BillF

Bruce Adams (trumpet) and John Hallam (tenor and baritone) with the Tom Kincaid Trio at Wilmslow, Cheshire First class mainstream session, Hallam's Bud Freeman/Ben Webster influenced tenor providing the perfect foil to Adams's fiery trumpet with its Eldridge/Edison/Braff echoes. Even Kincaid's Garnerisms, which can grate in a bop context, fitted right in.

Wally Fawkes Trog Karen Krog

Gnasher Chewy Chu Berry

Louis Sullivan Ira Sullivan Ira Gershwin

Told by Greg Abate at last night's gig: I'd never been to a classical concert, so my girlfriend took me along. During the interval, I bought some popcorn, but they wouldn't let me take it back in - said the noise would disturb the orchestra. Look here, I said, I'm a musician, I know when to go pop.

Phil Woods Max Planck Tom Sawyer

Jazz Record Requests from BBC Radio 3 In a weekend of live gigs, catching up late on the iPlayer with a favourite radio show. Now playing: Art Blakey, "Tell It Like It Is" from the album Freedom Rider

Four (Miles Davis) Four Brothers (Giuffre) Four! (Barney Kessel) Four Others (Herman) Four Mothers (Shorty Rogers) Next word: FIVE

Back to Southport, this time for an American/Italian hard bop quintet of Greg Abate (alto and flute), Jim Rotundi (trumpet & flugelhorn), Dado Moroni (piano), Harvie S (bass) and Enzo Zirilli (drums). Wonderful! First time I've heard Rotundi live - must be one of the best trumpeters anywhere today.

I'm getting "Your browser's cookies seem to be disabled." Suits me!

The Constant Gardener Robert Plant Bert Weedon Shannon Tweed Tweedle Dee Dee Dee Williamson Donald Duck David Davies Dave Dexter

The Constant Gardener Robert Plant Bert Weedon

I have to head out there tomorrow. Hope the trains are running otherwise I'm scuppered ! Haven't heard of any train problems in your area. There are problems on the West Coast main line this weekend - but because of a derailment at Bletchley on Friday. Hope the trip in the car this evening to Southport to see the Greg Abate/Jim Rotundi quintet isn't blighted by freezing fog, which we have at the moment.

Hale Berry Hale Bop Professor Bop Professor Longhair and His Shuffling Hungarians Eldon Shamblin Shoeless Joe Jackson

Sister Carrie Roy Porter Schlepper Berry

Echo & The Bunnymen The Diddymen Acumen Nation

Happy Birthday!

Saw the Brandon Allen Sextet today at the unearthly hour of 11 a.m. till 1 p.m. as part of "Jazz on a Winter's Weekend" in Southport. Excellent hard bop group: Allen (tenor), Nigel Hitchcock (alto), Mark Nightingale (trombone), Ross Stanley (piano), Sam Burgess (bass) and Ian Thomas (drums). Would single out Thomas, whom I've never heard before, for special praise - what a driving, swinging drummer!

This is an east/west thing. Left Southport at 2p.m. where it was raining (was there to hear the Brandon Allen Sextet); by the time I'd reached Wigan it had turned to snow. Wife is in London for the day; hope she makes it back!

Osie Johnson Oasis Blur

Jack Straw Jack Spratt Jack The Treacle Eater Donna Tartt The Jam The Jamfs

The wittily-titled "Parker 51" from Stan Getz at Storyville (1951). Getz, Jimmy Raney and Al Haig zoom through "Cherokee/Koko" changes.

Al Fresco Peter the Painter Jack the Dripper

Tal Farlow Toots and the Maytals Tootie Heath

A Jimmy Raney date that was reissued as Early Getz is outstanding (the other side on the vinyl edition had a small group out of Woody's band). Raney wrote some excellent originals like Motion, Signal, and Lee, and there's a memorable Round Midnight. Hall Overton, Red Mitchell, and Frank Isola (I think) are the rhythm section. Getz-Raney got a great blend. The live stuff is better known, though. Give this one a listen. Yes, you're right. I now have this on the Early Stan album. Nice cover!