Jazz Night @ Jesmond Library - May 27

(Review by Russell)

Newcastle’s Jesmond Library reopened in November 2013 as a community-run asset in the wake of philistine political vandalism. It isn’t the same, one wouldn’t expect it to be. Volunteers trying to provide a professional service on a shoestring can’t be easy. More power to their elbow that they plough on and they’re currently in the middle of this year’s Jesmond Community Festival. Tonight members of Newcastle University Jazz Orchestra entertained local residents.

Many Newcastle University students live in the immediate vicinity. No doubt some members of the band closed their front door and walked  all of 100 metres to the venue. The eight-strong line-up – two altos, tenor, clarinet (doubling on alto making it three altos), trumpet, keyboards (doubling on trumpet), bass and drums – was briefly joined mid-concert by a student friend trombone player for a couple of numbers. Perhaps he’d just completed that future career defining dissertation and was hot footing it to his shelf stacking job at the nearby supermarket. Pity he couldn’t hang around, he sounded good.

The two sets comprised jazz tunes most people (including non-jazzers) would have heard at some time or other. So What, Blue Trane, Watermelon Man, then All Blues, you could take a stab at the set list and you wouldn’t be far out. Jordu, Early Bird, Don’t Get Around Much Anymore and more, the Jesmondites enjoyed their evening, the library was open for business, you can’t knock it.

Russell.