Alan Barnes (clarinet, tenor & baritone saxophone), John Hallam (clarinet, alto & baritone saxophone), Tom Kincaid (piano), Frank Grime (bass), Gaz Hughes (drums)(Review by Ray.)
Unusual I know, but my first thought was to the Clash's Should I stay or should I go now ....a quick phone call to Les confirmed that the great snowdrift had indeed passed either side of the A1....our escape from the confines of four walls was on ...whistling The Great Escape we made our way cheerfully back to the real world of first class jazz ....
"Jazz in the Spa" again attracted a full house of 100+...good to see the younger generation was with us too.
As a taster, the guys opened with As Long as I Live with solo's all round included...cue anticipating grins from the audience as we awaited the feast ....Oh Lady be good, Duke Ellington's Cotton Tail and I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart, Gerry Mulligan's Bernie's Tune, You Go to my Head (like the bubbles in a glass of Champagne) ...and finally to take us into a well earned (and late) break ..Sideways.
The first set had seemed to fly by.....the combination of the two classy reed players leading the line with such style and fervour with the diligent smooth backing of a very talented trio was a delight to behold.
The rain had started to fall outside, but inside all was still sunshine ...second set kicked off with Just Friends before the beautiful melody of Poor Butterfly - a track heard all too rarely unfortunately but much appreciated. The all important raffle saw us produce a winning ticket for a home made Dundee Cake from the "Burns night" themed goodies ....a little something to remember our night !
I digress ...Have you met Miss Jones ? moved us along nicely before we upped the pace and "let the train take the strain" with Count Basie's 9.20 Special then In a Mellow Tune before returning to the rails for the last ride with Duke Ellington's signature tune Take the A Train.
Another great jazz night at the Spa ...their weekly contribution to local and live jazz is a joy, thanks guys !
Ray
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