Column

The Snowboy Column (May)

Spring has sprung and, hey! – a new club has sprung up too!

NEW CLUB IN CROYDON – THE STAND!

Hosted in the Arnhem Gallery in the Fairfield Halls, Croydon, STAND! is set to be an exciting new addition to the London music calender - in particular South London - creating a bespoke music environment with great staging, lights and sound alongside a fantastic bar.

As well as many other live gigs there, they will be presenting headline acts the third Thursday of the month. I am very fortunate to be playing the opening night.

19th May OPENING NIGHT! – SNOWBOY & THE LATIN SECTION plus FOWOKAN
23rd June DAVID McALMONT
21st July SKATRONICS JAMAICA
18th August JAMES HUNTER

So there’s a hefty statement of intent for starters. With so many venues closing down, lets get behind this new and amazing club.

Fairfield Halls, Park Lane, Croydon, CR9 1DG.
standatfairfield.com

TORQUAY JAZZ DANCE WEEKENDER

Yes, it’s back. As part of the sold-out LATINFEST Salsa Weekender, the TORQUAY JAZZ DANCE WEEKENDER presents the most legendary Jazz Dance DJ’s for a long weekend – from Friday til Monday – of Jazz Dance for all, from heavy Fusion to Jazz Juice favourites to Jazz Funk. As well as the afternoon and evening Jazz Dance sessions, there is a Jazz Funk revival on the Sunday night, an amazing Saturday afternoon Soul session and access to all of the Salsa rooms’

You want details?

The legendary DJ’s:

COLIN CURTIS
DR BOB JONES
SNOWBOY
CHRIS DINNIS
PERRY LOUIS
NICK HOSIER

SEPTEMBER FRIDAY the 9th to MONDAY the 12th
The Victoria Hotel, TLH Holiday Resort, Belgrave Rd, Torquay.

The price this time is the super-low £50 for the whole weekend, but does not include accommodation or access to dance classes.

FOR BOOKINGS, PHONE TONY MORRISON ON 07966 390802
or info@latinfest.co.uk and quote reference 'JAZZ'

BRAY JAZZ FESTIVAL

I’ve just returned from performing in the beautiful picturesque seaside town of Bray in the Republic of Ireland. It’s about 20 miles from Dublin on the east coast.

It’s a small festival but a fantastic one. The crowds are very enthusiastic and travel many miles to attend. It’s been going 12 years and despite the severe financial problems in the country, they have remained buoyant. The small but important line-up of the festival includes the much-raved about young Gypsy guitarist Andreas Varady, Chrsitine Tobin, Liam Noble, Kalotozsag, Kurt Rosenwinkel, the Artvark Saxophone Quartet and much great Irish jazz plus many more acts.

It’s well worth the trip f you want to go next year. Make a note of www.brayjazz.com My band and I had a brilliant time and so will you.

THE GOOD FOOT

Well my Friday night DJ residency The Good Foot at Madame Jo Jo’s in London seems to be hurtling towards it’s first anniversary already. If you love 60’s and 70’s R&B, Deep Funk, Soul, Boogaloo and Rare Groove this is for you.

My guests DJ’s this month include:

May 6th – ADRIAN GIBSON and EDDIE PILLER
May 13th – GARY DENNIS
May 20th – PERRY LOUIS
May 27th – SI CHEEBA and DEAN RUDLAND and Candi Staton Ace CD launch
June 3rd – EDDIE PILLER

THE JELLY JAZZ 18th BIRTHDAY PARTY

Jelly Jazz is celebrating an incredible 18 years of bringing the best jazz/funk/soul music to the South West of England with a massive party in 2 marquees next to the beach on a sunny Bank Holiday Weekend! In clubland, getting to 5 years is an achievement, so to rack up 18 years and reach adulthood is really something unique! So it's time to celebrate in style with a killer line-up of international artists and local funk freaks, it's going to be a right royal knees up, Happy Birthday Jelly Jazz!

Main stage

Jazz Funk Soul Latin Breaks and Beats!

