Swingtime in Nairn – and Beyond 

KENNY MATHIESON runs an eye over the latest offerings from Ken Ramage’s annual Nairn swingfest

THE NAIRN ROSTER contains a comforting mixture of familiar names and newcomers to the festival. The usual bias toward traditional jazz and mainstream swing is readily apparent, but there are some younger exponents of these styles on view alongside the veterans.

 The festival kicks off not in Nairn but at the Universal Hall in Findhorn on Saturday 7 August, with two concerts featuring contrasting takes on well-established traditional jazz styles. French guitarist Bireli Lagrene (see LATE NEWS below) is a major international name, and makes his debut in the festival in a Django Reinhardt-inspired quartet. Martin Taylor described him as the greatest guitar player in the world, which is praise indeed from a man that many would regard as fitting that description himself.

 The second concert features another festival debut, in the shape of a band from New Orleans led by 30-something trumpet star Duke Heitger, whose CV includes playing on the chart-topping debut album by the Squirrel Nut Zippers in 1997. His love for the pre-war music of New Orleans and the swing era is palpable in everything he does.

Those whose tastes stretch to post-war jazz styles should on no account miss out on either pianist Monty Alexander (Newton Hotel, Sunday 8 August) or the superb Swing Quartet led by drummer Herlin Riley (Newton Hotel, Tuesday 10 August, and Universal Hall, Findhorn, Wednesday 11 August). Herlin is Wynton Marsalis’s drummer of choice, and comes to Nairn fresh from the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra’s latest European tour, which included a visit to Edinburgh for the jazz festival there.

“Jazz from the Windy City is strongly featured in this year’s festival”

Niki Haris, the daughter of pianist Gene Harris and Madonna’s backing singer for 17 years until she took time off to concentrate on singing jazz and bringing up her one-year-old daughter, makes a return visit to the festival (Universal Hall, Findhorn, Monday 9 August), as does another popular American singer, Jane Monheit, tacked on as a post-festival bonus (Newton Hotel, Monday 16 August).

Jane is not in the festival’s programme brochure, but she is coming; conversely, saxophonist Plas Johnson is in the brochure, but is no longer coming to the festival following intractable problems with suitable air travel arrangements. He was due to play with the estimable Mike Carr Quartet from London, and they will now fulfil the scheduled dates themselves (Newton Hotel, Thursday 12 August, and Universal Hall, Findhorn, Friday 13 August).

 Clarinettist and saxophonist Bob Wilber is always a popular visitor, and especially when he is teamed up with fellow clarinettist Kenny Davern in another meeting of their Summit Reunion partnership (Newton Hotel, Tuesday 10 August). Bob will also collaborate with another American clarinettist, Bobby Gordon (Newton Hotel, Wednesday 11 August). Kenny Davern also leads a quartet (Little Theatre, Nairn, Monday 9 August), while Bobby Gordon can be heard with guitarist James Chirillo (The Stables, Brodie Castle, Tuesday 10 August). Got that?

 Gordon is associated with Chicago, and jazz from the Windy City is strongly featured in this year’s festival. Yet another clarinettist, Chuck Hedges, will lead his Chicago Swingtet (Knockomie House Hotel, Forres, Wednesday 11 August, and Universal Hall, Findhorn, Friday 12 August), featuring the Benny Goodman-derived combination of clarinet, vibes and guitar.

Chicago in Nairn will feature a gala collection of musicians, including Hedges, violinist Johnny Frigo, trombonist Russ Phillips and trumpeter Bobby Lewis (Newton Hotel, Friday 13 August). Look out, too, for local man Alex Ross leading his Special Band with guests Tommy Whittle on saxophone, Bobby Gordon, and pianist John Sheridan (Invernairne Hotel, Nairn, Tuesday 10 August).

LATE NEWS: Bireli Lagrene is ill and will not be playing at the festival. Angelo Debarre, another leading French guitarist in the gypsy-jazz style, has agreed to replace Lagrene. Debarre is a master of the gypsy style at the peak of his career – his concert with Christian Garrick (violin), Dave Kelbie (guitar) and Pete Kubryck Townsend (bass) will offer a rare and exhilarating insight into one of the world’s oldest cultures and an opportunity to sample a truly European contribution to jazz.

© Kenny Mathieson, 2004