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Formerly from the local area, Mick moved on to establish himself as one of the major players 
on the UK jazz guitar scene with his duo performances with Dave Newton and in the trio Organic Matters. His forte is hard-swinging, straight-ahead jazz with a contemporary Blue Note school approach.
Mick Hanson is one of the UK’s leading exponents of jazz guitar. His unique style is a masterful fusion of his early blues roots with the honest swinging jazz of the 50’s and 60’s. Mick has worked and recorded with many of the worlds best known performers including Eddie ‘Lockjaw’ Davis, Dick Morrissey, Brian Dee, Gordon Beck and Dave Newton, and recorded two critically acclaimed albums as a leader.
Mick was be accompanied by the Roger Odell Jazznights Trio. Larraine Odell opened the gig with her set of vocal standards.
The Jazznights Trio were:
Roger Odell – Drums
Roger was one of the founder members and drummer with the jazz-funk group Shakatak and 
the forerunner band Tracks. Roger has toured internationally and recorded numerous CDs, which he continues to do on a regular basis to this day. Apart from a great power drummer he is also a prestigious arranger. 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. Roger is the author of three technical articles which appeared in the international magazine Modern Drummer.
Steve Cook – Double Bass
Steve has a wonderful rounded tone with great 
clarity. He has played with Mike Westbrook, Mike Kilpatrick’s Duke Ellington Orchestra, Barbara Thompson, Soft Machine, Seventh Wave and Gil Evans big band at Ronnie Scott’s.
Simon Brown – Piano
Simon’s piano playing has long been the sound accompaniment of first choice for nationally and internationally known jazz stars appearing at Jazznights as well as Norfolk’s two leading jazz venues, He is also an accomplished soloist in his own right, blending vivacity and creative attack with often gentle lyricism. His influences are Oscar Peterson, Nat “King” Cole and Bill Evans. Since graduating from the University of East Anglia (UEA) in 1990, Simon has worked as a performer, teacher of piano and music arranger and regularly appears at the most popular jazz clubs in East Anglia. His involvement in Blues, Jazz and Jazz-Funk combos have led to appearances at many jazz 
festivals and has shared the billing with the likes of Jools Holland, The James Taylor Quartet, Stacey Kent and Bobby Wellins apart from his regular performances as a primary member of the Jazznights Roger Odell Trio.
Larraine Odell – vocals
Beginning her professional singing career with the group CMU with whom she recorded two albums, Larraine performed at numerous venues throughout 
the UK and Europe, including the Purcell Room, RFH. Boxford Fleece & Ronnie Scott’s.Larraine possesses a unique smouldering tonal quality and a subtle jazz phrasing style that has elicited great praise from two of her own vocal mentors, Mark Murphy and Sheila Jordan. “A sensitive singer who exudes a fine-honed jazz sensibility with every phrase.” She has since appeared at Ronnie Scott’s Club as a member of the group Jimpster, at the Boxford Fleece with pianist Steve Lodder, most of the other jazz clubs in the region, and at the Aldeburgh, Layer Marney and Southwold Jazz Festivals.
Larraine opened the her set with:
1. Alone Together (Music by Arthur Schwartz and Lyrics from Howard Dietz. First performed 
in the 1932 Broadway Musical, Flying Colours. Larraine sang this at a medium tempo with solos from Simon Brown and Steve Cook accompanied by the power drumming of Roger Odell.
2. The 1939 I Concentrate on You from Cole Porter followed at a slower speed and ended up as at a much slower speed due to mike and amp problems – immediately attended to be the acting sound engineers Simon Brown & Roger Odell!
3. Inspired by a visit last week to Cleo Laine’s concert at Bury St Edmunds, Larraine sang a beautiful ballad, the 1937 Easy Living which was very sympathetically supported by the trio.
4. Due to the earlier ‘glitches’ Larraine’s set was sadly cut short with an up tempo version of Old Devil Moon.
Mick Hanson then joined the band for his first set which included:
5. Rodgers & Hart’s I Didn’t Know What Time It Was (1939) was played at a medium tempo which allowed all the band t o truly ‘get involved’ with Mick.
6. An up-tempo version of the 1948 The Night Has a Thousand Eyes followed with Simon Brown on the Roland Keyboard. This was definitely not the Bobby Vee version! and was a wonderful example of the very unique qualities he uses in those very different styles of jazz guitar using the Latin rhythms. This was also a great opportunity to hear an extended solo from Roger Odell on the drums.
7. Body And Soul – (One well known jazz website ranks this tune at Number One and it is ranked highest because it has been included most often on currently issued CDs by the greatest number of jazz artists.) Despite all the times we have heard this being played the complex chord progressions never cease to delight when it is played by artistes such as Mick Hanson.
8. Cole Porter’s 1944 I Love You although at times it was difficult to remember that as it contained so many great quotes. (It has been said that “The song “I Love You” really hit its stride as a jazz vehicle in the 1950s with Bill Evans’ first recording of the song and John 
Coltrane’s powerhouse performance from 1957″)
Mick’s version was an up-tempo exercise in how to master the guitar and the resulting effect galvanised all the others with their solos and the 4 bar trades.
Following the interval and the Jazznights raffle of 3 jazz cd’s and a bottle of wine we had the traditional Jazznights sitting in spot which is open to all musicians who have an opportunity to play with the band. Tonight we had Geoff Harriman and his harmonica playing a medium tempo of All Of Me.
9. Jerome Kern’s 1933 Yesterdays (certainly not Yesterday by the Beatles) started the second set with Mick Hanson at a medium tempo with opportunities for all the band to express their interpretations.
10. Jerome Kern’s 1933 Yesterdays came next at a medium tempo with opportunities for all 
the band to express their interpretations.
11. The American jazz guitarist, composer and arranger’s composition Big Blues with a superb and inventive solo from Mick carried us forward.
12. Next we had a guitar solo from Mick Hanson Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most – usually associated with Frances Landesman’s lyrics sung by many jazz singers but this was just the music by Thomas J Wolf Jr. A wonderful choice t showing Mick Hanson’s superb interpretations and unique jazz artistry. Including extended quotes from Henry Mancini’s Dreamsville.
14. Composer Ann Ronell dedicated “Willow Weep for Me” to George Gershwin, the composer who helped her get her start in the music industry which has now developed in to a jazz standard. A very different interpretation again from Mick Hanson which reminded the writer of music from a Western film as they all rode away into the sunset!
15. Watch What Happens was written for the 1964 Les Parapluies De Cherbourg (The Umbrellas of Cherbourgh) by Michael Legrand, and was played with a Bossa Nova rhythm in the style of Antônio Carlos Jobim an an up-tempo rate.
16. Freddie Hubbard’s Little Sunflower turned in to a really fun number with some incredible sounds from his Guild guitar by re-tuning the bass strings and turning the Amp up!. Quite a fantastic finale to this evening of great jazz guitar. An evening that a nother full house at Jazznights thoroughly enjoyed.
Sunday 28th Apr – Jazznights features TOMMASO STARACE (sax). With his latest CD 
“Celebrating The Music Of Michel Petrucciani” by his Italian Quartet Tommaso continues to enhance his reputation throughout Europe. ‘He soars assertively when needed, cajoles and caresses with ‘molto’ lyricism on the ballads and demonstrates unequivocally that it is possible for contemporary jazz to be accessible’. Lance Liddle – Bebop Spoken Here.
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 open at 7.30pm. Music 8.00-10.30pm.
Reserve your table seating on 01787 237653 or email. Pay on the night.
Excellent food available and can be served before or during the performance.
For further information and future gigs go to www/.jazz-nights.com
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