The Uncommon Orchestra - " A bigger show"

 I've just received my copy of Mike Westbrook's Uncommon Orchestra's new album "A bigger show live". It was recorded at the Barnfield Theatre in my home town of Exeter on 30th July 2015, and in order to fund it Mike Westbrook asked individuals and organisations to become patrons to allow the work to be recorded. The resultant double CD was recorded 'live' by Miles Ashton and Jon Hiseman, and is a pretty faithful version of the events of that night (or so I'm told!).
  Thankfully there is audience noise, but (also) thankfully it's devoid of the kind of whooping and hollerin' that seems to mar so many U.S. based live recordings. It must have been a fairly difficult event to engineer given the size of the venue and the fact that 22 piece jazz orchestras tend to take up an enormous amount of space and require careful balancing of the disparate instruments. The result is out there, and if you weren't one of the patrons I'm sure that if you get in touch with Mike at www.westbrookjazz.co.uk he'd be more than willing to sell you a copy. I'm pleased that The Edge of Jazz is a patron, and if the opportunity arises again to sponsor another 'live' album by one of our local bands the show would be happy to oblige. Indeed at the time of writing we're just setting up a series of sessions for broadcasting on Phonic.FM which we hope will capture some more of the local jazz musicians, or some of the transitory talent that floats through Exeter from time to time - this in conjunction with our friends at Sound Gallery Studios just down the corridor from us in the bowels of the Exeter Phoenix.
 Finally, I thought it was going to be a fairly easy task to choose the Top 10 albums of the year, but at the time of writing material that is begging for inclusion continues to flow in. I've already said that the show of the year for me was Partikel at St Lawrence's Chapel in Ashburton, and that against the background of the plethora of talent that was at The Love Supreme Festival, and my carefully chosen gigs from the London Jazz Festival. Strange it should have been in my own backyard!
 Next time the album list, and if you're wondering to whom it matters, the answer is "Me"!

Mid November already!

I love it that 20 miles from where I live in the centre of Exeter there are the stirrings of what could be a really exciting arts development. Ashburton is currently home to one of the most diverse musical "scenes" that you could wish to find. It already has a very small, but beautifully formed venue in St Laurence Chapel, and there a mighty attractive set of smaller events (often on a Sunday afternoon) at the lovely Royal Oak pub. However, tentative plans are afoot to buy and covert the wonderful Methodist Church that sits on the main road through the town. At the moment the plans are embryonic, but developing, and the Congregation are keen that the building should continue to be a community asset.
It really is worth putting "Ashburton live" into a search engine and finding out more (they also tweet @ashburtonlive). I think it would be really exciting if it gets funding and gets off the ground. As an aside the best gig (bar none) that I've been to this year was the Partikel gig at the Chapel.
There have been a plethora of new albums in the last month, and finding time to fit them all into the show has, at times, been problematic. I'll write a little more about some of them ahead of the annual task of trying to build a top 10 albums of the year. I'm pleased to say that I think the majority will be either British of European in origin, which either says something about the relative paucity of new U.S. Jazz musicians, which I think is unlikely- I think it must be that the major labels are abandoning anybody that doesn't fit the cloning instincts of their accountants!

Colin Towns:

It was great to talk to Colin on the show on 13th October. You'll soon be able to hear it on the Phonic FM Mixcloud page. It was good to talk not only about the new double CD "Drama", but also to ask him about John Fordham's assertion in a recent "Guardian" review suggest that "Town's other life makes him an unjustly peripheral figure in the UK jazz world- he deserves to be right in the middle of it".
  The answers were pertinent and punchy and might be a starting point for a further dialogue with some other interviewees about the state of British jazz, which in so many ways seems to be in a healthier state than for a long time. Does the reality prove otherwise, and if it does, what are the reasons?

Ooh vinyl! Who'd have thought it?

