Still going out.

Monday night and we were down at The Red Lion enjoying Vasilis Xenopolis on saxophone;

And Nigel Price on guitar. You can just make out Andrew Cleyndert on bass although John Donaldson is out of sight on keyboards.

This is the last night when I have the advantage of checking the line up in 'Jazz in London', which does not come out this month after 43 years.

There is a rare view of Trevor Tomkins on drums here;

And I suppose there's been a process of venues closing, prices rising and a loss of opportunities just as there has been in every other area of grassroots music.

I'm puzzled why people don't seem to want to go out any more - given the rubbish on TV.

Neil Harris
(a don't stop till you drop production)
Home: helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.com
Contact me: neilwithpromisestokeep@gmail.com

A jazzy Monday at The Red Lion, Isleworth.

I'm obviously ill - I wouldn't be waiting for Chemo otherwise but we are trying to cram some things in before it starts at the end of this week.

It's not helping that it's cold and wet.

Monday night saw us back with friends at The Red Lion, Isleworth for our jazz club.

As ever Trevor Tomkins was on drums accompanied this time by Robin Aspland on keyboards, Dave Green on bass, Nigel price on guitar and Vasilis Thenopoulos on Sax;

It was a really fine evening of jazz with not much space to move.

It's 'upstairs at Ronnie Scott's' but 'Downstairs at Isleworth'.

Vasilis was playing good;

The jazz guitar of Nigel Price is a particular pleasure - not intrusive, not imposing but there.

Neil Harris
(a don't stop till you drop production)

Home: helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.com
Contact me: neilwithpromisestokeep@gmail.com

Straight, no chaser.

Monday night and that’s jaaaaazzzzz.

I made it back to the Red Lion, Isleworth for a special night made just for me (as is next week).

Unfortunately, it seems it was made for just about everybody else too – it was packed and I ended up at the front.

 I could get used to that. Up at the back, I never realised they have fingers and noses and things;

 

This is Nigel Price, a jazz guitarist who actually understands how the instrument works in Jazz.

And this is the great Simon Spillett on Sax;

 

Trevor Tomkins on drums, the world famous John Critchinson (of Ronnie Scott’s band) on keyboards and Tim Wells on bass.

It was a night of standards but with just enough Bop, every now and again to keep me alive.

Long breathy sax notes and then a little walk on the wild side. Just every now and again.

Miles Davis’s Donna Lee, Charlie Parker and where would I be without Thelonious Monk’s ‘Straight no chaser’?

Oh, and welcome back from Ocean Drive, Robyn!

Neil Harris

(a don’t stop till you drop production)

Home:  helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.com

Contact: neilwithpromisestokeep@gmail.com

 Harry Potter says

  C

    Helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.com

 All it takes is a little magic!

The Doctors prescription pad.

Monday night not so well, not so happy.

I needed to book myself an appointment at the Jazz Doctors.

Mmmmh this could be serious – what started off as a complaint has turned into a condition. Doctor, what can I do?

I went to my jazz club. I was even early – but so was everyone else. It was packed.

 

Not in shot was Ross ’12 gigs a week’ Stanley on keyboards – star of Ronnie Scotts, many bands and countless session jobs around London. He was on great form.

On guitar – Nigel Price

 

The only Jazz guitarist I can stand – the only one who actually understands how the instrument works in jazz.

Vasilis Xenopoulos on Sax was great, all night long.

 

Trevor Tomkins drums and Steve Watts bass combined perfectly with Ross or Nigel in the quiet, cool sections.

‘Gentle Rain’ was one of those and was as smooth as the title suggests while ‘The Groove Merchant’ just grooved.

It got better and better.

The Nigel Price composition ‘Straight, No bounce’ was a mixture of Thelonious Monk’s ‘Straight No Chaser’ and Charlie Parker’s ‘Billy’s Bounce’ ending up with what was really just a boppy mash-up.

Moanin’ by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers (Mmmmmh) and Dizzy Gillespie’s Groovin’ High were great. There were a number of standards in between – it all added up to a really great night – just what the Doctor ordered.

I wrote these notes down on a Cancer Research notepad I had with me. It had ‘Every Moment Counts’ at the top of each page. Gedddit? I did.

Click on a picture for a slideshow and better quality pictures.

Neil Harris

(a don’t stop till you drop production)

Home:    helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.com
Contact: neilwithpromisestokeep@gmail.com

The Coolest place to be.

I wasn’t even going to go out, I was going to stay in and have a rest ready for New Years Eve. That’s what I should have done (not been so well blahdeeblah) and in the morning do the food shopping, spend the afternoon at hospital and the evening ….well, we were going to see what happened.

Instead I went to The Red Lion for a night of jazz, so thats the end of the shopping.

 I always knew it would be a good night but I didn't realise it was going to be a really good night and that I had to be there. I wasn’t the only one either – it was packed out.

 

 Simon Spillet was magnificent on the saxophone while Nigel Price on jazz guitar complemented him perfectly. They were all up for it, I think having several days away from jazz had them desperate to get back in – that’s what it sounded like. John Critchinson couldn’t stop smiling and Tim Wells on bass was thwacking out the rythym.

Best of all was ‘Alfies Theme’ by Sonny Rollins; you know it, really you do. It’s from the 1960's film. It’s cool…really cool.

The joint was jumping.

And for this one night that packed pub was the only place in the whole of London to be.

Now it's New Year's Eve and I got up late (there goes the shopping - frozen leftovers for me). This time last year I wrote that 2012 was the worst year of my life but that I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Well I can tell you that 2013 was ten times worse than that and I still wouldn't have missed it for anything.

2014? Bring it on.

Neil Harris

(a don’t stop till you drop production)  

One Note Samba.

          

 

 

 

                                 One Note Samba.

Monday was a long, hot difficult day, full of problems. I washed my jacket in the afternoon and hung it up in the garden to dry. It only took about an hour it was so hot and by the end of the night it needed another.

At my Jazz Club it was hot, hot, hot, the air conditioning didn’t work till the second half. The music? That kicked in from the start with a fast blues.

Third number in and Antonio Carlos Jobim’s ‘One note Samba’, was a masterpiece. Trevor Tomkins was onto his signature sound – one brush, one drumstick, Nigel Price’s electric guitar caught the mood of the piece and the heat of the night while the rhythm of Vasilis Xenopolous’s sax hammered out.

Charlie Parker was a theme for the night – in the first half ‘Ornithology’ allowed Vasilis’s tenor sax a chance to duel with the guitar and Alex Hutton’s keyboards.

By the second set the air-con was on, at last. There was also a remarkable duet – guitar and Alec Dankworth's fine bass on a Stanley Turrentine number. The last piece was another by Jobim.

It may have been hot but it was just about the coolest place in town. Fast but ice cool.

After I wrote yesterday’s Blog (‘geezers’), I realised that when I wrote about how things usually ended up in a riot but; “no one got hurt and I made some new friends”  - that was pretty much my recipe for a good night out.

And for once, there wasn’t even a riot.

 

Neil Harris

(a don’t stop till you drop production)

 

Home:      helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.com
Contact:   neilwithpromisestokeep@gmail.com