Zoe Gilby Quintet @ Saltburn Jazz Centre - Friday 13th November

Zoe - vocals ; Andy Champion - double bass ; Noel Dennis - trumpet & flugel horn ; Richard Brown - drums ; Mark Williams - guitar. As Mark Williams and I arrived in Saltburn tonight, darkness rained heavily on the small seaside town yet, lucky for some, the Community Centre was bathed in a welcoming ecclesiastical light with a large banner proudly announcing : JAZZ CONCERT TONIGHT ; "Are you sure this is the place?!"

Inside, all was cosily organised with table-clothed and glowing-candled settings, arranged in sweeping arcs around a 'giant 4 poster bed' of an artists' area. Quoting from Saltburn's Community website: "The hall was completed in April 1910 as a Primitive Methodist Chapel. It is an historic building with Grade II listing constructed of glazed brick and a slate roof. It is heated by gas fired central heating radiators." Fascinating stuff and what's more, it was literally packed with expectant jazz fans - such a contrast to The Georgian Theatre Stockton - the warm welcome from the organisers even extending to drinks being pressed into the hands of the band as they arrived - such a human touch, nice! This was a passionate 'back with a vengeance' performance, after Zoe's 3 week absence due to a throat infection and, surprisingly, in a venue that projected the sound of the band without any clashing echos, although it may be worth considering a PA when beyond a trio, to let Zoe's voice dominate the mix on all sides. I'd not heard the announced "Zoe Gilby+quartet" with a trumpet/flugel frontline before but I was soon impressed as Noel pulled a variety of lively chromatic rabbits out of the hat with his cool Chet Baker kind of blue magic! Zoe's standards were high as usual and, nearing the end of the 1st set, I got another chance to attempt to work out the duo arrangement of 'Nice Work if You Can Get it', as the rest of the band were sent to get the interval drinks. Unfortunately it is for sure, 'Nice Work' but I just can't 'Get It' - how do they do it? With the voice/bass counterpoint, the extended melody harmonics - could be Lydian Dominant meets Abbott & Costello: it's just SO clever and pulls out all the tricks in Andy's amazing conjurer's cabinet. Zoe's a great fan of writer Dave Frischberg (Fresh-Mountain) and, rallying those like-minded women in the hall who expect equality to be weighed in their favour, ordered up her sweet in the 1st set with her slinky delivery of Peel Me A Grape - "....Don't just do it, jump to it!" So it was in Set II that those who are fed up with being told to avoid what those kill-joy scientists tell us just might kill us, got another rare heartfelt Frischberg number - 'Forget About Living' with its list of all the things we like that are bad for us, concluding that without a bit of excess, "..you might as well be dead!" A sort of Dorothy Parker reversal. I just love their treatment of 'Caravan' and tonight we got a deftly delivered drum solo from Richard Brown of the highest order - you were there with him on camel-back - a great sound. Meanwhile Mark Williams is thankfully never predictable - every solo he takes, he takes it easy but he really does take it! This was a showcase performance of the highest order.

George M.