Simon Spillett @ The Corner House

Simon Spillett (ten); Paul Edis (pno); Mick Shoulder (bs); Adam Sinclair (dms).

Phew! I forecast that this Jazz North East gig would be good and it was - was it not?!

Every saxophone player in the region should have been there - listening, learning, then going home to practice or maybe jump off the Tyne Bridge!

From the opening bars of Jerome Kern's No One But Me it jumped. Spillett cruised through the changes with a dexterity (and I use the word advisedly) that few saxists could match. Simply awesome.

Tubbs' Off The Wagon kept the temperature high before cooling down with Lalo Schifrin's The Right To Love played with a Stan Getz feel to it. Oleo, taken at approximately twice the speed of light, got the adrenalin going at the same tempo. The set finished with By Myself - Fred Astaire sang it in the movie The Bandwagon - he couldn't have danced to this version!

This was some gig and there was more to come.

A special mention for the Edis Trio who matched the star every bar of the way complementing his solos and shining brightly in their own right. Adam Sinclair in particular held the bridge firmly as the tenor-man fired both barrels at him without removing the Steve Brown-like smile off his face.

Apart from his playing Spillett has developed a Ronnie Scott/Alan Barnes/Humph style wit that kept the audience amused in between numbers.

A pint of Bombardier was called for after this!

Second set and we were off to Royal Ascot for a five furlong sprint that culminated with another blistering round of fours. Five furlong sprint? This was the Gold Cup!

More announcements not least being the complimentary mention of this blog! Thank you Simon.

Where Are You? and more sumptuous balladry before Dizzy's Tin Tin Deo and a final Cherokee put the lid on a magnificent evening.

Come December there will be other nights like this but they won't thrill me etc.....

I will say it again - Phew!

Photos.

Lance.
PS: Catch the Paul Edis Trio at the Cherry Tree Restaurant, Jesmond on Monday Feb. 6.