Jazz - Howard Alden

When swing jazz first hit the scene in the States in the 1920’s the high energy it produced led to aficionados inventing a frenetic dance which became all the rage and helped push the genre’s popularity sky high. The Charleston became the Lindy Hop became the Jitterbug became the Jive as swing continued to thrive. Stan Getz continued the tradition in the sixties; in the eighties there was a resurgence of a more modern version of swing jazz in the States, thanks to a number of artists such as Howard Alden, Scott Hamilton and Ken Peplowski. Guitarist Alden was proclaimed by Jazz Times as being ‘the best of his generation’ and has played with the likes of Woody Herman, Benny Carter and Dizzy Gillespie.

When he last came to play at the Lewes Jazz Club back in 2004 he recorded a live album of the gig, which he is currently touring the UK to promote. It is called Howard Alden’s UK Four Live at Lewes. With Alden on that momentous occasion were Geoff Simkins, the local saxophone star and teacher, UK bass virtuoso Simon Woolf and drummer Steve Brown. He is returning tonight with virtually the same line-up, with British Jazz Award-winning drummer Bobby Worth replacing Steve Brown. It is doubtful whether Lewes’ faithful collection of jazz aficionados will reproduce the sort of mad dancing which led the Nazis and Soviets to brand the genre ‘degenerate’ and ban it from the dancehalls in the 30’s and 40’s. But you never know. Scott Hamilton and Ken Peplowski are booked to appear shortly at the club. Watch this space. AL