(Dissertation by Russell).
This year’s Newcastle University Music Students’ Final
Recitals made for something of an historic departure. Several of the jazz
students went off-campus, choosing to perform at a regular jazz venue. The Jazz
Café on Pink Lane welcomed finalists, their families, a small army of student
friends, supporters and, of course, the examiners!
The upstairs room accommodated a capacity audience to
make for a great atmosphere as the six o’clock start approached. Ella El-Salahi (voice) looked great,
perhaps just a little nervous (who wouldn't be?), as she took to the stage with
her band. In common with her fellow student performers El-Salahi made available
a printed progamme. My programme is an
eclectic mix of some of my favourite pieces to sing, she wrote. No better
way, Ella! Jazz, gospel, ballad, neo-soul and big band fusion, that was
El-Salahi’s promise, and that is what we got.
Six pieces (one of them a fusion of seemingly two
disparate tunes) heard El-Salahi (with her hand-picked band of first-rate
student musicians) perform brilliantly. The singer had the support of her tutor
Ruth Lambert (sitting discreetly at the back of the room) and the audience
roared its approval at the end of the first piece (Caravan). Modest Mussorgsky and Gordon Goodwin collided in an
El-Salahi arrangement of Tuileries and
the Big Phat Band’s Hunting Wabbits 2.
Demonstrating her command of extended vocal techniques, Ms El-Salahi fed off
the overwhelming support in a crowded room. Solo
(comp. Prince and David Henry Hwang) was, in fact, a piece for duo with
bassist Tim Farrow. Superb. At its conclusion, our star vocalist looked round
to Farrow. The bassist’s nod and smile of reassurance brought a tear to the
eye.
Rachelle Ferrell’s bright
tempo take on What is This Thing
Called Love? held an appeal for El-Salahi, as did the gospel number His Eye is on the Sparrow. The
vocalist’s version had been simply
arranged for piano accompaniment, leaving the voice exposed. Pianist Jamie
Lawson (himself a final year music student) did a great job, El-Salahi
magnificent. The recital concluded with Omar’s The Man. El-Salahi gloried in the neo-soul sound and took the
opportunity to improvise, soaring above her killer band. Applause deafening
(all of her musicians applauded the recitalist to the echo), Ms El-Salahi is a
star.
El-Salahi’s band: Jennifer Amey (piano), Jamie Lawson
(piano), Faye MacCalman (tenor saxophone), Emily King (alto saxophone), Joshua
Lane (trumpet), Anne-Marie Rosa (flute), Tim Farrow (double bass & electric
bass) & Lewis West (drums)
------
A short interval (glasses recharged) and Jennifer Amey (voice) took to the
stage. A love of jazz and storytelling informed
Ms Amey’s performance. Dolly Parton’s Jolene,
then a personal take on House of the
Rising Sun illustrating the breadth of the vocalist’s interests in the song
form. Seated at the piano for the first couple of tunes, Amey engaged with the
audience (everyone was onside!) with an easy charm. Jazz and folk have been
part of her studies over four years, musical theatre too. Civil rights issues
have been of interest and Kurt Weill’s Pirate
Jenny indicated a keen awareness of socio-political matters. Morris Bailey
Jr’s Go To Hell closed Amey’s
recital. Acerbic, delivered with a winning smile.
Jennifer Amey’s band: The Jets: Faye MacCalman (tenor
saxophone), Emily King (alto saxophone), William Cainen (trumpet), Anne-Marie
Rosa (flute), Luke Gaul (guitar), Tim Farrow (double bass & electric bass)
& Lewis West (drums) & The Apocalipstix: Ella El-Salahi (vocals),
Annabel Warnock (vocals) & Laura Machin (vocals)
------
The third of four finalists Faye MacCalman (tenor saxophone) chose to perform with her regular
(non-student) working band. Gigging around town (Jazz Café included), Ms
MacCalman’s studies have focused upon the conflicting/complementary aspects of
free improvisation and formal, organised sound. In her informative programme
notes the tenor saxophonist referred to a trip to New Orleans (and Congo Square
in particular) having an impact on her ongoing practice, seeking to incorporate
rhythmic elements into her sound. Eight compositions formed the basis of
MacCalman’s recital. The first, an original piece – Five Zilla – described by MacCalman as more or less variations of the Bb blues scale with elements of fairly chaotic free improvisation fully
integrated all four musicians on the stand. Pete Currie (piano), John
Pope (double bass) and Christian Alderson (percussion) were
given free reign by MacCalman, making for a genuine group dynamic. Monk’s Bye-Ya, Wayne Shorter’s Juju, then a solo performance of Alice
Coltrane’s Turiya and Ramakrishna.
The latter number proved to be a tour de force. Huge applause, shy smile. A
MacCalman composition – Seven Craters – began
as an exploration of improvising in seven
in the Lydian mode of E then into an open improvisation. The fact that this
and other numbers succeeded was, in no small part, due to the contributions of
the three ‘supporting’ musicians. MacCalman intends to stay around after
graduating. A good idea would be to check her out at a gig.
Faye MacCalman’s band: Pete Currie (piano), John Pope
(double bass), Christian Alderson (percussion)
------
Trumpeter Joshua Lane, the last of the
evening’s four recitalists, cited Kenny Wheeler as having the biggest influence on my playing and the student’s
flugelhorn work bore traces of the late brass master’s readily identifiable
sound. Lane remarked: it feels fitting to
pay tribute to such an incredible player. He chose to open his programme
with a composition by Wheeler – For Jan.
Lane, a gentle, shy looking young man, didn’t waste a note. Horn players,
perhaps more than other instrumentalists, can be exposed as frontline players.
On this fraught occasion (with examiners listening intently) Lane performed
with distinction.
Tunes by Tomasz Stanko and Wayne Shorter featured and
his band of choice (fellow students) did him proud. One of the many highlights
of the evening was Lane’s flugel and vocal interpretation of Skylark. Exposed isn't the word! So good
was he that your reviewer sought out Josh Lane to shake his hand. The set ended
riotously with Snarky Puppy’s fun, funk-fuelled version of Justin Stanton’s Outlier. Audience and band feted Lane.
Fantastic is the word. Lane thanked his tutors Nathan Bray, Adrian France and
Graham Hardy for their excellent guidance
and constant support. A great set – Skylark
and all.
Josh Lane’s band: Ela El-Salahi (voice), Jamie Lawson (Piano), Emily King (alto saxophone), Luke Gaul (guitar), Tim Farow( double bass
& electric bass) & Joe Cromey-Hawke (drums)
------
The Final Year stars’ celebrations were sure to be
memorable. On the evening there was one other performer – Stage 2 Performance
candidate Graeme Pyper (tenor saxophone).
Four tunes – So
What, My Funny Valentine, All the Things You Are and Hiram
Bullock’s Gotta Get Your Jollys did
more than enough to suggest Graeme Pyper is one to follow.
Graeme Pyper’s band: Grace Alexander (piano), Luke
Gaul (guitar), Murray Wankling (bass) & William Earl (drums).
-----
Newcastle University’s decision to stage some of this
year’s student recitals at the Jazz Café paid off handsomely. A full house, a
remarkable atmosphere, superb performances, let’s do it again next year!
Russell.
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