Ruth Lambert Trio/Sue Ferris Quartet @ Bridge Hotel, Newcastle. June 12.

Ruth Lambert Trio: Ruth Lambert (vcl); Mick Shoulder (bs); Giles Strong (gtr).

Sue Ferris Quartet: Sue Ferris (ten/fl); Paul Edis (pno); Tony Abell (bs); Rob Walker (dms).

(Review by Lance/Photos courtesy of Ken Drew).

Part of Jazz North-East's admirable Women Make Music series although, in actual fact, only two of the seven musicians involved were of the 'fairer sex'. However, as Lambert and Ferris were the leaders of their respective bands, the WMM  nomenclature was fully justified and, after you'd heard them sing/play, gender went out of the window!

The Ruth Lambert Trio played the first set. A well-balanced mix of original compositions by all three, some Cole Porter and a more contemporary number - Oscar Brown, Jr.'s The Snake.

The audience may have been thin on the ground, although you wouldn't have known it by the volume of applause at the end of each number. Such was the gossamer-like nature of the music that applause after solos would, on this occasion, have destroyed the ambience irrespective of how deserving.

Strong alternated between classical guitar and an Ibanez Jazz as and when the number demanded it. He soloed and comped well on  both. He also composed one of the songs - Everything Was Beautiful. Shoulder was, as ever, melodic and swinging. He too provided some material. The opener, How Can I? and a collaboration with Ms Lambert, Lullaby. Ruth herself wrote A Love That Never Dies and also put her stamp on You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To;, Love for Sale and Devil May Care.

Encased in a sheath that wouldn't have been out of place on the aforementioned snake, the lady herself was, as ever, in good voice bringing her own take to each number. Subtle nuances, a slight variation in the meter, a change of direction, all combining for a class performance.

A short interval before the second band took to the stage led by Sue Ferris.
Sue, who'd earlier in the evening guested with the trio on You'd Be So Nice etc.,blows tenor, not like a woman, more like a jazz musician of any gender. Hard-blowing, straight down the middle, saxophone playing of the first order. Just Squeeze Me; Jerry Bergonzi's Red's Blues; Bill Evan's Peris Scope; I Thought About You; Paul Edis' cleverly titled McCoyn a Phrase (ref McCoy Tyner) all blown on tenor with a really wailing chorus on the latter number.
A switch to flute for a piece by the Durham-based, vastly underrated, composer Will Todd and another clever title - I Thought About Who? More flute on All or Nothing at All. A samba beat and some superb hand-drumming from Walker took us down to Rio and not a sign of any Zika symptoms!
Back to tenor and the last number - Clifford Brown's Sandu.
The solos on this set were acknowledged - choruses for courses!
Special mention of Tony Abell who stepped in at short notice for Neil Harland - he cut the mustard. Paul Edis was, simply, Paul Edis, and I can praise him unequivocally as I'm not his dad!
And Rob Walker also played great - for a man!
The prompt finish meant I had no problems catching the number 27 as it stops close by!
Lance.