Welcome to a new decade – or is that not until next year?   Who knows?  Certainly not me, but what I do know is that the Alan Barnes gig in December more than lived up to expectations.   Steve Chadwick, leader of the supporting quartet, became unavailable at a late stage and sent in a dep in the form of 21 year old trumpeter Reuben James.    Reuben actually stuck to flugelhorn all evening, and amazed all present by producing some mature and scintillating playing, seemingly not overawed by being in the company of four seasoned professionals.   A star in the making, and Kendal Jazz Club can be proud of giving him such a showcase in the early stages of his career.

Alan Barnes was of course unfazed by this young upstart (although I know he was impressed), and turned in a great performance on clarinets (including the bass variety) and saxophone.

This month (January) features a different sort of quartet:just about the only similarity is the internal empathy between the players – an outstanding feature of Hotcha!   Their repertoire is based on the gypsy jazz of Stephane Grappelli and Django Reinhardt, but expect dashes of classical and even soul music to add variety.   Those who have heard the group at the Roundhouse will know that we are in for an evening of quiet, relaxed but spell-binding music on the 13th.

First, thanks to everyone for the excellent turnout in very dodgy weather conditions for our January gig by Hotcha! (the exclamation mark, by the way, is an integral part of the group’s name, and not my natural enthusiasm spilling over into print).   These talented NW musicians, led by guitarist Jon Moore, gave us a fascinating pot-pourri of material, with some very unlikely composers – Wayne Shorter, anyone? – having their tunes shoehorned into the Reinhardt/Grappelli mode.   More importantly, they played their socks off, each one of the four listening to the others, and produced a result where the sum was greater than the individual parts.   In such an integrated group it’s perhaps invidious to pick out an individual, but, having said that, violinist Heath Lavery would get my vote as most improved local jazz musician.

Now to our next presentation on 10 February – the High Society Jazz Band, formed by bassman Brian Gordon about 3 years ago to bring together some of the very best of the local musicians playing in the traditional-to-swing category.   Despite that intention, he seems to have wound up with myself on clarinet, so I must obviously declare an interest and perhaps even a little bias.    Trying to remain objective, what can I tell you?    The band draws much of its repertoire from the acknowledged masters of classic jazz – King Oliver, the Hot Five and Seven, the New Orleans Bootblacks/Wanderers, Bechet - but also flits about from Erskine Hawkins to the Temperance Seven to Bob Crosby, while maintaining a high entertainment ratio, thanks to the three and a half vocalists within the band.   The star vocalist, however, is Jan Stirling, a classy Morecambe-based chanteuse making her first visit to the Club.   I think you’ll have fun.

Bruce promised us a fun evening: the High Society Jazz Band duly obliged-and then some.

Some Classically-inclined jazz buffs will remind you: 'It's an art to conceal art.' And behind all the laid-back badinage, some serious music making was afoot. From Bruce, of course, and Pete Boswell's cornet with rhythm continuo courtesy bassist, Brian Gordon (leader), Neil Anderton (keyboard), David Bateman (guitar etc) and Ralph Wilson (drums) - each of whom contributed telling cameos.

Until the Mormon Tabernacle Choir passes sufficient muster to merit an invitation, it's unlikely that a KJC camp meeting will again be blessed with so many-and varied- vocal stylists. From Dave's knowing insouciance and Ralph's bravura tones to Neil's sybaritic raffishness. All this in the regretted absence of the Band's regular- and ear-caressing -vocalist:Jan Stirling.

But, enter 'stage left', Sue Parish with a feisty, two-for-the-price-of-one tribute to the state of Georgia and a timely trailer for her March gig...

