(Mini-review/photos by Jerry)
What better place to be young and playing jazz than here on the concourse at Sage Gateshead and what better day for both of those things than this - International Jazz Day? The young musicians above (for some of whom it may have been their last Jazzattack gig) made the most of the opportunity and entertained an appreciative audience in the café some of whom were, I suspect, Scottish National Jazz Orchestra players awaiting their gig later on.The youngsters swung into action with Perdido, followed by Coltrane’s Equinox and then Killer Joe. As the MD Paul Edis said, “classics which you just HAVE to learn – like Beethoven’s Fifth if you are studying classical piano.”
Blue Monk followed, featuring a solo by Aidan Crawley, the band’s youngest member, who sported a sartorially elegant hat as if auditioning for the trumpet section of the Gala Big Band. Well done him! On the same number the drummer, Jo (sorry, I didn’t get the surname) enjoyed trading fours with the MD on alto sax.
The final number, Groove Merchant featured a bass solo by Dan Lawrence and another fluent, confident solo from Ryan de Silva on alto. This last had already come to prominence, along with Haruunn Miller, on the first two numbers. Excellent stuff all round – and the guys from the Scottish Jazz Orchestra (if that’s who they were) loved every minute of it.
Jerry.
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