New Orleans Z’Hulus to Take Macclesfield by Storm

Don’t miss The New Orleans Z’hulus when they descend in force upon Macclesfield, Cheshire, this Spring. Immensely popular at European jazz clubs and festivals, the Belgian band will be starring at a Fraser McCombe “Evening of Jazz” on Sunday, 10th March. An annual event, the six last years have been a great success and a sell out! This year the band stars Emile Martyn on drums.

Tel: Fraser McCombe 01625 429356

Email: [email protected]

For the Z’Hulus full itinerary see “Operation New Orleans”

Thank You and Farewell Jill Lay

Jill Mary Lay, 1943-2012

“A great sendoff for Jill Lay. Lots of good music, fun and laughter. She would have loved it. A star-studded turn out of musos and punters from all over the country, and rightly so. God bless you, Jill. She’s Rejoicing In Paradise! Peace and solace, Pete.”                                            Trefor Williams

 “It certainly was a wonderful celebration of Jill’s life – just as Pete wanted.”                                                                                Kay and Tony Leppard

Evan Christopher also sent his best wishes to Pete.

Jill’s funeral took place at 12 noon on Tuesday, 15th January, at The Sussex and Surrey Crematorium in Crawley, West Sussex. The hearse was led to the chapel from the crematorium gates by a traditional funeral band of musicians close to Jill and Pete and followed by a brolly procession of devoted jazz colleagues, friends and fans.

Pete’s request for “no black ties or black dresses but a colourful send off for Jill at her own request” was generously honoured. Even the “funeral guys” wore colourful ties. After the funeral there was a memorable celebration of Jill’s life at the Copthorne Social Club.

Jill was dedicated to Pete and the photo of her joining the brolly parade at a recent Hemsby Autumn Festival shows how brave she was even as her illness progressed.

Just before posting this on Jazz&Jazz I received my February issue of Just Jazz which includes a wonderful tribute to Jill’s life by Pete. Not just because they were devoted to each other, but because Jill achieved more than you can imagine, not just for jazz but in nursing, care for the elderly, art and writing – with some of her work published. All this right up to the time when Alzheimer’s stole her life away. If you don’t already receive Just Jazz you must seek out a copy of the February issue, even if you have pay for a subscription, to read Pete’s endearing obituary. Because I’m sure Jill even offered him advice and support in editing the magazine.

The band strikes up to celebrate Jill’s life – just as she wanted.

Donations are in aid of the Surrey Branch of the Alzheimer’s Society who took such good care of Jill. And I simply have to add so did Pete when she needed him the most. For theirs had been a beautiful but powerful partnership and force for jazz in the UK. May the words “Jill and Pete Lay present…” live on!

Peter M Butler
Jazz&Jazz 

Tad Newton’s Jazz Friends at The Walnut, Blisworth, Northants, this Sunday!

JAZZ @ THE WALNUT


STATION  RD.  BLISWORTH.  NN7 3DS

 SUNDAY   JANUARY   27th  

12-2.30PM

TAD NEWTON’S JAZZFRIENDS

 

 Featuring 

 TREVOR WHITING [SAX/CLARINET]

RONNIE FENN [PERCUSSION]

ALAN HAUGHTON [PIANO] 

GARY WOOD [TRUMPET/VOCALS]

TOMAS PEDERSEN [DOUBLE BASS]

TAD NEWTON [TROMBONE/VOCALS]

“Basin Street to Basie and Beyond”


… with 
a new and varied repertoire!!!


Superb, intimate atmosphere, great jazz, real ales

AND good food available.

ADMISSION £8


Tel 01604858549 for information

 Contact: [email protected]

www.tadnewtonsjazzfriends.com


 

 

 

Introducing The Medway Jazz Society and Kent Jazz News

Harry Stubberfield

Google Medway Jazz Society and Kent Jazz News and you will discover a wealth of information not only on jazz in Kent but also in Essex, London and beyond. Both are the inspiration of Harry Stubberfield whose declared goal is to promote jazz. He launched Kent Jazz News in 1997 and continues as its publisher.

The January/February issue of The Medway Jazz Society’s Newsletter is now available and Harry has announced changes to Kent Jazz News which will now be issued in April, August and December. It will contain more news, articles, interviews and a letters page. Interviews with Alan Skidmore and Simon Spillett will appear in the April issue.

