Issue 164 Spring 2021 Uk £3.25 Contents
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ISSUE 164 SPRING 2021 UK £3.25 CONTENTS The DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET’s classic 1959 recording of Time Out is now creating fresh excitement with the issue of Time OutTakes (pages 12-13) 4 NEWS 8 I GET A KICK OUT OF... Award-winning pianist CRAIG MILVERTON answers the questions 9 THAT’S THE NOISE ROGER COTTERRILL on SHAKE KEANE 10 KEITH NICHOLS Remembered by PATTI DURHAM 11 EFFORTLESS MASTERY BRUCE ADAMS on the legacy of EDDIE BLAIR 14 FOR BRIAN LEMON DIGBY FAIRWEATHER assesses an outstanding pianist 16 THE STATE OF SONG ‘Why no jazz?’ asks RON SIMPSON 17 JEFF CLAYTON AND OTHERS PETER VACHER’s praise for the all-rounder 18 JAZZ CLASS OF 1921 A hundred years from today, with SCOTT YANOW FIND US ON FACEBOOK 20 CD REVIEWS The Jazz Rag now has its own Facebook page. 31 BOOK REVIEW: JON HENDRICKS For news of upcoming festivals, gigs and releases, features from the archives, competitions and who 32 HENRY’S BLUESLETTER knows what else, be sure to ‘like’ us. To find the Looking back with Matchbox Bluesmaster page, simply enter ‘The Jazz Rag’ in the search bar at the top when logged into Facebook. 34 BOOK REVIEW: LOUIS ARMSTRONG THE JAZZ RAG PO BOX 944, Birmingham, B16 8UT, England UPFRONT Tel: 0121454 7020 Normally we would be looking forward to a packed year of jazz festivals: Fax: 0121 454 9996 Southport would just have finished and the road to the Mike Durham Classic Email: [email protected] Jazz Party in November would be filled with a shedload of goodies. This pleasant Web: www.jazzrag.com prospect has, of course, been obscured by the perverse refusal of COVID-19 to go away. Publisher / editor: Jim Simpson News / features: Ron Simpson As we write in February, the situation is complex for festival organisers who have Reviews editor: Nick Hart to balance out the current illegality of such events with the determination not to miss another year if at all possible – and infection rates are falling, though nobody International editor: Yue Yang knows when a safe point will be reached. Commercial Director: Tim Jennings Subscriptions & accounts: Nick Hart So this magazine covers a variety of responses, from the optimistic hope that a Designed by Nerys James festival might make it in April to the confidence (with fingers crossed) that Autumn Printed by Warwick Printing events will go ahead. But Bude Jazz Festival (scheduled for August 31) is probably www.warwickprinting.co.uk correct, if a little downbeat, to state on its website that it might go ahead and the decision is out of the organisers’ hands. Most of the summer festivals are rather © 2021 THE JAZZ RAG. All original material including more positive, giving definite dates, but detailed programmes usually have to wait advertising artwork remains the sole copyright of the until the clouds clear. Publisher and may not be reproduced without permission THE JAZZ RAG 3 NEWS NEWS WHITLEY BAY 2021 The line-up for November A SUMMER’S JAZZ At the time of writing this, the 2021 currently numbers 33 musicians from eight countries: Last year Birmingham, Sandwell time for the virus to subside At the time of writing many July 9-11. The same weekend home page of the Mike Durham the United Kingdom, the United and Westside Jazz Festival went sufficiently for at least a socially festivals are in the same the Burton Agnes Jazz Festival Classic Jazz Party strikes a sad States, Norway, France, Germany, ahead as probably the only jazz distanced festival to operate, but position. Jazz Jurassica (www. (www.burtonagnes.com) note, focusing on the death of Australia, Italy and Sweden. The festival to operate in the last 10 what form will it be allowed to jazzjurassica.co.uk) will returns, with the programme as Keith Nichols, the epitome of the trumpeters on view give a pretty months of 2020. A combination take? And how do you arrange run at Lyme Regis from yet not announced. classic jazz musician and a regular good indication of the quality of of boldness, flexible planning and it when many of the partner May 28-31. Kirkcudbright and very popular performer at the roster: Enrico Tomasso, Duke the good fortune to land on a businesses (pubs, restaurants, Jazz Festival (www. The Isle of Wight Jazz Weekend Whitley Bay billed to appear Heitger, Andy Schumm, Malo time of relatively mild restrictions etc.) are not even open at the kirkcudbrightjazzfestival. (www.iwjazzweekend.co.uk) again this year. Mazurie, Torstein Kubben and meant that a reduced-scale moment? So we can say that co.uk) has announced the is in a slightly different position, Keith Nichols (front left) with Mike Davis. festival, predominantly live, went the Birmingham, Sandwell and dates June 10-13 and hopes to having decided to move