… captured for YouTube during their dynamic sessions on Sunday, 27th September, at The Autumn Jazz Parade, Hemsby.

If you get the chance to see them live, don’t miss out!

Roy Stokes (tmb), Mick Scroxton (tpt), Pete Jackman (dms), Mike Broad (bs), Alan Creswell (clt), Kevin Scott (ldr, bjo).

Photos & YouTubes © Peter M Butler, Jazz&Jazz

Concscia Jazz & The Ent Shed Present The Birmingham Jazz Orchestra

In continuing the Jazz&Jazz quest to feature our younger generation of jazz musicians and bands, huge thanks go to Tom Syson for hosting the immensely talented Birmingham Jazz Orchestra – founded as recently as September, 2014 – at The Ent Shed in Bedford on Thursday, 6th August this year. 

Whether you are into Traditional Jazz, New Orleans Revivalist Jazz or Mainstream, these young musos are to be admired for their enthusiasm and encouraged for the reassurance they give for the future of jazz.

The original Thelonious Monk “Think of One”

The Orchestra also aims to showcase the composing and improvising talents of young musicians from the Birmingham scene and beyond. The following two YouTubes are compositions by Band Leader and trumpeter Sean Gibbs from their upcoming album release, “Burns”, available at: https://seangibbs.bandcamp.com/.

The following YouTube was filmed by Sean himself who comments “Here’s a video of ‘Tam O’Shanter’ from the Ent Shed gig. I think it was the best tune of the night”

Discover more about this talented group of young musicians at Birmingham Jazz Orchestra Live at The Ent Shed. Tom Syson, himself an enterprising young jazz enthusiast and musician, is to be admired for his vision in promoting jazz, and for launching Bedford based CONSCIA JAZZ.

Peter M Butler
Editor & Proprietor Jazz&Jazz

(Photos & YouTubes © Peter M Butler, Jazz&Jazz)

No chance to while away the time during my Ramsgate Seaside Shuffle Festival weekend.
Or rather should I say, every chance to while away a pleasant evening and afternoon
filming at local hostelries before the main events.

Because precursors to the big event were jazz at The Star, Old Wives Lees, on Thursday evening, 9th July, and at The Horse & Groom, Ramsgate, on Friday afternoon, 10th July. Moments to savour meeting up with old friends.

My YouTubes (below) of Vocalion Jazz Band at The Star feature Dennis Jenkins on trumpet, Gerry Birch on bass, Kenny Sanderson on banjo, Mark Alexander on drums, Dick Smith on clarinet and Jan Bryce on trombone. I was please to chat with Jan during the evening about his father Owen Bryce whom I was delighted to meet not long ago when we discussed, not jazz but the comparative virtues of Scottish Malts and American Bourbons!

At The Horse & Groom (below) I filmed “Southern Heat” with Ray Colyer (trumpet), Graham Majin (sax), Alan Salsbury (banjo) and Tony Richards (tuba). Not the easiest venue for YouTubes due to the bright, sunlit windows, tight space in the crowded bar and especially friendly fans taunting me for obscuring their view of the quartet! All in a days work!

Enjoy the YouTubes

Peter M Butler
Editor & Proprietor Jazz&Jazz

(Photos & YouTubes © Peter M Butler, Jazz&Jazz)

UPDATE ON THE WEAVE’S SPICE OF LIFE GIG

Unfortunately The Weave’s launch gig at “The Spice of Life”, Soho, London, on the 9th July was sabotaged by the London Tube Strike and only the bravest fans made the hazardous journey  – see the comment from my friend Paul Goddard below. But Paul sent me two photos he took at the launch and I am only two pleased to reproduce them here to add just a little more publicity for this great band.

My original post published in April read:

Back in December, 2013, I posted a Jazz&Jazz feature entitled “Cold, Wet and Sockless? Entertaining Nevertheless!” with the introduction: “The Weave is a Liverpool based Jazz Sextet which veers more towards modern jazz, but with their own entertaining, exuberant and amusing twist as demonstrated in their  video, “Cold Wet and Sockless”. 