Publisher’s Statement:
“Medway Jazz Society is non profit making and aims to promote jazz in all its forms. It costs £7 to join for which Kent Jazz News and our newsletter are delivered to your door. Cheques made to Medway Jazz Society and addressed to Harry Stubberfield at 92 Bredhurst Rd, Wigmore, ME8 0QT

For further information contact Harry: [email protected]

 

Top Secret: Advance Plans for the Z’hulus UK Spring Campaign, “Operation New Orleans”

Formed over a quarter of a century ago, The New Orleans Z’Hulus zealously continue to carry the banner for traditional jazz. (Photo © Peter M Butler, Jazz&Jazz)

Last seen on these shores in Ramsgate, April, 2012, Brian Turnock’s New Orleans Z’hulus launch their 2013 Spring Campaign in the Parish of Little Witley, Worcestershire, before route marching in wandering minstrel style via Macclesfield, Harwich and Enfield for their final skirmish at the 1066 Club in Hastings.

Here, for dedicated jazz fans’ eyes only, is the itinerary for their closely guarded Battle Plans.

March 9th: Village Hall, Little Witley, Worcestershire.

March 10th: Club AZ Hulleys, Macclesfield, Cheshire. Contact: [email protected]

March 11th: Bluebird Social Club, Ferndown, Bournemouth, Dorset

March 12th: Botany Bay Jazz Club, Enfield, Middlesex

March 13th: Walmley Social Club, Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham

March 14th: Electric Palace, Harwich, Essex

March 15th 1066 Club, Hastings, East Sussex

The New Orleans Z’hulus in Switzerland, August 2013, with the usual suspects (left to right) John Defferay, Emile Van Pelt, Frederick Van Den Berghe, Dan Vercruysse, Philippe DeSmet and Brian Turnock. For their U.K. campaign Emile Martyn will take the place of Frederick Van Den Berghe. (Photo courtesy of Brian Turnock)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Web: http://www.myspace.com/neworleanszhulus
email: [email protected]

 

Encouraging Signs for Jazz in Europe, So Why Not in the UK?

JAZZ AT SCHOOL…


A HOMAGE TO CATALONIA!


by Trevor Stent

In this challenging article, Trevor Stent, leader of the Anglo French Good Time Jazz Band, focuses on the achievements of young jazz musicians in Europe, and raises the question “Why not in the UK?

Joan Chamorro with his protege Andrea Motis

The recent Jazz&Jazz feature, “Voila! Jazz à l’Ecole!” provoked great interest in our project here in Brittany which is going from strength to strength.  However, it is as nothing compared to what is happening in Spain. There in 2009 a brilliant local jazz musician, Joan Chamorro, launched a jazz band in a school at St Andreu, a suburb of Barcelona.

Take a look at these two videos and you will see that the results are stunning.

A Film About Kids, Jazz and Music

Featuring The St Andreu Jazz Band

Breathtaking! So many great young performers in just one school! There are many other clips of them on YouTube. And one of them has emerged as a true star. Her name is Andrea Motis and she plays trumpet and sax and sings like an angel. And she got 200,000 YouTube hits last year alone.

Just take a look at this one for starters. And read the CD review in the February, 2013, issue of Just Jazz magazine (page 10):

I Can’t Believe You’re In Love With Me – Andrea Motis And Joan Chamorro Group

“Fest Jazz” at  Chateauneuf du Faou, Brittany
A pause here for a shameless plug!  Andrea Motis and Joan Chamorro are starring at our very own Fest Jazz 26/27/28 July here in Brittany this summer. So if you want to see these talented young musicians live, visit our Fest Jazz site for details of a coach from England to the festival with hotel/Chalet accommodation organised. It’s a fabulous opportunity to see for yourselves a new generation of jazz musicians and the huge strides being made on the European jazz scene.

All set for Brittany’s 2013 Jazz Fest

So why not in the UK?

The Barcelona and, to a lesser extent, the Brittany success story provoke several questions about jazz in the UK.

