Jazz - what is it? You could discuss that for hours on end nowadays - the music has absorbed so many influences.
It perhaps depends on how rigid your views are. Ellington said it was 'the sound of surprise'. He also said 'it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing'. Everyone has their own perspective. Maybe it's best to let the music speak for itself.
I like to think of jazz as the intimate art. I think the music can be at it's best when there is an intimate relationship between the musicians playing, in terms of interplay, listening and reacting, and between musicians and audience. I feel that is more achievable in small group jazz, duo/trio. In this setting the personal nature of the player's music can shine through. So, nowadays, it is this aspect of the music which interests me most.

My teenage interest in pop music (eg. Buddy Holly, The Shadows, The Rolling Stones) developed into a passion for R & B and blues (eg. Sonny Terry/Brownie McGhee, Jimmy Yancey, Chuck Berry) then into jazz via piano jazz as played by Peterson, Garner, Previn & Dudley Moore all of whom had quite a lot of TV exposure back in the 60s & 70s. From there my tastes gradually widened into jazz of all styles from Bix through to Ornette Coleman - I am still very fond of both these great players. My teenage interest in guitar (Shadows/Chuck Berry etc.) came to a dead end - I did not play at all for quite a few years but meanwhile became a devout jazz fan. In my early 30s I bought a cheap second hand instrument and started afresh, inspired by George Barnes (those great recordings with Ruby Braff). This would be around 1977. Over the next 20 years my playing progressed through local Dixieland & Chicago style bands to mainstream/swing units of varying format.
I left my office job and studied music full time 1992 to 1995.
In recent years I have tried to focus my playing on a compositional approach to improvising (ie. when in a conventional harmonic framework). In this context, structure, balance and form in a solo is everything in my view. Such an approach adds that extra dimension and I much prefer musicians who tend to play that way. Jim Hall and Paul Desmond spring to mind (I feel Bix showed the way). Also I am a devotee of the Barry Galbraith approach to guitar especially his voice lead chordal style which I think is masterful. Galbraith was one of a small, elite group of studio/session guitar players in New York throughout the 50s and 60s and was one of the greatest and most influential of all jazz guitarists.

HAPPY DAYS
In the late 70s I was privileged (and rather fortunate) to be in the rhythm section backing such jazz greats as Wild Bill Davison (ex Condon), Ralph Sutton, Dick Wellstood and Peanuts Hucko. This was whilst a member of the Main Street Jazzmen, a Newcastle based Chicago jazz outfit. I also played with Clem Avery’s Jazzmen (for seven years at The Golden Lion, Winlaton Mill - very happy memories) and often with Peter Gascoigne's Vieux Carre & Saratoga Jazzmen, all very good local Dixieland/Chicago style bands.

In September 1984, along with fine local saxophonist Bill Smith (Sims/Getz style) we started a quartet at The Black Bull pub, Blaydon. This was the birth of BlaydonJazz, which became quite an institution on the local jazz scene. The original quartet also had Marshall Walker (drms) and Clem Avery (bass). The pub at that time had a marvellous landlady, Pauline Haley - it was a very happy time. A few years later Bill Harper also joined us, on piano.
We began to bring in fine UK and local players as guest soloists, mostly players in the 'swing/bop' idioms. Over the last twenty years we have accompanied many of the top players of British swing style jazz. Roy Williams, John Barnes, Digby Fairweather, Bruce Turner, John Crocker, Fiona Duncan, Alan Elsdon to name just a few. Some have been frequent visitors. The legendary saxophonist, big band leader and arranger George Evans was also a regular visitor as was a very young Paul Booth, now surely one of the UK's finest tenor saxophonists.
In recent years we have broadened the range of guests, accompanying great international/UK players such as Tommy Whittle, Janusz Carmello, Pascal Michaelis, Bruce Adams, Alan Barnes, Paul Booth, Ben Castle, Al Wood, Dave Cliff,
Geoff Simkin, Phil Lee, Lennart Andersson, Frank Brooker, John Hallam, Dave Challis. The club is still going strong (albeit at a new venue since 1999) - see 'local gigs news'. We reach our 25th anniversary in September 2009.

Recent nice gigs have included The Riverboat Jazz Festival at Silkeborg in Denmark (a great weekend with Keith's trio + Caroline), Kircudbright Jazz Festival, Keswick Jazz Festival, Blaydon Races Festival, Whitley Bay International Jazz Festival, Bude Jazz Festival and Ayr Jazz Festival.
Also several visits to Gateshead Fell Jazz Club which is a very popular local venue for mostly traditional styles of jazz. Last but not least and along with other local jazz duos, several gigs at the amazing Alnwick Garden Treehouse Restaurant (the biggest treehouse in the world!).

CURRENT ACTIVITIES

BlaydonJazz - -
The club reaches its 25th anniversary in September 2009. There is usually a house quartet/trio (including a great pianist, Jeremy McMurray) plus a guest or guests. It is now a once a month session (but with occasional extra concerts during the summer period). See 'local gig news' for more specific information.

Keith Stephen's Hot Club Trio + Caroline Irwin - -
I play rhythm guitar and sing in a 'gypsy jazz' outfit led by Keith Stephen (gtr/bjo), with Bruce Rollo on double bass and a great young singer, Caroline Irwin. Keith is a lover of all things 'Django' and is a considerable expert in the genre - he also builds Maccaferri type guitars. His 'Hot Club Trio' sometimes accompanies a guest soloist (eg. John Hallam, Mike Piggott, Frank Brooker, Tim Kliphuis, George Huxley, Zoltan Sagi). We try to play our version of gypsy jazz in a gentle, unpretentious and non-competitive way - nice tunes, played with a sense of fun, and hopefully with a good jazz swing feel. We released a second CD 'La Vie en Rose' in May/07 (features John Hallam and Caroline) - see jazz CDs page. Also Keith/Bruce/Caroline have recently made a terrific new trio CD 'Three Piece Sweet' just released June/08.

