In addition to skylark's Classical Orchestral concerts thread I thought I'd start a jazz gigs thread. I'm well aware I may end up being the only contributor but I've got a few gigs lined up over the next couple of weeks, so even on my own I should be able to keep the thread going!

This afternoon I saw Tom Richards' Jazz Orchestra playing at the Spice of Life in Soho. Most of the gigs I go to are bands of 4-6, this was a full big band line up (4 trumpets, 4 'bones, AATTB saxes, piano, drums, bass, guitar) plus Jim Hart on vibes and Gareth Lockrane on flute. I ended up really appreciating the changing textures and layers of sounds such a full orchestration can produce. The band were playing all original material, much of it by Tom Richards, but the last tune of the first set was an up-tempo groove written by Gareth Lockrane that the band really got into. There were some fabulous solos from Tom Richards (sop and tenor saxes), Gareth, Joe Auckland (trumpet and flugel) probably featured most but many of the other band members took a turn too. The double bass player (Tom Mason) didn't solo but held down a great bass line throughout. The band were previewing their new CD and had a special guest performing the only vocal number - Jamie Cullum. The gig was in the basement of a pub, capacity maybe 120. Jamie came up and performed this song, yet again I was impressed not only with the fact that he really can sing, but also, despite being a huge star, he managed not to take over the gig and to keep the attention well and truly were it deserved to be - on Tom and the band.

It was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon and made me re-appreciate the wealth of talent we have performing jazz in this country, these guys really were special.

The next one on the list (and I know there were at least a handful of fellow forumites there) was the Andy Sheppard quartet playing at the RNCM as part of the saxophone day. I've never actually heard Andy Sheppard play before, but I'm very glad I've had the opportunity too - he has a really lovely tenor sound. Kind of a little like Stan Getz with a bucket load of extra edge. I've never heard John Parricelli (guitar) play either, so that was another first worth waiting for. It's nice to hear a quartet with guitar instead of piano for a change. I think the guitar seems to give a little more space to the sound - it's definitely a different texture. I didn't manage to catch the name of the bass player or the drummer, but I really enjoyed the groove the bass player was setting up, and his solos -it's great watching a double bass player, sometimes they seem to almost be dancing with the instrument.

The set was obviously designed to really show off Andy and his saxophone playing (this being a saxophone day), but there was a fair amount of variety some contemporary style, some bebop, a piece called Rubbernecking that sounded almost Monkish, a really lovely gospelly sounding piece and more. I thoroughly enjoyed the set and hope to catch Andy playing again some time in the future.

I was there! Twas an awesome day!

Have to say though (and I daresay I'm going to offend at least 100 people now) I really wasn't too fussed about Andy's playing, despite so many people saying beforehand how much they were looking forward to it and "He's a God" etc... It just seemed a bit, erm, "dinner jazz" to me...

Plus he didn't lift his head up once for the entire performance, which we found incredibly amusing...

He had a nice tone though...

Last night's gig was Tim Garland and the Northern Underground Orchestra - it was the best of the bunch so far.

The gig started with a rendition of 'Round Midnight by Tim on soprano and Gwilym Simcock. I think I could have gone home happy at that point. Gwilym Simcock's playing is just astonishing - if you get the chance to see Gwilym then take it, I'm sure you won't be disappointed. The rest of the band (another 3 saxes, 3 trumpets, trombone, bass trombone, bass, drums and guitar) then joined for the remainder of the concert. The music was pretty much all written especially for the band, some of it as the result of a competition and there was a good variety. I loved the easy interaction between the players, Tim Garland switched from sop to tenor to bass clari to flute throughout the gig, many of the others contributed great solos as well. I really enjoyed Stuart McCallum's playing on guitar, and Lewis Watson on tenor played a mad solo in one of the competition winners' pieces. The singer Hannah Jones joined the band on stage for a few numbers, what a voice, and what a personality. I didn't want this gig to end, as I was watching it I was constantly looking from one end of the stage to the other trying not to miss anything, it felt like a real treat being there.

Roll on tonight and Joshua Redman!

I wasn't that bowled over by his playing either so it's not just you .



I thought Tim and Gwilym were amazing at the Saxophone Day last year. I have a ticket to see Gwilym play on his own at the Livepool Phil a week on Sunday .

Ooooo lucky you, I'm sure that will be great. I like his style of playing.

I agree that I preferred Tim Garland last year to Andy Sheppard this year, but I did still enjoy listening to Andy Sheppard's playing, he has a differrent style and I found different things to appreciate about his playing.


On to last night's gig, Joshua Redman, Oh wow!

