Fleece Jazz

A brilliant gig constructed by Alina and Joel when Tony Kofi and Larry Bartley got stuck in heavy traffic with an overheating car. Stunning evening. Pics by Peter Fairman

Dave's Notes, 8 July - Art Themen Trio
The Art ThemenTrio gave us a brilliant gig. Art played mostly tenor sax and some soprano. Pete Whittakerplayed organ, so that is chordal plus bass. George Doubleexcelled as always on drums.
There are always high expectations when a legend like Art, who has worked with just about everybody important, arrives. Expectations exceeded. Pete is a consummate organiist. His bass lines are always lovely. George played his ass off as always, but a...lways to the room - a sound man's dream.
The first song set the tone. It was Dexter Gordon's "Cheesecake", up tempo and jolly. Pete has a breathless solo on this one. Art make a thorough exploration of the altissimo range of the tenor. George's accompaniment was excellent and worth listening to on its own. Art's conversations with the audience about the history and characters of the pieces were much appreciated. However Art's jokes are sometimes worse than mine (for example of mine, see end).
It just got better from there. Lots of stunning solos, excellent arrangements, great communication. A couple of songs really caught my mind. Stan Tracey's suite "The Cardiff Chapter" had a tune "Funky Day in Cardiff Bay". The trio had so much fun with it. Herby Hancock's "What If I Don't" had Art playing both tenor and soprano, a wonderful set of 4s with Art, Pete and George, and breathtaking flows of ideas from all.
Please may they be back.
Next week the lovely Joanna Eden's "Sondheim and Me"will be with us. Joanna has a beautiful voice, a musician's sensibility, and great skill on the piano. With her will be Gerry Hunt on reeds, Russell Swift on bass and George Doubleon drums. I am not sure if he is sleeping over.
Take care,
Dave
Statistically, 6 out of 7 dwarves are not Happy.
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Dave's Notes, 15 June 2019: Alina Bzhezhinska
Sometimes, when fate smacks you around the head, the result is truly brilliant. Harpist Alina Bzhezhinska Lazorkina and drummer Joel Prime arrived and set up, ready for Alina Bzhezhinska Quartet. We waited for our friends Tony Kofi and Larry Bartley. And then the phone call. Failing car, masses of traffic, 50 miles away. So what to do?
What we got was a duo. harp and drums. The last time we had such a duo was The Stravinsky Duo,... Will Butterworth (piano) and Dylan Howe (drums), and it was wonderful. But that was their superb take on two Stravinsky pieces, planned to the bar.
Alina and Joel put their heads together and structured an amazing two full sets of wonderful music, wonderfully played, all without reading (save one tune). We got the musicianship one expects from two world class players, of course. We also got a varied and fascinating programme, with music from Alina, Alice Coltrane, John Coltrane and others. So Alices beautiful abstractions to bebop and blues were in the mix. Many of the tunes were on Alina's CD, with Tony's saxes and Larry's bass, do buy it, it is a cracker.
Talking about solos would be a little silly in the context. Only a little, because the whole evening was an improvisation in a way. Joel had beautiful intros and solos. The brush solo on Alina's "Following A Lovely Sky Boat" is in my memory. Alina's improvisation was a delight throughout.
Speaking of improv, we had one free jazz tune. (Tune? yes, in the development). Joel laid down a riff, Alina tuned in, and they built a great piece. It gave both of them the opportunity to display the range of timbre and dynamics of their instruments. We are used to drummers doing this, but it was jaw-dropping to hear what the harp could do with timbre. Alina played it like a guitar close to the soundboard, built slides up and down a string, used percussion ...
She also spoke to us simply but with passion about the music, its background, and about the instrument and what it could do.
Best wishes to Tony and Larry, and we hope to see all four again soon.
No jazz until July 5, which will be the Art Themen Trio. Art on sax, Pete Whittaker organ and George Double drums. It will be special. Do come.
Take care, Dave
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Dave's Notes, 25 May 2019 - Tim Kliphuis Trio
Canadians like me have a difficulty with British understatement. To say that the Tim Kliphuis Trio was a bit special, even in the context of the musicianship the club gets, is the best I can do. The music was varied and fascinating, the musicianship exceptional. If they have fun, we have fun. And they did.
Tim Kliphuis played a soon to be famous Belgian violin at a special exhibition. Nigel Clark played a beautiful classical gu...itar by George Lowden. Roy Percy played a small double bass with a big, rich tone.
The evening started off with John Lewis'sDjango". I first heard the Modern Jazz Quartet in my teens, and they turned me onto jazz. I was an only Bach guy before then. You could hear both MJQ and Django Reinhardt clearly in the music, particularly in Nigel's solo.
The fourth tune was the presto movement, Concerto #4 of Bach's six Brandenburg Concerti. It was a trio reduction from the work they did with the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra. It was true to Bach and to jazz, really wonderful. Of course it helps that Bach swings.
In this and the other classical pieces we heard, people said that they sounded like a full orchestra. Tim was double and even triple and quadruple stopping. Yes, it is possible if you are fast enough to do it sequentially. He was also playing harmonics in, it seemed, all of the positions of the violin as if they were not in anyway exceptional or difficult, but just a high note. Whole phrases in harmonics! Nigel was adding percussion to the guitar, and Roy to the bass. Marvelous. The arrangement took us through lots of styles, including, (I think), Irish folk.
We also had Vivaldi's "Winter" from his "Four Seasons", all three musicians adding percussion; a Gabriel Fauré Nocturne, more Bach, "Brandenburg #3, Allegro", Paganini's "Caprice #24". The latter is probably best known for the Lloyd Webber arrangement for the South Bank Show.
The trio had great fun with Stephane Grappelli's "Piccadilly Stomp", a fast Hot Club number. What was particularly noticeable was the quality of the accompaniment from all three, but in this number, particularly from Nigel. You could feel them listening.
If you missed this gig, it is the first of a UK tour. Find them and go.
A break for a couple of weeks will heighten the anticipation of the stunning harpist Alina Bzhezinska Quartet Alina Bzhezhinska, playing, among lots of other things, the music of Alice Coltrane. What a band! Alina on harp, Tony Kofi on sax, Larry Bartley on bass and drummer Joel Prime Make sure that 14 June is in your diary.
Take care, Dave (and editor Roberta)
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Dave's Notes, 14 May 2019 - Liane Carroll
Liane Carroll has been a great friend to the club, but to come to us to do a benefit is extra special. And what a gig! She is truly a remarkable performer and person. She has a great warm voice, a superb sense of phrasing, and more important even than those is her love of the words. Now, couple that with her great piano playing...
In the second set, we had her husband,@Roger Carey, playing bass guitar. Roger works in many genres. His... jazz playing is excellent and passionate.
What to say about the gig? Just saying that Liane sang for us should tell you what a gig it was. The programme was a mix of well known and a few not so well known, with a good balance of tempo and mood. There were a few that really affected me.
W.C. Handy's "St. Lous Blues", in the first set had Liane playing at least 5 grooves. This was followed by two songs which she associated with her mother, Artie Butler and Phyllis Molinary wrote the music and lyrics to "Here's To Life", and Hoagy Carmichael wrote "I Get Along Without You Very Well". Liane sang this with an immense depth of passion without a hint of soppiness.
In "Autumn Leaves", (music by Joseph Kosman, English lyrics by Johnny Mercer), Liane had an amazing counterpoint section with the bass line, improvisation and voice.
In the Loewe/Lerner "Almost Like Being In Hove" (pardon me, "Love" -- you never know what the woman is going to say), Roger had a fine solo. His accompaniment throughout the set was top class.
Liane sang and played 23 songs. Each one deserves a comment. If you were there, you knew it. If you were watching the football, you would just be jealous.
No gig next week folks we are on our summer schedule. but on 24 May, the man who is considered by many to be he heir to Grappelli will be with us: Tim Kliphuis Violin with Nigel Clark Guitar and @Ray Percy Bass. See the great man in the intimate setting of Fleece Jazz.
Take care, Dave
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Two bands for the price of one! First the lovely Dahlia Dumont sang. Then two sets from the superb Eyal Lovett Quartet.
Pics by Peter Fairman, some recieved on his birthday.

