The Big Bash at the Black Swan.

Mo Scott (vcl); Paul Edis (pno)/Strictly Smokin' Big Band led by Michael Lamb/Hannabiell and Midnight Blue/Jenni Pascoe; Steve Urwin; Scott Tyrell (poets).Swing Tyne (dancers)/Serena Cee (dj).
(Review by Lance.)

The Black Swan Bar was doing good business, the amphitheatre of Newcastle Arts Centre was running out of chairs, the committee members of the Pink Lane Jazz Co-op were smiling  and Jenni Pascoe was poetically asking Who Am I?

This was the PLJC's Big Bash designed to raise funds and awareness of the group's efforts to re-open the Jazz Café. To this end, Dave Parker gave a progress report* before handing over to MC for the evening Big Joe Fowler.
.After Ms. Pascoe, Big Joe brought on Steve Urwin who is also a poet and, in fact, Pascoe's "other half". Urwin's contribution included a cleverly worded poem entitled The Bin Truck describing the contents of a Bin Truck - you couldn't get much further away from being compared to a Summer's day!

The poets having had their say - for the time being - Big Joe Fowler, who isn't a blues singer, introduced Mo Scott who is a blues singer.

Mo, in tandem with pianist Paul Edis, gave us a selection of blues tinged gassers opening up with that grammatical classic Is You Is or Is You Ain't my Baby? This was the first time the duo had performed in public together and it worked beautifully. Gee Baby Ain't I Good to You?, Come Rain or Come Shine, But Beautiful, Don't Explain just some of the numbers that saw the empathy grow between the two as the set unfolded. Edis also had a solo feature that ticked plenty boxes - Bill Evan's arrangement of My Foolish Heart.
On the dance floor a couple of Swing Tyne dancers moved gracefully to the music. This was one of those occasions when one art complemented another.
Another art returned with Scott Tyrell reading his poem about the Angel of the North. Tyrell isn't just a poet he's also a master of stand-up
Next up a scaled down version of the Strictly Smokin' Big Band. 3 trumpets, 2 trombones, 3 saxes, 4 rhythm, 1 vocalist.
The band really were smokin' - they were on fire! Even this minimal version exuded power. Leader Michael Lamb blew some fine trumpet and Alex Leathard excelled in his trombone feature, I Got Rhythm.Newcomer, altoist, Steve Summers (also heard yesterday with Saxophonics) came down front to solo on Do Nothing Till You Hear From me but suffered from inadequate amplification. What we did hear sounded good. A similar fate fell to tenorman Paul Gowland (also heard on Wednesday at the Star) with his dual tempo Body and Soul.
James Hedley sang Feeling Good, the Dean Martin classic, Ain't That a Kick in the Head? and Oasis' Wonderwall.
By now the dancers really were crowding the floor and the final band, Hannabiell and Midnight Blue gave them rhythm-a-plenty with Hannabiell playing conga and lustily blowing bass trombone. Paul Ruddick played alto and flute and Mick Wright was on guitar.
The perfect end to an exhausting evening!
Lance.
Kaveh Emami photos..
*To donate, volunteer or become a member of the Pink Lance Jazz Co-op go to www.pinklanejazz.co.uk.