Omar Puente appearing at Matt and Phred’s in Manchester on Saturday
Al Di Meola’s latest acoustic-oriented album takes the music of The Beatles as its theme and the guitarist returns to Ronnie Scott’s this week for two nights from tomorrow. All Your Life was recorded at Abbey Road appropriately enough and tracks include ‘In My Life’, ‘And I Love Her’, ‘Because’, ‘Michelle’, ‘I Will’, and ‘Eleanor Rigby’. Di Meola is followed with a club debut by hard bop supergroup Lineage, featuring a front line of trumpeter Byron Wallen and saxophonist Tony Kofi, with a rhythm section of fine straighahead pianist Trevor Watkis, bassist Larry Bartley, and UK-based American drummer Rod Youngs. Expect some Woody Shaw tunes, perhaps ‘Moontrane’, and a Tony Williams tune or two such as ‘Citadel’. Ronnie’s also welcomes back Fred Wesley for a couple of nights with his Jimmy Smith tribute and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band taking us into the weekend. Over the road at Pizza Express Jazz Club saxophonist Renato D’Aiello performs his Stevie Wonder tribute on Tuesday and Wednesday, and there’s radio friendly funk and fusion from Shakatak from Thursday to Sunday. The late night Friday jam session, hosted by Whirlwind records, is worth catching to kick off the weekend in some style. Big highlight at the Vortex in Dalston is the appearance of the Tom Rainey Trio on Wednesday, the Pool School band that three years ago marked late starter Rainey’s first foray as a leader. Drummer Rainey has worked with Tim Berne, Wilco’s Nels Cline, and piano giant Fred Hersch to name just a few of his stellar associations, and appears for these must-hear appearances with hardcore German avant garde saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock, and Brooklyn guitarist Mary Halvorson, probably the hottest new guitarist on the New York improv scene right now. There’s some fine improv with Tony Bevan, Eddie Prevost, Trevor Watts and John Edwards the next night and then Gilad Atzmon celebrates his fiftieth birthday on Friday and Saturday with his band the Orient House Ensemble. There’s also a film charting the controversial saxophonist’s career to date showing on Friday as part of the run. Highlights at the 606 in Chelsea this week include Skydive playing the late set on Tuesday, and alto great Peter King on Saturday. In Soho singer Jo Wallfisch plays the Spice of Life earlier on Wednesday with Brandon Allen band following her the next night. Beyond the capital the Sam Crowe group play Dempsey’s in Cardiff on Wednesday, while John Etheridge appears at the Spin in Oxford in party mood the next night. Violin star Omar Puente plays Matt and Phred’s in Manchester on Saturday.
Tickets: http://www.ronniescotts.co.uk / http://www.pizzaexpresslive.co.uk / http://www.vortexjazz.co.uk / http://www.606club.co.uk / http://www.spiceoflifesoho.com / http://www.jazzatdempseys.org.uk / http://www.spinjazz.com and http://www.mattandphreds.com