Splinter @ the Bridge present YANA - April 26

Corey Mwamba (vibes); Dave Kane (bass); Johnny Hunter (drums)

(Review by Steve/photos courtesy of Ken Drew)

Sunday nights in Newcastle will never be the same again. After 5 years showcasing the most interesting and stimulating jazz from far and wide, Splinter have had to call it a day. Although supported by a loyal hardcode audience, the overall numbers attending made the project simply unsustainable.

Fittingly, the final gig was a memorable one as Corey Mwamba’s trio Yana played to a packed house. Corey started off proceedings by thanking Zoe and Andy for all their hard unsung work and everybody applauded wholeheartedly in agreement with his sentiments.

The formalities now over, the music was able to commence and a magnificent landscape of sound began to evolve. Each member of the band clearly seemed to be enjoying the experience of playing with one another as they responded quite intuitively to what was going around them. So much so that when a bird chorus started up outside the bay window, Mwamba was able to improvise a tweeted echoed response with a tiny Indian whistle.

I have seen many world class vibes players - Joe Locke, Gary Burton, Bobby Hutchinson, Roy Ayers to name just 4 -but I have never seen anyone use the instrument in such a unique way as Mwamba. He may play with anything between zero (his hands) and 6 mallets and in any combination thereof whilst simultaneously moving around the instrument like a hyperactive gazelle. Occasional primordial screaming and the playing of wooden flutes and pipes further augment the performance. It’s by no means classic vibe playing in the style of the aforementioned maestros but Corey lays down a driving groove full of interest and every so often there was to be a burst of simply beautiful sounds. Hunter and Kane are perfect accomplices and at the end of the evening all 3 musicians appeared to have enjoyed the evening as much as the highly appreciative audience. In fact in a display of affability, the charming trio seemed more than happy to hang around and chat to people after the show.

Finally, I would also like to personally thank Zoe and Andy (seen left with JNE's Paul Bream) for all their hard work in promoting such a wonderful cornucopia of music over the years. I have seen some  absolutely amazing gigs and also some not so brilliant but they have all always been interesting and well worth the nominal admission price. However out of the ashes of the splinters a phoenix may yet arise as Jazz North East hopes to be able to programme Sunday night gigs in the not too distant future - funding permitting. So, sadly, the end of a splendid era! It was most odd saying goodbye to so many people that I had shared so many extraordinary evenings with, but it has to be said “it has been a blast”.  

Steve.