It was about 1997 when I finally stopped taking vinyl to gigs and shows and relied on CD's instead. I stowed all the albums and 12" singles in the cellar and thought "someday I will sell them". Of course I never did, and with dust gathering on them they were a constant reminder of a time I never thought I'd see again. I also laid my Technics 1210's to rest, and discovered when I looked at the recently that the sylii had been modified so that one of them could play double groove 12" single (remember them?). Recently I dug out one of the 12" single boxes and picked out a few well worn favourites from the past- the Blue Note Rare Groove series featured strongly, but I also found a Benny Golson 12" single, "The brand new Killer Joe". Wonderful! I even decided to invest in a new headshell and stylus so that I could start playing them again.
  About two weeks ago I received the first "vinyl only" material that I'd received in over a decade, and in the same week got sent a copy of the brand new Tim Garland album "Return to the Fire". Luckily the studio at Phonic has a couple of Technics decks that are attached to a sub-mixer in the studio. We used to have headshells with them as well, but they kept disappearing at a rate of knots. So I bought another new one, and this week on the show played two tracks that were on vinyl. They were "Love me or leave me" by Nina Simone and "Round Midnight" by Sun Ra's Astro infinity Arkestra.*  As far as I know no-one noticed, and I had to relearn the skill of cueing up vinyl. So next week I'll be playing the aforementioned Tim Garland album, and since receiving that I've been sent another couple of vinyl only releases. Who'd have thought it?
*PS. The Sun Ra album was recorded in 1958, and is one of the 71 that he (allegedly?) recorded for the Saturn label. How I got it, I can't remember. but it must have been second hand when I bought it - and it's in remarkable condition for its age.

                         Playlist for "The extra hour" 15th September 2015

I took the opportunity of an extra hour between 13:00 and 14:00 to play some tracks that in normal circumstances I'd struggle to fit into the 3 hour format the list together with some context is listed below;

"Not you again"; John Scofield.

From one of my favourite Scofield album "Works for me". This 7 minute+ track is a splendidly worked out blend of all the great musicians playing on it. If you don't know the album, do check it out.

"Maurizius"; Various Artists.

An album that contains a 30 minute track as well as several that clock in at over 10 minutes can be difficult to schedule, but the ECM album "Hommage a Eberhard Weber" is a stunningly recorded set of live recording that, as the title suggests bring a luminary set of performers together to pay homage to the 75 year old performer and composer. I'm thinking of how I can fir another track into my normal 2 hour show!

" What a diff'rence a day makes"; Esther Phillips.

From her 1975 album of the same name, chances to play the long version of this are few and far between, and in any case always provoke the debate "Is Esther a jazz singer". Don't care! It's my show and I love nearly all her work, even the later uneven output, all of which contain nuggets.

" A place in the queue"; Theo Travis.

This is the longest (10 minute plus) track from the quartet album "Transgression". Theo is a favourite artist of mine, and I love all his solo stuff as well as collaborations with people like Robert Fripp. This album takes of in a different set of directions, and he's promised that when he's finished being out on the road with the David Gilmour Band he'll do another interview on the show.

"Some days I forget"; Gwyneth Herbert.

This is the mysterious track from the album "All the Ghosts" that doesn't end quite when you think it will. I think that's enough to say about this album which you certainly ought to check out. If you get the chance to see her live - grab it. On her last visit to Exeter she came into the Sound Gallery Studio and recorded some material for the Edge of Jazz, and proved what a consummate artist she is. A new album is eagerly anticipated.

"The Cherry Orchard"; Colin Towns Mask Orchestra .

"Drama", which is out on October 2nd is a series of pieces that Colin Towns wrote for a number of theatre companies, most notably Theatre Clywd Mold. It's a double CD, and some of the tracks are very long. Since I had to start somewhere with the huge work I chose a 10 minute outing. The band and the arrangements are stunning and need extended closer investigation.

"Equilibrium"; Tom Green Septet.

It's difficult not to think that "Skyline" will make my end of year top 10 jazz records for 2015. This, the longest track at 10 plus minutes was the only one from the album that I hadn't played and it seemed like a good opportunity to redress that omission. The ensemble playing is fabulous and I have played the album at home and in the car dozens of time. It always reveals more.

