(Click on images for larger pictures)
With a repertoire stretching from the be-bop era through to the classic Blue Note period Rebop always prove a popular draw throughout the region. The front line of Paul Higgs, Kevin Flanagan & Colin Watling generates a powerful sound whilst the rhythm section led by Chris 
Ingham keeps the heat on. What a night to remember – loud applause after every tune.
Rebop is a jazz repertory aggregation specialising in the arcane art of bebop and related music. Formed originally as a quintet to examine the repertoire of the modern jazz explosion circa 1944-1949, featuring a faithful homage to the Miles Davis With Kevin Flanagan – alto saxophone; Colin Watling – tenor saxophone; Chris Ingham – piano; Andrew J. Brown – bass; Roger Odell – drums
Influences: Bird, Dizzy, Miles, Fats, Tadd, Bud, Monk, Bill, Red, Philly Joe, Paul C, Jimmy C, Wynton, Cannonball & Trane.
Rebop are:
CHRIS INGHAM Piano.
Trained as a drama teacher at Warwick University before succumbing to the music, he played guitar in misunderstood art ‘n’ b combo The Locomotives and was pianist/vocalist in the Flanagan Ingham Quartet who released two albums (Zanzibar and Textile Lunch) and were described by The Observer as ‘one of Britain’s most original bands’. He is jazz piano and jazz voice tutor at Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge and can be heard with the bebop repertory quintet Rebop.
As an erstwhile music journalist he has contributed to Mojo magazine since 1996 and has published three books; Billie Holiday, Rough Guide to the Beatles, and Rough Guide to Frank Sinatra.
As a music producer he records regularly for Union Square Music and recently produced the Latin lounge album “The Day Is Done” for Dutch bossa nova diva Saskia, and provided the solo piano soundtrack for the DVD Under Review: Lennon & McCartney.
He lives in Suffolk with his family and a Yamaha G5 grand piano
KEVIN FLANAGAN Saxophone
Kevin comes from Lowell, Mass., USA. He initially studied music and philosophy at the University of New Hampshire, and was part of Antares, a free improvisatory group that toured the New England through the mid-70s to early 80s. During this period he was also involved in jazz, blues, and popular music, both recording and performing. He settled in the UK in the mid-80s, and worked on the London jazz and pop scene, playing and recording with members of Pink Floyd, Ben E. King, the Sex Pistols, Jools Holland, Led Zeppelin, B.B. King, Portishead, and many others. By the late 1980s he was primarily involved with jazz, playing with his own 
group or with musicians such as Dick Morrissey, Alan Barnes, Dave Newton, Gerard Precenser, Don Weller, Dave Cliff, Mark Edwards, Adrian Utley, and the Tommy Chase quartet around the festivals of the UK and Europe, such as Brecon, Edinburgh, Soho, and Bath in this country; and festivals in Milan, Paris, the North Sea festival, Poland, Portugal, Sweden and others. He has put out two successful CDs with Chris Ingham as the Flanagan-Ingham Quartet, and is presently collaborating with Dave Gordon in a series of poetry settings of the Pulitzer-prize winning Beat poet Gary Snyder.
As a graduate of Goldsmith’s University, he specialized in analysis and post-1945 music. This was followed by an MA in composition at Anglia Ruskin University with Richard Hoadley, which resulted in the first SPNM commissioned performance of Like Miles by the London Metropolitan Orchestra. The most recent commission was Mode for Joe II, was performed at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. His PhD in composition was with the composer Martin Butler at Sussex University, and is collaborating with composer/pianist Dave Gordon and poet Maolcolm Guite in the Riprap spoken text series with series of UK poets; Ruth Padel, Grevel L
indop, and Gwnyeth Lewis.
COLIN WATLING Saxophone
Colin specialises in tenor sax and offers the full gamut of musical styles in his performances from soft and mellow, through to boppy and brassy….. and always in great humour. Colin is rated by many as one of the most exciting tenor saxophonists on the circuit with his melodic, swinging sound.
PAUL HIGGS Trumpet
Paul has an extensive music career in many fields including performing, composing for film and TV, musical directing for companies such as the Royal National Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company, and arranging music for film and TV. He is particularly sought after as a brass arranger within all mediums 
and genres of music.
He is most renowned as one of the UK’s leading trumpet players and works both as a performer and session musician. He has performed for luminaries including Sir Peter Maxwell Davis, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Lulu, Tony Hatch, John Williams, Vic Damone, Nancy Wilson, Brook Benton, Jackie Trent, Al Martino, The Foundations, Danny Williams, Rolf Harris, Johnny Dankworth and Shorty Rodgers.
BERNIE HODGKINS Double Bass
Bernie was tonight depping for the Reverend ANDREW 
JAMES BROWN on Double Bass.
Inspired by an uncle, who played and recorded with Django Reinhart and Stephane Grappelli in the legendary Quintet de Hot Club of France,Bernie grew up in a Jazz-oriented family.Their influence led him to become a respected bass player behind such people as Matt Munroe,Dickie Valentine and Dennis Lotus, in the early stages of his career. Bernie is particularly acknowledged as being one of the few players to bring an authentic, driving jazz feel to both the double bass and the bass-guitar, and for his fluent and creative soloing. Tonight Bernie was playing his 5 string double bass with the extra C string.