Starring at London’s Spice of Life. The Weave will launch their new album there on 6th June.

One reviewer even described The Weave as “Satchmo-like … you can easily picture yourself sitting in a dark and smokey American jazz club. This is no wonder, since the two trumpeters have played in a New Orleans-style band for some years.”

Perhaps my personal preference leans towards – not so much UK and European Trad – but New Orleans Revivalist Jazz. However, my priority is to promote live jazz, today’s jazz, and particularly jazz played by our emerging new generation of jazz bands, with their own fans in their own preferred venues, and their own “twist”, yet with profound echoes of past great eras.

The Weave Band Leader Martin Smith emailed me: “Although I guess you can say our music is fairly contemporary, I personally don’t deal in those terms… there is only music, regardless of when or where it was made. The power of New Orleans Jazz to lift the human spirit is unrivalled for me, and just as potent and relevant now as it ever was.”

Starring at Wigan Jazz Festival

Today “The Weaves” soulmate Derek Lovelady emailed me about their second album which is due for release in June: “It’s probably not got owt on it pertinent to your website, but I thought you may like to take a peek at its cover artwork and some amusing photos here:  facebook.com/theweave3.”

Not pertinent to my website, Derek? Let’s be the judge of that when the album is released on 6th July. In fact, Jazzers, Martin tells me “The Weave” have a launch gig booked at “The Spice of Life”, Soho, London, on the 9th July. So be there if you can!

Meanwhile, jazz fans, discover more about “The Weave” on their website.

The December, 2013, Jazz&Jazz post: “Cold, Wet and Sockless? Entertaining Nevertheless!”

Peter M Butler
Editor & Proprietor Jazz&Jazz

“Take a blustery brass lineup, layer it over a rhythm section led by a stride-piano virtuoso in the Fats Waller vein, and tie the whole thing together with a one-of-the-boys voice from another era, and you have the Hot Sardines.”
(About The Hot Sardines)

Forbes Magazine calls them “one of the best jazz bands in NYC today” and without question The Hot Sardines should feature on Jazz&Jazz amongst our “New Generation of Jazz Bands”.

Here is a brief selection of their many reviews:

“Simply phenomenal, crisp musicianship going hand in hand with immaculate and witty showmanship.” THE TIMES (LONDON)

“Celebrating hot jazz in high style and with sharp talent… leaves us wanting more.” JAZZ TIMES

“The charismatic front-runners of vintage jazz play big halls as if they’ve just dropped in to a party.” THE GUARDIAN

“Old-time jazz with new-time energy and style… magic on stage. There is no other band playing live quite like The Hot Sardines.” wfuv.org

Left to right: Jason Prover, Evan “Bibs” Palazzo, Joe McDonough, Miz Elizabeth, Nick Myers, Alex Raderman, Evan “Sugar” Crane, “Fast Eddy” Francisco

The Hot Sardines hit the UK big time in May this year when they appeared on the BBC’s “Later… With Jools Holland”

www.hotsardines.com

Peter M Butler
Editor & Proprietor Jazz&Jazz

True to our aim of featuring the emerging “New Generation of Jazz Bands”* Jazz&Jazz is pleased to introduce Toulouse based “The Bardi Manchot”, founded as recently as 2012. In their broken English this exciting young band introduce themselves as playing “the music of youth, young dead certainly like King Oliver and Jelly Roll Morton, but young still!”

Puzzled? Let me continue by quoting from their website ……

“Drawing directly on the roots of Jazz, Ragtime and Blues, The Bardi Manchot play the music of New Orleans as they have learned during their many trips there – with soul and passion!  … last summer at the Montreal Jazz Festival they were escorts of New Orleans singer Emily Estrella.”

