JAZZ at The Pavilion has been put on hold temporarily over the Christmas party season but there are still two chances to hear some great music tonight.

Your former columnist and York jazz favourite Ron Burnett will be playing at The Victoria Vaults on Nunnery Lane at 8.30pm with his band, Four In a Bar. Joined by Greg Wadman on trumpet, Ron always delivers an entertaining evening of swinging classics.

The Red Lion Hotel in Poppleton hosts jazz every Thursday and tonight the Andy Cholerton Trio will be joined by Laurie Briggs on vocals. On Saturday evening, Djangologie will be bringing the sounds of 1940s Paris to Boston Spa Jazz Club. Hailing from the North-East, this four-piece outfit perform gypsy jazz standards as well as a selection of original compositions.

The rhythm section at Kennedy’s Bar, Little Stongate welcome different instrumentalists every Sunday and this week it’s the turn of pianist Mike Conliffe. A graduate of Leeds College of Music, Conliffe has a great feel for straight-ahead swing and gospel induced funk. Things get more modern later in the evening at The Phoenix Inn, George Street as the Central Scrutinizers play their favourite pieces by composers such as Charlie Mingus and Thelonious Monk.

On Monday evening, The Phoenix Inn plays hosts to captivating vocalist Kate Peters, who will be singing jazz, blues and soul classics with an excellent band of musicians.

If you love listening to and performing jazz, then Wednesday night is the night to make the trip in to the city for two jam sessions. The Phoenix Inn jam has been running successfully for several years. Over at the Volunteer Arms on Watson Street, bassist Christian Topman has started a fortnightly gypsy jazz jam which is aimed at acoustic instruments.

 

Review: Zhenya Strigalev, Smiling Organizm (Whirlwind Recording)

Russian saxophonist Strigalev has assembled a truly world-class band, including fellow Russian Vitaly Golovnev on trumpet, British pianist Liam Noble, and an all-American rhythmic unit. Strigalev has compacted a variety of styles into his compositions, while maintaining an overall sense of unity. His strengths lie in his ability to write very catchy melodic hooks and bass riffs which you can’t help but nod your head to.

The level of performance and improvisation on the album is what you’d expect from musicians of this calibre, with several features going to drum virtuoso Eric Harland. It’s easy to be cynical about the appearance of two bass players on the album, just as this reviewer was, but after hearing the record it all makes sense. When Larry Grenadier plays swing on double bass, it really swings and when Tim Lefebvre plays grooves on electric bass, it really grooves. Highly recommended and one of this reviewer’s favourite releases of 2014.

John Marley