Performing LIVE, the heavy afro funk of...
Ariya Astrobeat arkestra (First Word Recordings)

Special Guest DJs
Natural Self & Nostalgia 77 (Tru Thoughts)
Pete Isaac (Jelly Jazz, Phonic FM)
Ollie Stratton (Solo Collective)[b]

2nd Stage

Hong Kong Ping Pong
Blacc Jazz (Throwin' Shapes)

Friday 27th May & Bank Holiday Weekend
The Sandsifter, Gwithian, Cornwall
Tickets £10
ticket info
sandsiftercornwall.com

REVIEWS

Ebo Taylor – Life Stories (Strut)

Here’s a great double CD packed full of Highlife and Afrobeat from one of the master guitarists from Ghana – Ebo Taylor. It concentrates on his output from 1973 to 1980, and it’s exhilarating stuff indeed. There’s jazzy touches all the way through too, and to top it all, this compilation contains indepth sleeve-notes and photos from Soundway Record’s Miles Cleret. That’s worth the price of the CD alone.

Sean Khan – Slow Burner (Far Out)

I can hardly stop playing this. This is a superb collection of styles and tempos of club-culture suss from this highly-rated saxophonist. Khan has always been pushing the boundaries, like with his broken-beat alias ‘SK Radicals’ and this is no different. This is a man as home with LTJ Bukem as Charlie Parker and Tito Puente and that’s what I love about this CD. It’s totally acceptable for the staid Jazzers out there, in that there’s all the orthodox jazz they could want (if you like) but mixed with Drum & Bass and Funk. The playing by all musicians is fantastic throughout and I highly recommend it. Slow burner? Certainly not!

Bongolian – Bongos For Beatniks (Blow Up)

I’ve lost count how many albums Bongolian (aka Nasser Bouzida) has made. You already know him as the leader of the amazing Funk group ‘Big Boss man’ of course, but here, and as with all his records, he shows off his amazing talent by playing every instrument on there, and playing to a very high standard too. The album is very entertaining, with his visions of late 60’s/early 70’s Funky, Soundtrack, Library Music Jazziness. It should sound contrived, given the musical subjects, but it doesn’t. It’s a very fresh sounding album with great compositions and he’s managed to make something unique. A feat in itself in this day and age. Groovy.

The Rhythmagic Orchestra – The Rhythmagic Orchestra (Impossible Ark)

Produced by the mighty Nostagia 77’s Ben Lamdin, this is an Afro Cuban excursion through loads of established Jazz Dance classics such as Manteca, Afreaka, African Mailman, Sakeena, Afrodisia and many more. It’s a huge, roomy sound, as you’d expect from Lamdin. I don’t know who is on the project but they all sound heavy-weight. As a percussionist myself, I find it very interesting hearing the Afro Cuban direction on all of these songs and it hits the spot every time. Very refreshing. Pa’ gozar!

LISTINGS

THE HIDEAWAY, STREATHAM

Sunday 1st– London Horns
Monday 2nd – Kai’s Cats
Wednesday 4th – Live Jazz – TO BE ANNOUNCED – PLEASE SEE WEBSITE FOR DETAILS
Thursday 5th – Cuban Salsa class with Live Salsa
Friday 6th – Maroon Town
Saturday 7th – Asaf Sirkis
Sunday 8th – Bryanston Big Band
Monday 9th - Jam Session and Jazz
Wednesday 11th – Live Jazz – TO BE ANNOUNCED – PLEASE SEE WEBSITE FOR DETAILS
Thursday 12th – Cuban Salsa class and club night
Friday 13th – Mica Paris
Saturday 14th – Mica Paris
Sunday 15th – Ian Shaw and Georgia Mancio “Rainbows, Sass, Swing and Starmen”
Monday 16th - Jam Session and Jazz Workshop
Wednesday 18th – Live Jazz – TO BE ANNOUNCED – PLEASE SEE WEBSITE FOR DETAILS
Thursday 19th – Cuban Salsa class and club night
Friday 20th – 24Pesos
Saturday 21st – London Afro-Beat Collective
Sunday 22nd – Charity Concert for Victims of the Japan
Monday 23rd - Jam Session and Jazz Workshop
Wednesday 25th – TO BE ANNOUNCED – PLEASE SEE WEBSITE FOR DETAILS
Thursday 26th - Cuban Salsa class and club night
Friday 27th - Soul Purpose
Saturday 28th - Andy Panayi Quintet
hideawaylive.co.uk

