Whitley Bay International Jazz Festival Day 3 - Evening

La Retaguardia Jazz Band (Chile) - pictured above.

Matthias Seuffert Sextet and Cecile McLorin Salvant (International) - pictured left.

Matthias Seuffert (ten), Jean-Francoise Bonnel (tpt/ten), Martin Litton (pno), Martin Wheatley (gtr), Malcolm Sked (bs), Nick Ward (dms), AND Cecile McLorin Salvant.

For me, if there has to be one defining moment of this happy festival (happy yet sad that there will be no more) it was the set I caught by Matthias and that wonderful singer Cecile McLoen Salvant.

I missed her previous sessions which were tributes to Billie and Bessie but I praised the Lord for passing me the ammunition to catch this one.

Okay so I only heard three numbers by her but I loved every one. Everything I Have Is Yours, Anything Goes (including the verse) I even forgave her for taking a breath in the middle eight! (it's not easy - try it) and a gorgeous rendition of Born To Be Blue.

This was superb songstering - sheer poetry. Needless to say I hurried back for the second set but the word was out and Kelly's Stables was full.

In the photo above the audience appear to be looking elsewhere, - this was due to the fact I had to take the picture via a mirror.

I'll repeat the name Cécile McLorin Salvant - YouTube her here. On this particlular clip Jean-Francoise Bonnell plays piano. Tonight he played tenor and cornet truly an amazing player!

Matthias blew good tenor on what was ostensibly a tribute to Don Byas. I wondered if this was the first time a Tadd Dameron tune - Good Bait - had been played at Whitley Bay?

This was good middle of the road stuff. Matthias said, and I quote, "We're usually considered too modern for the classic jazz festivals and not modern enough for the modern jazz festivals."

He'll do for me!

The other band I caught tonight was La Retaguardia Jazz Band from Chile.

Hard to believe that, only a few miles away, another Chilean, saxist Claude Werner, was playing at The Trojan Rooms, Whitley Bay, as part of a fringe festival.

La Retaguardia opened up with spirited versions of Wang Wang Blues and Stevedore Stomp delighting the large audience and proving that this really was an international festival. Excellent interpreters of classic jazz, they are based in Santiago and appear regularly on Chilean TV - take note BBC and ITV. I wanted to stay longer but the appeal of Cecile was too strong and I left to return to Kelly's Stables but, alas, there was no room at the inn.

Nevertheless, this effected me the opportunity to chat with Colin Aitchison, Our Man In Hong Kong, over here on a flying visit. No doubt Colin will be dropping in somewhere for a jam. With him was his nephew who is also a BSH visitor.

That's the beauty of Festivals and concerts - you always meet someone unexpected - and vice versa!

There was more Jazzfall this past weekend in and around the Coast than you get in the average month.

Lance.

PS:All may not be lost for the future. Organiser Mike Durham, providing he gets enough interest, has outlined plans for a JAZZ PARTY at the same venue on the 4-6 of November 2011. I'll be posting more details shortly.