Ben Goodman

March 10 marks the return of Lancaster-based singer Sue Parish, no stranger to our Club but someone who brings an expanded repertoire and increased polish on every visit.   Apart from guest appearances with Tom Kincaid last June and the High Society JB last month, Sue has not had an opportunity to display all her vocal wares here since June 2008, so lovers of good jazz singing should make a date in their diaries.   On this occasion her accompanists are Andrzej Baranek on keyboard and Hugh Lawrence on drums, part of the band which backed Alan Barnes in December - and here's an opportunity for me to make an abject apology for, in a previous blog, calling the flugelhorn player in that band Reuben James.   His real name is Reuben Fowler - oops!   Completing Sue's quartet is bassist Frank Grime (last here in June), and I confidently forecast that, with that line-up,  there'll be a lot of cooking going on behind Sue without any help from TV chefs or even Wilf's Café.   And I'm already looking forward to finding out which obscure gems Sue is going to dig up to put alongside the great standards which she specialises in.

Sue Parish delighted us with a scintillating performance this month, and us turned out to be a very healthy (not necessarily medically, but what can you hope for at our age?) crowd of 60 plus.   Her accompanying trio, as forecast, really turned up the heat in the kitchen, but Sue gave us ample proof that she could stand it in a carefully chosen selection of twenties-to-fifties standards and rarities.   Among the latter were Miles Davis’s ‘Four’, and Heyman and Levant’s (who?) ‘Blame it on my Youth *– although disappointingly we never did find out who Sue’s youth was.     Standards-wise, the high points for me were ‘Skylark’ – a beautiful version of a gorgeous song- and ‘It Might as Well be Spring’: Sue’s favourite song, I think she said, and in lots of people’s top ten, including my own.

Going back to the trio, may I just say how great it is to hear a young pianist like Andrzej playing in and extending the tradition of Peterson, Powell (Bud, but not excluding Mel) and Phineas (Newborn, but I had to keep the alliteration going).    Over the years I have joined with many others in lamenting the paucity of performers (oh, no, not more alliteration!) in the generation following my own, probably due to the many-headed monster that is rock music claiming their talents.    With a few honourable exceptions, I believe that to have been true, but people like Andrzej and Tom Kincaid have rekindled the hope that jazz is in safe hands a further generation down the line.

Our 14 April attraction is a band which I haven’t yet had the pleasure of hearing live, but if their demo CD is anything to go by we’re in for a treat.   Chill Factor work mainly in the North-East, but some of their members live in the rarefied air of Alston, so there is a strong Cumbrian connection.   This quintet plays modern jazz of a very accessible brand, and they present a unified sound, all playing within the same sub-section, so to speak, which they describe as ‘mainly post-bop, with a particular fondness for Wayne Shorter’ – does he know about this?   All I can say, judging from their recording, is that they make a nice noise.   Come and give them a try!

Thanks to members who attended our AGM at Burgandy's Wine Bar on March 17th. In view of our diminishing financial reserves and the increasing costs involved in Club administration and financing the monthly attractions, it was agreed that the basic admission should rise from £7 to £8,starting with the July event. Annual membership-which runs from the start of April- will also increase from £10 to £12. The Committee feel that these modest rises will  ensure that  the Club remains economically viable and sustain  a policy of offering  regular,varied programmes of high-quality jazz.

*Ben tells me that the Levant credited for the melody of 'Blame It On My Youth' was Oscar Levant whom you might recall as a gifted pianist and a grouchy supporting presence in many musicals of the later 30s. 40s and early 50s. He was a great chum of Gershwin whom he apparently frequently chided for never resisting the temptation to entertain at parties. To which GG is said to have replied: 'OK, Oscar-give us a medley of your hit'- a reference to 'Youth' which seems to have been Levant's only commercial success.

The Heyman is Eddie Heyman- a jobbing lyricist who wrote 'When I Fall in Love', 'Body and Soul' and 'Love Letters' amongst many others...

