Mike Westbrook - finally the big band is back...

[manfred]

THE BIG BAND IS BACK !

presenting

the

MIKE WESTBROOK BIG BAND

a special pre-Xmas concert

launching a new 20-piece big band

featuring some of the finest West Country musicians

directed by Mike Westbrook

a programme of big band classics and Westbrook originals

from Citadel/Room 315, The Cortege, On Duke’s Birthday,

Big Band Rossini and more…..

Friday December 10th, 2010 - 8pm

doors open 7.30

CARLTON THEATRE, TEIGNMOUTH

DEVON

tickets £10 ( £8 Concessions )

reservations by post from

Teignmouth Jazz,

8 Brook Orchard,

Kingskerswell,

Newton Abbot TQ12 5AX

cheques payable to Friends of Teignmouth Jazz and enclose SAE

from November 15th

also from Carlton Theatre Box Office 01626 778 991 01626 778 991

bookings@carltontheatre.com

in association with Friends of Teignmouth Jazz Festival

Edited December 7, 2010 by manfred

[A Lark Ascending]

Cornishmen wouldn't be seen dead in Devon! Devon is The Midlands!

Seriously, one I'd like to see, Manfred. Must be nearly 20 years since I last saw Westbrook in that format.

[sidewinder]

I'll be there (weather permitting).

[manfred]

Cornishmen wouldn't be seen dead in Devon! Devon is The Midlands!

Seriously, one I'd like to see, Manfred. Must be nearly 20 years since I last saw Westbrook in that format.

well, too late to call the post back! so sorry, i`m just a bit surfin` without thinking too much....

...i talked to colin towns some days ago around one of his concerts here in hamburg with ndr big band (john lennon project),

and said, he is missing a new mike westbrook project with the big band or missing his works with bigger "formations"...

well, i seem again to have some westbrook-days at the moment: today i got, from canada, a lp i looked for really very very long,

someone from japan once recommended that to me, as he called it, a "proto-type" of the mike westbrook orchestra, the welfare state project

of lol coxhill, will listen to it tonight now...

someone else wrote on amazon, that the1re would be a westbrook-cd called "arrivederci chouartse"

have you ever heard something about that, is that a fake?

thank you for your reply, bev,

next june we will again go to cornwall, not to devon....

[sidewinder]

Interesting lineup in that Mike Westbrook Big Band. According to the flyer I have, Lou Gare and Dave Holdsworth are in the lineup, along with Karen Street and the guys from the Village Band. I'm looking forward to it.

[manfred]

Interesting lineup in that Mike Westbrook Big Band. According to the flyer I have, Lou Gare and Dave Holdsworth are in the lineup, along with Karen Street and the guys from the Village Band. I'm looking forward to it.

happy you! i would really like to go there.....perhaps you can post something about the concert...

[manfred]

Interesting lineup in that Mike Westbrook Big Band. According to the flyer I have, Lou Gare and Dave Holdsworth are in the lineup, along with Karen Street and the guys from the Village Band. I'm looking forward to it.

dave holdsworth already played trumpet on one of the first recordings of mike westbrook,

on "Tyger - a celebration of william blake" from 1971....

Cornishmen wouldn't be seen dead in Devon! Devon is The Midlands!

Seriously, one I'd like to see, Manfred. Must be nearly 20 years since I last saw Westbrook in that format.

well, too late to call the post back! so sorry, i`m just a bit surfin` without thinking too much....

...i talked to colin towns some days ago around one of his concerts here in hamburg with ndr big band (john lennon project),

and said, he is missing a new mike westbrook project with the big band or missing his works with bigger "formations"...

well, i seem again to have some westbrook-days at the moment: today i got, from canada, a lp i looked for really very very long,

someone from japan once recommended that to me, as he called it, a "proto-type" of the mike westbrook orchestra, the welfare state project

of lol coxhill, will listen to it tonight now...

someone else wrote on amazon, that the1re would be a westbrook-cd called "arrivederci chouartse"

have you ever heard something about that, is that a fake?

..found, that this is a record of michel portal, don`t know, why this guy made it to a westbrook-recording.....

