JAZZ IN EUROPE AND JAZZ IN THE VALLEY

by Norman Warwick

Tonight!

Non Dou Fooleesha

The Ribble FM Jazz & Blues Show

9pm – 11pm

A refreshing take on the jazz genre in all its forms. This engaging two-hour show spotlights new contemporary music from across the spectrum, from the north of England to the heart of urban America, rural Africa, and the trampoline. Also regular features on the music of artists performing at the Ribble Valley Jazz and Blues Club plus opportunities to get your self involved in making and enjoying music.
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A Party for Mad Friday!

Friday 17th December

This all-star 6 piece band includes: Trombone – Dennis Rollins MBE,
Saxophones – James Morton,Guitars – Phil Stevenson,
Keyboards – Alex Stanford. Drums – Joshua Gumbs,
Bass – Tiago Coimbra Fresh

The Party Night begins at: 7pm

7.30pm – 8pm Ribble FM Jazz Show playing dancey jazz music
8pm – 8.45pm Dennis set 1
8.45pm – 9pm – Interval
9pm – 9.45pm Dennis set 2
9.45pm – Encore
9.50pm – 10.20pm – Ribble FM Jazz Show playing dancey jazz music
10.30pm – curfew

photo alison

Ribble ValleyFestival News April 29 – 30 / 1 – 2 May 2022 Early May Bank Holiday Weekend

Alison Rayner Quintet

This is a stunning coup for the festival programmers!
If you’ve not heard the Alison Rayner Quintet before then please listen to them here. Link to Youtube

Thanks to the team at Ribble Valley for sharing this information. We follow sidetracks & detours to hear reports of some excellent jazz in Europe,

LOVE, JOY AND DEDICATION TO MUSIC

Kim Cypher playing JAZZ IN EUROPE

by Norman Warwick

We all define success in different ways and I like to think, that seeing people achieve their dreams in turn inspires us to achieve our own, whatever they may be. Our journeys to reach these dreams, differ and for Kim Cypher following her heart has led her on a road paved with hard work, dedication, self-belief and gratitude. Gigging at the world-famous Ronnie Scott’s in London, is an ambition for many and Kim is about to greet that milestone with excited and very open arms. Kim spoke to Rolling Stone about how pleased she is to achieve that ambition.

Ronnie Scott’s…what can I say? As a jazz musician, Ronnie Scott’s and the story behind it absolutely epitomizes what we stand for. It’s about having that total belief in music and following your dreams. Ronnie Scott and Pete King’s story is so inspiring. They were a great team and they created this amazing intimate and welcoming venue, presenting legendary names in jazz, where everyone is united in their love and respect for great music. There is no better inspiration to follow your dreams. Performing at Ronnie Scott’s has been a dream of mine and my husband’s for as long as I can remember. To walk in the footsteps of incredible jazz legends and to perform on stage at this iconic venue is just mind-blowing. Musicians who perform there are ‘guardians’ of the club’s reputation and continuation of that incredible dream to present the world’s best jazz. There can be no greater honour!

I am a huge Courtney Pine fan (right). I have seen him performing ‘live’ many times. But, to see him with his ‘House of Legends’ tour at Ronnie Scott’s was incredible. Courtney is an artist who really connects with his audiences and so the intimate setting is perfect to really get that connection and share all the excitement. I was in awe that night.

I’m trying not to think about, too much, the enormity of playing at Ronnie Scott´s! There will naturally be a great deal of excitement leading up to the gig and also nerves. We will all want to do our very best to fulfil the honour, but, that’s the same for any performance. In terms of practice and sorting out the set list, the timing of the gig as we come out of lockdown means that the band has not been performing as regularly as we were. For me personally, I am trying to fit in as much practice as I can to build my gig strength back up after 16 months without gigs. But ultimately, we are really looking forward to being reunited with wonderful, loyal supporters and friends. We have a great set including some new material and it will all be about sharing a wonderful time together. There might be a bit of over-excitement though!

We have gone straight back on the road, sionce lockdown was opened up and its been, in a word…AMAZING! I feel emotional just thinking about it now. Having to stop doing what we do and what is the heart and soul of us as musicians and performers has been the hardest thing. It’s not just a job that you can give up and find an alternative for, it’s part of your whole being and who you are. I missed all my bandmates so much. They are an extended family. I missed seeing everyone and that unique connection music allows with an audience. It’s only now, getting back out there that you can truly realise how happy it makes you feel and how much you have missed it. So, it’s great to be back and even more great with a gig at Ronnie Scott’s in the diary.

If there are musicians out there who fear they might never have the opportunity to play at Ronnie Scott´s, I feel thier pain and I’ve been there! But resilience is the name of the game. You can’t expect to just walk into one of the world’s most prestigious jazz clubs and be handed a gig on a plate. Ronnie Scott and Pete King deserve the very best. So, of course you need to ensure your music and performance is up to scratch. Then, if my ‘journey’ is anything to go by, you can expect to work your socks off for years, establishing yourself as an artist, setting yourself apart, getting into the London scene, building up a following, basically serving an apprenticeship to be entrusted as a ‘guardian’ of the club’s reputation. It may be a long, tough path but with resilience, determination, self-belief and hard work it will be worth it. Trust me, I’m still pinching myself!

