Lickety Split/Take it to the Bridge @ The Chillingham. March 4

Lickety Split:

Eddie Bellis (trombone), Paul Gowland (tenor saxophone), Alan Marshall (alto saxophone), Kevin Eland (trumpet & flugelhorn), Roy Willis (guitar), Bradley Johnston (guitar), Alan Rudd (bass) & Paul Wight (drums)

(Review by Russell)

Eddie Bellis’ octet is heard all too infrequently. The boys in the band are busy people –   getting them together in the same room, at the same time, is an achievement in itself. An invitation from Dave Weisser to Bellis to make a return visit to the Chillingham with his Lickety Split eight piece band did the trick. Such are the economics of the little big band, the boys didn’t play for ‘out-of-pocket’ expenses, they were, quite simply, out of pocket!

Weisser’s weekly workshop split into two (pre and post Lickety Split’s set) affording the luxury of a night off (door duties aside) for house drummer Norman Redhead as Lickety Split’s stickman Paul Wight submitted an overtime claim, working straight through on all three sets. Bags Groove indicated where Bellis was coming from and where they were heading for the rest of the one-hour set. The band’s frontline boasts formidable soloists – Bellis showed what he can do and gave numerous opportunities to Paul Gowland (tenor), Alan Marshall (alto) and the man from the stratosphere – top Cs Kevin Eland (trumpet & flugelhorn).

The seated rhythm strings kept things cookin’ – the out-of-sight Alan Rudd (obscured by the horns) sounded perfectly Kind of Blue all night. Roy Willis purred a la Freddie Green (88 Basie Street) and side-kick Bradley Johnston kicked-in with one or two excellent solo contributions. Straight No Chaser heard from Marshall and Johnston and the irrepressible Eland squeezin’ an’ teasin’ from on high. Bellis loves West Coast cool and plundered the Birth of the Cool. Lickety Split should gig more…watch this space.

Take it to the Bridge:

Dave Weisser (trumpet & vocals), Dougie Fielder (tenor saxophone), Barry Ascroft (keyboards), Mike Clarke (bass) & Paul Wight (drums) + Paul Gowland (alto saxophone)

Earlier and later, Main Man Weisser assembled the troops. A short first set and a short second set. Norman Redhead preoccupied with ushering in the audience, Paul Wight joined the house band as did Paul Gowland playing alto.

Wight set a crisp military-medium tempo on Nostalgia in Times Square prompting Dave Weisser’s vocalese fours with Wight. Main Man Weisser sang a Victor Newman number for the first time at the Chilli. Let’s hear it again DW. Gowland tore into One by One and, typical of Weisser’s eclectic selections, followed up with Rodgers and Hart’s Blue Room.

So, a busy night at the Chillingham – the jazz upstairs, the match downstairs (Newcastle 0 Man Utd 1). Dave Weisser’s Take it to the Bridge session has been running for longer than most care to remember (The Beamish Mary, The Bridge Hotel, The Blue Bell, The Egypt Cottage). Audience and sitters-in (all instruments) are most welcome. Last night’s schedule meant young drummer Matthew MacKellar didn’t get a chance to sit in. He’ll be back, why not join him? The Chilli is within spitting distance of Chillingham Road Metro station and bus stops en route to Newcastle city centre. Eight o’clock prompt (ish).      

Russell.