Dave's Notes, 3 May 2019 - Eyal Lovett Quartet + Blue Dahlia
Two bands for the price of one: the lovely Blue Dahlia and the superb Eyal Lovett Quartet.
Dahlia F. Dumont has a lovely light voice She sings in French, and some English. The latter is her native language, she is American, based in Paris. She plays the ukulele and is excellently accompanied by Daniele Borgato on bass guitar and Aurimas Goris on button accordion.
... There was a nice mix of her own very good compositions and some French standards in a well designed short programme. Her "Ayo", about an aunty, had some fascinating tempo variations. A non-French speaker would have no trouble in hearing the emotions and the humour from her singing. I loved her rendition of Edith Piaf's and Marguerite Monnot's "L'Hymne à l'amour". She showed the power in her voice singing her tune "Reasonable.
Daniele and Aurimas are clearly very fine musicians in their own right. Here they provided the accompaniment with style, sensitivity and accuracy.
The audience loved them. They also liked the extra intermission to go to the bar while we re-rigged the stage.
Eyal's band was A12ed badly, so the audience got to hear the sound check. I heard murmers: "this is going to be very good". It was much better than good.. The band is Eyal Lovett on piano,@Eran Har Evan on guitar, Aidan Löwe on drums and Thomas Kolarczyk / bassist Thomas Kolarczyk on bass.
The mood in the first set could be quite dark. Take Eyal's "Turmoil", a story in music. Thomas's bass solo was hugely affecting, heavy with sorrow. Eyal spoke more of peace. War was provided by Eran's immense guitar solo, filled with fire and shot. Aidan showed us a master class in accompaniment.
Eyal 3/4 tune "Japanese Tale" had a solo from him that will stand in the memory. His whole body plays, not just his fingers.
Special thanks to Martin Webb for supplying the drum kit, with four snares for Aidan to choose from.
The second set was much lighter. Why Eran would choose to write "Falafel" I am not sure, but I am very glad. A lovely light bass solo from Thomas. Eyal's "Everybody Knows" gave Eran a chance to solo with tones like an organ: beautiful. But the prize in a night of prizes was Eyal's "Attitude", which needs a story.
Someone kept telling Eyal to do something about his attitude. So he wrote this song, and when the guy phoned asking what are you doing, he said "I'm working on my 'Attitude'". I remember a pub in a village in the Fens called "Walk the Dog". All four solos were stunning, funny, filled with harmony and counterpoint.
A superb quartet. We want them back again.
The next gig is very special, and not on a Friday. On Sunday 12 May, 2pm in the Garden Room, the very special Liane Carroll is doing a benefit for us! She keeps winning jazz singer of the year, and is a superb pianist. One more thing. She is filled with fun. Do be there. We need you, you need her.
Take care, Dave
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Brilliant gig from Christian, Leon, Adam and Mark Photography by Peter Fairman