L to R: Emile Van Pelt, John Defferary, Brian Turnock, Dan Vercruysse, Emile Martyn, Philippe de Smet

This year Brian Turnock’s extended New Orleans Z’hulus UK tour takes in 13 venues beginning on Sunday, 10th May, in Enfield and concluding on Friday, 22nd May, in Farnborough. Here, for dedicated Z’hulus fans, is the full itinerary.

Sunday, 10th May (1.00 till 4.00pm): Bush Hill Park Conservative Club, 16a Leighton Road, Enfield, EN1 1XJ

Monday, 11th May (8.00 till 11.00pm): Bournemouth Trad Jazz Club, Ferndown, Dorset, BH22 9DP

Tuesday, 12th May (4.00 till 8.00pm): The Blue Posts, Rupert Street, London, W1 D6DJ

Wednesday, 13th May (8.00 till 10.30pm): New Reading Jazz Club, Reading Rugby Club, Sonning Lane, Reading, RG4 6ST

Thursday, 14th May (8.00 till 11.15pm): Electric Palace Theatre, King’s Quay Street, Harwich, Essex CO12 3ER

Saturday, 16th May (8.00 till 11.00pm): Little Witley Jazz Club, Village Hall, Little Witley, Worcestershire, WR6 6LL

Sunday, 17th May (12.00 till 2.30pm): The Harp Hotel, High Street, Albrighton, Shropshire WV7 3JF

Sunday, 17th May (8.00 till 11.00pm): Club AZ (Astra Zeneca) “Hulleys”, Charter Way, Hurdsfield Industrial Estate, Macclesfield SK10 2NA (Please contact Fraser McCombe for details:  [email protected])

Monday, 18th May (8.30 till 11.00pm): Barnsley Jazz Club, Elmhirst Lane, Dodworth, Barnsley, S75 4LS

Tuesday, 19th May (8.15 till 10.45pm): Warfield Park Jazz Club, The Community Hall, Warfield Park, Bracknell, RG42 3RJ, Berkshire

Wednesday, 20th May (1.00 till 4.00pm): Amersham Jazz Club, Beaconsfield Sycob Football Club, Hall Barn, Holloway Park, Slough Road, Beaconsfield  HP9 2SE

Thursday, 21st May (8.15 till 11.00pm): Watford Jazz Club, Local Board Road (off Lower High Street), Watford, WD17 2JP

Friday, 22nd May (8.00 till 11.00pm): Farnborough Jazz Club, Farnborough Sports Club, Farrow Fields, High Street, Farnborough, Kent BR6 7BA

email: [email protected]

 The Z’hulus gigging during their 2014 UK Tour:

Photo & YouTube © Peter M Butler, Jazz&Jazz

After ten years in New Orleans followed by ten years in Denmark leading his own bands, trombonist Mike Owen is back home playing red hot New Orleans Jazz in the UK. 

This YouTube features him gigging at Tad Newton’s Walnut Tree Jazz Club, Blisworth, Northants, along with Karl Hird (clarinet/sax), Rosco Birchmore (bass), Brian Mellor (banjo) and “Baby Jools” (drums) on Sunday, 21st December. (All YouTubes best viewed in HD).

Quite a quintet, so why not call them “Mike Owen’s New Orleans Specialists”!

Welcome home, Mike! And thanks for sharing a few yarns with me about your times in New Orleans.

Introducing a new Jazz&Jazz YouTube feature:

“Spotlight On”

Peter M Butler
Proprietor and Editor, Jazz&Jazz

Photos & YouTubes © Peter M Butler, Jazz&Jazz

Dom & The Ikos packed fans into the Phoenix Artists Club on Saturday, 22nd November, for their Album Launch Party. It might not have been jazz as today’s “Mouldy Figs” like it, but jazz it was and the floor was packed with a host of Boppers, Lindy Hoppers and Swing Dancers, giving the lie to claims that jazz is fizzling out.

It’s not fizzling, it’s sizzling! 

A fast train from Bedford winged Ginny and me away from gruelling Saturday Night X Factor entrapment to be there, in person, to witness live this resurgent jazz spectacle in just one of London’s flourishing venues.

So, furthering my aims of focussing on our emerging new generation of Jazz Bands, here is a selection of YouTubes and photos which I shot at The Iko’s Launch Party.

The Ikos are Dom Pipkin (piano), Tony Rico (saxophone), Matthew Benson (trombone), Joe Cooper (drums) and Mao Yamada (guitar).

Faces in the Crowd!

Rich Bennet

Russ Bennet

Sizzling Clips Caught On Jazz&Jazz YouTubes

Website: DOM AND THE IKOS.

Facebook: Dom and the Iko’s ALBUM LAUNCH

Peter M Butler
Editor & Proprietor Jazz&Jazz

Photos & YouTubes © Peter M Butler, Jazz&Jazz

Related Posts:
Dom & The Ikos Album Launch – Saturday 22nd November
Let’s Avoid The Jazz Generation Gap!

