Paul Baxter (double bass), Tom
Harrison (alto saxophone & flute), Tom Taylor (keyboards) & Jon Ormston
(drums)
(Review by Russell).
Harrison ’s alto
took it home.
Darkish, a darkish tune opened the set.Tom Harrison’s biting alto
set the tone with the spirit of Coltrane in the air. Pianist Tom Taylor
sketched out Monuments and Harrison eagerly stretched the canvas. The musicians
clearly enjoyed one another’s company - a smile, a joke - with Baxter anything
but the task master. The material was, for the most part, the bandleader’s, yet
the standard My Foolish Heart stood
out; intense alto, a beautiful piano part, measured bass playing and sensitive
percussion from Jon Ormston.
A chart by Egberto Gismonti saw altoist Harrison
switch briefly to flute resulting in the one occasion in which the sound
balance was less than perfect. No such problems on A To and a Fro (Tales from the Lane) and A Day in June - these were open pieces
inviting near free form explorations. If
Peggy Knew What Happened To featured the talented Tom Taylor and the man at the keys excelled
on the closing number Loads More Blues,
as did alto star Harrison, likewise bass man Baxter and drummer Jon Ormston had
some fun with a solo before
This was another good Splinter gig. One thing…where was the
audience? Was Charlie Parker on the telly? Well, whatever, you missed a damn
fine alto player, indeed a damn fine band. Maybe next time…and make ‘next time’
next week - Sunday November 25 – when there is an intriguing double bill of
Sonsale and the Tom Gibbs Quartet. Splinter has joined forces with Jazz North
East to present a world premiere performance by Sonsale featuring four
musicians, three of whom are known to Tyneside audiences. Gateshead
lad (and Splinter supremo) Andy Champion hooks up once more with vibes star
Corey Mwamba in a collaboration with two leading French musicians – the
brilliant drummer Sylvain Darrifourcq and Valentin Ceccaldi (cello). The other
half of the bill features pianist Tom Gibbs with Will Vinson (alto) and the
bass and drums pairing of Euan Burton and James Maddren. Make a note – the
session starts half an hour earlier than usual at 7:30 pm .
Russell.
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