Jazz in the Afternoon @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. May 5

Derek Fleck (clarinet & tenor saxophone), Mick Hill (trumpet & vocals), Roy Gibson (keyboards), Bill Colledge (bass) & Fred Thompson (drums) + Barry Soulsby (clarinet), Doris Fenn (banjo), John Broddle (vocals) & Theresa Armstrong (vocals)

(Review by Russell).

Holiday Monday, decent weather, a (part) change in the old guard. Regulars Chester, Hallam & Rillands were excused duties to meet up with Don Fairley for a nice little earner at a Close House golf day. Derek Fleck - famous for fifteen seconds thanks to Jazz Record Requests - held the fort, though he too had been up Hadrian’s Wall country earlier in the day, returning to base in time to MC affairs.

A pint-sized latter day Emperor Hadrian invaded the Crescent Club disguised as XL, a celebratory brew from the Hadrian Border Brewery (brewed to mark the 38th Newcastle Beer Festival). It was the pick on the bar, another beer being described by the barman as ‘lively’. The club was lively, very busy. A microphone short of a PA system (some could happily live with that) meant the instrumentalists featured, uninterrupted by a succession of singers. All of Me opened proceedings followed by Lady Be Good with Fleck on tenor. The unexpected star attraction - trumpeter Mick Hill - played some proper trumpet on Bye Bye Blues then someone called the tired old warhorse Georgia* and it was duly dragged out once more.

During the interval someone arrived with a mic (hoorah!/boo! - delete as applicable). The jazz economy went into overdrive (ie the raffle), a cloud formation banked over the North Sea and the Cullercoats day trippers thought about taking Tyson, the pit bull, home to charm the neighbours.

Cullercoats Lass Theresa Armstrong sang ‘S Wonderful and These Foolish Things. Jazz in the Afternoon wouldn’t be Jazz in the Afternoon without the ‘S Wonderful Theresa. The great Doris Fenn (banjo) sat at the back on one side flanking the vocal-less Fred Thompson (drums), bassist Bill Colledge the other. The seated Mick Hill’s trumpet stood out throughout the afternoon, then surprisingly, the Teesside trumpeter sang  Some Day You’ll Be Sorry. A hidden talent! John Broddle came off the bench as a late sub to sing On the Sunny Side of the Street (Fleck and Barry Soulsby clarinets) and After You’ve Gone (Hill, trumpet, Roy Gibson’s idiosyncratic keyboards). Time to go. Time to join Tyson and co on the Metro home.

Russell.

* Georgia and others. Name the tunes - great tunes, no doubt - that you could live without. Georgia, Autumn Leaves, Summertime - that’s three for starters