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Jazz Around Stoke
Last amended 28.2.10
This site is a source of information about (non-trad) jazz gigs in or near Stoke-on-Trent. Gigs are shown in date order for a variety of locations whose addresses you can find at the very bottom of the page: If you have anything interesting to add, please send it to:
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GIGS:
NB all un-ascribed descriptions of the bands are taken from the venues' or artists' own publicity materials.
SaturdayThe Hive, 5 Belmont, Shrewsbury SY1 1TE
Thursday March 18th
Bird-in-Hand Trentvale
Paul Booth Tenor
SaturdayThe Hive, 5 Belmont, Shrewsbury SY1 1TE
01743 234970 or 01743 281281
Tickets £10/£8 from above or at the door
Passport to Leisure Holders £7
Under 16s Free
Doors open 7 pm
Performance starts at 8 pm
Thursday 18.3.10 The Bird-in-hand Trentvale:Paul Booth (saxophone) plus trio
Further Out
Shrewsbury and Shropshire gigs
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Archive of comments about, and pictures taken of, bands who have passed through the area
Click on pictures to see full size.
Bird-in-hand
14.1.10
Trumpet
Thursday 10th December:The Bird-in-hand Robert Fowler
Colin Oxley (Guitar).
This was a rare event because the organiser of this gig hates guitars. He need not have worried since there was more likelihood of an ice-cream van breaking out into spontaneous improvisation than there was of Colin doing anything unexpected or even vaguely exciting.. This did noit seem to inhibit the sheer delight of the back row throughout:
As for the repertoire and style, as Al remarked:
Thursday 19th November:
Bird-in-hand, Christian Brewer, tenor player. I can't remember what he was like...never a particularly good sign
Sunday November 09
300 people (of a certain age) turn out at Fenton community centre
to hear the West Midlands Youth Jazz Orchestra, who perform
a mix of swing, Basie etc in a startlingly competent manner for
under 40s.
Thursday 17.9.09 County Staff Club stafford
Gilad Atzmon (saxophone) plus trio
Gilad looked a tad tired, but the trio were very good. The best part for me happened near the beginning of the second set when he started a number, then stopped and said to the audience. 'I don't really know what to do now, I've played every note I know at least once.' Turned to the band and said something like 'Let's try playing Arab.'
They then improvised round D min with Gilad using Eastern scales for about ten minutes. It seemed to me, that freed of the need to use conventional 'western' jazz shapes, he was released to really play, and became much more fluid and exciting.
1.5.09 The Guildhall Lichfield.
The Meier Group:
Nicholas Meier (guitars), Asif Sirkis (drums),Tom mason (bass) and Gilad Atzmon (sax). 8:30 £12
16.4.09 Bird-in-hand
Art Themen (youtube)
Another veteran horn player. 'Art Themen is very good , major; an original, maybe the most original mainstream tenor player in this country since Bobby Wellins. He's also a retired surgeon BTW.' RR
19.2.09 Bird-In-hand
Saxophonist with the house trio.
28.6.08 Lichfield
The highlight of the Lichfield festival for me was Rod Mason's Elements with Dave Walsh on drums, bassist Richard Hammond and the excellent Richard Weatherall on piano (one of the resident trio at The Bird in Hand on Piano). A great mix of jazz, fusion and latin.
Wednesday 21.5.08 Gilad Atzmon (saxophone) with Keith Bill (piano) Tom Hill (bass) Mal Garrett drums). Location: The Surgery
Click on pictures to see full size.
Gilad and Chris taking choruses
Chris: 'It's not supposed to be a bloody competition Gilad.'
'Oh! Sorry I forgot. You play in English Chris, I'll play in Palestinian. That way it won't be competitive!' (Gilad begins to solo using an arab scale)
Thursday 24.4.08 Bird in hand
(lots of video clips and sample tracks on the link to his Myspace page above).
Too tame for my taste JR
Thursday 27.3.08 Bird in Hand
Well organised extremely competent group starring excellent pianist Leon Greening. Any one of his solos was worth the entry fee alone. The only disappointment was a failure to play any really fiery up-tempo nuimbers. But overall an excellent gig. Here is an unusual shot of Leon:
This shot of his hand raises the perennnial question of whether particularly fast players develop long fingers as ar result of absurd amounts of practice, or drift into this kind of music because of a form of musical natural selection - they clearly appear to have a competitive physiological advantage from the outset.
The Bird-in-hand
Thursday 21.2. 08 The Bird in hand
Disappointing. Steve came with the regular trio and played a string of mid tempo or slow standards without much obvious enthusiasm. Unadventurous and unstimulating. Mind you, I hate trumpets and of course it may have really taken off in the second set, but since I didn't hang around long enough to find out we may never know.
17.1.08
Peter King
Peter came and showed his usual lack of interest in pianists, utter disdain for bass players and infatuation with drummers. He can still play :)
Thurs. 6.12.07
Tenor player - fan of Dexter Gordon
Great support from Richard Weatherall and the trio.
Thurs. 15.11.07
Simon Spillett - Tenor saxophonist after the style of Tubby Hayes.
