Greg Abate (alt/fl); Alan Barnes (alt); Stu Collingwood (pno); Mick Shoulder (bs); Adam Sinclair (dms).(Review by Lance.)
Jazz North East was rewarded for presenting this imaginative line-up by a near capacity audience and deservedly so.
American, Greg Abate played a great gig here a year ago - pairing him with his UK counterpart Alan Barnes promised to be something special.
From the opening bars of Sweet and Lovely we just knew just how special this session was going to be. The two altos laid done a bench mark that was constantly raised as the evening progressed. Stu Collingwood, stepping into the Edis breach maintained the standard set by the horns and Mick The Shoulder had his say before the two front men went into an 8 bar exchange that became a 4 bar and then a two bar. Adam Sinclair responded admirably.Star Eyes was like hearing Charlie Parker in stereo. Barnesy - slippery as an eel - Greg as smooth as silk.
Solar had the altos slugging it out in a pier 6 brawl that resulted in honours even.
Jag, an Abate original based around the chords of When Light's Are Low, and named after his 3 children, was done as a samba and played by the composer on flute. The flute/alto combination .made for a good contrast to the two altos.
Marti, written by Birmingham pianist Johnny Patrick and featuring Abate on alto was positively sensuous. Marti must be quite a woman to inspire such a song!
Bird's Segment brought the set to a close. This was already an unforgettable evening and we were only half way!
Another Abate original opened up the second set - I didn't catch the name but it had some rich harmony from the two altos as well as some exciting interplay between them.
I must again mention the sterling work put in by the north-east rhythm section. Messrs Collingwood, Shoulder and Sinclair handled the difficult task of jumping in at the deep end with the minimum of rehearsal and no safety net save their professionalism.
Kenny Barron's Voyage brought to mind the Oliver Nelson/Eric Dolphy track Altoitis as tonight's two altoists soared like a Bird with the velocity of a Cannonball.
Barnes' The Wye Blues was followed by his solo feature Spring is Here - this had an Ellington/Strayhorn feel to it. Alone Together brought things almost to a close but not before they'd played pure Bebop on Dizzy's Bebop. This was the only way to finish - nothing could follow that!
Gig of the Year!
Lance.
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