[Jazzjet]

Cornishmen wouldn't be seen dead in Devon! Devon is The Midlands!

Seriously, one I'd like to see, Manfred. Must be nearly 20 years since I last saw Westbrook in that format.

As the Cornishman said " I went to England the other day. A day trip to Plymouth. Didn't like it - never leaving Cornwall again."

[sidewinder]

Cornishmen wouldn't be seen dead in Devon! Devon is The Midlands!

Seriously, one I'd like to see, Manfred. Must be nearly 20 years since I last saw Westbrook in that format.

As the Cornishman said " I went to England the other day. A day trip to Plymouth. Didn't like it - never leaving Cornwall again."

Some people never make it across the Tamar, never mind North of Shepton Mallet !

Edited December 7, 2010 by sidewinder

[Big Al]

Drat! I wanna see this! Anybody got a couple grand or a lear jet I can borrow?

[sidewinder]

Drat! I wanna see this! Anybody got a couple grand or a lear jet I can borrow?

Wouldn't recommend this place at the moment, Big Al. It's warmer up in Yellowknife !

I'll be sure to post a 'trip report'.

Edited December 7, 2010 by sidewinder

[A Lark Ascending]

Cornishmen wouldn't be seen dead in Devon! Devon is The Midlands!

Seriously, one I'd like to see, Manfred. Must be nearly 20 years since I last saw Westbrook in that format.

As the Cornishman said " I went to England the other day. A day trip to Plymouth. Didn't like it - never leaving Cornwall again."

Some people never make it across the Tamar, never mind North of Shepton Mallet !

I have relatives like that. Left Tregony in thr '40s to join the army, came back in '46. Have never left since!

[sidewinder]

Really excellent concert last night. Even though it took 30 minutes waiting for fish & chips and 20 minutes to pull a pint (Teignmouth time warp? ).

This was the first concert by the band and apparanetly they only had 4 rehearsals of the music beforehand - which considering the results was an incredible achievement. The music was very varied - lots of Ellington, lovingly re-created in fine arrangements and also 4 numbers from the 'Citadel/Room 315' album. The band had electric piano and congas, so these arrangements grooved really nicely. And then to finish it all off, Mike handed out bags of party poppers for audience participation 'a la Rahsaan Roland Kirk' on his arrangement of 'Jingle Bells'.

Pretty well all of the band had feature spots during the two sets - some good features for Dave Holdsworth. Some new arrangements by Mike as well - one of which he apparently had burned the midnight oil this week to put together for the concert in a big band version. Let's hope that this band records soon.

Unmissable !

Edited December 11, 2010 by sidewinder

[manfred]

Really excellent concert last night. Even though it took 30 minutes waiting for fish & chips and 20 minutes to pull a pint (Teignmouth time warp? ).

This was the first concert by the band and apparanetly they only had 4 rehearsals of the music beforehand - which considering the results was an incredible achievement. The music was very varied - lots of Ellington, lovingly re-created in fine arrangements and also 4 numbers from the 'Citadel/Room 315' album. The band had electric piano and congas, so these arrangements grooved really nicely. And then to finish it all off, Mike handed out bags of party poppers for audience participation 'a la Rahsaan Roland Kirk' on his arrangement of 'Jingle Bells'.

Pretty well all of the band had feature spots during the two sets - some good features for Dave Holdsworth. Some new arrangements by Mike as well - one of which he apparently had burned the midnight oil this week to put together for the concert in a big band version. Let's hope that this band records soon.

Unmissable !

thank you, sidewinder,

again and again i`m fascinated by the opportunities of the net,

it`s a pity that mike does not perform in germany, just once every five years i guess.....

i`ve seen him just three times,

once with the blake setting (this concert, 1980?, made me a fan of him until today)

once with the rossini-project, very great concert with a fantastic lindsay cooper

and once the little-westbrook-music-trio.

Seems, that you did attend a great concert,

did they perform anything of his blake-stuff???

Again thank you very much for your reporting,

kind regards from old europe,

manfred

[sidewinder]

Hey, no problem Manfred. Glad to help !

