(Review & sign picture by RussellMusician PHOTOS courtesy of Malcolm Sinclair)
It was an opportunity to think, freely, for free. For those who couldn't be bothered to think others were on hand to do it for them, for free. The eggheads came in all shapes and sizes...the traditional egghead, the jolly, the cool and then there was the audience...the egghead, the jolly, the vacant and, for two and a half hours at least, the cool, 'cool' because it was jazz time here at Sage Gateshead.
BBC Radio 3's annual pilgrimage north of the Watford Gap conjures an image of a deserted Broadcasting House as presenters, producers, assistants and assistants to assistants enjoy a 'jolly', sorry, work extremely hard, shining a Free Thinking light on the banks of the Tyne. Saturday afternoon offered two jazz programmes, back-to-back, broadcast live from Sage Gateshead to Radio 3's nationwide audience.
Alyn Shipton is a welcome visitor returning once again to present Jazz Record Requests (4:00pm, as usual) followed by J to Z presented by the ebullient Jumoké Fashola. Of course there was plenty of 'up north' content across the two and a half hours and a half - not any old stuff, you understand, but the crème de la crème. JRR's usual format applied - Shipton introduced a listener's request, we, the audience, listened to it, Shipton introduced another request...simple but brilliant!
Today's edition of your weekly appointment with JRR included live jazz from Jo Harrop, Paul Edis and Shipton himself - no mean bass player is Mr S! Cheek to Cheek sang Jo accompanied by the brilliant Edis, piano, and the multi-tasking Shipton reading the dots and reading his cues. Jo chose a track - Nancy Wilson singing Never Let Me Go with the Gerald Wilson Orchestra, Paul dedicated the Benny Green Trio's live (Village Vanguard) take on Don't Be 'Shamed to Ushaw College's Roger Kelly, and, to close the programme, the award-winning jazz blog editor of this BSH parish, LL (cue applause!), stepped up to request Jo, Paul and Alyn play I Wished on the Moon.
Free Thinking headphones were available for those wishing to listen, without distraction, to the conversation emanating from Radio 3's pop-up studio.
Mr Shipton negotiated a seamless hand-over as Jumoké Fashola took up the reins. Bang on five o'clock Sage Gateshead's Free Thinking audience emoted: Yeah! Are you listening out there in Radioland? Get this - the Graeme Wilson Quartet! Profane Drawings of Trees (check out James Hogg), After School (Wilson dedicated the number to today's birthday girl, Isabel, two today!) and The Bold Sammy (check out the criminally neglected James Kelman) showcased one of the best bands on today's European jazz scene.
Multi-reedsman Graeme Wilson made the trip from Edinburgh to his former Tyneside base to reunite with the A-Team - Messrs Paul Edis (piano, keyboards, flute), Andy Champion (double bass, bass guitar, flute) and, your correspondent's favourite drummer (and percussionist!) Adam Sinclair. The quartet's performance was razor-sharp, solos top notch, Radio 3's listening millions couldn't have been other than impressed. Today's three numbers were taken from Graeme Wilson's latest recording Abscondit (www.gigmit.com/graeme-wilson-quartet).
Tyneside works hard at promoting the best it has to offer and this afternoon's live broadcasts didn't do any harm at all. The sun shone, Sage Gateshead looked a picture, the place packed and, hopefully, BBC Radio 3's Free Thinking Festival will return next year. This year's theme was 'Emotion', next year - who knows? One thing is for certain, Tyneside will be up for it.
Russell
2 comments :
I loved it, especially the deserved mention for BSH! Jo delighted in Lance's request, great Saturday afternoon listening for those of us who couldn't actually be there.
Wonderful afternoon!
Great pictures, Malcolm: thanks, Russell for the tips on Messrs. Kelman and Hogg - Graeme's enigmatic titles begin to make more sense (and I have added to my summer reading list in the process).
JERRY
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