The 22nd Scarborough Jazz Festival took place from 26 to 28 September. It was compèred as usual by the ever humorous Alan Barnes.
Jamil Sheriff’s 4 in 1
Jamil Sheriff’s 4 in 1 launched proceedings at noon on Friday. Sheriff was on piano, Will Howard tenor sax, Sam Quintana double bass and Steve Hanley on drums. With witty and informative introductions from Sheriff, the quartet performed arrangements of Fat’s Waller’s Jitterbug Waltz, John Lewis’s Milestones, two Billy Strayhorn tunes – Absinthe and Upper Manhattan Medical Group (both composed for Duke Ellington when he was ill), Ed Blackwell’s Thumbs Up and Thelonious Monk’s Skippy. This was a sparkling opener by four talented musicians.
Emily Masser/Alex Clarke Quintet
The Emily Masser/Alex Clarke Quintet followed with a mix of standards and bebop numbers delivered in a crisp, contemporary manner. They included a fast-paced Old Devil Moon, Bobby Timmons’ Dat Dere (with novel changes to Oscar Brown’s lyrics), East Of The Sun, Secret Love (inspired by Vincent Herring’s rendition), My One And Only Love, Cheek To Cheek as revised by Phil Woods, Tom Jobim’s Double Rainbow and Monk’s Hackensack. Masser’s versatile vocals were impressive and her agile scatting ably matched Clarke’s quick-fire sax in the last number. Robin Aspland on piano, James Owston double bass and Steve Brown on drums provided top notch support.
Dean Stockdale
Dean Stockdale informed us that it was Oscar Peterson’s Night Train album that got him into jazz. To celebrate Peterson’s centenary year, Stockdale brought his quartet augmented by Mark Armstrong on trumpet, Alan Barnes alto sax, Emily Masser vocals and the Ebor String Quartet. Tim Williams was on guitar, Gavin Barras double bass and Gaz Hughes drums. The band played songs recorded by Peterson including Falling In Love With Love, Bossa Beguine and Noreen’s Nocturne. Masser sang two numbers – When Summer Comes (with Elvis Costello lyrics) and Bernstein’s Tonight. Land Of The Misty Giants (about the Rockies) and Hogtown Blues (about Toronto) came from Peterson’s Canadia Suite.The set closed with the song that Martin Luther King adopted, Hymn To Freedom. It was a splendid performance.
Trish Clowes and My Iris
Friday evening opened with Trish Clowes and her band, My Iris. Accompanying Clowes on tenor sax were Ross Stanley on Hammond organ and Joel Barford drums. Guitarist Chris Montague was absent owing to a family issue. Clowes normally delivers a highly listenable gig but despite giving her best, for some reason it didn’t quite match up this time. To these ears this was largely due to the unmelodic nature of much of the material played. Barford was certainly more than competent on drums but we’d been hoping for the fiery performance witnessed 12 months ago when he and Stanley came here with Nigel Price. Unfortunately, the music didn’t seem to allow him to stretch out. As for the Hammond, it has a tendency to drown out everyone else when played loudly and can make every song sound similar. This happened here. For Stanley’s part, he looked more relaxed when he moved over to the piano and things did then improve immeasurably. Owing to unclear announcements I only managed to get the titles of two of the arrangements – Lionel Hampton’s Midnight Sun and Richard Rodgers’ Spring Is Here. The rest are something of a mystery.
Gaz Hughes Trio
The Gaz Hughes Trio were on next. With Hughes on drums were Andrzej Baranek on piano and Gavin Barras on double bass. The Grand Hall’s Bösendorfer grand had been turned around and placed centre stage with Baranek’s back to the audience but once the music took over no one seemed to mind. It was a great bebop/hardbop session, split between original compositions and rearrangements of jazz standards. The latter comprised Lerner & Leowe’s Almost Like Being In Love, Moore & Cole’s Beautiful Moons Ago (with masterfully light touch on piano), Sammy Fain’s Alice In Wonderland (famously recorded by Bill Evans and featuring excellent bass by Barras), Shearing’s Lullaby Of Birdland with smart hand drumming and lastly Bud Powell’s Bouncing With Bud. Originals penned by the band included Tomahawk, Disinformation, Nuclear Bebopalypse and AB’s Blues. Superb.