In my pursuit of our new generation of UK jazz bands, I agreed with Norman Gibson that I should feature Rob Heron & The Tea Pad Orchestra. And who needs to embellish a name like that! We had both enjoyed their dynamism at Trevor Stent’s July, 2014, Fest Jazz at Châteauneuf-du-Faou – for me a festival setting a pattern for the future of jazz.

So why not introduce Rob Heron & The Tea Pad Orchestra with my YouTube of “Drinking Coffee Rag”, which tells the sorry tale of one man’s descent into coffee addiction, from their Album “Talk About The Weather”.

(YouTube © Peter M Butler, Jazz&Jazz)

The Tea Pads are based in Newcastle Upon Tyne, have a fast growing fan base in the UK, Europe and beyond and play their own brand of Blues, Gypsy Jazz, Country and Western Swing – or “North Eastern Swing” as they’ve coined it.

The Band? A hot six-piece, featuring Rob Heron (guitar & vocals), Ben Fitzgerald (guitar), Tom Cronin (mandolin), Colin Nicholson (accordion), Rob Blazey (double bass) and Paul Archibald (drums).

But let’s allow their superb web site speak for them: http://www.teapadorchestra.co.uk. And for those of you on Facebook : http://goo.gl/bBxcjM. Take time to read their reviews. Like all our young bands today, Rob Heron & The Tea Pad Orchestra favour the Social Media for reaching out to their fans and promoting their gigs.

Their publicity is excellent and their YouTube “High Speed Train” is as entertaining as it is superbly produced…

Peter M Butler
Editor & Proprietor, Jazz&Jazz

Julyan Aldridge (drums); Karl Hird (clarinet); Jim Swinnerton (bass); Mike Owen (trombone, vocals); Denny Ilett (trumpet); Brian Mellor (banjo).

“Acker Bilk was music, his famous velvety vibrato, low slightly breathy style of clarinet playing was unique and will remain so.” With those words, Pamela Sutton, Acker Bilk’s Personal Manager, bid farewell to a legend of jazz.

The passing of Acker has given added impetus to the current Jazz&Jazz debate: “Keeping Jazz Live and Alive”.

Ian Brameld (The Pump House Jazz Club, Watford) aptly summed up the issues: “There seems to be two diverging scenes: 1) Keeping the old jazz clubs going for the declining numbers of ageing members and musicians; 2) A revival of the jazz of the early to mid 1900s played by young, trained musicians in their own style and for their contemporaries.”

The Audience Isn’t Dying
This we can be sure of, the audience isn’t dying and much is being done about it! The number of youngsters enjoying jazz is growing – in their own venues with their own exciting “new age” jazz bands. Jazz&Jazz has begun featuring these bands. But as one young jazz musician put it: “The old and the young don’t necessarily mix well,” which highlights the emerging divide between older and younger fans.

Baby Jools at one of Max Collie’s Rhythm Aces final concerts during the 2011 Ramsgate Seaside Shuffle Festival.

Yet there are younger bands and musicians who play at our traditional clubs and festivals. Fans will recall Baby Jools as Max Collie’s drummer with his Rhythm Aces. Max recognised him as having “lots of drive and swing” and rather than hiding his talent behind the brass section gave him his own raised dais

Baby Jools and the JazzAholics
To the fans delight “Baby Jools and the JazzAholics” starred at Pete Lay’s Autumn Jazz Parade, Hemsby Norfolk, this year. True, besides Jools on drums, Karl Hird on clarinet and Jim Swinnerton on bass, the band included Mike Owen on trombone, Denny Ilett on trumpet and Brian Mellor on banjo, but this added enjoyment for the older fans and demonstrates Jools’ willing and inclusive appeal.

Graham Hughes recently commented: “Jazz is definitely not dying. In London alone there are dozens of really fabulous musicians and bands that have appeared in the last few years. The thing that is dying is the Traditional Jazz Club.” Yet he added: “There are a few thriving clubs which welcome a broad spectrum of people who love to be entertained. They book bands that are really class acts and tend to be a little bit different to provide variety.”

So although we have lost the greats like Acker Bilk, Kenny Ball, Terry Lightfoot, Phil Mason, Ron Mckay and Pat Halcox, if fans would willingly put aside personal prejudices they need not despair.

Sit back and enjoy the YouTube. Jazz has a great future!

Photos & YouTubes © Peter M Butler, Jazz&Jazz

With those words, Robert Duis introduced The Limehouse Jazz Band from The Netherlands playing The Duke’s moody number “The Mooche” for their fans at “The Spice of Life”, Cambridge Circus, during their 2014 Autumn UK tour.

I first met Robert at Fest Jazz, Châteauneuf-du-Faou, Brittany, back in July of this year, when I filmed his festival band playing in the town square. When I learned the full band would be touring England this Autumn I determined to catch up with them in London.

So here is my YouTube of the band performing “The Mooche” at The Spice on Friday, 24th October, 2014. It was first recorded by The Duke in October, 1928.

Peter Mark Butler
Editor & Proprietor, Jazz&Jazz

See also: Anything but Rent Party Blues at Fest Jazz with the Limehouse Seven.

Photos & YouTubes © Peter M Butler, Jazz&Jazz