Jamil
Sheriff (piano), Pete Turner (double bass) & Dave Walsh (drums)
(Review by Russell/photo by Mike Tilley)
The Jamil Sheriff Trio played a
Saturday night gig at the Jazz Café and what a gig! One question arises – where
was the audience? A handful took their seats to listen to a piano trio of
exceptional quality. Sheriff, an academic staffer at Leeds College of Music,
made a return visit to Newcastle having previously performed at the Lit &
Phil, and as on that occasion, he had with him his regular partners Pete Turner
(double bass) and drummer Dave Walsh.
Sheriff mixed standards with
original compositions across two sets. Body
and Soul, The Old Country, All the Things You Are and Billie’s Bounce were interspersed with Sheriff tunes including The Contortionist, Trio Piece No.1, the
bluesy Bluish, The New One and a new
one, as yet untitled, known as Untitled.
The bandleader gets inside the tunes, head tilted to one side, muttering
inaudibly, playing two-handed piano. Neo-classical left hand motif, right hand
jazz improvisation – how does he do it, other than intense concentration and
hours of practice? Fabulous piano playing and two utterly reliable musical
partners – a winning combination every time.
Bassist Turner, unfamiliar with The Old Country, did an amazing job
considering Sheriff said no more than C
minor, E flat major. Sheriff knew Turner could do it and he did! The New One departed from the norm with
an extended free section with no diminution in the quality of the music. Dave
Walsh bided his time, taking his solo opportunity on a corking Billie’s Bounce as the set finale. The
amiable Sheriff thanked the few for turning out. The few thanked him, Pete and
Dave for a great night of swinging jazz. In the coming months a new CD will be
released (Jamil Sheriff said the recording went well) and a British tour to
promote it would be in order, with, of course, a Newcastle date on the itinerary. .
The Jazz Café continues to
present jazz of the highest quality. What does it take to get the Tyneside jazz
fan to attend gigs? The Jazz Café, the Lit and Phil, the Bridge Hotel. Don’t
forget Hoochie Coochie and soon the Newcastle Jazz Co-op’s pride and joy, the
Globe on Railway Street
opens for business. You’ve never had it so good. ‘I knew nothing about it’ …’I
was watching the telly’…’I’ve never heard of him’…’I’m afraid of the dark’…Boo!
Russell.
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