Mark Williams (gtr); Chris Finch (tpt); Paul Grainger (bs).
(Review by Lance)
There Will Never Be Another You was the opener. I looked around the Jazz Café and couldn't help but think that there will never be another place like this.
Outside, the black and white shirts were staggering about but they knew, from past experience, that they wouldn't be allowed inside. A shirt with Birdland or Village Vanguard may have made it...
Mark Williams is quite simply a brilliant guitarist pulling out some quite amazing runs and phrases. Woe betide anyone who has to 'follow that'! Chris, sensibly, didn't instead he responded with some minimalist trumpet playing..
Chris, recently, came to grief on a slippery floor whilst carrying a couple of pints and, as such, has to forgo piano playing in favour of his second instrument - trumpet.. The fall caused tendon problems and piano playing, he said, is out of the question - or so we thought!
With Paul Grainger on bass, the trio managed Time after Time, Billies Bounce, But Beautiful, Beautiful Love and All The Things You Are - (when in doubt...)
The venue was filling up with the cosmopolitan crowd The Caff attracts - Irish, Chinese, European - even someone from Hebburn (me!) Kaveh Emami took some photos (see above) and the band took the stand once more. This time Chris opted to play one handed piano which he did effectively on Bye Bye Blackbird after which it was time for me to say Bye Bye and head across to the Central Bar.
As I left Ray Truskett entered with bass guitar. Ray, last I heard, was heading west for his winter sojourn in Florida however, it seems, ill health caused him to postpone his departure. No doubt his doctor recommended taking the healing waters dispensed from behind the bar by Dr. Crombie.
The Jazz Café is a gem - it is unique!
Lance.
No comments :
Post a Comment