Alan Glen (piano); John Pope (bass); Paul Wight (drums).
(Review by Lance).
The choice lay between Alan Glen at the Globe or James Harrison and Paul Skerritt at the Black Swan. The undefeated champion or his number one contender?
It was a tough call but, having heard James the previous night at Jesmond, I opted to catch one of the all too rare appearances by the old master.
It nearly didn't happen, apart from aggravating a pulled hamstring as I ran for the bus, all was not well with the Yamaha piano at the Jazz Coop HQ. A note that, without warning, trebled in volume gave our pianist cause for concern - just as well Keith Jarrett wasn't doing the gig. Nevertheless, trooper that he is, the keyboard king bravely soldiered on to give an outstanding performance that thrilled the gathered worshippers.
Paul Wight too had problems in the form of a knackered bass drum pedal. Fortunately, a replacement was at hand. All that remained now was for John Pope to snap a string.
He didn't! Instead, he gave a performance that befitted his position as an in-demand bass player.
The music.
If I Should Lose You (perish the thought Alan) followed by Time After Time. Earlier in the day, by coincidence, Liz in York had sent me a YouTube shot of Chet Baker singing the very same. We both agreed it was one of the classiest songs ever and, even without Chet's wistful vocal, Alan's version was, despite the malfunctioning middle G, equally, pardon the pun, timeless.
Love is a Many Splendoured Thing; That's All; Yardbird Suite; Love Letters; Night Shade (Glen original) and Love For Sale saw the first set out.
Glasses recharged, it was back to the street - On Green Dolphin St. to be precise. A swinging version followed by the gentle lilt of I Thought About You and the romanticism of I'll Close My Eyes and When I Fall in Love. John Pope's arco bass solo on the latter number hit the spot.
An original, Waltz For A.C. Who or what A.C. represents wasn't explained. All of You wallowed in some luxuriant chording before the final number - Cherokee. They don't come much better - or faster - than this one driven on relentlessly by drummer Wight.
A boppish encore sent everyone home happy - it had been quite a night.
Lance.
1 comment :
Yes - this was an ace gig - and a wonderful play list. As Lance says, the closing number was Cherokee - it's always a bit of a barnstormer - a flag waver, as some say. It's interesting to think about Ray Noble's earlier compositions as comparison - the gorgeously sweet melodies of The Very Thought Of You and Goodnight Sweetheart.
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