I think, if anything, the lockdown period made me really appreciative of what I do. I feel I am getting back out there with more passion and more determination to really give people a positive, happy experience. In a way I feel quite emotional about it all, what everyone has been through and I know the power of music to bring people together and lift spirits will be needed more than ever now. I have always been a heart and soul performer, but I think I am even more so now.

The people who support my gigs are amazing. I cannot express often enough my gratitude towards them. They are part of my journey and mean the absolute world to me (hey, I’m putting on a coach from Cheltenham to bring my local supporters along to Ronnie’s!) So, I would hope they leave my gig feeling happy, energized, excited, part of a family and connected by a mutual love of music, kind of a big musical hug…just what we all need right now.

Kim (right) and Mike Cypher (also see our cover photo) finally appeared on the main stage at Ronnie Scott’s on Sunday 1^st August 2021 for the Sunday Lunchtime Jazz session together with their fellow band-mates Chris Cobbson on guitar, Anders Olinder on piano and Mike Green on double bass. Tickets have already sold out, including a coach full of local supporters who have been very much part of Kim and Mike’s musical journey so far. There is always a warm and very special atmosphere shared between Kim and her audiences, a wonderful connection and a mutual love and respect.

Soon after interviewing saxophonist, composer, vocalist, radio show host and writer Kim Cypher to talk about her upcoming debut at Ronnie Scott’s in ‘Kim Cypher: Catching Dreams’ published in jazz in Europe, Fiona Ross attended the gig she had previewed.

Moving from preview to review mode, she began her follow up report by saying, ´(this was) a milestone moment for Kim and the cause of much excitement, not just for her but for her supporters. This was quite a night.

Kim explained ‘Performing at Ronnie Scott’s has been a dream of mine and my husband’s for as long as I can remember. To walk in the footsteps of incredible jazz legends and to perform on stage at this iconic venue is just mind-blowing. Musicians who perform there are ‘guardians’ of the club’s reputation and continuation of that incredible dream to present the world’s best jazz. There can be no greater honour!’

I was fortunate enough to attend Kim’s debut performance at Ronnie Scott’s, Fiona (left), herself an excellent jazz vocalist who knows how to make an album, reflected, and unsurprisingly, it was a lunchtime to remember and for all the right reasons. The club was packed, as it always is, but there seemed to be a special, slightly different buzz about the place this time. Something warming and comforting. I couldn’t quite place what this was for a while, but then I realised that the crowd was full of Kim Cypher supporters and fans, many of whom had travelled down from Cheltenham on a coach, and that this was their first time at Ronnie Scott’s. The love and joy people feel for Kim has never been more evident that during this gig.

One of the many wonderful qualities about Kim, is that she makes you feel at home. Comfortable but not in a pipe and slippers way, she does it in a warm, welcoming and honest way. You feel at ease, able to be yourself, ready to just sit back and enjoy some great entertainment. The banter with her husband, drummer Mike Cypher is brilliant and throughout the gig we were treated to some beautiful and hilarious anecdotes and insights into the life of these two wonderful musicians from Mike’s brand-new trousers to Kim’s custom-made glittery glasses. It makes you wonder why they are not on television with the Kim and Mike show. It would go down a storm.

Kim brought her beautiful unique style and energy to her Ronnie’s performance with her ‘cheeky numbers’ and her signature flower in her hair (see right) . Joining Kim, as well as husband Mike Cypher on drums, were Mike Green on bass, Chris Cobbson on guitar and Anders Olinder playing Ronnie’s gorgeous Yamaha CF6 grand piano. Superbly tight and assured performances from these stellar musicians and each musician had many moments to shine and share in the energy and excitement. Kim’s set choices were carefully selected with the audience in mind and the connection was immediate. Her rendition of Peggy Lee’s classic ‘I Love Being Here with You’ had a little bit of extra magic and seemed especially heartfelt. You shared in her joy of making her debut at Ronnie Scott’s and realised that she really did love being there.

On an incredibly rare occurrence, the audience were allowed to take photos, which is normally strictly forbidden at Ronnie’s with only their official photographers allowed to capture the artists, which they do so beautifully (special shout out to Carl Hyde and Monika S Jakubowska for their stunning work). This did lead to a wonderful outpouring of love and comments on social media during and after the event, with the audience sharing their thoughts along with some great photos and their clear enjoyment of the show.

Kim finished her performance with a song from her ‘Love Kim x’ album written by Chris Cobbson, ‘A Time to Reflect, A Time to Forget’. A perfect ending to a wonderful show. For a brief time, we were able to forget about everything, reflect on how fortunate we all were for being able to sit at Ronnie Scott’s captivated by a fantastic artist. Kim truly sparkled throughout the gig. From her dress and custom-made glasses to every note she played and sang. And by the end of the show, the audience were all sparkling too.

