Galaxy Class Performance by Tim Garland's Lighthouse Trio. Newcastle Uni.

Tim Garland (ten/sop/bs.clt.), Gwilym Simcock (pno), Asaf Sirkis (perc.) Hannah Jones (vcl). -----

This wasn't a gig it was a happening. As Johnny Mercer might say it was simply just "Too Marvelous For Words." I can't recall a recent gig where I've came away quite so breathless and elated apart from, possibly, the Voice of the North Jazz Orchestra at Stockton last year.

In truth, this was on a par with any gig I've been to - ever!

The music was free, as was the admission, it was as modern as 2020 yet, beneath the soaring flights and the strange foreign rhythms from Sirkis' frame drum kit and other pieces of exotica, there remained an underlying format that ensured the music didn't leave the building for too long.

To single out one player would be pointless; three talents of Galactic class united as one mega force.

For the finale we were treated to Hannah Jones and a soulful version of "At Last" followed by a rocking version of Bob Dylan's "Blowing In The Wind."

I hadn't encountered Hannah until this afternoon - I look forward to hearing her again.

I'm musically intoxicated and even the discovery after I'd got home that there'd been a case of Swine Flu at Newcastle University didn't dampen my enthusiasm!

Lance.

Photos.