BBC4

[crisp]

Can't think of anywhere else to put this.

Don't forget that BBC4 (a digital television station) in the UK is screening an evening of jazz programmes tonight from 9pm:

9pm Arena: Sonny Rollins - Beyond the Notes

10pm Arena: Sonny Rollins '74 - Rescued!

11pm Omnibus: Ronnie Scott and All That Jazz

12 midnight 1959: The Year That Changed Jazz

[A Lark Ascending]

There's also the Barbara Thompson documentary on Sunday:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01cc76r

Plus a concert.

[Clunky]

thanks for the reminder

[J.A.W.]

BBC4 is my favourite TV channel. I hope it'll survive the BBC cuts.

Edited February 17, 2012 by J.A.W.

[crisp]

From what I've read the channel -- its archive screenings, original documentaries and comedies -- will certainly be kept, but its original dramas will go. That makes sense to me. I'm not sure how many more quirky biopics of dead celebrities the public can tolerate. In any case there seems to be more of an appetite for that on BBC2 these days.

[J.A.W.]

From what I've read the channel -- its archive screenings, original documentaries and comedies -- will certainly be kept, but its original dramas will go. That makes sense to me. I'm not sure how many more quirky biopics of dead celebrities the public can tolerate. In any case there seems to be more of an appetite for that on BBC2 these days.

That's certainly good news. I can do without those biopics too, they're quirky indeed.

[sidewinder]

Too bad that they didn't unearth any more 'Jazz 625' or 'Jazz Goes To College'. Or repeat any of those things from the 1970s/80s etc (I can recall seeing Clark Terry Big Bad Band on BBC2 (have the audio of it somewhere), Woody Herman and Buddy Rich at Ronnie Scotts, Lester Bowie and Loose Tubes at Bath - whatever happened to those?) Still - beggers can't be choosers. I'll have my recorder set.

I'm looking forward to seeing the Barbara Thompson on Sunday. Caught a radio broadcast the other day when she and Jon Hiseman were interviewed by Libby Purves.

Edited February 17, 2012 by sidewinder

[J.A.W.]

I'm looking forward to seeing the Barbara Thompson on Sunday.

Same here.

[cih]

Too bad that they didn't unearth any more 'Jazz 625' or 'Jazz Goes To College'. Or repeat any of those things from the 1970s/80s etc (I can recall seeing Clark Terry Big Bad Band on BBC2 (have the audio of it somewhere), Woody Herman and Buddy Rich at Ronnie Scotts, Lester Bowie and Loose Tubes at Bath - whatever happened to those?)

Wiped I suppose... a 'reusable resource'?

[JohnS]

Plus a repeat of the Nica documentary, The Jazz Baroness on Saturday.

[sidewinder]

Well, having enjoyed all of the first night I have to say that the 'Sonny Rollins 1974 - Rescued' at Ronnie's was damn good. This must be a very significant finding in terms of Rollins video material and it's also notable for the footage of Rufus Harley and Scotts' itself in this particular period (based on what I saw it hadn't much changed by 1979 ).

Loved the way that they started on full bore with 'The Cutting Edge'. Those guys meant business.

The 'Arena' Rollins documentary was also very enjoyable - I had initial qualms about the way they were mixing the show footage with biographical bits (and Stanley Crouch interjections) but somehow it seemed to work pretty good.

Edited February 18, 2012 by sidewinder

[A Lark Ascending]

Watched the 'Arena' which was enjoyable, if a bit insubstantial. I suppose for TV you are confined by what clips you can get and this was very much centred round the celebrity studded 80th Birthday (and that bridge!). Threadbare on the historical context, the personal historical path (didn't get much beyond 'grew up in a neighbourhood surrounded by music, played Bop with Miles and Clifford Brown, did drugs, dropped out, played on a bridge') or why he is so revered. Too much 'homage to the jazz master' for my taste - Courtney Pine and Soweto Kinch paying court.

But I suspect that's the nature of these documentaries - radio like Jazz File does the more studied thing better.

Good to see him playing, though.

[Hardbopjazz]

I am watching this on line right now. Wow!!!!

You will need the software from the BBC to watch the gig.

http://download.cnet.com/Expat-Shield/3000-2092_4-75211377.html

And the videos are here.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01c30k0/Arena_Sonny_Rollins_74_Rescued!/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01c30jy/Arena_Sonny_Rollins_Beyond_the_Notes/

[JohnS]

I did catch this Rollins band at Ronnie's. Not much memory of the evening apart from Harley's kilt and bagpipes so the programme went down well for me. In the circumstances it's good fortune that the recording survived.

Also this evening more archive material - Jazz Piano Gold.

[sidewinder]

Not much memory of the evening apart from Harley's kilt and bagpipes

Love the bit where he 'primes' the bagpipe full of wind early on in 'Swing Low' and the cheer goes up in the audience !