Mike and Kim also chatted to award-winning jazz vocalist Ian Shaw on Jazz FM’s Ronnie Scott’s Radio at 9.00pm on Friday 30^th July, ahead of their performance at Ronnie Scott’s. Kim and the band returned to London on Friday 3^rd September for a performance at the Crazy Coqs venue at Brasserie Zedel.

More information about Kim Cypher can be found at her website here.

Ermine Yardley, also for jazz In Europe, then previewed a new book by a photographer who also has special connections with Ronnie Scott´s, a venue we have regualry featured on these pages, with many articles still stored in our easy to negotiate archives.

´In a world that’s so used to reading on mobile phones, tablets, iPad and other electronic devices, “Jazz Noir” is not just a proper book, but also a testament to the good art of publishing, reading and looking at a book that’s made of paper´! So said Ermina Yardley, writing for Jazz In Europe about a newly published book featuring the photography of Carl Hyde.

Carl has been photographing jazz for well over 10 years and has been photographer at Ronnie Scott’s since 2014. His works have been featured on Musica Jazz (Italy), Jazz in Europe, Ubi Bene (Germany), Rake magazine (Russian edition), The Financial Times, The Guardian, The Observer, The Times, The Daily Telegraph, UKVibe, Kind of Jazz, Jazzwise, Jocks & Nerds magazine. Several of his works are also adorning the walls of “Upstairs at Ronnie’s”, some of them being large prints of his photos. Next time you are there for a gig and a drink, look around and you will discover how stunning these photos are!

The book is the ﬁrst in a collection (to come) from a vast catalogue of works spanning over a decade from live performances, sound-checks and backstage shenanigans.

The primary sources for this article were pieces written by Fiona Ross and a book review by Ermina Yardley all published in the wide-reaching Jazz In Europe magazine.

In our occasional re-postings Sidetracks And Detours are confident that we are not only sharing with our readers excellent articles written by experts but are also pointing to informed and informative sites readers will re-visit time and again. Of course, we feel sure our readers will also return to our daily not-for-profit blog knowing that we seek to provide core original material whilst sometimes spotlighting the best pieces from elsewhere, as we engage with genres and practitioners along all the sidetracks & detours we take.

This article was collated by Norman Warwick, a weekly columnist with Lanzarote Information and owner and editor of this daily blog at Sidetracks And Detours.

He is also a founder member of the Joined Up Jazz Journalists (JUJJ) with Steve Bewick, writer, poet and radio presenter of Hot Biscuits weekly jazz programme, Gary Heywood-Everett, jazz writer and local historian and Susana Fondon, contributor and reporter at Lanzarote Information. The purpose of forming JUJJ is to share a love of jazz music at the same time as growing our knowledge of the genre to provide an increasingly comprehensive service for our readers and listeners.

Norman has also been a long serving broadcaster, co-presenting the weekly all across the arts programme on Crescent Community Radio for many years with Steve, and his own show on Sherwood Community Tadio. He has been a regular guest on BBC Radio Manchester, BBC Radio Lancashire, BBC Radio Merseyside and BBC Radio 4.

As a published author and poet he was a founder member of Lendanear Music, with Colin Lever and Just Poets with Pam McKee, Touchstones Creative Writing Group (where he was creative writing facilitator for a number of years) with Val Chadwick and all across the arts with Robin Parker.

From Monday to Friday, you will find a daily post here at Sidetracks And Detoursas and should you be looking for good reading over the weekend you can visit our massive but easy to navigate archives of over 500 articles.

The purpose of this daily not-for-profit blog is to deliver news, previews, interviews and reviews from all across the arts to die-hard fans and non- traditional audiences around the world. We are therefore always delighted to receive your own articles here at Sidetracks And Detours. So if you have a favourite artist, event, or venue that you would like to tell us more about just drop a Word document attachment to me at normanwarwick55@gmail.com with a couple of appropriate photographs in a zip folder if you wish. Beiung a not-for-profit organisation we unfortunately cannot pay you but we will always fully attribute any pieces we publish. You therefore might also. like to include a brief autobiography and photograph of yourself

in your submission. We look forward to hearing from you.

Meanwhile we are grateful to our regular correspondent Michael Higgins and occasional reporter Steve Bewick and the sharing of information by such reliable sources such as

Hot Biscuits Jazz Radio www.fc-radio.co.uk

AllMusic https://www.allmusic.com

feedspot https://www.feedspot.com/?_src=folder

Jazz In Reading https://www.jazzinreading.com

Jazziz https://www.jazziz.com
Ribble Valley Jazz & Blues https://rvjazzandblues.co.uk

Rob Adams Music That´s Going Places

Lanzarote Information https://lanzaroteinformation.co.uk

all across the arts www.allacrossthearts.co.uk

Rochdale Music Society rochdalemusicsociety.org

Lendanear www.lendanearmusic

Agenda Cultura Lanzarote

Larry Yaskiel – writer