The Bardi Manchot offer, in their own words, a “directory for drinking, dancing, living or dying”, but always with enthusiasm! A bit extreme perhaps but they are certainly grabbing attention and will be a star act at this year’s Fest Jazz, Châteauneuf-du-Faou, Brittany.

The Festival Programme describes them as “An up and coming young band from Toulouse. The classic repertoire of the greats (Jelly Roll Morton, King Oliver) but with an approach that is fresh and innovative. Not to be missed!”

LE BARDI MANCHOT – Basin Street Blues – Official Video

Drawing directly on the sources of New Orleans Jazz and Blues, their musicians are:

Pierre-Jean Meric: bass
Marc Maffiolo: saxophone
Joe Santoni: banjo, guitar
Quentin Bardinet: banjo
Nicolas Vezzoni: trumpet
Rémi Souyris: clarinet
Eric Pollet: trombone
Ophelia Luminati: washboard

And their very Latest Youtube: “Egyptian Ella”

Website: https://lebardimanchot.bandcamp.com
Facebook: http://goo.gl/NZPyb9
* “New Generation of Jazz Bands”

Fest Jazz Brittany Full Programme
(Click on “Fest Jazz in English”)

Peter M Butler
Editor & Proprietor Jazz&Jazz

It was wonderful to receive news from New Orleans today in an email from The Dukes of Dixieland (Kevin, Ryan, Alan, Joe, David M, and David) announcing their Spring Programme, beginning with The French Quarter Festival.

So for those heading to New Orleans for the Festival, here it is.

(Reminiscences of 2010! One of these days perhaps ……!)

www.dukesofdixieland.com

Dave Vickers (trombone); Annie Hawkins (bass); Ken Sims (trumpet); Nick Ward (drums); Roger Bird (clarinet & saxophone); Brian Mellor (guitar).

My thanks go to my fellow Jazz&Jazz photographer, Laurence Cumming, for his superb photographs featuring Annie Hawkins and her Jazzmen at their recent
roof-raising gig at The Winning Post, Twickenham.

Thanks too to Kay and Tony Leppard for keeping jazz live and alive at the Winning Post.

Dave Vickers

Annie Hawkins

Ken Sims and Roger Bird

Roger Bird

Brian Mellor Banjo

Nick Ward

Ken Sims

Photos by Laurence Cumming © Peter M Butler, Jazz&Jazz

In keeping with our aim to introduce emerging, younger
generation bands, Jazz&Jazz is delighted to feature

“The Electric Swing Circus”

The 1920s/40s American Swing Era introduced a new breed of jazz musicians including Fletcher Henderson, Duke Ellington, Buster Bailey, Benny Goodman and Count Basie. 

Since 2011 “The Electric Swing Circus” (ESC) has been reviving Swing, not in America but throughout the UK. ESC – A 6-piece fusion of “saucy 20′s swing” – bring their own unique style to Swing and an “explosive sound that reverberates back through time”.

2014 was a big year of festivals and international touring for ESC, and they have a
new album in the pipeline this year.

Their bookings for 2015 are rapidly proliferating, including Trevor Stent’s upbeat Fest Jazz at Châteauneuf-du-Faou, Brittany, 24th – 26th July. It was Trevor who first drew my attention to
Electric Swing Circus.

But much sooner than Fest Jazz is their star slot this coming Friday, 13th March, in London at the Coronet Theatre’s “Valentine’s Masked Ball”.
[email protected]
Tickets: http://www.acuriousinvitation.com/partytickets.html

Electric Swing Circus’s line-up features Laura Louise and Bridget Walsh (vocals), Chandra Walker (drums and keyboard), Tom Hyland (guitar), Rashad Gregory (samples, MPC & synths) and Patrick Wreford (bass & bass synth).

Electric Swing Circus Website: http://electricswingcircus.com
email: [email protected]

Peter M Butler
Editor & Proprietor Jazz&Jazz