First, the music played by Joan, Andrea and her friends is based on the roots of our own music; it may well develop into other styles but it is clearly and firmly founded on the origins of jazz. I always get the impression that in the UK the roots of jazz have been disregarded or even despised. Indeed, the recent BBC programme “Jazz is Dead” confirmed this. Everything has to be “current” and “exploratory” which sadly usually mean self-indulgent pretension which interests nobody but the pretentious, young or old.

Secondly, many of the musicians playing traditional jazz in the UK have got to get real. The Tea Party Tendency among the British Traditional jazz movement has very nearly killed it off. The 1950’s have ended, get over it! Just because young musicians don’t sound like Ken Colyer, perform Tin Roof Blues every bloody night or play numbers written after 1930 doesn’t mean that they should not be encouraged and respected.

Linked to that are some very encouraging signs here in Europe (and I believe in the UK) that young people are turning to the roots of the music because so much of the “new” jazz played in the last thirty years is increasingly considered to be old-fashioned and unappealing.

Groups like “Caravan Palace” in France, “Good Night Circus” from Berlin (also appearing at Fest Jazz), the amazing “Flap!” from Australia and “Billy Not on Holiday” (seen here busking  in Turkey) are very popular. I believe the upsurge in interest in Lindyhop dancing is also part of this groundswell.

These young groups tend not to play “The Chant” or sound like Chris Barber in 1957 but there is a spirit, a buzz and swing that is undeniable and it must not be despised.

A final thought…

There are I know some wonderful young musicians in the UK.  I am awestruck by the talents of Jamie Brownfield, Amy Roberts and others but I have the impression they have emerged in spite of the UK jazz scene rather than because of it.

How many like Andrea Motis lie undiscovered in schools in the UK that don’t have a Joan Chamorro to find them?

CANCELLED DUE TO HEAVY SNOWFALLS: Shake off those January Blues with Martin Bennett at The Peartree!

Peartree Smiffy on Washboard from a Jazz&Jazz portrait by Peter M Butler

SADLY CANCELLED DUE TO THE SNOW

THE PLAN IS TO ARRANGE ANOTHER DATE FOR THE OLD GREEN RIVER BAND

LATER IN THE YEAR, PROBABLY WITH AN EXTRA GIG

AND TWO SESSIONS IN ONE MONTH.

Monday, 21st January, 2013


Shake off those January Blues!

 

Martin Bennett’s Old Green River Band

Martin Bennett (ldr, piano) • John Finch (tmb) Roscoe Birchmore (bass) • Howard Murray (reeds) Stuart Smith (dms) • Chez Chesterman (cnt)

“The Old Green River Band is one of the most exciting bands I’ve heard in ages.
Their music could be described as ‘New Orleans meets Rhythm & Blues’ I think few bands come closer to the true spirit of New Orleans.”
(Peter Kings, p.e.k. Sound)

“Be sure to get down to The Peartree this coming Monday evening – 8.30 sharp – for the best jazz in town. And bring a friend! HMV might be on the way out, but traditional jazz lives on New Orleans style in Welwyn Garden City!”
Brian Smith a.k.a. “Smiffy”, Peartree Jazz Club Promoter 

 

Oswestry Bound? Visit The Ironworks and take in The Chicago Swing Katz!

The Chicago Swing Katz: L/R: Derek Harrison, Keyboard; Jeff Matthews, Clarinet; Gary Foote, Drums; Pete Ainge, Trumpet; Dave Margaroni, Double Bass; Andrew Mackenzie, Trombone; Barry Edwards, Guitar.

A six piece band, The Chicago Swing Katz play New Orleans Traditional Jazz and great numbers from the Swing era but with a bias towards Eddie Condon’s Chicago style Jazz.

Band Leader Jeff Matthews

Set up in 2010 by Jeff Matthews, the band has a conventional ‘trad’ line up – Trumpet: Pete Ainge; Trombone: Andrew Mackenzie; Clarinet/Sax: Jeff Matthews; Keyboard: Derek Harrison; Double Bass: Dave Margaroni; Drums: Mike Carnie/Bill Buck/Steve Foote. And when available, our highly talented young musician, Barry Edwards on guitar.

Pete Ainge

The Swing Katz play monthly at their Ironworks club in Oswestry, Shropshire, so if you should be in the area, be sure to drop by and enjoy the fun with their enthusiastic fans. Live jazz, great entertainment!

