Bradley Johnston @ The Fire Station, Sunderland - Jan 21

Bradley Johnston (guitar)

(Review by Russell).

Snow, a non-weather related disruption to the Metro network, the half-hour journey from Newcastle to Sunderland promised to be fraught with difficulties. Oh, ye of little faith! A convenient train pulled into the station…all aboard! And off to Sunderland we go! The Fire Station the destination, and the reason for making the trip? Bradley Johnston, jazz guitarist in residence.

The Fire Station, a recently renovated building adjacent to Sunderland Empire, has reopened as a place to meet, eat, drink and, on a Sunday evening, listen to Bradley Johnston play jazz guitar. The High St West site is developing into a cultural hub with dance, theatre and music on the agenda. At present, the bar and kitchen are open for business with all parts of the building scheduled to be fully operational by 2019. In advance of Johnston’s arrival, the bar manager cordoned-off a raised corner section to enable the Wearside-based guitarist to set up without disturbance or delay.

Professional, looking the part for this sort of engagement, Brad started on time – we expect nothing less from our well-schooled musician ‘taking care of business.’ Three leisurely sets, the intervals an opportunity to catch up with friends, the repertoire spot on for the occasion, BJ has ‘got a gig going’ albeit on Wearside rather than the West Coast! It was a GASbook list of composers; Duke, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Harold Arlen, Ray Noble, Rodgers and Hart, Gershwin and more. The running order,  was, more or less, as follows – Wave, My Funny Valentine, They Can’t Take That Away From Me, an extra helping of Jobim with The Girl from Ipanema, Have You Met Miss Jones? All of this and many  more, the patrons for the most part not listening (what’s new?), although, credit where it’s due, one or two did listen perhaps wondering ‘How does he do that?’ Indeed, how does Brad do it? Masterful playing, one number running into another, an ‘on the fly’ medley. Joe Pass did it, and Martin Taylor does it, so too Bradley Johnston.

A switch to six string acoustic for a couple of numbers which included Lennon and McCartney’s In My Life worked well, but it wasn’t long before Brad took up his Ibanez once more to play The Very Thought of You, A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square, a return to ACJ with One Note Samba, a few bars of Georgia, I’m Beginning to See the Light and Over the Rainbow – it’s easy when you know how and Bradley Johnston definitely knows how it’s done.

The Fire Station’s cask beers are likely to attract the attention of members of CAMRA and foodies should take a look at the menu which is available until seven o’clock. Brad chatted to friends, said hello to fellow musician Alan Marshall and he appears to have struck up a good relationship with the Sunday evening staff.

Brad played through the house PA which was more than adequate, his sound projecting easily to all parts of the spacious room. Many features from the building’s days as a fire station have been retained – buckets and helmets adorning the (original) tiled walls, but sadly no fireman’s pole! The prospect of musicians arriving on stage in a most unconventional manner would have been worth turning up for! No matter, we turned up to hear jazz guitar. Another acoustic guitar interlude – the  Lennon and McCartney songbook offers up endless riches – as Brad played And I Love Her.

Joe Pass aka Bradley Johnston played You Turned the Tables on Me – oh, for Ella to walk in. Ray Noble’s Cherokee did several laps of the room, Rollin’s Doxy overtaking on the blind side, Duke’s Satin Doll, you’d pay good money to hear this stuff and here in Sunderland it’s for free. Farmer’s Trust (comp. Pat Metheny) closed a third and final set exactly on time at nine o’clock. Do support Brad’s residency, it’s about time Wearsiders had a regular jazz gig to go to. 

Russell.