from Thereafter the site is drenched Spats and His Rhythm Boys ahead for ten days in October. Westside Jazz Festival (www. repeat most of the programme June to September this year and in positivity. Last year the Festival The concert themes are always Now Birmingham finds itself in birminghamjazzfestival.com) from the 2020 cancellation. yet to confirm the exact dates delayed cancellation as long as musical, Shuffle Along. Pianist an enterprising mix of the £1,000 plus privileged access to the same position as the majority will run from July 16 to 25, but Swanage Jazz Festival (www. in September. possible, but eventually had to Sam Wooding was one of early popular and the obscure. This the 2021 Classic Jazz Party. of this year’s summer festivals. for the moment that is all we swanagejazzfestival.co.uk) accept the impossibility of going jazz’s great world travellers, year, for instance, a programme Surely a date in July gives enough can say. takes its usual weekend this year ahead in the time of COVID, so employing such top players as But what of 2020? There will be of Henry ‘Red’ Allen 1929-1935 November 5-7, 2021, will see the Tommy Ladnier and Gene Sedric two winners of the Young Talent is bound to be a delight, but programme planned for 2020 and putting Russia on his touring Award at the Village Hotel in the eye is taken even more finally take place. schedule in the 1920s. And, as November, with this year’s choice WARNER JAZZ 13), but for a different reason. by some of the less familiar Liane Carroll that afore-mentioned monster joined by the 2020 winner, just BREAKS STILL ON Pete Lay is hoping for a near- choices. It’s good to see the The settled format for the aggregation, 27 musicians will announced as Curtis Volp from In the present situation it’s to-normal weekend, with folks great Argentinian guitarist Oscar Mike Durham Classic Jazz Party cram on stage to pay tribute to London. He plays guitar and probably best to be positive, back dancing! Dancing or not, Aleman being commemorated probably makes it unique in the Paul Whiteman’s Symphonic Jazz! banjo and has toured Europe and but prepared for change. That is they have an impressive line-up and for ingenious programming world of jazz festivals. 30-plus recorded with the Alex Mendham exactly the position of Pete Lay, of bands joining the Gambit A Battle of Jazz and Far Away from of the top musicians in the style So the Classic Jazz Party excels Orchestra. He has depped for drummer/leader of the Gambit Jazzmen. The Tenement Jazz Home take some beating. The from all over the world gather at looking back to the past – his tutor, Martin Wheatley, in the Jazzmen and organiser of the Band makes the long trip from ‘battle’ is sub-titled ‘Fletcher in the Village Hotel, Newcastle, which makes it doubly creditable Vitality 5 at festivals in Europe, Warner Holidays weekend events Edinburgh and is joined by festival Henderson v. The Missourians’, for three long days (plus a pre- that it also looks forward to the and recently recorded an album featuring traditional jazz bands. favourites Baby Jools and the presumably a reconstruction of festival concert the day before), future with considerable success. with multi-instrumentalist, Jazzoholics, the New Orleans Jazz some confrontation between each day filled with music from In 2019 the festival inaugurated Michael McQuaid, the title, Duets The norm is to have three a Bandits, Andrew Hall’s Memories Henderson’s band and the one- midday to the early hours, with its Young Talent Award, given in for No Reason at All, echoing year, with five or six bands of New Orleans and the Golden time resident band at the Cotton one substantial break for food. the first instance to a 23-year-old a whimsical title on a trio and sessions throughout the Eagle Jazz Band. Club, later Cab Calloway’s Apart from a late-night jam Texan, Colin Hancock. For this recording by Bix Beiderbecke, day broken up by meal-times. www.warnerleisurehotels.co.uk backing band. Far Away from session, the programme consists year’s award musicians in the Frankie Trumbauer and one of Warners have an ambitious Home deals with the music of of single-set themed concerts classic jazz style who are aged Curtis’ main influences, Eddie programme of events of all VENTURING two groundbreaking figures in researched, prepared and between 18 and 23 are invited Lang. He also cites Teddy Bunn different sorts of music and, BOLDLY jazz and musical theatre. Noble It’s good to see that Venture Jazz Band, Richard Leach’s Street concerts throughout the year arranged by one or another of to submit a covering letter and and Lonnie Johnson, so it’s not much to their credit, are clearly Sissle was one of James Reese Away Music Weekends are Band, the Eagle Jazz Band and rather than a time-specific event.