Those brave souls who turned up to hear 'Chill Factor' - perhaps slightly fewer than usual because the band itself was brave enough to use the adjective 'modern' to describe their brand of jazz - were rewarded by an evening of pretty tuneful music.    This was despite the fact that I suspect only a few of us (not including me - not my period, guv) knew the tunes that they chose before they started playing them.   However, once under way all the melodies - yes, even the dreaded originals - were clearly stated with great attention being paid to voicing and harmony, and the subsequent solos all displayed some connection with the tune, thus avoiding that ' they're just playing anything that comes into their heads' feeling that modern jazz sometimes generates.   And anyway this was a very ancient form of modern jazz, stemming from the sixties, which made me realise that nearly 50 years have elapsed since the first recordings of the style.   By comparison, only 30 years intervened between Louis Armstrong recording with his Hot 5 and my ears being pinned back by the sounds coming through the horn of the gramophone, although I'm not sure what that tells you except that I'm quite old.

To sum up, the band displayed excellent musicianship, and although I personally would have liked a little more light and shade, plus the odd ballad, their fluency, attack and clever arrangements carried the day.

Looking ahead to the Ralph Allin Quartet on 12 May, we can expect several entirely different kettles of fish - several, because this supremely gifted ex-classical violinist knows very few stylistic bounds.   Like virtually all  present-day jazz fiddlers, he gives more than a nod to the great Stephane Grappelli and will undoubtedly feature some Hot Club tunes, but the fact that he chooses to work with piano, bass and drums rather than guitars is a clue to his intention to roam freely through genres.   So along with the to-be-expected classical influences, he is likely to come up with Irish jigs, tangos, Van Morrison tunes, Hungarian music, standards from the Swing era, and goodness knows what else - all I can tell you is that, whatever the starting point, everything he touches ends up as satisfying jazz.   The bright acoustic in the Beer Hall should really suit this line-up, so I urge you not to miss this opportunity of hearing a stunning musician with a very fine trio in support.

Well, I’m pleased to say I told no lies about Ralph Allin’s May gig.   The evening went by in a bit of a pleasurable blur, but I’m pretty sure Ralph touched on all the genres I mentioned in my last blog.     As expected, he paid due tribute to Stephane Grappelli by including several tunes recorded by the Hot Club of France, and on two numbers, a gypsy speciality and something he announced as a ‘Hungarian table Dance’, he tested the rest of his quartet by going into accelerando mode, ending up at frantic tempos.   An incidental pleasure here was watching the expression on the faces of Ralph and pianist Al Gurr as they egged each other on to greater – well, faster – things.  And local dep drummer Peter Eddowes deserves a mention just for keeping up, although his contribution was much more than just that: he slotted in beautifully throughout the evening.

The band brought new life to lots of jazz standards, a couple of them with guest trombonist Andy Hiles, and other high points were two lovely ballads – ‘A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square’ and the much rarer ‘My One and Only Love’.    Right across the whole range of material they covered, Ralph’s agile violin was supported by Al’s crisp and accurate keyboard work: in fact, I’d rate him as the best piano man we’ve had, and we’ve had some good ‘uns.    The decorative Jadie Carey on double bass (or its electronic equivalent) was totally solid in both backing and occasional solos, rounding off a talented quartet which gave us an evening to remember.   Negotiations have already started to bring them back next year.

Wednesday 9 June brings us ‘A Tribute to Atlantic Jazz’, a seven-strong ensemble from the Leeds/Bradford area.   This has come about through my contact with Stuart MacDonald, the band’s fine tenor saxist and proprietor of Woodwind Exchange in Bradford, an invaluable resource for reed and brass players throughout the North.(No extra charge for saying that, Stuart).   

He sang the praises of this recently-formed band which had gone down very well at the Scarborough Jazz Festival, and forced their CD on me.   As soon as your committee heard it, we decided that a band of this quality would fit the Beer Hall like a glove, so here they come.   Do try to make it: you can’t fail to be impressed by their hard-hitting ensembles and fluent soloing, and the strong blues element in their work, sparked by their particular admiration for the Ray Charles Band.

