The Velvet Revolution: Daniel Erdmann (saxes); Théo Ceccaldi (violin); Jim Hart (vibes).
Charlie Collins and Friends: Charlie Collins (percussion); Eun-Jung Kim (komungo); Derek Saw (trumpet); Faye MacCalman (clarinet).
(Review by Steve H/photos to follow)
At about 11 o’clock on Friday night, a bearded figure carrying a grey suitcase entered the upstairs room of the Cumberland Arms to a round of applause. French violinist Theo Ceccaldi had just arrived straight from Newcastle Airport after a tortuous journey from Toulouse. Like a real trooper and with no time to lose Theo joined the other 2 members of The Velvet Revolution to complete a stunning evening of music.
Due to his late arrival, we were treated to a duo set from Erdmann and Hart. Some of the tunes were even world premieres as the very dry-witted Erdman explained. Their set was an unscheduled bonus which also included updates of Ceccalidi’s arrival time (the plane actually landed at 22.05 and luckily in these pre-Brexit times there were no immigration hold-ups).
Hart on vibes was extremely watchable incorporating all sorts of effects including employing what appeared to be 2 wooden coat hangers as bows. Erdmann is a wonderfully creative lyrical player. Both duo and trio sets were different enough to have a unique feel to them but what they did have in common was the sheer quality of the performance.
The evening had begun with regular Tyneside visitor Charlie Collins performing a duet with Eun-Jung Kim on komungo (a horizontal wooden stringed instrument). Collins is a percussive magician continually pulling objects from up his sleeve or out of a top hat to create weird and wonderful beats and sounds. Kim plucked with a stick, strummed and picked on the komungo in total harmony with Collins producing a very subtle meditative set.
After a short break, the pair were joined by Derek Saw on trumpet and our own Faye MacCalman on clarinet. Picking up where Kim and Collins had left off, a dreamy floaty soundscape evolved allowing this listener at times to drift off into very pleasant cerebral spaces.
A great evening at an infrequently used venue for jazz - four sets of fascinating and enjoyable music accompanied by some very fine real ale – it doesn’t get much better than that.
Steve H.
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