Alexander Hawkins

Preferably instead of Kate and Wills. Careful. Isn't daddy your landlord? :rofl:

Dear all - a quick plug. Due to our bass and drums going to live abroad (to New York and Barcelona - those scenes' gain!), my Ensemble will be undergoing a personnel change in April. However, before then, we have one final show, and it would be great if you were able to come along. Evan Parker has invited us to play on the first night of a mini-festival - 'Might I Suggest?' - he is curating at the Vortex. The concert is at 8.30pm on Wednesday January 26th. So, for the last time for a while, it'll be Orphy Robinson, marimba and steel pan; Otto Fischer, guitar; Hannah Marshall, 'cello; Dominic Lash, double bass; and Javier Carmona, drums and percussion (alongside yours truly on piano). Tickets available here...and please do say hello if you're able to make it! I'm sure there will be some discounted copies of the album lying around too

There's one big difference between Shearing on one and Bud and Dodo on the other side: the latter were able to see the keyboard. Being blind limits the intervals you can finger - for wider leaps between bars you have to see the keys. That's why there are no blind vibes players. As a blind player you always have to stay down on the keys and feel them and move in close steps. That necessitates a different meldodic style. Consider the tunes he chose etc. I guess that's true about keyboard players in general. And I'm not sure if he can be counted alongside keyboard players 'generally', but the defence will presumably cite Tatum's left hand...

On a bit of a different tip, do check out Paolo Angeli - a wonderful Sardinian guitarist based now in Barcelona. There's a great duo record called 'Uotha' with Hamid Drake. There's somo fantastic solo stuff; and also I like a duo he did with pianist Antonello Salis. Paolo gave me a copy of this one, telling me that Salis was like a mediterranean Cecil Taylor(!) I'm not one for those type of descriptors - BUT - in a wholly positive way - I completely see what he means!

Killer line-up Corey...these should be great gigs!

Likely to be delayed with the backlog due to extreme weather over Xmas. I have a CD from the US that is taking longer than usual so I wouldn't worry too much. Agreed - post really messed up around these parts too (still!) at the moment...

not sure whether that means cool lounge gigs, or slightly dodgy bop ones

Thanks Jim - yeah, I was thinking in that Groovin' High/Whispering sort of orbit, although it's not quite melodically or harmonically the same as either, I don't think... I hear what you're suggesting about '...Nearness', although I'm not sure I agree...I think TNOY starts on chord I, then goes ii-V into the subdominant, whereas Four starts on the I, and then goes ii-V in the key a tone lower (in Miles' key, Eb / Ebmi Ab7 Db)... Thanks for the reminder about that Vinson thing...had forgotten that!

Quick, fairly trivial, question...it's not occurred to me before, but is Miles' 'Four' based on another set of changes? It wouldn't bother me, but I'm teaching it in an analysis class, and playing through it earlier, the changes struck me as *really* familiar in a way they hadn't before...but I can't for the life of me put my finger on it! Am I missing something?!? Thanks in advance!

Saw this programme at Christmas - it was hilarious!!!

I love this clip!

Just in case any board members are in the vicinity, I'm on the road with Mulatu Astatke's new project at the moment...we're in Nijmegen tonight; Heidelberg tomorrow; Helsinki on Friday; and Minehead(!) on Sunday...

Just discovered this - some Brotherhood I'd never heard before...beautiful!

I'll post about it nearer the time, but we recorded a live London Jazz Festival gig with Louis Moholo's band on Friday night for broadcast on the BBC...Louis was on spectacular form, so I hope it'll be a good show. He also gave an often extremely moving interview before the show, which was also recorded - it'll be fascinating listening for anyone with even the most passing interest in any of this scene...

Plus Round Midnight moves to enough places tonally, that you're going to have some fairly 'distant' corners harmonically wherever you start!

Yeah, Mankunku! Also - anything by Louis Moholo, whilst we're in the Blue Notes/Brotherhood orbit...Spirits Rejoice is a stone classic. Something like Masekela's 'Home is Where the Music Is'??? Mulatu - check out the new record, 'Steps Ahead'. I didn't record the album, but I'm lucky enough to be part of the band touring the music, and it's wonderful!

Just a quick note with news of four gigs to end November...would be great to see you at any(/all) of these - please do say hello if you are able to make it out! Monday 15 Dominic Lash Trio - Folly Bridge Inn, Oxford - 8.30pm DL, bass, compositions; AH, piano, Javier Carmona, drums ...with Javier off to live in Barcelona, and Dom off to New York for the year, the last chance to catch this trio for a while! Then to London, for two London Jazz Festival gigs: Friday 19 Louis Moholo-Moholo: Seven For Seventy - Purcell Room - 7.45pm Louis Moholo-Moholo, d; Ntshuks Bonga, Jason Yarde, saxophones; Henry Lowther, t; Francine Luce, voc; John Edwards, b; AH, p ...celebrating the 70th birthday of one of the greats of our music...with the wonderful 'No Gossip' duo of Louis with Keith Tippett in the first half... Saturday 20 Decoy - Vortex Jazz Club - 8.30pm John Edwards, b; Steve Noble, b; AH, Hammond B3 organ A Hammond triple bill with MA and Big Cat...and a rare outing for Decoy... ...and for post-festival withdrawal, the return of one of my very favourite bands: Sunday 28 Ntshuks Bonga's Qwati - Vortex Jazz Club - 8.30pm Claude Deppa, t; Ntshuks Bonga, as; Gail Brand, tb; AH, p; Oren Marshall, tuba; Mark Sanders, d Mbaqanga standards, tunes from Mankunku, the Brotherhood of Breath, Ntshuks, and more...it'll be fun...

There's a nice Jimmy Heath tune on the changes, but I can't think what it's called for the life of me just now...wasn't familiar with it before, but someone turned up to a gig with it a couple of months ago, and it was great!

Hideguti!!!

Do check out Catatumbo if they're near you (or indeed, if they're not) - a really great trio.

I'm a huge fan of this version - John Gilmore on blistering form IMHO. Ra also had an amazing way of inflecting the 7th bar of the melody sometime...sort of interrupting the cadence by going to a Db rather than a C in the melody part (assuming we're in C)....absolutely love it...trying to think - whilst not at my CDs - of where it happens - I think, off the top of my head, perhaps in the solo version from Teatro La Fenice (Leo)?

Hey Corey - no time to test just now, but great idea - really useful! Will check it out later! Hope all cool with you - A

Just noticed that this is coming next month - very excited to hear it.

Just wanted to link to a few reviews of the record in case anyone's curious...there are a few print ones too which I can't find online! All About Jazz (by our own Clifford Allen) The Independent thejazzmann.com

Absolutely - great guy, killer player ...fantastic writer and bandleader too!