YORK is home to many a creative talent with a great deal of excellent musicians and artists. These two talents are present in saxophonist and painter, Jude Brown.

An exhibition at City Screen has been displaying her jazz-themed art which was inspired by music in the south of France. There are some lovely pieces and if you hurry, you may have chance to see them before they come down later today. If not then you can view them digitally at www.saxyjude.moonfruit.com

Live music begins at the Red Lion Hotel in Poppleton tonight at 8.30pm with the Karl Mullen Trio featuring guest saxophonist Brendan Duffy. Mr Duffy is a natural born entertainer who plays many variants of the saxophone family, sometimes all at once!

On Saturday, West Yorkshire-based Savannah Jazz Band will pay a visit to Boston Spa Jazz Club. The band play in the New Orleans style and are a favourite with audiences who prefer the traditional styles of jazz music. The club is based at Boston Spa Village Hall and music begins at 8pm.

Yorks own guitar expert Al Morrison is the guest at Kennedy’s Bar, Little Stonegate, this week for the Sunday lunchtime session. As well as running an excellent blues band, Al Morrison is a fine jazz guitarist and a dedicated teacher who runs rock band workshops for children throughout the year. Music at Kennedy’s between 1pm and 4pm in the restaurant and bar area.

In the evening, pianist Chris Moore will be leading the Central Scrutinizers through a set of bop standards at The Phoenix Inn, George Street. Starting at 8pm, the quartet also features German bass player and now York resident, Georg Ruschmeyer.

If you’re keen to get out there and do some playing yourself then you’d be wise to go to The Phoenix Inn on a Wednesday evening where guests are welcome to join the house band in a couple of tunes of their own choosing. The evening has a great atmosphere for performers and listeners.

 

REVIEW

Nils Landgren, Redhorn Collection (2CD ACT Records)

This was my Album of the Year choice for 2014, a 20-year retrospective of the Swedish trombonist featuring guests including Maceo Parker, Brecker Brothers, Joe Sample, Fred Wesley and some years before the formation of his phenomenally successful EST Trio, keyboards player Esbjorn Svensson. Disc One is the Funk Unit, with some of the most immaculately-tailored dance grooves since The Crusaders, most compositions by Landgren, but with others from Quincy Jones, Fred Wesley and a surprise selection from a 2004 album, Funky ABBA. Nils played on the original ABBA recording of Voulez Vous and is a friend of the supergroup. His version of Knowing Me, Knowing You, is virtually unrecognisable, transformed into an invigorating, funk rap.

Disc two is a ballad album with familiar tunes by James Taylor (Fire And Rain), Leon Russell (This Masquerade) and John Lennon`s Imagine, alongside some less familiar, but equally appealingly lithe trombone and vocals by Landgren. Fab and groovy.

Ron Burnett