruby Turner a year ago with a small group and she impressed but with a Big Band behind her she thrived, bringing the entire audience to its feet with something more than blues shouting, more blues roaring at times with a sound like an aroused lioness.

The whole show was a bit like one of Jools Holland’s TV programmes with all the showmanship and professionalism. Similarly every moment contained something of interest.

Jerry Westall