Jazz Café Jam Session - January 20.

Peter Gilligan (pno); Bradley Johnston (gtr); Paul Wight (dms); John Pope (bs) + Paul Gowland (alt); Matthew MacKellar (dms); Jordan Alfonso (alt); Alexis Cairns (ten).

(Review by Lance/photos courtesy of Mike Tilley.)

The  jams at the "Caff" on the first and third Tuesdays continue to draw more and more people in. That they, the punters, are noisy and not necessarily all jazz fans doesn't matter - as long as they aren't too intrusive on the music. I'm not one for listening to jazz in sepulchral silence - if the music is good enough those who want to will  be down front listening oblivious to the noise behind. My theory is that if the audience is sitting in deathly silence the musicians play safe, aware that every bum note will be seized upon and never forgotten till the listener or the player go to their respective graves.

On the other hand, if the crowd is of a rumbustious nature then the guys go for it without fear and maybe hit on something they wouldn't otherwise have tried for.

That's just my opinion.

Tonight we had the house band hitting the deck running with bop standards, ballads like I Fall in Love Too Easily and a belter of There Will Never Be Another You.

Young MacKellar took his place behind the kit and, amazingly, looked very much like a younger version of Miles Teller in Whiplash!

Paul Gowland blew an extended solo on Take 5 and Matthew knew the Morello solo well.

Waiting in the wings were Jordan and Alexis.

Stella by Starlight - that perennial jammer - gave Alexis a chance to blow which she did with the sort of dry sound Warne Marsh favoured. A welcome addition to the scene. Some alto from Jordan on Goodbye Pork Pie Hat and a blast by Paul Gowland on Autumn in New York. This rounded it off for me although there was still more to come - an excellent jam.

Lance.