(Review by Russell).
How many jazz
musicians can you get into a Darlington
telephone box? Following the Bruce Adams-Al Wood concert at the Dolphin Centre
it appeared that most of those in the audience were keen to get along to the
Quakerhouse pub to catch the late night jam session. The Camra award-winning
pub isn’t the biggest hostelry in town and its loyal patrons regularly fill the
place. A horde of jazz fans duly descended on the Mechanic’s Yard venue and
stood at the door…
Getting into the
Quakerhouse was all but impossible. The jam session’s house band – a quartet
led by Mark Toomey (alto) with pianist Jeremy McMurray, Peter Ayton (bass) and
drummer Paul Smith – set-up at one end of the downstairs room, the dimensions
of the floor space being approximately 3m x 2m. The sitters-in, having
hot-footed it from the Dolphin Centre, dropped their cases in the yard (there
was nowhere else to put them), assembled horns where they stood, then attempted
to squeeze through the door to find a spot on the crowded floor. First up were
Bruce Adams and Al Wood. Star names, keen participants both, the stuff of great
jam sessions. Seating for punters wasn’t an option, all stood. Those in the
front row were but a few centimetres from the horns of Adams, Wood and Toomey.
Indeed, Bebop Spoken Here’s
Two rockers (pub
regulars) were amazed at the goings-on. Has
he just met him? pointing at two musicians shaking hands on first
acquaintance. How could they play like
that? We couldn’t do that! You don’t say! Beer went down as fast as Mark
Toomey could play. At sometime after two in the morning things started to wind
down. Darlington Jazz Festival at the Quakerhouse – what more could you want?
Sunday would soon be dawning.
Russell.
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