Playlist 8th September 2015:

1.  Soulful strut                                Grover Washington Jnr                      Soulful strut
2.  Naima                                         John Coltrane                                    Giant steps
3. Carapace                                      Get the blessing                                 Astronautilus (out 18th Sept)
4. Island Fever                                 Ahmed Jamal                                     In search of
5. Na baixa do sepateiro                  Joyce Moreno                                    Raiz
6. Happy times                                Various Artists                                   Griffith Park Collection
7. Feeling good                                Roswell Rudd                                    The incredible honk
8. Trieste                                          MJQ with Laurendo Almeira            Collaboration
9. Rendezvous                                  Ronny Jordan                                    At last
10.Parts and holes                            Robert Walter                                    Cure all
11.September                                   Misha Mullov-Abado                        New Ansonia
12.I don't know what the
    weather will be                            Laura Mvula                                      With Metropole Orkest
13.Gospel                                        Jimmy McGriff                                   One of mine
14.The long night of
     Octavia E Butler                        Sons of Kemet                                    Lest we forget what we
                                                                                                                   came here to do (out 25th
                                                                                                                   September)
15.Le mal de vivre                          Cecile McLorin Salvant                    For one to love
16.Mugshot                                     Russell Malone                                 Sweet Georgia Peach
17. 'Til my back ain't got
      no bone                                     Esther Phillips                                   From a whisper to a scream
18.Benny's bugle                            Mike Gibbs with the
                                                        NDR Big Band                                  Play a Bill Frissell set list
19.Skyline                                       Yelena Eckemoff                              Everblue
20.Compared to what                      Les McCann                                     Les McCann

I'm loving the Cecile McClorin Salvant album, a sensible move to get backing from a 4 piece in which Aaron Diell really shines. The Misha Mullov-Abado album continues to give great pleasure (special shout out to Tom Green- hear my interview with him on the Phonic.FM Mixcloud page) and some more listening is needed for Get the Blessing and Sons of Kemet - only got then yesterday!).A couple of great oldies today, as well with the Jimmy McGriff transcipted off a 1964 Sue album and Esther Phillips giving it heaps! Should be back to normal for the playlist next week- fingers crossed!

So this is the playlist for Tuesday 1st September for the Edge of Jazz;

Dingbat blues                               Blue Mitchell                         The Cup bearers
Teddy                                          Bobby Hutcherson                Enjoy the view
Standing outside                          Keith Jarrett                          The mourning of a star
So close, so far                           Ollie Howell                          Sutures and stitches
Cade voce
(Max Cole & Beatnik remix)       Sabrina Malheiros                 Vibrasons
Horace                                       Fourplay                                Silver
Subconscious Lee                       Mike Gibbs
                                                  & N.D.A. Big band                Plays a Bill Frissell Playlist
Raise Four                                  Thelonious Monk                   Underground
You don't know me                     Madeleine Peyroux                The Blue Room
Rain that falls                               Slowly Rolling Camera          Slowly Rolling Camera
Wham ban thank you Ma'm         Charles Mingus                     Oh yeah
Lacamento                                  Leo Gandelman                    Vip vop
Change                                       Donald Byrd                         Places and spaces
We were dancing                        Jacob Young                         Forever young
Domingo de Manha                    Joyce Moreno                      Tudo
Yola                                           Girls in Airports                     Fables (out 18th September)
Falling                                        Julien Lourau                        Groove Gang
I don't want much                       Mose Allison                        Hello there Universe
Shake it down                            Dennis Rollins                       Badbone & Co
The funky monkey                     Jeff Herr Corporation            Layer Cake
Dog walk                                  Lou Donaldson                     Midnight sun
Ode to King Michael                Misha Mullov-Abbado          New Asonia

Finally a reminder that this is where you'll find the playlist for September 8th next week before it (should) all get back to normal for the 15th, and these will be found in the archive section. Well that's the idea!