I'll say a bit more about Joshua Redman shortly, but first the support band Empirical, a young highly acclaimed band that have come up through the same ranks as Courtney Pine, Soweto Kinch, Denys Baptiste and Abram Wilson. Empirical have a two horn front line - Jay Phelps on trumpet, Nathaniel Facey on alto plus Kit Downes on piano, Tom Farmer on bass and Shaney Forbes. Nathaniel Facey has that Charlie Parker thing going on on alto where he's playing amazing passages but you barely see his fingers move. I was looking forward to seeing this band - I've heard a lot about them, all of it good, and seen most of the band members in other settings but not together. I found parts of their set completely stunning, most noticeably the solo piano and piano, bass and drums playing together as a trio. I wasn't completely captivated by all of it though - that could have been for a number of reasons, the music was quite difficult and probably repays repeated listening to really get into it, plus I was towards the back of the hall and it may have grabbed me more if I'd felt more connected to the performers. I daresay I'll see this band again sometime so I may reserve judgement for a while.

The Joshua Redman set was a sax, bass and drums trio. From the very first notes the energy coming off the stage was palpable. I loved this set - it had everything, great melodies, grooving rhythms, interaction between the players, some astonishingly beautiful, lyrical playing and some hard driving, rhythmically complex numbers. As an encore the trio played a bossa that I really should know the name of, but it escapes me, while I was listening to it I was struck by how this beautiful saxophone sound didn't seem to be coming from the instrument, it had transcended that, it was more that this sweet, luscious sound was emanating from Redman and the saxophone just happened to be there. I left the gig feeling slightly shaky and emotional, which I think is a good thing!

Last night I saw Gwilym Simcock at the Liverpool Philharmonic. He played in a suite aside of the main hall so it was really intimate and allowed him to sort of communicate better with the audience (I think anyway). He played for about 45 mins each half, included some jazz standards, some of his own compositions and even an improvisation on the 'Ode to Joy' theme! He was asked to do it a few weeks ago on the day of a concert and he found it fun so had decided to do it again. His playing was amazing, he is so into his music and so passionate, it's really inspiring. In addition, he is one of the nicest guys you could ever meet. Came and talked to people in the interval and afterwards, didn't mind signing CDs etc. I managed to get two autographs and a piccy. I look a mess but he doesn't! His parents were there and his mother commented (when I had my picture taken) that they'd never had this at a concert/tour before, I'm famous .

Sounds great - I agree, small settings are good for communicating, I also agree that Gwilym's playing is amazing, I'm awestruck every time I hear him play, he's super-talented.

I went to see the legendary New York sax player Dave Liebman playing at the Vortex in East London on Friday night. He was playing with a quartet featuring Phil Robson on guitar, Aidan O'Donnell on bass and Jeff Williams on drums. The Vortex is a small vennue - capacity maybe 120 and it was packed out. This was cutting edge stuff for the jazz enthusiast (not sure Allan would approve), at times it was reaching the limits of what I enjoy, but at other times I found myself almost hypnotised by the music - completely enthralled by the interplay between the musicians. A pretty much free duo between Liebman playing soprano and Williams on drums towards the end of the second set was a particular highlight. I also really enjoyed the bass playing and Phil Robsons virtuosic playing. Liebman was playing soprano and tenor - despite my leanings towards tenor I think I enjoyed his soprano playing more. For one number he played what was introduced as a flute, although it was a wooden instrument played more like a recorder, I'm not sure exactly what it was but it had a beautiful sound, almost haunting.

It was a great opportunity to see such a master playing in such a small venue. I really like the Vortex but I must learn how to drive there without taking a wrong turn and getting caught in various one-way, no right turn etc streets that seem to stop me getting back to where I want to be!

Not that much recently, although I saw two groups of BMus Jazz students playing at a Birmingham Conservatoire open day... I then did a jam session with them as part of the open day activities in which I played inimitably badly!!

I've seen Acoustic Triangle (Tim Garland, Malcolm Crease, Gwylim Simcock) twice, and local band Red Shadow (Trevor Rowland, Pete Hayes, Dave Pullin, Rob Masters) several times as well...

There's a pub not far from here called the Green Man where they have jazz gigs every Tuesday night... Unfortunately I don't get to go there much, as I'm usually playing table tennis on Tuesday evenings, but I did see Renato D'Ailleo there a couple of years back...

This month, though, I'm going to see Clare Teal at the Maddermarket in Norwich, which is gonna be really good!

Last night I saw Courtney Pine playing his tribute to Sydney Bechet gig. It was superb. Courtney was playing bass clarinet, soprano sax and alto flute - all of them beautifully, and his band were top class. Particular highlights for me were a soprano sax solo where he kept subdividing the beat into smaller and smaller divisions with the drummer staying rock-steady. A bass clarinet solo that incorporated snatches from many standard tunes, a double bass solo (Darren Taylor) that included the riff to Smoke on the Water, a couple of delicately beautiful solos from pianist Alex Wilson and something I never thought I would say, but probably the number 1 highlight was an amazing solo by violinist Omar Puente - absolutely breathtaking.

Oh wow, I would have loved to have seen that - Sidney Bechet is one of my all-time favourite players. Do you know if Courtney Pine is performing this anywhere else???

He was, but last night was the last night of the tour.

He doesn't sound much like Sidney Bechet though. I have to admit I was quite pleased about that, because I really don't like Sidney Bechet's vibrato sound - my sax teacher tells me I need to be able to listen past that, but so far I haven't been able to.