Alan Barnes’ Works Of Art
Friday night closed with Alan Barnes’ Works Of Art, celebrating the centenary of Art Pepper’s birth. Barnes was on alto sax (Pepper’s favoured instrument), James Davison on trumpet, Robin Aspland piano, Jeremy Brown double bass and Steve Brown drums. Between the numbers Barnes provided interesting commentary on aspects of Pepper’s life and career. The band began this sizzling set with Angel Wings from The Return Of Art Pepper album then Las Cuevas De Mario, written for one of Pepper’s drug dealers. Mambo De La Pinta, referencing Pepper’s time in prison (pinta being Latino slang for jail), saw superb drum soloing from Steve Brown. The set included the ballad Patricia, written by Pepper for his estranged daughter. It drew excellent solos from Barnes and Davison. The Trip, from Pepper’s eponymous 1976 album, was penned by him in 1963 while in San Quentin. The band finished off with Miss Who? from the Art Pepper Today album, a cracker of a number with splendid trumpet and brilliant solos from all. This concert was a brilliant end to the first day.
Ritmo Caliente
Another centenary was celebrated on Saturday morning. Ritmo Caliente, comprising musicians from Orchestra Mambo International, paid tribute to the vibist Cal Tjader. John Settle, on vibes, supplied interesting tales about Tjader, regarded as perhaps the most successful non-Latino Latin musician. Andrzej Baranek was in the piano chair, Ivan Pavon on double bass, Jack McCarthy timbales, Sam Bell congas and Camilo Ochoa bongos & campana. The set included Alonzo from Tjader’s album Soña Libré, Afro Blue (by Tjader’s conga drummer, Mongo Santamaria), Mamblues (an original written by Tjader), Lullaby Of Birdland (Tjader performed with its composer, George Shearing, and later recorded this arrangement himself) and the title track and Maramoor Mambo from the album Soul Sauce. The ubiquitous Alan Barnes joined on baritone for two numbers. It was a lively, foot-tapping set.
Shirley Smart
Cellist Shirley Smart spent a decade in Jerusalem performing Arabic and North African music and for several years taught cello at the conservatory in Ramallah. She brought all this experience and more to bear in a scintillating, jazz-infused set on Saturday afternoon. Accompanying her were John Crawford on piano and Demi Garcia Sabat on drums & percussion. Songs included Saba (meaning wind in Arabic), Desert Wolves, Sagradarga (inspired by the Sagrada Basilica in Barcelona), Renewal, Longing and two new tunes – Ripples and Convivencia, the latter meaning co-existence in Spanish. Smart had heard what she now calls Balkan Tune on a car radio in Jerusalem but never got to learn its original title. The trio closed with Tetouan, after the coastal town in Corsica. Smart’s playing, both arco and pizzicato was outstanding and both Crawford and Garcia Sabat were first class throughout. At times the performance was mesmeric.
Ben Holder
Another stringed instrument took centre stage next but there was a stark contrast. Ben Holder charged around the stage manically playing his violin like a man possessed. At times it seemed he might crash into his bandmates or hurtle right off the stage. Dominic Ashworth was on guitar, Paul Jefferies double bass and Nick Milward on drums. Holder’s antics became a bit wearing and it was something of a relief when he sat down at the piano and sang. He could certainly play the instrument (as he could the violin), had a surprisingly good voice and a nice line in self-deprecatory humour. The mix of songs included Air Mail Special, Why Can’t You Behave?, Caravan, a version of Fool On The Hill, C’est Si Bon, Skylark, Charlie (about Holder’s son) and a fast-paced medley to finish.
Emma Rawicz Jazz Orchestra
Sunday evening opened with the Emma Rawicz Jazz Orchestra. Rawicz is usually seen playing tenor sax but here she was conducting a 20-piece orchestra as well. The band boasted an array of quality musicians, too numerous to list in this piece but Rawicz expressed especial appreciation for the participation of her former music tutors, tenorist Mark Lockheart and trumpeter Nick Smart. It was an assured set with all arrangements and compositions by Rawicz. It’s a pity several members didn’t stand when taking solos. It resulted in the audience being unable to identify who was playing due to the myriad of music stands obscuring everyone seated.
The Jazz Dynamos
The Jazz Dynamos got together 25 years ago when working with Ray Gelato. Vocalist Lucy Randell joined them 10 years later. They delivered a succession of rearrangements of 70s & 80s pop hits, including Tears For Fears’ Everybody Wants To Rule The World, U2’s I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, The Police’s Walking On The Moon, The Eurythmics’ There Must Be An Angel, David Bowie’s Starman and Elton John’s I’m Still Standing. Accompanying Randell were Stewart Curtis on saxes, flute & piccolo, Mark Adelman keyboard, Anders Janes on double bass and Dominique Metz on drums. The show was akin to what you might see in a night club – polished and proficient musicians – but whether you’d call it jazz is probably debatable for some.
