This collection of pieces came into being back in 2003. That year, my Quintet, featuring Steve Waterman, Rod Mason, Stuart McCallum and Dave Walsh, was due to appear at the Marsden Jazz Festival with Steve Lodder as our special guest. I wrote ‘Crystal Morning’, portraying the optimism of an icy, sunlit winter day, and Summer’s End, evoking a sense of melancholy and loss, for the gig and a complete set of compositions, to reflect the different moods of the English seasons, suggested itself. I completed eight pieces and they were well received at the Festival performance. I knew that I wanted to record them and I considered various alternatives, without settling on a particular combination of musicians. Over the next few years, I wrote another four pieces on the same ‘climatic’ theme.

Critical reaction to ‘Conversations’, Threeway’s debut album, was enthusiastic. That reaction, together with the outstanding musicianship and commitment displayed by Lodder and Watermanon every gig, persuaded me that the obvious solution was for Threeway to record ‘Songs of the Year’, now a collection of twelve compositions, particularly as the two ‘Steves’ had been involved in the original performance. Two excellent days in the studio, with a number of first takes, have resulted in a reading of these pieces that has really done them justice.

I’ll keep you posted about further developments.       

Having listened again to the album, I thought that the music was worth another airing. The survivors from the original recording and tour were Steve, Rod, Dave and myself. We added Dave O’Higgins and Jim Mullen to complete the sextet. In addition to my pieces, we also played original tunes by Steve and Dave, as well as arrangements by Steve and Dave of tunes by Benny Golson and Blue Mitchell.

The result was a well rounded programme that went down very well with the sell out audience. My thanks to all the guys for their hard work and impeccible musicianship. Below is a ‘team photo’ taken by Alan Burnett before the gig. Note that Her Majesty is observing proceedings! I think that she enjoyed the gig.

Within 20 minutes, Barnsey had returned my call. He said that he was available and without any hesitation, he said that he would do the gig. He did tell me that he was in Exeter on the Wednesday but that didn’t seem to phase him at all. My sense of relief was overwhelming. I really didn’t want to let Maureen Hopkins (the promoter) down but was beginning to get desperate.

Naturally, Maureen was delighted and emailed all her regulars. When I got to the gig, Alan was already there, having driven up from London, raring to go. I had thought that he might want to play some standards, given the last minute nature of the gig. Not a bit of it - we went through the programme that I had originally planned which included pieces by Don Grolnick, Keith Jarrett and Jim Hall, as well as some of my tunes, and Alan was keen to do all the original programme.

We had a very quick run through the heads as people were arriving and off we went. Barnsey, and indeed the whole band, played absolutely brilliantly and there was such positive feedback after the gig. I don’t think that the audience had heard Alan play in quite that context before and he demonstrated what an open, adaptable player he is.

I am so full of admiration not just for Barnsey’s fantastic playing but also for his incredible generosity of spirit. What I didn’t know until we got chatting before the gig was that he was in fact teaching during the day in Exeter. He never mentioned that during our Monday evening phone conversation. After the gig, he jumped in his car and drove through the night to the West Country. I did check the next day and he made it safely. He was then back up North on Thursday and Friday with his outstanding Octet playing Tony Faulkner’s great arrangements of Ellington and Strayhorn.

Alan really helped me out of a jam and I am so grateful to him for his willingness to ‘rescue’ my gig at the drop of a hat. His approach to my dilemma vividly demonstrates why he is so popular and so busy. He really is a good egg.  Thank you Barnsey!!

Here are some photos of the gig kindly sent to me by Ken Jackson. They are wonderful reminders of a great gig. 

Friday 10th sees the start of the Marsden Jazz Festival. My gig is at the Royal British Legion on the Friday night. ’A Dales Day’ was released in 1998 and I thought that it would be good to give the charts another airing after 10 years. The band comprises Steve Waterman, trumpet and flugelhorn, Dave O’Higgins and Rod Mason, saxophones, Jim Mullen, guitar, myself on bass and Dave Tyas on drums. In addition to my pieces, we will be playing music composed by Steve, Dave and Rod. It promises to be an excellent night and I hope to see many of you there. Visit www.marsdenjazzfestival.com for full details of the festival programme.

The following week, I am touring with the Rod Mason/Jim Mullen Quartet, along with Dave Tyas. We are at the Rhythm Station, Rawtenstall on 14th October, the Cask and Sigma, Scarborough on 15th, Cooper’s at Guisleley on 16th and the Cinnamon Club, Altrincham on 17th. We have toured several times now as a Quartet and it is always a pleasure and a privilege to work with a genuinely world class player like Jim. Catch the band if you can. 

Finally, my Quartet featuring Rod Mason, saxophones, Richard Wetherall, piano and Dave Tyas is at the British Legion in Llay, North Wales on 21st October. We had a great gig at the Farmer’s Arms in St Asaph last year and I’m sure that history will repeat itself.    

It’s wonderful to have a new jazz venue and Richard and Kim, the new managers, are keen to promote jazz at a venue that hosted the music several years ago. This is a trial period, so it is essential for all jazz fans in the area to support the gigs. Let’s hope that the Grey Horse will again become a regular jazz venue for Yorkshire audiences.

Further details can be found at www.thegreyhorseinn.co.uk   

As usual, John was in great form and we had an excellent week. Although we didn’t know it at the time, the Puzzle gig was to be our last, because unhappily, it closed as a venue not long after. I have been playing the Puzzle Hall for fifteen years or more and am very sad at this turn of events. Pete Martin and Geoff Amos have worked tirelessly over the years to present the very best that northern jazz has to offer. Newcomers just starting to make their way and established artists all got a gig and all loved to play the Puzzle. Although the money was never great, the atmosphere was fantastic.  It was the type of gig where you could try new things out and no one minded if it didn’t always work. I think that we all owe Pete and Geoff a huge debt of gratitude for their dedication and commitment to the music. We will miss the Puzzle. This was a great gig to go out on.

