Lindsay Hannon (Vocal) James Harrison (Piano) John Pope (D. Bass)
Tom Chapman (Drums) Guest
appearance: Ray Burns (Harmonica)
(Review by
Kath Jobes).
I arrived at the Jazz Café at less than 2
minutes after 9pm and found myself having to pay the £4 door charge… a bit
harsh I thought seeing as I had difficulty with the parking in town… but it was
£4 well spent, as the Lindsay Hannon Plus have gone from strength to
strength. I have seen a number of
changes in the line-up, the last time I saw them, at Sage Gateshead, there was a
different drummer, but I have to say that the addition of Tom Chapman to the
trio has brought a new energy, and boy oh boy are these guys ‘Jazztastic!’
James Harrison is an outstanding pianist, with a
bright and enthusiastic style, John Pope can slap that bass and indeed he does…
he too has energy and style like no other, and the latest and superb addition
of the very talented Tom Chapman has upped the performance of this exuberant
trio, it’s a real pleasure to watch the interaction and grins
that show huge enjoyment of their craft.
Now it could be said that I have a bias when it
comes to Lindsay Hannon, as she has taught me so much in my Monday evening Jazz
class at the sage… Blue Jazz Voices, and I still have so much to learn. Lindsay’s repertoire is varied and
interesting…. From the Doors to Joni Mitchell, and then there are the fabulous interpretations
of Jazz Standards that never cease to delight the audience. Lindsay has a way of connecting with an
audience that brings out a wonderful empathy, and this evening’s performance
was outstanding…. I have never seen the re-opened Jazz Café so packed out for a
performance; best night yet said the Staff, good news for the Pink Lane Co-op
as this was their Final Friday Event, so if this is a taste of what is to come,
Final Fridays are not to be missed!
The night kicked off with a Doors number The Spy, and from the sultry start this
tale grew into a raunchy and sexy account before returning to the sultry
conclusion… the audience were entranced!
Cheek to Cheek was followed by
a Joni Mitchell number, The Hissing of
Summer Lawns and then a lovely interpretation of Nature Boy, that really gave John Pope the chance to get into the
groove. A 12 bar blues, Ain’t got Nothin’ but the Blues brought a change
of tempo and the ballad You've Changed,
was poignant and beautiful.
Things livened up again as In Walked Bud, with a stupendous drum Solo from Tom Chapman, and we
came to the end of the first set with a raunchy and emotive So Long Big Time.
Lullaby of Birdland kicked of the second
set, and was followed by an Iceni number, Heather
Forever. For those who don’t know,
Iceni describes themselves as ‘purveyors of disco-infused power pop’ … another
great band that Lindsay plays bass and sings with. Iceni supported Jamie Cullum at Sage Gateshead last
October and can be seen on Feb. 7 at Boiler Shop Steamer… is there
no end to this lady’s talents! Indeed
not as we were then treated to a Joshua Redman number, Wish with words written by Lindsay Hannon, that tells us that she
is ‘just a hopeless refugee’.
The next
number saw the addition of Ray Burns to the musicians, to play a harmonica solo
during Deed I Do, then the trio all
got to display their various talents during a lively Everybody Knows before moving onto a gentle interpretation of Old Fashioned Hat that ended beautifully
with just Lindsay and the bass. Love Me
or Leave Me brought the return of Ray Burns, the audience really love this
guy, and who wouldn't what a great musician. I've Got News For You was supposed to be the final number of the set,
but the crowd roared for more and Lindsay did not disappoint her public with a
beautiful ballad, Some Other Time….
And yes indeed, I will be there as many other times as I can... and I can’t
wait for the release of the recently recorded CD… so keep an eye out for its
launch as I am certain that will not be a night to be missed either!
Kath J.
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