Atlantic Records was established in 1947 in the USA by Ahmet Ertegun, who was joined later by his brother Nesuhi.   For most of my life I was certain that these were not names but anagrams, but I have recently been reluctantly persuaded that they are quite normal Armenian monikers.   Ray Charles was probably their most important signing, but their many others range from Wilbur de Paris to Roland Kirk, so the band isn’t exactly being restrictive in style by allying themselves to one label.   We look forward with keen anticipation to welcoming their 3 saxophones, trumpet and rhythm to Staveley next month.

I’m writing this the morning after hearing ‘Tribute to Atlantic Jazz’, but am suffering no ‘morning after’ symptoms: just the reverse, in fact, because I’m still on a bit of a high.

In terms of precision and cohesion I’d rate this band as probably the very best we’ve heard at Staveley, playing their own very good arrangements of mainly sixties tunes with total instrumental mastery and beautiful balance between the various voices.

If that description makes them sound slick, it’s misleading, because the theme statements were played with great spirit and swing, while the solos were all, without exception, models of passion and commitment.   What’s more, the whole band was patently enjoying itself, particularly on the medium and up-tempo numbers where they created the sort of almost unbearable tension and swing which is a genuine rarity.

They classify themselves as ‘soul jazz’, and their jazz certainly had plenty of soul, with the soloists wearing their hearts on their sleeves.   Liverpudlian Steve Parry positively crackled on trumpet, displaying great command of the high register, while the three saxophonists gave their all in contrasting ways, the smooth baritone of James Russell complementing the fiery tenor of Stuart McDonald.   Altoist Jim Corry (about to tour with Jamiroquai and Stevie Wonder) was just phenomenal, wildly exciting on the flag-wavers but bringing back memories of Marshall Royal with the Basie band when he played ‘The Good Life’ with a creamy tone over a subtle arrangement.

The rhythm section was also superb: keyboard man Andy Cholerton playing the Les McCann role necessary for this kind of jazz but adding lots of individual touches, particularly in the time department, while Richard Hammond’s fine straight-ahead bass kept him under control.  Drummer Chris Sykes was a powerhouse (sorry about the cliché), busy and inventive but not too loud, and unafraid to produce the solid backbeat that the band’s blues-based numbers demanded.   And in conclusion, although the band played lots of blues as expected and indeed hoped-for, they varied things by using tunes with 32-bar sequences and by including a ballad in each set.   They also paid tribute to many of the practitioners of their chosen style, in one case by playing a tune called ‘We all love Eddie Harris’.   I must confess I wasn’t aware of this man (damn, I thought I knew everything), so I’ve just checked him out, and while he was a fine tenor saxist I’m grateful that last night’s band didn’t have his fascination with electronics.

Overall it was a fine night, and one to treasure, for me at least.

On the 14 July we’ll be stepping back 20 or 30 years in style when we welcome the Ian Royle Band.   Ian is a much-respected Manchester trumpeter who works in the Dixieland and mainstream fields, and he brings with him alto-saxist Dave Mott (who I can remember producing near-perfect Johnny Hodges impersonations 30 years ago at the Brewery) and trombonist Frank Slater, veteran of big bands and an occasional visitor to this area, but making his first visit to KJC. The rhythm section is led by our old friend Tim Belford on keyboard, with Peter Fielding on bass and Peter Eddowes (who played so well with Ralph Allin) on drums.

So it’s a kind of all-star NW band, and while some of the players have never met before I’m absolutely certain that there will be no stylistic clashes, so we can expect a repertoire of standards with one or two surprises thrown in, all of which will be played with great expertise and warmth. Hope to see you there.

Just one final announcement:  the committee have decided on a standard price of £9 for all the remaining gigs in this calendar year, instead of our previous policy of adjusting prices according to the size/cost of the band.   We hope this ‘averaging’ policy meets with your approval.