James Taylor Quartet
Saturday night closed with the James Taylor Quartet. Taylor’s jazz-funk/acid jazz outfit were established almost 40 years ago. Alongside Taylor on Hammond organ were Mark Cox guitar, Andrew McKinney electric bass and Pat Illingworth on drums. This was loud stuff with the Hammond typically driving the beat and drowning the rest. To these ears, the numbers tended to meld into one but for several in the crowd it clearly brought back happy memories and at the end they were up and dancing.
Alexia Gardner Quintet
The Alexia Gardner Quintet saw in Sunday with a variety of songs from jazz standards and Broadway numbers to Bob Marley and Ben E. King. She was supported by Harry Keeble on tenor, Alan Law piano, Jude Murphy double bass and Abbie Finn drums. The set list included Sonny Rollins’ St Thomas, Cheek To Cheek, It Might As Well Be Spring, Great Day, The Way You Look Tonight, The Lady Is A Tramp, Mo Better Blues (with lyrics added by Gardner), Marley’s No Woman No Cry and Stand By Me. It was a confident and spirited performance by Gardner and the band.
Five-Way Split
On next were Five-Way Split with Quentin Collins on trumpet & flugelhorn, Vasilis Xenopoulos tenor sax, Rob Barron piano, Matyas Hofecker double bass and Matt Home drums. Collins told us there’s no leader and that all contributed to the arrangements. These included Out Of Wayne’s Bag (in tribute to Wayne Shorter), Rob Barron’s Dr Stohl (Lots Rd backwards – the home of London’s 606 club), XO Buzz (named after Collins’ favourite brandy), All The Way, Two Little Alphas (written by Matt Home for Xenopoulos’s two young sons and set to a Latin rhythm), Soho Soirée (penned by Barron and with a smashing walking bass line) and Pandora’s Box (from their new album, Modus Operandi). This bravura, contemporary bop/hard bop performance was a festival stand-out.
Grande Familia
Billy Marrows formed Grande Familia two years ago with family members and friends to record an album, Penelope. The band’s leader and guitarist informed us that it was intended as a surprise for his mother who was battling with terminal pancreatic cancer. Ten per cent of its proceeds go to World Child Cancer. The concert featured several pieces from the album. While original compositions can be problematic for listeners unaccustomed to the music, this didn’t happen here. The music’s contemporary chamber-jazz content, infused with Latin and classical strains, was highly melodic. The arrangements, dotted with impressive improvised solos and mindful commentary from Marrows, maintained interest throughout.
Joe Stilgoe
Joe Stilgoe was on top form with his trademark wit and dry humour on Sunday evening. He and his band The Entertainers delivered an engaging musical story about the sorts of characters you find in jazz clubs. Songs included Sconnie Rots (about the time Stilgoe was beaten up by the club’s bouncers), We’re The Entertainers, BTS (initials for Between The Scenes), The Man In The Moon, Bootsy, The Music That Keeps Me Alive, Top Hat and Puttin’ On The Ritz. Stilgoe was acrobatic on the piano and at times made it sound like half a dozen pairs of hands were playing. Tom Jarvis on clarinet vanished once and magically reappeared playing at the back of the Grand Hall. Lucy Anne Daniel was on vocals, Pete Horsfall on trumpet and vocals, Nick Costley-White on guitar, Tom Farmer on bass and Luke McCarthy on drums.
Simon Spillett Big Band
The Simon Spillett Big Band closed the weekend in a stirring tribute to Tubby Hayes. The ensemble conducted by Spillett was crammed with blue-chip band members. Mark Armstrong, Nathan Bray, Tom Dennis and Steve Fishwick were on trumpets; Pete Long, Alan Barnes, Alex Garnett, Tom Smith and Robert Fowler were on reeds; Andy Flaxman, Ian Bateman, Mark Frost and Mark Nightingale played trombones; Rob Barron was on piano, Alec Dankworth on double bass and Pete Cater on drums. The set included The Inner Splurge, Take Your Partners For The Blues, Sasa Hivi, Soft & Supple, Nutty, The Late One, Peace, Song For A Sad Lady and Blues For Bloody Morag. Spillett, who’s written the definitive book on Hayes, The Long Shadow Of The Little Giant, provided a most absorbing commentary on the man and his music. The concert was a terrific finish to an excellent festival.
Early bird weekend tickets for next year’s Scarborough Jazz Festival are on sale now until January. Details available at scarboroughspa.co.uk.
The 22nd Scarborough Jazz Festival, Spa Grand Hall and other venues, 26-28 September 2025