The band didn't play any of the Blake material, although I have seen the Village Band play at least one track of this material.

One thing they did do was a great version of Kurt Weil's 'Alabama Song', which Mike said had defeated him every other time he had tried it in the past. This version full of 'cabaret' atmosphere, with Kate Westbrook on vocals of course. They also did a pretty far-out arrangement of a track called 'Graffiti', which was totally new to me. Feature for Dave Holdsworth and Lou Gare - to add 'graffiti' to the sonic background, per Mike's spoken intro.

I know that Mike and Kate do have a big following over in Germany, Switzerland etc. - and that there is a website in Germany hosted by a great enthusiast/friend of theirs over there. Here's the link:Westbrook German Site

Looks like the Brass Band just did a gig in Vienna !

Edited December 11, 2010 by sidewinder

[jazzscriveyn]

Cornishmen wouldn't be seen dead in Devon! Devon is The Midlands! ...

Emmets like good music too!

Really excellent concert last night. ...

...

Let's hope that this band records soon.

Unmissable !

Sadly I did (have to) miss it. - Yes, I hope we will see and hear more of it.

Here is the list of tunes I got from a friend:

Jones

Checking in ...

Tender Love

Love and Understanding

East St Louis toodle-oo

Tulip or Turnip

Stormy Weather

Graffitti

Funkin Cinderella

Bebop de Rigueur

Something to Live for

Alabama Song

Creole Love Call

In the Cool Midwinter

Jingle Bells

Lil Darlin

Flying Home

sidewinder: Graffiti is on the Cortège album - Glad you could make it to Teignmouth.

Haven't seen such a long Westbrook thread here in ages

Best wishes for the Holidays to all on this thread.

Jazzscriveyn

[medjuck]

I don't have any Westbrook. Any suggestions as to where I should start? As a Blake fan I'm tempted by the Blake record but is it atypical?

[A Lark Ascending]

The Blake is superb - though be warned:

a) It is song based, though with extensive (and wonderful) soloing and instrumental passages.

b) There are two versions - the original from the late 70s and a slightly longer version from about 10 years ago. The newer is in fact very similar; doesn't sound like a watering down.

'Citadel Room 315' is possibly a better entry point from a jazz perspective.

Almost impossible to pin down a typical Westbrook as he has such range.

For me he's never topped 'The Cortege', still a desert island disc in my book. But at over 2 hours, not perhaps a first choice.

Edited December 19, 2010 by A Lark Ascending

[jazzscriveyn]

I don't have any Westbrook. Any suggestions as to where I should start? As a Blake fan I'm tempted by the Blake record but is it atypical?

The Blake is a recurring theme in Westbrook's work. So, yes, it will be a good choice - especially as you like Blake to begin with. - While Mike's music is instantly recognizable, his projects still vary widely, from 60s and 70s prog rock/jazz, through theatre/cabaret influenced work, covering classics (recommend "Westbrook Rossini"!) and pop ("Off Abbey Road"), small ensembles like the Trio (recommend "Love for Sale") and large ensembles (strongly recommend "Cortège"!!).

There is lots more (approx 50 albums released), but let this be enough for starters.

Good listening,

Jazzscriveyn

[sidewinder]

sidewinder: Graffiti is on the Cortège album - Glad you could make it to Teignmouth.

Haven't seen such a long Westbrook thread here in ages

Best wishes for the Holidays to all on this thread.

Jazzscriveyn

Cheers - Merry Xmas too. Fortunately the roads were pretty good that night. Flat calm sea and 8C registered by the pier ! Caught something flu-like after this concert though.

Westbrook recommendations - that recent 'Waxeyworks' CD by the Village Band is well worth checking out. I would also recommend much earlier stuff such as 'Celebration', 'Marching Songs Vol 1/2', 'Citadel/Room 315' and 'Love Songs'.

Edited December 20, 2010 by sidewinder

[manfred]

The Blake is superb - though be warned:

a) It is song based, though with extensive (and wonderful) soloing and instrumental passages.

b) There are two versions - the original from the late 70s and a slightly longer version from about 10 years ago. The newer is in fact very similar; doesn't sound like a watering down.

