Jazz expert Chris Howes is an award-winning promoter who has worked with many leading musicians. He lets readers know what's hot on the local scene

Just in case you're still looking for something on which to spend those book tokens from Great Aunt Flo, here are a couple of tasty goodies for which there was no space last week. They are tailor-made for discriminating News Shopper readers.

The best book I ever had on the blues I lent to a friend in the 1970s. Since then I've seen neither him nor the book. Imagine my delight at finding that The Story of the Blues, by Paul Oliver, has been re-issued at £12.50. Its expert and committed research is perfectly balanced with a friendly-but-coherent style which mines the great depth and variety of the music's history.

The 1959 Miles Davis album, Kind of Blue, is said to be the biggest-selling instrumental jazz recording of all time. Speaking as someone who struggles to keep all my financial records intact for the accountant for just one year, I'm dubious about trusting sales records for a more than 40-year period of re-issues and record company changes.

No false hype has been needed for this music and a book, Kind of Blue, The Making of a Masterpiece, gives us some revealing insights into the personalities in the Davis band at the time and into the interaction on the sessions themselves. Author Ashley Kahn seems to have thought about little else but this recording over the years. It's available at £12.99 and both of these books can be had by mail order from Helter Skelter Books on 020 7836 1151.

Tonight (Thursday) one of the liveliest and most endearingly-witty musicians on our local circuit launches an exciting new band at Oxford Street's 100 Club: Gillespiana, playing the big band bebop of Dizzy Gillespie.

Alto-saxist Pete Long has the flair and technical command which make playing and band leading seem effortless. He's famed for his Echoes of Ellington band and without him in charge of Jools Holland's Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, the piano man would be unable to wax loquaciously at us on TV.

Long will be back locally, this time in a small-group setting, at Maidstone's Music Room on January 4 and at the King's Head, Bexley, on January 7.

New Year's Eve at Beckenham's Pizza Express offers a late licence till 12.30am, table reservation service on 020 8650 0593 and great live music from 10pm. Popular local singer and jazz personality Julia Doig will be singing with one of the UK's classiest pianists, Brian Dee.

December 20, 2001 10:08

Chris Howes