Vasilis Xenopoulos (ten); Paul Edis (pno); Mick Shoulder (bs); Adam Sinclair (dms).Arguably the most underrated tenor player around, Vasy once more delighted the Blaydon fans on this his second visit. The Grecian Firebird swooped, he soared, he launched a thousand Helen of Troys with a flurry of notes. This was Lester, this was Bird, this was Zoot, this was Vasy at his swingingest.
Jazz as I know it - timeless.
The PET provided the purrfect backing - these cats can hold their own anywhere and Paul's solos were the biz even by his high standards. I didn't want to leave, I wanted the session to last forever but the 22:50 number 11 bus waits for no-one - not even for jazzicated Joes reluctant to return to the Planet Earth.
Anyone who missed this gig will lie awake and think about what might have been.
However, all is not lost for these unfortunates. Tomorrow they can be heard at Saltburn and on Saturday evening at Durham.
For the record numbers played were, Hot House, I'm Old Fashioned, a Brazilian piece by Barney Kessel, Minor Chant by Stanley Turrentine, a Vasy original - Memories of Home - and Wee (aka Allen's Alley) in the first set and Indiana/Donna Lee, Dat Dere, Jobim's Once I Loved and Blues for The Geordie Gang - a tribute to his accompanists.
Photos from Jerry Edis who tells me that I missed You Don't Know What Love Is, Job Shufflebottom (Roly's original is now firmly entrenched in the Great Blaydon Songbook) and Samba De Janeiro (?).
Lance..
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