Extremely competent tenor player who is a regular a t' Bird and has by far the best dead-pan between-number humorous repartee of any jazzer who comes round here. A treat for fans of fast tenor playing everywhere:
Gilad Atzman's comments are more varied and interesting, but rarely as funny - although his Tel Aviv tenor player gag is a killer. Simon was supported by some of the usual local suspects including the outstanding Luke Flowers on drums.
The whole trio is always accomplished, and can be guaranteed to match any visiting player for technique and flair. If I have any criticism of Luke (and this is purely a nerdy drummer comment) it would be his adoption of the obsolete and awkward military marching side drum-developed left-hand stick grip. But I guess it's too late for him to change now :) JR
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Buxton Opera House
Saturday November 17th
8 pm, £10/£9 concs. £8 members £5 students
Martin Taylor: Solo guitar Youtube
Guitarist Home-page
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Sunday December 16th
8 pm, £10/£9 concs. £8 members £5 students
Theo Travis Double Talk
The band includes Mike Outram on guitar: Home-page
Gumbles
Thurs, 22nd Nov.
Josephine Davis Quintet
Tenor player
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Thurs. 6th Dec
Neil Yate's New Origins
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Thurs. 20th Dec
Sara Colman quartet with Jim Mullen
Thurs. 27th Sept
Roundtable Tour - mostly US-based quintet featuring Herbie Hancock's drummer
Talent not in question, but too close to the 'fire in a pet-shop', intermittently pulseless end of the spectrum for my taste. Too many stops and starts, too many intellectually challenging time signatures and too much self-indulgent noodling on miscellaneous side percussion. Having said that, one friend at the gig said it was the best he had ever seen, and a couple of weeks later my brother sent an excited e-mail from Hull saying how he had just seen the most exciting drummers ince Tony Williams in 1964 - he had just seen this band... It takes all sorts QED. JR
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Thurs 12th July Alan Skidmore quartet
Click on pictures to see full size - taken at the 07.07 Gumbles gig
alan skidmore tenor sax keith bill piano
Zoltan dekany double bass ian palmer drums This coltrane-influenced player comes up with the goods time and time again at gumbles: a fitting climax to the season featuring a welcome return by the enigmatic ian palmer. 'If you've never seen Alan Skidmore, give it a go. He is as close to seeing John Coltrane in the flesh as it is possible to imagine. And his bass player,
Zoltan Dekany, is something else.' RR
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thurs 28th june
Click on pictures to see full size - taken at the 28.6.07 Gumbles gig
Dan Nicolls - Piano Ryan Trebilcock - bass Simon Spreyer -drums
Chris Gumbley - soprano Mike Fletcher -Alto Andy Isherwood - Tenor
Colin Mills - Baritone
Comments:
One of those scarey, new generation bands made up of players under the age of thirty (with the honourable exception of Chris of course) who have probably all done jazz as a subject at university and picked up enough technique to play well without spending 40 years playing in grotty jazz clubs for peanuts supporting ancient stars - the jammy bastards :) What I don't understand is where they found the time to practice enough to get to those skill levels. Most modern students treat university as a three year party with a £23,000 bill at the end of it....They made a very satisfying roar when all 8 or 9 of them kicked in. Impressive stuff. JR
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Thurs 14th june Gumbles
Click on pictures to see full size - taken at the 14.6.07 Gumbles gig
paul towndrow alto sax;
tom macniven trumpet.
konrad wizsniewski tenor sax
steve hamilton piano
michael janisch double bass
alyn cosker drums
Outstanding rythmn section and if, like me, you enjoy saxophonists capable of producing sheets of fast, exciting arpeggios, then you will like Paul's playing. Turn the keyboards up Steve, and Alyn, I thought you were fantastically inventive, accomplished and funky with great feel, but it was only v. small room. Be a bit more sensitive - when the occasion demands it Jimmy!
PS That last comment may be out of order 'cause Chris advises that the sound is crap on stage and it is consequently v difficult to judge levels.
JR
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Thurs 3.5.07 @ Gumbles
sam crockatt quartet
sam crockatt saxophone gwilym simcock piano johnny brierley double bass ben reynolds drums
'An action replay of last year’s gig of the year featuring the highly-acclaimed gwilym simcock, whose work with tim garland’s acoustic triangle has helped him become this country’s most sought after jazz pianist. '
Simcock's first solo out of the traps was more inventive than most pianists' output for an entire set. Awesome stuff. Crockatt has a soft tone but excellent technique and melodic sense. JR
The Bird-in-hand
Location: 942 London Road, Oakhill, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 5NX (click for map showing location) Tel.: 01782 844414
Buxton Opera House
Gumbles
Location: The Surgery, Crabbery st., Stafford ST16 2BA (click for map showing location). You can park in Wilkinsons' car park round the corner. Admission is £6-£8; Student concessions. Bar till midnight.
Lichfield
Location: The Guildhall, Bore Street, Lichfield, Map
Run by Lichfield Arts
Nantwich
Location: The Crown Hotel
High Street
Nantwich
Cheshire
CW5 5AS