Great North Big Band Jazz Festival @ Campus, Sunderland University. Saturday 6th March.

Chief BSH correspondent Lance Liddle reviewed Friday night's excellent concert featuring the BBC Big Band's Paul Jones in concert with the Festival Big Band at the Bonded Warehouse on the south bank of the River Wear. The concert served as an hors d'oeuvre to the main course of two days of the best in big band jazz. A short riverboat shuffle (were there such a thing) across the river to Sunderland University Students' Union's north bank 'Campus' HQ and the music resumed at that well known jazz hour - eleven o'clock Saturday morning.

----- The Youth Section opened proceedings with four bands taking part: Durham County Youth Big Band, Paraffernalia (a Gateshead schools' band directed by David Blakey), Northumberland Youth Jazz Orchestra (directed by Dave Hignett) and Wigan Youth Big Band. Durham County Youth Big Band swept the board - Outstanding Soloist, Best Section (saxophones) and Best Band. The Open Section attracted a large number of bands from the north east and beyond. Durham University Big Band rattled through a few numbers including Arturo Sandoval's 'Rhythm of Our World' (good work on trumpet/flugel by Ian Hartley) and 'Fascinating Rhythm'. Durham University Alumni Big Band (directed by Shaun Eland) and North Tyneside's Strictly Smokin' Big Band featured in their ranks Budvivarian keyboards man Chris Finch. One of the tunes Finch & co. played was the Yellow Jackets' 'Go-Go'. During his time on stage Finch coped admirably as all about him collapsed - well, the legs of his keyboard fell apart. Undeterred, our piano man said 'play on!', balancing the keys perched on his lap - this was improvisation at its best! The Strictly Smokin' outfit, with Steph Adams taking the vocals, took on a more contemporary tune in Oasis' 'Wonderwall'. Adams was one of several vocalists to be commended during the two days of competition.

Another pop tune - the Average White Band's 'Pick Up the Pieces' - was in the set list of Lancaster University's competition entry. One from the jazz canon, Neal Hefti's 'Lil Darlin'', featured perfectly realised muted trumpet work from Jenny Hughes. Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra, a big band with a big reputation, arrived in Sunderland a little late having set off from Lancashire at a very early hour only to encounter traffic problems en route. The band got down to business straight away and their offering included Lennie Niehaus' 'Monday's Child'. Jennifer Grimshaw played some excellent flugel horn on this one. The orchestra's tenor saxophonist won the prize for Outstanding Soloist. A team of Black 'n' Whites (aka Newcastle University Jazz Orchestra - the inaugural winner's of this event seven years ago) ventured into hostile Red 'n' White Mackem country (Sunderland to the uninitiated) in an attempt to run off with some glassware; Sunderland, being home to the National Glass Centre, commissioned glass trophies were somehow appropriate. The orchestra performed as a standing unit, eschewing the conventional arrangement of chairs and stands, creating a vibrant street-band feel to the performance similar to the Chilli Road Band or the anarchic 10th Avenue Band.

Last up for examination was the Leeds College of Music Big Band. This band was superb. From the first few bars there was only one winner. Dynamic arrangements, razor-sharp sections, no contest. The band's rhythm section won a Special Prize and Best Section prize and the full band scooped the prize for Best Band. An evening concert followed featuring Leeds College of Music Big Band, Durham University Big Band and Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra. Russell.