Meantime, why not visit their website at: http://www.thechicagoswingkatz.co.uk/

Thanks, Jeff, for the plug in your Club Newsletter .

Oswestry Jazz, January/February, 2013


January 20th 
The Chicago Swing Jazz Katz are back at the Ironworks, Oswestry
for their monthly Sunday afternoon session (£4)

January 30th there will be an open Jam session with local bassist Mick Holford and friends
at ‘the Golden Lion’, 8.30pm (free)
http://www.goldenlion.org.uk/ 

February 4th The weekly Sessions at The Griffin, Oswestry start again,
every Monday from 8.30pm (free entry.) 


For more info on any of theses events or to subscribe to the mailing list contact
Barry Edwards at [email protected]

New Orleans Comes to Bromley with “Four to the Bar”

Some claim jazz is dead, that even New Orleans is no longer of any relevance. Yet a new jazz quartet aims to debunk such claims and recapture past glories. What’s more the quartet, led by trumpeter Peter Leonard, plans to do it in the style of the greats.

Duke Ellington epitomised the grace, elegance and bearing of that bygone era which
“Four to the Bar” aim to recapture.

Roger Graham – tuba/bass • Peter Leonard – trumpet • John Ellmer – drums
Alan Cresswell – clarinet • Steve Harding – banjo/guitar

So if you want a taste of jazz in its sophisticated elegance don’t miss out when “Four to the Bar” bring New Orleans to Bromley.

JAZZ IS DEAD!

Award winning stars Amy Roberts and Adrian Cox

BBC Radio 4 recently broadcast a programme called “Jazz is Dead”. Presenter Paul Morley interviewed performers and “passionate punters” in examining the proposition and in his introduction questioned whether, if not dead, jazz is now merely part of the “heritage industry”.

My slant in this analysis of the programme might be obvious but I hope it will quickly become apparent that if biased I am constructively biased. Also, you will have to forgive me for interspersing Paul Morley’s thesis with my own words. I will come back to this in my conclusions.

“Jazz has lost its cool!”
Morley infers from the outset that nowadays people have no clear answer to what jazz is. He questions listeners as to when they last heard a jazz album, adding that jazz charts today are topped by Michael Bublé and that “for younger audiences jazz has lost its cool”.

The fact that jazz is a unique cultural achievement of African Americans has been lost to the modern world, including New Orleans. Born of an age of segregation and second class citizenship, by the 1970s it seemed to be less relevant, somewhat old fashioned.

Morley met a string of performers, critics and fans “to test the contention that jazz is dead – a victim of it’s own history”. Each had their own perspective and definition of jazz. One conclusion reached was that “in America jazz is cultural but in Europe it’s an art form” – whatever that means!

“Some Like it Hot” – proof positive that traditional jazz bands are alive and kicking up a storm in New Orleans.

Another contention was that there have been so many changes since the early 20th Century, with progression upon progression, that nowadays jazz is considered as “done and dusted, tamed, refined – it’s pioneering days over”.

But this is such a limited vision of jazz that I value far more highly Jimmy La Rocca’s description of jazz’s evolution which he shared in an interview with my good friend, band leader Jeff Matthews: “It was conceived in New Orleans, was given birth to in Chicago and grew up in New York”.

“The true spirit of jazz has been lost!”
But then the programme reached a turning point and headed off in a different direction. This began with the crucial interjection that “The emotional impact counts first. Unless jazz gets back to that we’ll lose our audience.”

The theme continued that, put another way, jazz has become too “intellectual, mathematical – an equation”. And the true spirit of jazz has been lost!

“What hopes then of attracting back to jazz a younger generation with a nihilist view of life increasingly turned off by commercialised, valueless music?”

Morley emphasised that from its beginning jazz championed improvisation. But a consequence of this is that jazz today has taken improvisation so far that it is a long, long way from New Orleans and the heart of African American history. It no longer sounds like the jazz of the golden era spanning the 1920s through to the 1960s.

The Dynamic Bennett Brothers – demonstrating that traditional jazz is far from dead!

