Jazz musician Chris Ingham and folk musician Chris Wilbraham cast their expert eyes over the local music scene
JAZZ with Chris Ingham: cjr.ingham@outlook.com/chrisingham.co.uk
FOR THE DIARY
Saturday, September 7
ALAN BARNES (Haverhill Arts Centre, 8pm, £15/£10 u18, haverhillartscentre.co.uk, 01440 714140) Multi award-winning, multi-reedsman Alan Barnes kicks off the Swinging Cat Jazz Club hosted by saxophonist Hannah Horton and her regular team, Tim Lapthorn (piano), Rob Statham (bass) and Nic France (drums).
Sunday, September 8
BLUE TOWN TRIO (Venue 16, Ipswich, 2.30pm, £15, ipswichjazzandblues.com) Grooving standards with a blues tinge fronted by Zoe Francis (vocals) with the legendary Jim Mullen (guitar) and ever-resourceful Ross Stanley (organ).
Wednesday, September 11
VASILIS XENOPOULOS/PAUL EDIS QUARTET (Stoke By Nayland Golf Club, 8pm, £20, 01787 211865, fleecejazz.org.uk) Classy group co-led by Greek tenorist Xenopoulos and British pianist, the quartet specialise in eclectic, groove-based, melodic sounds blending hard bop, Latin jazz, gospel and even folk. With John Williamson (bass) and Billy Pod (drums).
Friday, September 13
FLANAGAN (Diss Corn Hall, 7.30pm, £18, thecornhall. co.uk, 01379 652241) Mark Flanagan is a blues guitarist who has played with Jools Holland's Rhythm and Blues Orchestra since 1988. Tonight he fronts his acclaimed blues/folk/roots trio Flanagan spotlighting his own heartfelt original songs and featuring Adam Double (bass) and George Double (drums).
Tuesday, September 17
NIGEL PRICE ORGAN TRIO (Maddermarket, Norwich, 8.30pm, £18, norwichjazzclub.co.uk) Reliably exciting and inventive touring juggernaut purveying dynamic groove-based jazz with Nigel Price (guitar), Ross Stanley (organ) and Joel Barford (drums).
Wednesday, September 25
CHRIS INGHAM QUARTET - HOAGY II (Stoke By Nayland Golf Club, 8pm, £20, 01787 211865, fleecejazz.org.uk) More appreciation of the great American singer-songwriter-pianist Hoagy Carmichael and his uniquely wry and joyful oeuvre. With Chris Ingham (piano/vocal), Paul Higgs (trumpet), Simon Thorpe (bass) and George Double (drums).
Thursday, September 26
ADAM GLASSER QUARTET (Hidden Rooms, Cambridge, 6pm & 7.30pm, £5 & £20, cambridgejazz.org, 01223 514777) Harmonica virtuoso Glasser leads a workshop (6pm) on South African Jazz and shares insights as a chromatic harmonica player, followed by a concert (7.30pm) of rarely heard township jazz standards from South African composers Abdullah Ibrahim, Caiphus Semenya, Victor Ndlazilwana and Themba Mkhize. Featuring Ant Law (guitar), Steve Watts (bass) and Corrie Dick (drums).
Friday, September 27
ART THEMEN (Hunter Club, Bury, 7.30pm, £18, headhunterslive.org, 07799 650009) Long-awaited return to Bury St Edmunds of the indestructible and legendary tenor saxophonist Art Themen, with Chris Ingham (piano), Malcolm Creese (bass) and George Double (drums).
Tuesday, October 8
SIMON SPILLET BIG BAND (Maddermarket, Norwich, 8.30pm, £25, norwichjazzclub.co.uk) Acclaimed as the best British big band in years, tenorist and author Simon Spillett leads his salute to Tubby Hayes, Dear Tubby H, with an all-star ensemble featuring, among others, Mark Armstrong, Freddie Gavita (trumpets), Mark Nightingale, Ian Bateman (trombones), Pete Long, Alex Garnett (saxes), plus Rob Barron (piano), Alec Dankworth (bass), Pete Cater (drums).
