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Kevin Flanagan and Colin Watling feature in a “Battle of the Saxes” brought to mind the famous saxophone duets of John Coltrane/Sonny Rollins and Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis/Coleman Hawkins. This proved to be a night of hard swinging fireworks from these two brilliant musicians in a programme drawn from the classic 40’s to 60’s period of modern jazz.
Rebop’s Kevin Flanagan and Colin Watling feature in a “Battle of the Saxes” brought to mind the famous saxophone duets of John Coltrane/Sonny Rollins and Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis/Coleman Hawkins. This proved to be a night of hard swinging fireworks from these two brilliant musicians in a programme drawn from the classic 40’s to 60’s period of modern jazz. Tenor Madness features the tenor saxophones of Kevin Flanagan & Colin Watling.
Dr Kevin Flanagan
Kevin Flanagan comes from Lowell MA, USA. He has been involved in jazz and blues, both 
recording and performing. He settled in the UK Kevin Flanagan Rebop Jazznights 180410 (7)in 1985, playing with his own group and with musicians such as Dick Morrissey, Alan Barnes, Gerard Precenser, and Dave Cliff. He has made two successful CDs with Chris Ingham as the Flanagan-Ingham Quartet and with Roger Odell
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.
Colin Watling
Colin Watling 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. He is a mainstay of the region’s jazz scene, the Hertfordshire-based tenor sax colossus.
Colin made a superb CD with Roger Odell, Mike Harris and Chris Ingham called We’re All Done.
The two tenors played with the Jazznights Trio who 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.
Simon Brown – Piano
Leading UK Jazz innovator and musical entrepreneur Simon Brown is a highly respected and popular jazz pianist who is equally known for his arranging skills. His bands include the quintet Beyond Cantaloupe featuring the music of Herbie Hancock, as well a the very popular Simon Brown Trio and Quartet. He is also a stalwart of the Jazznights Trio with Roger Odell and Bernie Hodgkins.
Dave Olney – Double Bass
Apart from his superb jazz accompaniments he has been a resident musician on both Parkinson and Strictly Come Dancing. including Rod Stewart, Ronan Keating, Dionne Warwick, Elaine Page. Elton John as well as Sooty & Postman Pat
The Master of Ceremonies was Larraine Odell
Tenor Madness opened the first set with some stunning extended versions of:
Billie’s Bounce is a 12 bar F blues written by Charlie “Bird” Parker. This is a great example of Bird’s bebop style written over a blues.
On Green Dolphin Street is a 1947 popular song composed by Bronislaw 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 in 1958.
Recorda-me written by Joe Henderson.
Pianist McCoy Tyner’s Search For Peace from his 1967 seventh album The Real McCoy.
Jeannine composed by Duke Pearson and was featured on the Cannonball Adderley album Them Dirty Blues, recorded in February 1960.
Following the Jazznights raffle of 3 jazz cd’s 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 the pleasure of Carol Bleiker singing Chestnuts Roasting In An Open Fire and Geoff Harriman playing Lullaby Of Birdland on his harmonica.
Tenor Madness then returned to play with the band further extended versions of:
Donna Lee. Although for generations “Donna Lee” has been credited to Charlie Parker, it was actually a Miles Davis composition based on the chord changes to “Indiana.”
Cantaloupe Island
is a jazz standard composed by Herbie Hancock and recorded for his 1964 album Empyrean Isles[1] during his early years as one of the members of Miles Davis’ 1960s quintet.
While in London, Hollywood songwriter/conductor Johnny Green wrote Body and Soul for Gertrude Lawrence. Jack Hylton & His Orchestra recorded the ballad first in Britain, but it was Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra (Jack Fulton, vocal) who popularized it. Their recording hit the charts on October 11, 1930, and held the number one spot for six weeks.
Dolphin Dance is a tune written by pianist Herbie Hancock. This tune was recorded on Hancock’s hit 1965 record “Maiden Voyage”.
Anthropology was tune written by Charlie Parker. It is a bebop head based on the chord changes of George Gershwin’s tune “I Got Rhythm”
Sandu is a 12 bar blues written by the great trumpeter Clifford Brown.
This was an absolutely stunning exhibition by masters of the tenor sax and a supporting trio of the highest calibre in East Anglia. I good candidate for Gig of The Year
Sunday 1st January 2017 – ALAN BARNES (saxes)
One of the most popular jazz musicians in the UK and a winner of numerous awards. “Barnes plays music that was radical 50 years ago – hard, urban post-bop – but he infuses it with so much passion and energy you could believe it was minted on the spot, which is always part of the story with jazz”. John L. Walters – The Guardian.
THE BEST IN BRITISH MODERN JAZZ is at Jazznights, The Bell Hotel. Clare, Suffolk. CO10 8NN
Admission £10. Doors open 7.00 pm. Music 7.30 – 10.00 pm.
Reserve seating on 01787 237653 or email info@jazz-nights.com
Pay on the night.
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For further information on future gigs go to www.jazz-nights.com
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