(Images copyright Alan Ainsworth 2008 www.jazzshot.co.uk)

Ken Ford at Hull has supported the Trio from the very first tour. We have never missed a year at Hull. We started at the Dee Street Club, then moved to the Goodfellowship Inn, then moved to the YPI Club and are now back to the Goodfellowship. Ken is a real star, a genuine unsung hero of the music. Through good times and bad, for many years, he has continued to promote jazz in Hull, often subsidising the gigs from his own pocket and we are really grateful for all he has done for us. Our gigs at Hull have always been well received and supported and 2007 was no exception. And we had an excellent meal at the Jericho Cafe just down the road!

Cooper’s at Guiseley was a new venue for us and we had a great time. Keith Jeavons has really developed a superb gig and long may it last. It was good to see my old mate Steve Halliwell, who plays Zak Dingle in Emmerdale. Steve used to come to gigs at the Duck and Drake in Leeds, another jazz venue which has gone and is sadly missed, and he loved Rod Mason’s Quartet, in which I played, which featured Jez Franks and Dave Walsh.

Jackie Moore promotes jazz in Warrington and we have played the Recreation Centre at Padgate several times. The surroundings are, it has to be said, less than welcoming: takeways, hoodies and general urban sprawl predominate in the area. However, once you get inside, it is a really nice space to play in. Peter, the sound man, bar man and general good egg, works wonders, and although the audience is generally modest in size, it comprises real fans who frequently travel some distance to make the gig, often players themselves, who want to hear you play your best. There is no ‘well impress us, then’, simply a wonderfully good humoured, friendly and supportive crowd. It is a very positive playing experience.

The Vortex was great fun. The place was packed and we sold loads of CDs after the gig! John reckoned that it was a Vortex record for CD sales but I take that with a pinch of salt! We were very well received and it was an excellent end to the tour. Here’s to the next one - our 10th!!  

Rod gave me my first experience of jazz playing and has always encouraged my music: he and Phyllis came to my gigs when they could. In recent years, he took up playing blues piano and gigged, enthusiastically and successfully, well into his 70’s.  Sadly, Rod suffered a good deal of ill health, but never lost his love of the music. He began to create a written history of the Anchor Inn and invited me to make a contribution, which I was delighted to do. Unhappily, Rod was unable to complete the project.

As a small tribute to a remarkable man, I set out below my fond memories of Rod and the Anchor, together with photographs of the concert given by the Anchor Big Band at the Ritz, Brighouse with special guest Harold McNair. Geoff Lorriman, now known for his excellent bass playing, is playing trumpet and the percussion section consists of Mike Ledgard and Denny Morris. I am the geek playing guitar! If any of you recognise the other band members, I shall be very happy to give further credits.

 My good friend and fine trombonist, Peter Maguire, was a regular at the Anchor in those days and he has kindly donated two photos of gigs at the Anchor, one of him playing with Johnny Beaumont and the other of him working with the Big Band with special guest Ronnie Ross, the great baritone saxophonist. Jack Airey, trumpet, Steve Devine, tenor saxophone and Joe Markey, alto saxophone, can also be seen. 

God bless you Rod, we miss you.  

MEMORIES OF THE ANCHOR

The Anchor Inn at Brighouse holds a special place in my heart. I first discovered it when, as an eighteen year old reared on rock and pop, but with an emerging but immature interest in jazz, I dropped in one lunchtime for a drink with my parents. I got chatting to Rod and he immediately took an interest in me and invited me to come down and sit in with the band. In those days, I was a guitarist and my playing experience was limited to imitating the small groups of the day. Playing in the Anchor Big Band was a revelation. I became part of a band with an established rhythm section, the Graham Lockwood Trio, and the sensation of playing in such a large and vibrant ensemble, boasting the likes of Geoff Lorriman on trumpet, was akin to being swept along by a tidal wave. It was the most exhilarating musical experience of my life.

 I was made so welcome by seasoned musicians who, although they plainly recognised my rawness, nevertheless realised that I had huge enthusiasm and a desire to soak up all the influences that such a band presented. The funky power of pieces such as Stevie Wonder’s “Uptight” and the deep swing of “Take the A Train” still stay with me in almost tangible form. It was a wonderful Master Class that took place each Monday night for the several months between me leaving school and going up to University. The highlight of my time in the band was undoubtedly the concert given at the Ritz with special guest Harold McNair, a world-renowned flautist and alto saxophonist. Sadly, McNair was suffering from cancer that claimed his life shortly after the gig, but he still honoured that playing commitment in Yorkshire. I recall the night as being very special and I still have a photograph from the event – a photograph that I cherish. The lowlight was the Krumlin Festival, at which the band was to open up the Sunday lunchtime but which was washed out by torrential rain on the Saturday night! I did, however, enjoy working at Rod’s hot beans stall! In addition to being an excellent flautist and presenting jazz at the Anchor, Rod also promoted gigs at other venues in the town and I vividly recall attending concerts, put on by Rod, given by Don Rendell and Frank Ricotti. I still have an LP, “Our Point of View”, signed by Frank, John Taylor, Chris Lawrence and Bryan Spring, that I bought at the Ricotti gig!   The Anchor Big Band undoubtedly laid the foundation for my life-long love of, and involvement with, jazz music and Rod Marshall was as inspiring and generous a teacher as anyone could have had.