On the Outside Festival. Saturday October 10. Part 2

The Saturday evening session, the third of five across the weekend, was supported by several music students from Leeds College of Music. The first set they heard featured Gunter Sommer and Rudi Mahall. Well, you couldn't do better than to introduce students to the free jazz scene with characters such as these on stage. The set will will go down in history as one of the greatest to be heard in these parts. Too much to tell, not least the contributions of Chevillon and Fuhler, so if you see anyone you know who was there on the night, just ask them about it. How to follow it? Well, the authoritative playing of Rob Brown was called for and there he was on stage with MacDonald, Tomlinson and Wilson. The sets throughout the weekend are programmed by Paul Bream (and the musicians themselves). So, was this a master stroke or simply good fortune? A mixture of the two to be truthful. Paul says you never know what will happen on the night. The penultimate set of day two brought together once more Mahall and Sommer with cellist Marcio Mattos and the prodigiously talented Chris Sharkey. Guitarist Sharkey, hot foot from an engagement at the Marsden Jazz Festival, arrived in time to say he was really looking forward to playing this particular set. He wasn't disappointed. The eccentrics that are Mahall and Sommer were quite brilliant, Mattos a class act and Sharkey loved it! The sustained applause at the conclusion of the performance was well deserved. The second day drew to a close with an unusual proposition; five string players and Cor Fuhler. One observer suggested it could be 'string heavy'. The instrumentation was at the suggestion of pianist Fuhler (his alter ego performs as 'Cor Blimey' - yes, he is a wit!). The playing was engaging, strings singing as if they were reeds. Take a bow Messers. Champion, Chevillon, Levin and Mattos. Take a bow too Cor Fuhler.

Russell