Super Sunday @ The Jazz Café

Sarah Travena (sop); Pete Gilligan (pno); Ray Truskett (bs); Eric Stutt (dms).

Alan Law (pno/alt); Lindsay Hannon (vcl); Julija Jacenaite(vcl).

A late start but well worth the waiting for with some moments that defined what the Jazz Café and jazz itself is all about.

Sarah set the pace with a fine version of Besame Mucho - chorus after chorus fell, seemingly, effortlessly beneath her fingers - the lines as lithe and sinuous as her endless legs.

Pete Gilligan was back into the two-handed world and his playing showed little restraint from his recent fracture - truth is his solo on There Will Never Be Another You fractured the audience including a couple of guys up here working on a Vanessa Redgrave movie. The Jazz Café where the elite meet to hear some great jazz.

Eric Stutt and Ray Truskett drove things along although personally I prefer a four string bass to a six stringer. Nevertheless, Ray did the business.

Lindsay arrived with Alan on alto and they did Blue Monk very effectively followed by an up-tempo version of Down With Love (Yip Harburg?) - Lindsay really nailed that one!

Alan moved over to piano and a new star appeared in The Galaxy - Julija Jacenaite.

A Lithuanian lady, Julija really made her mark. Don't ask me what the song was - maybe it was called For You - if it was it was for me for you and for everyone who heard it. It was blues it was ballad it was rock with a Tina Turner like intensity.

As earthy as anything I've heard in the last 100 years - let's hope she sticks around Newcastle.

Lance.

PS: Photos to follow.