ROGER ODELL Drums
As one of the founder members and drummer with the jazz-funk group Shakatak,Roger has toured internationally and recorded numerous CDs, which he continues to do on a regular basis to this day. Musically, his first love was always straight-ahead contemporary jazz, and in the past he has played with many of the great names on the UK scene including Don Rendell, Barbara Thompson, Dick Morrissey, Terry Smith, Joe Harriott
and countless others. He produced his own CD “The Blue Window” by Beatifik, which featured top UK saxophonist Mornington Locket, and was released to great critical acclaim. Roger is the author of three technical articles which appeared in the international magazine Modern Drummer, and is an Endorsee Artist for Sabian Cymbals, Remo Drums, Vic Firth Sticks and Hardcases.
What a great play list we had tonight:
1. Jeannine by Duke Pearson (who was nicknamed by an uncle who admired Duke Ellington’s music). Personal memories of this tune come from the 1960 Riverside album of The Cannonball Adderley Quintet – Them Dirty Blues. An up-tempo number which was imaginatively played by Rebop.
2. Milestones written by John Lewis came to fame on the album of the same name recorded in February and March 1958 with the famous line up of Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones. A perfect foil for the Rebop sextet who of course specialise in music of that period and was played at a 
medium tempo in a fantastic West Coast Cool Jazz style.
3. Ghana by Donald Byrd. A great example of the classic Blue Note hard bop sound, Played tonight with a Cuban Rhythm accentuated by Roger Odell’s powerful back beat with a superb solo from Chris Ingham as well as the front line.
4. Parisian Thoroughfare – Bud Powell’s composition from 1958. The up and down scales which are quite dominant in this number gave us an exciting and very different rendition which seemed to echo the horns tooting from the heavy Paris traffic jams – beautifully simulated by Paul Higgs on the trumpet. Even the smell of Garlic was there! Great 4 bar trades between Roger on the drums and each of the horns.
5. Speak No Evil which is also is an album by Wayne Shorter, recorded on 24 December 1964 and released on Blue Note in 1965. The music combines elements of both hard bop and and modal jazz played aty a medium tempo.
6. Mamacita the 1963 composition by the tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson which evoked the feeling of the American clubs of that era where they encouraged dancing to the jazz performances. Highlight was Paul Higgs on the muted trumpet within the overall Rebop 
sound played up-tempo. A tremendous finish to the first set.
Following the Jazznights raffle of 3 jazz cd’s and a bottle of wine. the Rebop’s second set commenced with:
7. The American hard bop jazz pianist Cedar Walton’s Bolivia is perhaps Walton’s best known composition. Ethan Iverson the pianist, composer, and critic once quoted ““Man, who’s going to go up and play ‘Bolivia’ for Cedar with me?” They said, “No way.” They’re not going to embarrass themselves. And I said, “Man, you think Cedar hasn’t heard 1,000 mediocre versions of ‘Bolivia’? He won’t give a shit if we go up there and play ‘Bolivia’ badly, he’ll just enjoy the tribute.” He really would have appreciated this fine performance from Rebop.
8. Barbados is a jazz tune composed by Charlie Parker. It is a twelve-bar blues set to a mambo rhythm. Parker first recorded it on 29 August, 1948, with Miles Davis (trumpet), John Lewis (piano), Curly Russell (bass) and Max Roach (drums). Again the Latin influence was accentuated by Roger and with Kevin Flanagan doing the Bird thing on Alto.
9. A personal favourite On Green Dolphin Street (originally entitled “Green Dolphin Street”) was a 1947 popular song composed by Bronislau Kaper. The song, composed for the film Green Dolphin Street(which was based on a 1944 novel of the same name by Elizabeth Goudge, went on to become a jazz standard after being recorded by Miles Davis on muted trumpet, John Coltrane on sax, and Bill Evans at the piano. Played at the original medium tempo.
10. Milestones – take 2. Played with less chords but at a rapid tempo somewhere between 250 and 300bpm I would have thought!
11. Blue in Green is the third track on Miles Davis’ 1959 album, Kind of Blue. One of two ballads on the LP (the other being “Flamenco Sketches”). It has long been speculated that pianist Bill Evans wrote “Blue in Green”, even though the LP and most jazz fake books credit only Davis with its composition. In his autobiography, Davis maintains that he alone composed the songs on Kind of Blue. The version on Evans’ trio album Portrait in Jazz, recorded in 1959, credits the tune to ‘Davis-Evans’.
12. Anthropology (1946) Written by Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie (which as we all know of course is the academic study of humanity apart from of course this fine composition! The speed that this number was played at was EXTREME. The front line doing battle with each other but there was no outright winner – a glorious tie. A fantastic finale. Encores echoed so they had to go for one more – an unusual but great choice:
13. The Peanut Vendor (original title: El Manisero) is a Cuban song based on a street-seller’s cry, and known as a pregón. It is possibly the most famous piece of music created by a Cuban musician. The Peanut Vendor has been recorded more than 160 times, sold over a million copies of the sheet music, and was the first million-selling 78rpm of Cuban music.
A superb gig very sadly came to an end.
Jazznights presents the best in modern jazz at:
The Function Suite, The Cherry Tree, Knowl Green, Belchamp St Paul, Suffolk, CO10 7BY.
Tel: 01787 237263 Admission £8. Doors 7.30pm. Music 8.00-10.30pm.
Reserve your table seating on 01787 237653 or email. Pay on the night.
Food available and can be served before or during the performance.
For further information go to www.jazz-nights.com
The following gig is on:
Sunday 20th Jan – GILAD ATZMON (saxes)
Never a dull moment when Gilad is around! A monster musician on both saxophone and clarinet, his previous performances at Jazznights have always been among the highlights of the year. His busy schedule includes international touring with the Orient House Ensemble and his “Charlie Parker with Strings project”.
Moreopinions's Blog at Jazznights 