“Improvisation has become the culprit!”
Improvisation has stretched to such limits that so called jazz can no longer be recognised as jazz! It has gone beyond the pale! Far too far removed from it’s great originators  – Louis Armstrong, George Lewis, Bunk Johnson, Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk and and Ken Colyer to name but a few – for it to be called jazz.

Morley went so far as to contend that modern day jazz has moved way beyond many of the boxes that need to be ticked for it to be called jazz. Except for improvisation. Yet improvisation has been taken far too far and has become the culprit. “Tradition is far more important than ‘originality’ to those striving to maintain the origins of jazz.”

“Jazz is haunting the world!”
In his conclusions, Paul Morley said he “would like to believe jazz can still speak to young people and that there are still pockets of that but it’s getting harder all the time.”

Traditional jazz thrives in Brittany’s schools, thanks to Trevor Stent and his Anglo French Band, “Good Time Jazz”.

He continued “The reason for that is that they believe jazz is made by old people for old people. And a lot of the time that’s the case. We need to get back to grass roots, to audience development, more females and the Afro-Carribian community. If jazz is dead, then it’s haunting the world. Its dead only to those who can’t feel.”

Back in the 1930s jazz took control in the middle of chaos and uncertainty. We now live in another era of recession and uncertainty verging on chaos. Time for a return to the roots of jazz, for a resurgence of real jazz? Of a return to the music of Armstrong, Ellington, Monk and Colyer. For a return to nowadays much maligned Traditional Jazz!

Music posing as jazz
Getting right down to basics, the proof of the pudding is in the eating so I’ll conclude with a very simple grass roots scenario. At a recent Traditional Jazz Festival the girls serving behind the bar were asked if they liked jazz. “No!” came the stark answer. They were asked if they liked the music the bands were playing at the festival. They replied they did. It was music they could dance to. This, they were told was jazz, original, traditional jazz. So what they disliked had to be music posing as jazz, improvised beyond recognition into its modern formats.

New Orleans Heat’s Gwyn Lewis, the Welsh Viking in the mood! Music to dance to!

I find it gruelling that despite, perhaps unwittingly, coming down firmly on the side of “original’ jazz, which can only mean traditional jazz, this BBC “Jazz is Dead” programme featured just snatches modern jazz at the very extremes of improvisation. The greats of the past were mentioned but their music was not featured. Young jazz musicians were lauded, but of the modern ilk, with no mention of our young traditional jazz stars.

Dorine De Wit, Jazz Starlet on Banjo and Vocals with The Rich Bennett Band

That’s the problem with the BBC. Whatever theTV programme or radio broadcast, they set the agenda. And if traditional jazz doesn’t fit in with their agenda, then so be it. With apologies of course to Alyn Shipton who broadcasts a regular and very balanced jazz slot on Radio 3 at 5.00pm each Saturday.

Only in its roots will jazz rediscover a younger generation of fans
My conclusion is that in the BBC’s eyes and even of their contrivance, traditional jazz is on its way out if not already dead. Yet across the length and breadth of Britain and much of Western Europe, traditional jazz still attracts audiences at festivals and in clubs, theatres and pubs. Perhaps the core of musicians and fans do fit Morley’s description “jazz is made by old people for old people”. Yet only in its very roots will jazz discover it’s revival and rediscover a younger generation of fans. And even then, only if broadcasters and promoters recognise the gold mine they are missing out on.

I intend to expand on this theme in forthcoming blogs and widen the debate on what it will take for a truly spectacular jazz revival. An instance would be for bands like The Rich Bennett Band or rising stars like Amy Roberts, Dorine de Wit, Julyan Aldridge, Adrian Cox and Jamie Brownfield to appear live on BBC TV with Jools Holland.*

Julyan Aldridge (Baby Jools) starring with Max Collie’s Rhythm Aces in 2010. Baby Jools is now Rich Bennetts’ drummer. The average age of The Rich Bennett Band is just 33.

Meantime, readers comments and observations will be very welcome.

Peter M Butler
Founder of Jazz&Jazz

* With apologies for the omission of other spectacular younger musicians.

At the time of writing this post, BBC 4’s “Jazz is Dead” programme was available for a limited period only at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01phg6m

Tiger Rag CD, dynamic trad by The Rich Bennett Band.

 

 

(Photos © Peter M Butler, Jazz&Jazz)

 

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