BillF

Clearly something to look forward to!

Little Miss Sunbeam Ted Ray Sol Yaged

I love that! How was Dave Newton. His solo sets were always high points at Appleby; that and the great jams they used to put on in the evening where he often held down the piano chair. Newton was fine - the second time I've seen him at Wigan. Clear and interesting melodic lines. He also joins that legion of pianists I know on disc who sing along with their improvisations! Was very pleased to see Steve Brown in the flesh for the first time. I first knew him from a performance backing Junior Mance at Brecon which I taped from television a few years ago. Who is this drummer with compelling swing and great fill-ins, I wondered? A photo later gave me his name. Today the man himself! Have just been reading The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz on Bobby Shew, which charts his course from Las Vegas to Wigan!!!

Thanks for the idea, Bev!

Smokestack Lightning Dorothy Stooks Rick Stein

Happy Birthday, Tom!

This afternoon at the Wigan Jazz Festival I saw a quintet under the leadership of the veteran American big band trumpeter, Bobby Shew, which also included Alistair White (trombone), David Newton (piano), Dave Green (bass) and Steve Brown (drums). What a contrast to the Stan Tracey Quartet yesterday when it was evident that members had been playing together for a very long time, so that everything was very predictable! Although Bobby emphasised at the outset that he'd played with each of the others before, he also admitted that they'd not thought of a programme for this afternoon. When he suggested a Latin number and asked for "Recorda Me", Alastair White (according to Bobby) typed it into his mobile to find the changes! In the event, the song broke down after a few bars, pianist and bassist failing to get it together during Bobby's initial statement of the melody! Unperturbed, he suggested "Blue Bossa" instead, which they managed very well. A very laid-back afternoon!

Father Ted Odean Pope Walter Bishop Jr

Sir Mortimer Wheeler The Hairy Bikers Steve Race

Saw the Stan Tracey Quartet this afternoon at the Wigan Jazz Festival, with Simon Allen on tenor and alto, Andrew Cleyndert on bass and Clark Tracey on drums.

Fopp is great for £3 to £5 specials. Really miss the Bath store, where you could pick up much of the Blue Note/Capitol catalogue and CBS/Sony stuff for £5. Got some truly great deals there. At least the Bristol store up by the University is still operating and doing the £3 deals. Not quite as accessible for me though. I haven't bothered with Fopp in Manchester recently - not since they were "HMV-ised". HMV's promise of allowing them to trade as before seems to have crumbled and the jazz stock has now been reduced to the pathetic collection you can find in their owner's store up the road. The prices are much better though! At the FOPP in Covent Garden I picked up 'Lady Day: The Complete Billie Holiday on Columbia' for 10 pounds and Sonny Rollins 'Road Shows Vol. 1' for 3 pounds. OK. Point taken!

Paul Horn William Claxton Bop 'n Beep

Fopp is great for £3 to £5 specials. Really miss the Bath store, where you could pick up much of the Blue Note/Capitol catalogue and CBS/Sony stuff for £5. Got some truly great deals there. At least the Bristol store up by the University is still operating and doing the £3 deals. Not quite as accessible for me though. I haven't bothered with Fopp in Manchester recently - not since they were "HMV-ised". HMV's promise of allowing them to trade as before seems to have crumbled and the jazz stock has now been reduced to the pathetic collection you can find in their owner's store up the road.

Zippy Buttons The Fly By Nights

New Kids on the Block Les Tricoteuses Nitin Sawhney

Knights of the Round Table Nights at the Turntable Andy Spinoza

If only we'd been blessed with a Peter King visit!

Yes. The Premier.

"All the Things You Are" from Allen Eager in the Land of Oo-Bla-Dee Bird at his most beautiful on beautiful changes caught on tape at an informal gathering.

Elmer Gantry Frank Gant The Kittens Who Lost Their Mittens

I'll be hopefully seeing Mark Nightingale in performance with Stan Tracey's Octet this weekend at Swanage. Busy time for both of them! Mark's playing in Stan's Big Band in Wigan tomorrow evening, and I'm going to see Stan's Quartet there the following afternoon.

Jeremy Paxman John Flaxman The Mad Axeman

Just getting to know this intriguing album (Associate Producer: Chuck Nessa) which I received two days ago. Reading in the 68-page booklet(!) that Allen's parents ran a hotel in Fallsburgh, N.Y, "the heart of the Catskills Mountains' Borsht Belt", and noting his alternative title of "Oy Vay" for Zoot Sims's "Zootcase", I wonder if he should join Al Cohn and Stan Getz as Jewish sons of Lester. Anyone know?

Mark Nightingale/Nigel Hitchcock Quintet at the Wigan Jazz Festival this afternoon Saw virtuoso trombonist Nightingale last year when he was leading a Jay & Kai style two-trombone band, so didn't expect that this year he'd be heading a fusion outfit! Have to concede, though, that the level of musicianship was very high.