The Swing City Trio - -
This is a new group based around the fine tenor/clarinet playing of Steve Andrews. Also with Roy Cansdale on double bass and myself on acoustic guitar/vocals. Both Steve and Roy live in Cumbria, Roy helps run the very successful Kendal Jazz Club. We play 1940's New York style acoustic swing. We now have our first CD released 1/5/08 (Just Us, Just We). See jazz CDs page for details, tune list and soundbites.

The Roly Veitch Trio - -
Last but not least, I also have my own trio featuring a fine young trumpet/flugel player Noel Dennis and the great Neil Harland on double bass with myself on guitar/vocals. The music we play is, I would say, loosely in an intimate, Chet Bakerish style. Both Noel and Neil play with lyricism and sensitivity. I much admire their approach to playing jazz. We have recorded this trio - an an even mix of instrumentals and vocals based on 'American Songbook' standards. For more info. about the CD 'Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams' see the jazz CDs page.

HEROES (guitar etc.)
Over the years I have grown to love Jim Hall's playing. As I have learned about jazz music over many years and arrived at my own perspective on the qualities needed to be a good jazz player, I have come to the view he is one of the great jazz musicians of all time. He is unique in the sense that he has created a very personal, instantly recognisable jazz guitar style quite distinct from anyone else. Furthermore, his sense of form, structure, beauty and balance when soloing, based on compositional devices, put him at the highest level of jazz improvising. I think in many ways Pat Metheny has developed the Jim Hall approach, in his own unique style. Bill Frisell is another guitarist influenced by Jim Hall but who has created a totally individual, personal approach to music which is very special. Both are great players.
I much admire Canadian Ed Bickert and Gene Bertoncini is another wonderful guitar player (see links).
For acoustic swing style rhythm guitar, I love Bucky Pizzarelli's playing and wonderful time feel.
There is a wonderful b/w movie clip of the Basie rhythm section on Youtube with Freddie Green - that's how it's done!
There are many fine jazz guitarists working in the UK - Phil Lee, Dave Cliff, Jim Mullen, Martin Taylor are just a few of the greats. And Louis Stewart? Well - I think he is one of Europe's greatest jazz musicians. To hear a little of his phenomenal playing check out 'Youtube' for his solo on Horace Silver's 'Nica's Dream'. Fantastic playing by any standard. There is a raft of great young UK guitarists gaining recognition too. One such is Graeme Stephen from Aberdeen, I've been to two of his gigs recently and I'm knocked out by his unique and phenomenal playing.
British Jazz Musicians - we should be proud to have some of the finest jazz musicians in the world and perhaps some of them should get more recognition here in the UK than they do. For example, players such as pianist John Taylor and saxophonist Stan Sultzman.

THE LOCAL SCENE
It seems there has always been a healthy jazz scene on Tyneside and indeed around the north east, with a good cross section of styles too. This has never been more true than just now with traditional jazz bands including a 9 piece ragtime orchestra, mainsteam swing outfits through to modern ensembles embracing all the jazz developments since the 50s, including freely improvised music. Fantastic!
What is of particular note is that in the past couple of years it seems there is suddenly a whole raft of great young players coming into jazz, causing quite a buzz. It's a lovely thing to see. Among them are some good organisers/catalysts too, players such as Paul Edis, Ben Gilbert and Noel Dennis. These players are the future of local jazz and deserve every support.
For more information on the local scene, refreshingly unbiased towards any particular style, check out Lance Liddle's blog. Titled 'BEBOP SPOKEN HERE', it includes photos of local musicians past and present, reviews and comment. Lance is building up quite an archive and it is well worth browsing through it. Highly recommended. See links page for access.

IN SUMMARY
As I see it the guitar is just a tool for playing jazz music. I like all types of jazz instrumentalists, particularly those who play with extreme sensitivity. I think most jazz pundits would agree that a good jazz player needs a very subtle sense of time and touch combined with harmonic knowledge and melodic flair. Taking that as fundamental, I think it is this hyper-sensitivity which adds the magical extra dimension.
Among my favourite players are Bix ("still aint nobody played like him yet"), Lester Young, Bird, Clifford Brown, Sonny Rollins, Zoot Sims, Wes Montgomery, Stan Getz, Paul Desmond (check out those Hall/Desmond quartets), Richie Kamuca, Chet Baker, Warne Marsh, Bill Evans, Sheila Jordan, Dave Frishberg, Jim Hall, Tom Harrell, Ornette Coleman, Janusz Carmello and the UK's very own Roy Williams, who is a wonderful melodic player of world class stature. In general I listen for good jazz time, sensitivity, beauty of tone and subtlety of touch - I think if a player has those ingredients you can do a lot with very little - if you don't I'm afraid you can't do much even with a lot - if you see what I mean. And less is definitely more, as they say. I tend to like music which is minimalistic, or at least with with plenty of space to allow the music to breathe. Seems we are back to Jim Hall and Paul Desmond?
I prefer music played in a warm, sincere and unpretentious way. Particularly vocals, which I like to be delivered without gimmick, mannerism or in any way over-stylised. Rebecca Kilgore epitomises this type of natural, honest approach.
Finally I would like to mention one of my favourite albums - the final recording 'Richie' by Kamuca & Mundell Lowe, made only a few months before Ritchie passed away. He was only 46. It has to be one of the most beautiful and emotional of all jazz recordings. I've just about worn that one out over the years.

Roly Veitch

22nd Aug 2008


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