Jazz

All that Jazz – in one little shop?

Did you know that we stock lots of jazz on CD and vinyl? It’s all here, from Julian ‘Cannonball’ Adderley to Lester Young, so come in and have a browse.

We have an excellent selection of jazz LPs, many in beautiful condition. At the time of writing (May 11, 2016), the core of it is jazz guitarists, such as Joe Pass, Jim Hall, Wes Montgomery, Tal Farlow and Barney Kessel. But there’s also albums by great British jazz musicians such as Kenny Wheeler and Stan Tracey, small group ‘classics’ from Miles Davis and Dave Brubeck, and glorious big band outings from Ellington, Kenton and Basie. More recently we’ve acquired some great early jazz by Louis Armstrong, Johnny Dodds, Jelly Roll Morton and King Oliver. Any one of the above would make a splendid addition to the collection of a serious jazz enthusiast.

Our jazz CD section has also expanded (I have retired some other stuff to make room for it), with bargain-priced box sets by Mingus, Monk, Ben Webster and others. I should also mention that we have BBC archive recordings of Dixieland and Trad Jazz including ‘Jazz on the Island’ and nine volumes of ‘The Best of British Jazz’.

For the uninitiated, the different genres of Jazz can appear bewildering, but we can help with simple explanations. Although subjective, we can describe it as ‘tuneful’ or ‘challenging’, ‘relaxing’ or ‘exciting’. Don’t hesitate to ask if you want to hear some music. Provided the item is not new and sealed, we’ll play some recordings to help you decide what kind of jazz you like.

Like classical music – in which modernist composers used older styles to re-create the past but with a modern edge (‘a dash of mustard’, as someone succinctly put it about Stravinsky), Jazz has had its revivals too. For example, the UK Trad Jazz boom in the late fifties and early sixties paid homage to the 1920s and 1930s music of Louis Armstrong and others.

We stock musicians as stylistically divergent as Chet Baker and Archie Shepp, Duke Ellington and Henry Threadgill. I am wondering if a natural bias towards my favourites – Charlie Parker, Gerry Mulligan, Charles Mingus and Duke Ellington – is a good or bad thing. You had better let me know!

Folk, blues and beyond…

Davy Graham’s classic genre-spanning second album from 1965 says it all, and we have it all! I have just replenished the folk and blues CD sections, which now have an excellent range of material and include some uncommon artists and titles. Like the jazz section, there is also second-hand stock available.

Skinner and T’witch

Skinner and T’witch are a Leeds-based duo performing ‘songs to melt the heart’, with driving rhythms, intense harmonies, and inspiring lyrics. Their album, Rise, features T’witch’s flair for harmonies, Steve Skinner’s flamenco guitar style, and the jazz improvisation of Mike Jordan (The Woodman). Together, it’s a powerful mix. Skinner & T’witch combine many influences including British folk, flamenco, musicals, classical and world music, much of which is woven into their original material. I love their music and am sure you will too.
Visit their website to hear the title track http://www.skinnerandtwitch.com Email us to buy this beautiful album @£12.49 (including postage) orders@pandcmusic.co.uk  or ‘phone 01423 504035. And in the shop it’s just £10.99!

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