Jazz notes (From York Press)

Jazz notes

11:43am Friday 10th February 2012 in Music news and reviews By Ron Burnett

AFTER reaching the number one spot in the Billboard magazine jazz charts, guitarist Mile Gilderdale hasn’t let it go to his head, even though he wrote and produced the track, Marrakesh. Back in York with his local powerhouse trio, the Blueflies, his website message is worth reprinting.

“Two gigs this weekend. Friday night we’ll be in York at the Tap & Spile, Monkgate. Sunday night is something of a departure as we’ve been asked to do a ‘Jazz set’ at the Golden Lion, Northallerton. We’ll be deploying our jazz big gun – Fatha – to lead the charge. Whether this means he’ll be spending the evening beating the wrong end of a piano like Keith Tippett, or blowing a conch shell like Roland Kirk, we’ll just have to wait and see.” Rest assured, Miles, the jazz end will be heroically carried by Fatha (Trevor King), who is busy as resident drummer at the Wednesday night Phoenix jam sessions and drives the Mardi Gras Band from behind on Thursdays.

Wakefield Jazz welcomes another high profile guitarist tonight in the form of the Jim Mullen Reunion Band. The multi-award winning Mullen has a unique style and sound, instantly recognisable since he plays with his thumb rather than a plectrum.

The quartet is completed by Gary Husband, Mick Hutton and Gareth Williams (01977 680543).

Previously led by the late Martin Boland, the White Eagles Jazz Band is fronted by trumpeter Dave Kendall and the band continues to attract big audiences. Catch the traditional sounds of the White Eagles at Jazz in the Spa tomorrow night (01937 842544).

Sunday jazz in York begins at 1pm with the Zezo Olimpio Trio at Kennedy’s Café Bar, Little Stonegate (01904 620222) and continues with the Ian Chalk Quartet at 8.30pm at the Phoenix Inn, George Street. As mentioned above, the Wednesday night jam session at the Phoenix pulls in capacity crowds and young musicians come to test their chops before a live audience (01904 656401).

Scarborough Jazz at the Cask, Cambridge Terrace, runs every Wednesday and next week’s guest will be favourite saxophonist/clarinettist Frank Brooker (01723 500570).

Thursday night at The Old White Swan, Goodramgate, sees Bejazzled and Mike Riley alternating with the Mardi Gras Band. It will be Mardi Gras night on Thursday (01904 540911).

REVIEW

Zoe Rahman, Kindred Spirits (Manushi Records)

Contemporary jazz shares much with world music, classical music and occasionally folk. Evidence comes with Kindred Spirits, emphatically within the realm of syncopated swing with ebullient American Gene Calderazzo’s drums and Rahman’s big, two-handed chordal piano, which used to be termed by Blue Note Records as ‘hard-grooving’, yet with wider influences underlying.

Most of the compositions are by Mercury-nominated Zoe, but include works by Rabindranath Tagore (Bengali writer, musician, artist and Nobel Laureate) and Stevie Wonder. Stevie’s Contusion, with its oblique, pixillated melody, is given a solid Afro American boost.

Brother Idris Rahman plays clarinet in almost straight, classical style on Maya and the Tagore medley, but notches up to a dancing Irish jig on Butlers of Glen Avenue, before moving to bass clarinet on Imagination.

Zoe earns an honest shilling touring with Courtney Pine’s band and Courtney repays the favour with an appearance on alto flute on Conversation With Nellie, a languid, impressionistic piece which builds to a torrid up-tempo tour-de-force.

As a compelling portrait of contemporary British jazz, you cannot do better than this.