Shirley Smart, cello.John Crawford, piano.Demi Garcia Sabat, drums and percussion. No one with even a glancing familiarity with jazz would have any difficulty naming numerous bass players; and one probably wouldn’t need to strain to name half a dozen violinists. But cellists? It’s an enduring mystery why an instrument held dear by countless music lovers…
Tag: Whitman review
Dave Newton and Denny Ilett, 28th January 2022
David Newton – piano. Denny Ilett – voice and guitar. A full house is an expectant one—and both are assured whenever Dave Newton is on the bill. A long-time favourite of Wakefield Jazz regulars, Dave was to have appeared with the singer Liz Fletcher who was unfortunately indisposed. Up stepped guitarist and vocalist Denny Ilett—and…
The Wakefield Jazz Christmas Gig, 10 December 2021
Patsy Gilbert and Jenny Smith, vocals.Richard Ormrod, saxes, flute and clarinet.Ben Gilbert, piano. Pete Rosser, piano and accordion.José Canha, bass.Caroline Boaden, drums. In a year marked by uncertainty and disruption, Wakefield Jazz didn’t escape entirely, but thanks to quick thinking by the Promoter and Treasurer and a bit of good luck, the peak of the…
19 November 2021, Eternal Triangle:
Trevor Watts, alto and soprano sax.Veryan Weston, keyboard.Jamie Harris, congas and percussion. A tireless instrumentalist, composer and collaborator, Trevor Watts has been at the leading edge of British and international jazz for more than fifty years—and on tonight’s showing, he’s a young lion still. All of the familiar characteristics of his saxophone style were in…
Alison Rayner Quintet, 29 October 2021
Alison Rayner, bass.Diane McLoughlin, saxophones.Deirdre Cartwright, guitar.Steve Lodder, piano.Buster Birch, drums. There is a certain magic to some jazz performances which can’t entirely be put down to some combination of instrumental mastery, strong material and the coherence of the players as a fully realised band. For reasons never entirely clear, the band begins playing in…
Green Tangerines, Friday 22 October 2021
Sarah Sands, vocals and sax.Sam Taylor, trumpet.Jack O’Hanlon, guitar.Fran Mills, bass.Tom Hudson, drums. Jazz funk passed by a certain segment of jazz listeners; and those unimpressed probably never saw a live performance by a capable band. The uninformed expectation would probably have been propulsive but relentless drumming; rudimentary melodic lines and uninspired soloing. And then…
Arun Ghosh Band, 17th November 2017
In the decades since jazz ceased to be popular dance music, many of its hybrids invite a certain attentive seriousness in live performances as well as in recordings. Even with relaxed performers and in informal settings, it sometimes seems that ‘entertainment’ isn’t thought to be entirely compatible with serious musicianship or audience appreciation. The Arun…
Ingrid Jensen Band, 3 June 2016 at Wakefield Jazz
One of the great delights of jazz is the way well-turned improvisations, even on the most familiar melodies, have a way of surprising us. But a live performance can also confound our expectations. What might we have anticipated from a professor of jazz trumpet at the Bruckner Conservatory of Music in Austria? Masterful control, of…
The Weave, 20 May 2016 at Wakefield Jazz
There can’t be many two-trumpet sextets in existence, but on this showing, it’s difficult to understand why. What could offer a brighter prospect than the brilliant, piercing qualities that only the trumpet can deliver–doubled–and configured in ways that are a treat for everyone with musical imagination, composers and listeners alike? Add a top-flight and musically…
The Lindsay Hannon Plus, 13 May 2016
This was wonderfully vibrant and robust music-making from start to finish—a real delight, in part because it was abundantly clear how much fun the band was having, even while they delivered a musically intense and highly varied programme. Lindsay Hannon’s voice is strong and clear, and she is remarkable for her tonal modulation and stylistic…
Geoff Eales Quartet ft. Noel Langley, 4th March 2016
There’s no guarantee that an all-star jazz quartet will deliver a stellar performance, but when it happens—as it did on this occasion—it’s not only phenomenal music, but also a reminder of what what’s so special about live jazz: the unpredictable, wondrous business of improvising musicians re-fashioning music on the spot. Of course, these were all…
Simon Spillett Quartet, 19th February 2016
For music lovers of every stripe, there’s a lot to be said for a sense of adventure—the delights of surprise and the chance of a new discovery await the curious. But it’s difficult to surpass the sense of keen anticipation that precedes a high octane band that never fails to deliver. There can’t have been many…
The Whitman Review 