...i would say there are three versions, the first one is called "Tyger", very rare, rather unknown.....

often filed under "adrian mitchel", who organized a kind of "musical" i would say,

but it is a complete mike westbrook record, with the first complete version of the blake material,

and there are some great differences to his later interpretations,

for instance compare my absolute favourite "let the slave",

the singing/speaking of "price of experience" is much more moving on the second version (blake material),

but with this really complete outstandig sax solo, to me the most moving sax solo i ever heard.......!!!!

and on "for the records" are also some great tracks of the blake material!!

i started westbrook with a concert in Freiburg/Schwarzwald(black forest) with the blake material,

and since then i collected all westbrook records, i think it is a very good start,

as it is full of great emotions, full of pathos, but not pathetic.....

kind regards

manfred

[A Lark Ascending]

Agree that the Blake is amazing, Manfred. My only reason for the warning is that I know many jazz listeners don't care for vocals and Westbrook's approach to vocals owes more to radical cabaret than standard jazz singing.

You are right about 'Tyger' being the first of three Blake albums. Though it remains elusive, along with a number of those earlier discs. I've yet to hear 'For the Record'.

Three others I love from that time that are MIA (as far as I know) are 'Goose Sauce' (the brass band, wild and Weill-ish, with plenty of great soloing [George Khan!)), 'Love/Dream Variations' (a beautifully written and stylishly orchestrated big band record - my first Westbrook!) and 'The Paris Album' (a marvellous live brass band double LP with Alan Wakeman in fabulous form).

'Mama Chicago' is another 'cabaret' type disc with fiery jazz playing and great songwriting. That one did get a CD release a while back.

And I really like Mike's solo piano album from that time.

Edited December 27, 2010 by A Lark Ascending

[sidewinder]

The 'Love/Dream Variations' was put out by Cadillac Records I think (John Jack's imprint) along with another one I've yet to hear - 'Mike Westbrook Live'. Both of these have somehow eluded me - as has 'For The Record'.

Good excuse for me to put on 'Tyger' and 'Mama Chicago' on the record deck today.

Edited December 27, 2010 by sidewinder

[A Lark Ascending]

The 'Love/Dream Variations' was put out by Cadillac Records I think (John Jack's imprint)

Do you mean as a CD?

It was originally on Transatlantic, a label I associate with folk music!

Jazzscriveyn's site has a CD version mentioned as CD: TACD 9.00788 O - I'd assumed that was a Japanese issue.

I'd like to see a good CD reissue - my vinyl is very crackly. Really shows through at the start of wonderfully slow Paul Rutherford build-up on 'Creole Love Call.'

Edit: Seems 'Goose Sauce' and 'Mike Westbrook Live' are available on CD but only from Japan. I don't know 'Live' but 'Goose Sauce' is well worth paying import prices for.

http://www.westbrookjazz.co.uk/mikewestbrook/mike_discog.shtml

Edited December 27, 2010 by A Lark Ascending

[sidewinder]

The 'Love/Dream Variations' was put out by Cadillac Records I think (John Jack's imprint)

Do you mean as a CD?

It was originally on Transatlantic, a label I associate with folk music!

Jazzscriveyn's site has a CD version mentioned as CD: TACD 9.00788 O - I'd assumed that was a Japanese issue.

I'd like to see a good CD reissue - my vinyl is very crackly. Really shows through at the start of wonderfully slow Paul Rutherford build-up on 'Creole Love Call.'

Edit: Seems 'Goose Sauce' and 'Mike Westbrook Live' are available on CD but only from Japan. I don't know 'Live' but 'Goose Sauce' is well worth paying import prices for.

http://www.westbrookjazz.co.uk/mikewestbrook/mike_discog.shtml

Yes, you are right - that one was on Transatlantic. It was the 'Live' that I was thinking of. Transatlantic put out a lot of folk, as you mention (Pentangle etc.) They also put out a lot of Prestige UK issues in the 1960s - taking over from after Esquire in the early 60s.