Edited February 19, 2012 by sidewinder

[A Lark Ascending]

I thought the Barbara Thompson programme was excellent. Not your average music documentary - probably more about Parkinson's Disease than music. Wonderful scenes of just how hard she has fought and the incredible support from Jon Hiseman.

[sidewinder]

Yes - it was very good. Both Thompson and Hiseman were hugely impressive, when you think of what they have to put up with every day. They deserve our greatest respect.

In the credits it mentioned that the Welcome Trust were involved in funding it - obviously intended to raise awareness of Parkinsons, primarily.

[brownie]

Also from BBC4, The Miles Davis Story:

[sidewinder]

Also from BBC4, The Miles Davis Story:

That was the Mike Dibb/Ian Carr programme done for Channel 4. Good to see it again !

[crisp]

Another evening of jazz this Friday. Only the first programme is new, but it looks interesting

9pm Trad Jazz Britannia

10pm Jazz 625: George Lewis with Acker Bilk's Paramount Jazz Band and Beryl Bryden

10.40pm Smoky Dives

11.40pm Arena: Sonny Rollins

[sidewinder]

The 'Smoky Dives' was a hoot. Always good to watch that programme. The Acker/George Lewis 'Jazz 625' was nice too - I wonder how many more like that the Beeb are still managing to keep from us.

[RogerF]

I watched the Trad Britannia last night - excellent programme narrated by that "national treasure" (is that expression now a pejorative through overuse now?) Roger McGough. Excellent show and despite the fact, being a dirty bopper, I don't even like Trad. It still manages to put some perspective on the growth of jazz generally in the UK. What it didn't have time to say was that several of the guys featured as uber-Tradists sometimes crossed the line into the unmentionable, eg, Acker playing with Stan Tracey's Big Brass, Sandy Brown with Hair at its Hairiest (featuring John McLaughlin), even Chris Barber was known to do some bluesy, less trad-y stuff. They were all big influences on what was to come next. After that the Jazz 625 with George Lewis I found fascinating. Oh yes and Humph started as a Tradist but defected to mainstream and was genuinely interested in what the "other side" had to play. More please. Recommend the Barbara Thompson doc too.

[sidewinder]

That first track on the Jazz 625 by Acker's band - 'Nagasaki' - was pretty hard hitting and grooving for an Acker group (might have helped that they ditched the banjo for that track). Excellent stuff !

Pretty sure that that I've come across that Cy Laurie bouncer featured on the 'Smoky Dives' - Bill Palmer - holding court at one of the Mole Jazz locations (the last one on Great Marlborough St). He was quite a character !

Glad to have recorded the 'Trad Britannia' and will give it a viewing over the weekend.

Edited May 25, 2013 by sidewinder

[Clunky]

I watched the Trad Britannia last night - excellent programme narrated by that "national treasure" (is that expression now a pejorative through overuse now?) Roger McGough. Excellent show and despite the fact, being a dirty bopper, I don't even like Trad. It still manages to put some perspective on the growth of jazz generally in the UK. What it didn't have time to say was that several of the guys featured as uber-Tradists sometimes crossed the line into the unmentionable, eg, Acker playing with Stan Tracey's Big Brass, Sandy Brown with Hair at its Hairiest (featuring John McLaughlin), even Chris Barber was known to do some bluesy, less trad-y stuff. They were all big influences on what was to come next. After that the Jazz 625 with George Lewis I found fascinating. Oh yes and Humph started as a Tradist but defected to mainstream and was genuinely interested in what the "other side" had to play. More please. Recommend the Barbara Thompson doc too.

I've always thought of Sandy Brown as being beyond-trad given that even the earliest material I've heard has at the very least a high-life feel that's not found in normal trad.

Edited May 25, 2013 by Clunky

[RogerF]

I watched the Trad Britannia last night - excellent programme narrated by that "national treasure" (is that expression now a pejorative through overuse now?) Roger McGough. Excellent show and despite the fact, being a dirty bopper, I don't even like Trad. It still manages to put some perspective on the growth of jazz generally in the UK. What it didn't have time to say was that several of the guys featured as uber-Tradists sometimes crossed the line into the unmentionable, eg, Acker playing with Stan Tracey's Big Brass, Sandy Brown with Hair at its Hairiest (featuring John McLaughlin), even Chris Barber was known to do some bluesy, less trad-y stuff. They were all big influences on what was to come next. After that the Jazz 625 with George Lewis I found fascinating. Oh yes and Humph started as a Tradist but defected to mainstream and was genuinely interested in what the "other side" had to play. More please. Recommend the Barbara Thompson doc too.

I've always thought of Sandy Brown as being beyond-trad given that even the earliest material I've heard has at the very least a high-life feel that's not found in normal trad.

Point taken Clunky; I guess this website reinforces what you've said: http://www.sandybrownjazz.co.uk/