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

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

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