Wednesday, October 9
ROGER BEAUJOLAIS QUARTET (Stoke By Nayland Golf Club, 8pm, £20, fleecejazz.org.uk, 01787 211865) Bringing his Bag Of Vibes show saluting MJQ vibraphonist Milt Jackson, Roger Beaujolais leads a superb quartet featuring Robin Aspland (piano), Paul Jeffries (bass) and Milo Fell (drums).
FOLK with Chris Wilbraham: chris.wilbraham@tinyonline.co.uk
I have received a wonderful review of FolkEast from Paul Gill, a Bungay-based folk singer who is involved with next weekend’s inaugural Bungay Folk Festival.
Some of you might know that FolkEast, organised by John and Becky Marshall-Potter, has been staged at Glemham Hall, just north of Wickham Market, since 2013. Apparently, a change in ownership of Glemham Hall means a new venue will have to be found next year.
Some festival reviews will give a rundown of the headline acts seen and new band discoveries. Paul’s review is from the point of view of a man with a passion for folk music, who was part of the festival bar crew organised by folk dancer Graham Elliott, leader of the campaign which turned Geldeston Locks Inn into a community run pub.
“I had a total blast at FolkEast. It was the last that will be held at Glemham Hall, and the weekend had an atmosphere of celebration and gratitude for this wonderful festival setting.
My personal experience was centered on the festival bars, not simply because of the great local cask ales on offer (delivered at a standard that would make any beer festival proud, and far surpassing the quality I've experienced at any outdoor music festival). I was a part of the bar team, which was fun and a great way to connect with the many friendly attendees. When not pulling pints, it was hard to leave the beer tents as the open sessions in them were constant and of such a high standard and I had to grab a whistle and join in. There were English and Irish tunes in abundance, but more besides. Some sessions were blessed with the participation of folk professionals mixing in with the grassroots. . . John Spiers was spotted sitting in on several over the weekend. There was a European tunes bash led by Pete Sewell, which visited Italy, Romania, Bulgaria, Sweden and France, as well as Ireland and the home countries. And there was singing aplenty. The Paul Sartin singaround (now, sadly, in his memory rather than under his leadership) attracted contributions from a diverse group of singers. Eammon Andrews led a programme called Norfolk and Good, where local singers presented their choice of songs collected in that northern periphery of the East Anglia region. On Sunday evening after the headlining set by Gigspanner, the last singers standing gathered at the Cobbold Arms bar for a final rousing singaround, with dozens of happy folkies raising their glasses and voices in chorus as they sang shanties, drinking songs and other classics. The climax was a toast to the memories of 10 years at Glemham, raised by Becky Marshall-Potter and accompanied by an emotional rendition of The Parting Glass led by members of the King Driscolls.
Folk clubs are more active next week after a summer break, so plenty of gigs to list:
Wednesday, September 4
Risbygate Sports Club, Bury St Edmunds, 8pm, Bury Folk Collective: Contemporary Folk, Johnno and Sam, The Browns, John Kane, Vic Lennard, John O’Kane. £2.
John Peel Centre, Stowmarket, 8pm, Brigid O’Neil. £5.
Bell Hotel, Thetford, 7.30pm, Open House Music Night.
Banham Barrel, 8pm, Later with James Veira.
Thursday, September 5
Cambridge Junction, 8pm, Camille O’Sullivan. £29.
Sudbury Arts Centre, 7.30pm, A Night in the Canyon. £18.
Friday, September 6
Hadleigh Folk Club, Ansell Centre, 8pm, John Ward Trio, plus Terry Hiscox. £8.
Risbygate Sports Club, Bury St Edmunds, 8pm, Milkmaid Folk Club: Arfur Doo, support from Peter and Jane. £12.
Beer Café, Bury St Edmunds, 3-5.30pm, Folk Session.
Golden Hind, Cambridge, 8pm, Cambridge Folk Club, Open Stage with Tom Conway. 3pm.
Bungay Folk Festival, various venues until Sunday evening.
