Les Oiseaux Fois @ Bridge Hotel. July 6

Peter Gilligan (pno); Paul Grainger (bs); Jeff Armstrong (dms).

(Review by Lance/Photo  courtesy of Ken Drew)

After watching the spills and thrills of Le Tour making its way from York to Sheffield what better way to spend an evening than listening to the above three musicians who kept the Francophilian theme alive by sailing under Le nom de plume of Les Oiseaux Fois.

Tres bien! Maillot Jaune et chapeaux!

This was indeed a podium-worthy performance by a trio who should have been playing to a capacity audience. However, c'est la (jazz) vie.

Those of us who made the effort were well satisfied with the first rate musicianship served up by. le tout ensemble.

Fats Waller, legend has it, remarked that "God is in the house" when Art Tatum entered some smoky dive in New York. He may not have used the same analogy had it been Pete Gilligan, possibly referring to him instead as "The Devil Incarnate". And a devil he is at the keyboard attacking it like a man possessed - possessed of an incredible talent that is.

Appropriately, the opening number was a Gilligan original - Incarnation. Paul Grainger, soloed impressively on the Song is You with Jeff Armstrong bossa novaring on brushes. Coltrane's Like Some had a spiky cymbal intro from Jeff whilst Jim Hall's Waltz New featured a rhapsodic lead-in from Pete. Some Brubeck, an excellent Swim (composed by Paul) and the always a winner, Nica's Dream brought the set to a close.

The whole world and his dog should have been here for this one but there were big happenings over at Blaydon, Festivities in the Vale of Ouseburn and the Northern Monkey Brass Band had been launching CDs at Hoochie so I guess the jazz population were somewhat stretched today.

In the second set I caught Chick Corea's Amanda's Rumba, Petrucciani's  September Satin and the 27 bus.

A great day all round.

Lance.
PS: I'm told the the second set also brought in a nice arrangement of Blue Rondo à la Turk (Dave Brubeck, although I [my informant] was seeing Keith Emerson in The Nice!) and ended with a lovely arrangement and rendition of Caravan – so it ended on a high !!!