(Review by Russell).
The wood panelled Recital Room in Armstrong Building ,
Newcastle University
A gig is one thing, formal
assessment another. Mike chose three pieces, one for solo guitar and two tunes
accompanied by friends Ruairidh Patfield
(electric bass) and Lewis West
(drums). The solo piece - one of the great tunes - In a Sentimental Mood has
taxed the very best talents. In his recital notes, made available to the
listener, Mike referred to the Ellington/Coltrane recording: ‘This majestic version
gave me inspiration to arrange the piece for solo guitar’. So, the stakes were
high! Mike respected the melody and settling into his performance, improvised
effectively. One down, two to go. Our man in the spotlight introduced Ruairidh
and Lewis and somehow you just knew it was going to be alright. Blues on the Corner (McCoy Tyner) proved
to be an inspired choice. Mike observed: ‘the form of the piece is a twelve bar
blues however the harmonic extensions and the use of quartal harmony give it an
exciting edge’
You said it Mike! This was exciting.
Great playing with excellent support from bass and drums. At its conclusion one
or two of the assembled gave it the jazzer’s seal of approval with ‘Yeah!’. Was
this the done thing in a recital? Who cares! The Fall of Stout, a tune
by Scottish guitarist Kevin Mackenzie, concluded the examination. The trio got
to work on this one with space for Ruairidh and Lewis to do their stuff. Mike
and Ruairidh smiled as they exchanged ideas and Lewis joined in the fun on a freeform
section. I don’t know what the examiners thought but I reckon it was First
Class Honours. Catch Mike gigging around town. As Mr Weisser might say: ‘Nice
cat!’
Russell
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