Debra Milne (Vocals);
Alan Law (keys); Paul Grainger (bass); Rob Bates (drums)
(Review
by Ann Alex)
What could be better
than jazz on a sunny summer’s evening in West Jesmond ,
sitting in a pleasant bar, with a view of leafy tennis courts? Debra said the
band was feeling suitably relaxed and mellow (this was before they'd had a
drink!). The two sets included lots of Latin numbers as well as some Horace
Silver, and they produced rather a lot of musical excitement among the
mellowness. Well done!
The Ensemble made a good start
with a non-seasonal Autumn Leaves,
some neat improvisation and scat from Debra, playful piano and bass, then a
song for the carefree mood, Devil May
Care, ‘chock, chock’ went the drums, the only way I can describe the
sound. The bass opened for Wave, not the easiest of songs to sing,
and continued with My Funny Valentine,
including Alan on keys rippling lyrically and a fine, deep resonance from the bass.
Other
numbers included Horace Silver’s Pretty
Eyes (new song to me) with a fast underlying rhythm, almost martial; No More Blues; A Coltrane number (?)
with a forewarning of Summertime
worked in on the keys; I’m Comin' Home Baby
– a hit for Mel Tormé and written
by Ben Tucker who died earlier in the week - Killer Joe; Senor Blues with Alan firing on all cylinders; How Insensitive with choppy bossa nova
rhythms from drums and bass and comments from the keys; Tom Waits’ song Temptation; then Caravan. Lance’s ‘favourite’ song followed, Summertime, and he contrived to be in the loo for most of the
song, by coincidence I think, so he missed a skilled solo from the keys, and
this interesting set concluded with Route
66, Debra pointing to the musicians in turn for them to play fours. What a power to have!
Ann
Alex
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