The Blue Jazz Quintet/Take it to The Bridge Jazz Workshop April 18.

(Review by Ann Alex.)
Karen Rann, Jeff Smith (saxes); Chris Finch (Keys); Dave Parker (double bass); Michael Howard (Drums, not the MP); Andria Moffatt (Vocal). Plus A.N.Other (vocal) 

The assembled souls were treated to an evening of delightful and varied jazz from the Blue Jazz Quintet. They opened up with a bebop standard, Ladybird, which featured solos from everyone (except the drummer), and swopping 4s between tenor and soprano saxes. Coltrane’s Impressions, included a 10 bar addition on piano, composed by Chris Finch. Clever stuff. 

A very atmospheric On Green Dolphin Street took us to a superb version of Willow Weep for Me which included a lyrical soprano sax solo from Karen and ended with some lovely bowed bass. Alice in Wonderland is a tune that I find amusing as it sounds nursery-rhymish, or is it just me having a second childhood?

If I Were a Bell was followed by Andria Moffatt, a student of the Sage jazz-singing class, who stepped up to the mike to give us a lovely strong-voiced version of I Got Rhythm. The performance ended well with Blue Monk, many solos, including Michael having a spirited drum work out and Dave Weisser joining in on flugelhorn at the end. 

This band are special friends of the singing class as they are ‘our’ band, who play for us during some of our sessions, and accompany us at our end of term gigs at the Jazz Café. But I swear to you that they gave a really enjoyable performance, honestly, it’s not because they are Just Friends! 

Dave Weisser leads this weekly session and also plays a mean flugelhorn. Tonight, Take it to the Bridge consisted of Dave on trumpet, flugelhorn and vocals along with bass guitar; drums; and keys. They opened and closed the night with several numbers including Born to be Blue, with vocal from Dave. And I really should know the names of the band (sorry!) because I got to sing with them and they were very cooperative to a singer who had never met them before, but this is what jazz-singing is all about, so it was a good experience. We did All of Me and It Don’t Mean a Thing, and people seemed to enjoy it. Then it was time to go, and I got soaked and had to walk through a flood at Chillingham Road Metro Station. 

As I said, this is what jazz-singing is all about! 

Ann Alex