A blue sky spring day. A train ride into the Deep South of Bebop Spoken Here Land. The Park Inn, Hartlepool , noon . A pint of Black Sheep, a packet of dry-roasted, the musicians arrive in dribs and drabs. The room was soon standing room only. They’ve done this before, some of them for twenty years or more – musicians and audience alike.
Mick Donnelly’s Musicians Unlimited know countless tunes, so too the band’s loyal followers. A favourite of one and all at this gig is vocalist Bob Caswell. A veteran of the scene, he worked the room with consummate saloon-bar ease. All of Me, You Make Me Feel So Young, I’ve Got the World on a String, Day In, Day Out, the list goes on and the applause went on and on. Mr. Caswell is a class act and it was a joy to hear this first class band behind him.
Returning to Tyneside it was time for a bite to eat then on to the Sage via the Jazz Café’s jam session. It was early (house bass player Paul Grainger and pianist Alan Law were sitting having a natter), six o’clock is early in this joint - the advertised start-time was two o’clock or three o’clock depending which piece of publicity you read. Proprietor Keith Crombie operates on CrombieTime, a little known parallel universe and those of us not of this other world know we must sit and wait and wait…Law began to play a blues – it was good but it was time to go.
The Sage, on the south side of the river, was about to present three of the very best regional youth big bands. Paraffernalia, the premier big band in the portfolio of the Gateshead Music Service performed with distinction at the recent Great North Big Band Jazz Festival. The programme at the Sage included The Chicken, Theme from Bullitt and Birdland. The seven-strong saxophone section comprised no fewer than six talented female musicians. It is to be hoped that they continue to make their way in the jazz world.
Tees Valley Youth Big Band boasted a powerful trumpet section and tackled a challenging arrangement of Herbie Hancock’s Chameleon.
The third band to take the stage in the magnificent Hall One at the Sage was Jambone. The band, based at the Norman Foster designed facility, boasts some of the very best young musicians from the north east (some drawn from the ranks of Paraffernalia and Tees Valley Youth Big Band) and has the privilege of working with many of the jazz world’s greatest musicians (workshop and in concert). Woody Herman’s Apple Honey works every time - instant impact, a ‘rabble rouser’ without a doubt! The short set concluded with Andy Sheppard’s Gas and Air. The finale brought together all three bands (about sixty musicians) for a blast on Dog House and Live and Let Die.
Where next? A swift walk over the Swing Bridge
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