Wooster-Dunmall Quartet @ The Bridge. July 17th

Sam Wooster (trumpet), Paul Dunmall (tenor saxophone), Mark Sanders (drums), Chris Mapp (double bass). A day of cats and dogs weather-wise no doubt deterred some yet there was a healthy turn out for Jazz North East's latest On the Outside free jazz gig.

New kid on the block trumpeter Sam Wooster was in the exalted company of reeds maestro Paul Dunmall and first-call free jazz percussionist Mark Sanders together with the emerging talent of bassist Chris Mapp. Dunmall has been a frequent visitor to Tyneside over the years but somewhat surprisingly this was the first time he had set foot in the Bridge. On entering the upstairs room he said ''Nice room''. This has been a common reaction by several visiting musicians new to the venue. It certainly does have an ambiance particularly suited to intimate, small group performances. The beer selection is always excellent and on this occasion the Oxfordshire brewery was represented at the bar - it went down well.

The quartet chose to play acoustically and in retrospect perhaps Wooster should have been on a mic as Dunmall produced a full, big sound and when in overdrive with drummer Sanders it was sometimes difficult to hear the trumpet. Wooster isn't, on this showing, a powerhouse show off type. He was very much into the group dynamic, listening to the others, particularly Dunmall and the intricate trumpet/tenor interplay produced variously divergent then parallel lines. Sanders was on the case throughout - he knows the vocabulary inside out - and bassist Chris Mapp proved to be more than capable (his sound and approach suggested he is likely to be a rather good straight ahead player).

A good session with quite a few CD sales on the night. The gig was a joint promotion by Jazz North East with Jazz Action's Splinter @ The Bridge. Next week's Jazz Action session, the last of the season, features the mighty ACV (7.30 pm, £5.00. on the door). Russell.