The Hawk plays Bop @ Blaydon Jazz Club. Oct.4.

Steve Andrews (tenor saxophone & clarinet), Graham Hardy (trumpet & flugelhorn), Jeremy McMurray (piano), Andy Champion (double bass) & Adam Sinclair (drums).

(Review by Russell).

Steve Andrews is a regular and most welcome guest at Blaydon Jazz Club. The Cumbrian based reedsman, known for his love and encyclopedic knowledge of the classic jazz era,  chose to work in the company of a younger generation of musicians. House pianist Jeremy McMurray hooked up with first call bassist Andy Champion and drummer Adam Sinclair. Andrews’ frontline partner, brass virtuoso Graham Hardy, proved to be an inspired choice. 

The set list ranged from ..Don Byas to Hoagy Carmichael to Tadd Dameron to Horace Silver. A brisk How High the Moon (where was Ruth Lambert when we needed her?) set the ball rolling. At its conclusion Andrews joked that it was time for the interval. The senior member of the quintet had warmed up nicely, slightly out of breath! On the Don Byas’ reworking of Perdido Andrews featured on tenor before switching to clarinet. Hardy’s flugel and Andrews’ clarinet on Everything Happens to Me mellowed the tone as a prelude to a rip roaring Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (anyone seen Ms. Lambert?); Hardy’s trumpet work circled Sinclair’s hi-hat and Andrews’ quick fire quote upon quote peppered fours with Sinclair. Time for another beer but not before hearing the Geordie classic Oot iv Nee Where (Out of Nowhere). 

A bottle of Cocker Hoop ordered , the talk at the bar wasn't so much about the Toon being 3-0 up (versus Bordeaux), rather the streaker at the match – female, apparently. Hmm…the jazz at Blaydon or the rumoured ‘entertainment’ at the Sports Direct Arena? Yeah, stick with the jazz. The raffle was fixed. Two of the three prizes went to the band and entourage. Now I know times are hard but really…supplementing the musicians’ meager fees with a bottle of plonk! 

Sister Sadie cracked the whip at the restart; trumpeter Hardy jumped to it and bassist Andy Champion hit the heights. Andrews’ clarinet featured on Skylark underpinned by Hardy’s muted trumpet. The quintet spoke bebop on Tadd Dameron’s A Bebop Carol and Bird’s Now’s the Time (excellent trumpet on the former, excellent tenor and trumpet on the latter). Steve Andrews appeared to be delighted to work with such accomplished musicians. Fulsome in praise, he complimented drummer Adam Sinclair on his wearing a tie (!) and acknowledged his ‘sensitive playing’. A pattern is emerging…Alan Barnes has praised Adam Sinclair, Bebop Spoken Here has championed the talents of Sinclair and now Steve Andrews. St Thomas closed proceedings on an appropriately upbeat note. 

The next gig at Blaydon Jazz Club on Thursday 1st November features the Paul Edis Sextet. It promises to be a contender in the Gig of the Year stakes. Oh, by the way, Adam Sinclair is in the star-studded line-up. And one other thing…the raffle wasn't fixed.

Russell