All That Jazz

Big Band Jazz

2009-02-23T23:39:00.004Z

Went to Wigan Jazz Club on Sunday afternoon - and a great session from Leeds College Big Band - well lead by Simon Barnes. Simon did a trumpet workshop for us last year - and by all accounts did an excellent job. Simon is a lead tutor at Leeds College.

Leeds College Big Band , has been going since mid 1980's but according to Simon, they haven't pushed appearances outside Leeds, despite being an award wimming band!

And believe me, from first hand experience I can vouch for them! I am no musician, but I know what I like - and this I did. I guess it is 3 o4 4 steps on from CRGS Swing Band - young musicians have learned music at school - in the school band etc., and have proved themselves - putting in serious appearances, and learning to perform.

The guys in the LEEDS CBB have moved on - they are in their 20's and are serious musicians who look motivated, and are clearly enjoying themselves. Along with the excellent music, Simon Barnes also put in a performance as leader - plenty of announcements, and humour! The band played two one hour sessions in front of 185 people - a mixed age group, although higher percentage of the Silver Pound. They played three or four blues numbers - Preluce to Blues, some Gordon Goodwin, a great funky number with Jazz Police - and much more. To be highly recommended!!! I am going to try and get them to do a Sunday afternoon session at The Grand - The Grand management is interested.

Geoff

What's On at RV Jazz & Blues Club?

2009-01-11T22:36:00.002Z

East Lancashire Jazz & Blues Fans

This is a list of some of sources where you can find out about the latest RV J & B's gigs: -

1. http://events.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/m6/results.asp - Lancashire Telegraph's What's On site.

2. Jazz FM Gigs Guide Whilst listening to Dinner Jazz (or something else!)

3. 'Retired' magazine.

4. 'Whalley Abbey' Magazine

5. Northern Life Mag

6. Clitheroe Advertiser & Times

7. Clitheroe Events Guide - A3 Gig sheet

8. Jazz UK - Bi-monthly National Mag

9. Jazz Wise - Monthly National Mag

10. Ribble Valley Arts Alliance web site - www.ribblevalleyarts.org

11. North West Jazz Works - email Newsletter Monthly

12. The Guide - Guardian Saturday (When we are lucky!)

Let us know if you have any other sources for listing our gigs.

THE FACT IS THAT CLITHEROE & RV WILL NOT PROVIDE ENOUGH PUNTERS TO HELP US PAY OUR WAY. AND OUR EXPERIENCE ANYWAY, IS THAT JAZZ FANS WILL TRAVEL TO WATCH AND HEAR GOOD JAZZ MUSIC.

Also - there is a nice little job for a member who could ensure that some/all of these, and others, can be kept up to date - All you need is a PC/lap top - and the latest gig info!!!

2009-01-11T07:50:00.000Z

Ribble Valley Jazz & Blues Update -

Don Weller - 28 Nov 08

Dave Mott' Jazz Classics - Jan 09

Excellent session at last RV Jazz & Blues Club at New Year Party on 2nd Jan - Dave Mott's Septet lived up to their billing, playing a range of trad - swing - big band tunes. Any fans of Ellington would have been pleased to hear Moor Indigo, Caravan, and other top Ellington numbers.

We had a good crowd for our New Year bash - about 45 in all - unfortunately not enough to cover the costs - as at most gigs we have run in last 6 months, we needed another 15/20 punters to cover the costs. RV J & B now down to basic funds, and needs good events over next two or three months to build up reserves.

Christmas? If you are a jazz fan you are probably easy to buy Christmas presents for? If so, let me know what you got. I got a couple of CD's, including Ellington's Such Sweet Thunder. This is a 1957 recording, and includes Johnny Hodges, Sam Woodyard, Harry Carney, Jimmy Hamilton, Russell Procope, Ray Nance, Cat Anderson, Clark Terry, Ray Nance - and Ellington on piano, in the line-up. Very much the line up I used to go to see at Free Trade Hall, Manchester in the late 60's.

I once appeared on stage with Ellington's Orchestra - bleieve it or not! Well, tickets were going so well that they put some around band on the stage - and I was on Stage Right adjacent to Harry Carney on Baritone Sax - so that;s what I heard for much of the concert!!!

A second CD was Beuna Vista Social Club at Carfnegie Hall - not quite jazz, but a remarkably unique piece of music of course.

And finally, my wife, Susan, sourced The Penguin Guide to JAZZ RECORDINGS - Ninth Edition (Richard Cook & Brian Morton) - One thousand, six hundren & forty six pages of critical analysis of jazz recordings right up to 2008.

So I looked up Don Weller seeing he had just played for us. - Born 1940 - 'A much-liked figure on the British jazz scene for 30 years with his groups Major Surgery and the Weller-Spring Quartet.'

Surprisingly, Don has not been prolific in recording. Weller's most notable recordings are 'Live' - 1996, and 'Nine Songs' - 2003, according to Penguin. But he did bring 'Four Tenors' to the club in November - recently recorded at Appleby Jazz Fest.

The next entry in Jazz Recordings features BobbyWellins, a well know tenor sax player who has played with Weller most frequently!

Jazz & Blues Club's next gig is at The Grand in Clitheroe on Friday 30th January - an excellent local venue - having opened early in 2008 following a £3.5 million refit, transforming the venue from an old fashioned cinema to a first class venue to be proud of. It will be interesting to get your reactions to this venue as a venue for more J & B Gigs? Won't be much good for small audiences, (capacity is 240) - and, relatively speaking, it's expensive to hire - but I believe that people will appreciate listening to high quality music in a high quality venue. We are looking to see if we can put Northern Jazz Orchestra on at The Grand on 23 October 2009 - subject to reactions to 30 Jan gig, and negotiations with management at The Grand. We'll see - the Grammar School Swing Band, and Eric Ainsortrh Quartet with Jimmy Thompson should be a good local draw - we are hoping for a full house to give us much needed funds for club accounts.

Let us know what you think.

John Wickham Trio - Members of CRGS Swing Band

2009-01-11T01:11:00.001Z

NEW LOOK WEB SITE FOR RIBBLE VALLEY JAZZ & BLUES

VISIT http://www.rvjazzandblues.co.uk/