The 606 CLUB, LOTS RD, LONDON

TUES 3rd **606 Club Special** CD PROMOTION - DOMINIC MILLER
WED 4th “Sound on Screen” Festival feat MARTIN SHAW and JANDIRA SILVA
THURS 5th **HOWARD ALDEN & JEANNE GIES**
FRI 6th DAVE LEWIS’S “1 UP” featuring POLLY GIBBONS-vocals
SAT 7th CHRISTIAN BREWER with special guest DAMON BROWN-trmpet
SUN 8th SUNDAY LUNCHTIME SPECIAL (1:00pm-4:00pm). SUNDAY AFTERNOON GOSPEL BRUNCH WITH THE **“606 GOSPEL GROUP”** feat SPECIAL GUEST NOEL ROBINSON
Then, in the evening:
SUN 8th OLA
MON 9th JOE STILGOE
TUES 10th DAN REINSTEIN & DILL KATZ
WED 11th ROBIN JONES
THURS 12th JEAN TOUSSAINT
FRI 13th MARY PEARCE
SAT 14th PETER KING QUINTET with Special Guest MORNINGTON LOCKETT.
SUN 15th SUNDAY LUNCHTIME SPECIAL (1:00pm-4:00pm) with IRENE SERRA
Then in the evening:
SUN 15th LIANE CARROL
MON 16th NINA FERRO
TUES 17th NIA LYNN’S BANNAU TRIO feat. GARETH LOCKRANE-flute, ROSS STANLEY-piano.& SPIKE WELLS
WED 18th GILL MANLY & “TRIO” FEATURING JOHN CRITCHINSON, DAVE CLIFF, ALEC DANKWORTH
THURS 19th **606 CLUB SPECIAL** LAURIE HOLLOWAY feat BECKI BIGGINS-vocals
FRI 20th ERNESTO SIMPSON & HIS LATIN JAZZ EXPLOSION feat BRANDON ALLEN-sax; QUENTIN COLLINS-trumpet
SAT 21ST ED JONES
SUN 22nd SUNDAY LUNCHTIME SPECIAL (1:00pm-4:00pm) with THE JANE PARKER QUARTET
And then, in the evening:
SUN 22nd CONNIE LUSH
MON 23RD **CD LAUNCH** PAUL CARMICHAEL BAND feat VANESSA HAYNES-vocals
TUES 24th BENET McLEAN BAND.
WED 25th JOHN HORLER WITH SPECIAL GUEST SAM MAYNE & PANCADA
THURS 26th TIM WHITEHEAD QUARTET
FRI 27th SAMARA
SAT 28th GILAD ATZMON
SUN 29th JOY ROSE
MON 30th NIAMH
TUE 31st NICK SMART presents “JAZZ FROM THE ACADEMY”.
606club.co.uk

BOISDALES, CANARY WHARF, LONDON

Tuesday 3rd - Jazz FM’s Discovery Show -
Angelita Jiménez
Thursday 5th - Peter Grant
Friday 6th - Sinatra Live At The Sands
Saturday 7th - Natalie Williams
Monday 9th - Jim Mullen Organ Trio
Tuesday 10th - Georgina Jackson Quintet
Wednesday 11th - Jazz FM’s Discovery Show
The Irreverents:
Thursday 12th - Reuben Richards and Soul Train
Friday 13th - Jazz Dynamos
Saturday 14th - The Buddy Greco Trio with Lezlie Anders
Monday 16th - T J Johnson
Tuesday 17th - The Hot Club of Boisdale Featuring Mike Piggott
Wednesday 18th - Jazz FM’s Discovery Show
Featuring Alexander Stewart and Atila
Thursday 19th - The Boisdale Blues Revue
Friday 20th - Back To Basie
Saturday 21st - King Pleasure and The Biscuit Boys
Monday 23rd - Cousin Alice
Tuesday 24th - Fats and Louis The Enrico Tomasso Hot 6
Wednesday 25th - Jazz FM’s Discovery Show
Thursday 26th - Liane Carroll
Friday 27th May - The Sounds of the Rat Pack
boisdale.co.uk

SNOWBOY

Please feel free to contact me with any Jazz news/event news that you feel would benefit others at snowboy@bluesandsoul.com Thank you.