Jeremy McMurray (piano); Mark Toomey
(alto sax); Paul Donnelly (guitar) Peter Ayton (bass); Richard Brown (drums).
(Review
by Ron H)
It’s
always a pleasure to have the Pocket Orchestra led by Jeremy McMurray as our
guest band, delighting the audience with a selection of beautifully played jazz
classics and original compositions.
The
first set began with a swinging version of Out Of Nowhere and,
after an impressive Parker style alto solo from Mark, Jeremy on piano and Paul
on guitar gave equally exciting solos. Backed by excellent support from Pete and Richard, it gave the audience high
expectations for the rest of the evening.
A moving If
I Should Lose You was followed by an original composition of
Mark's, Do You Have The Time? inspired by the circle of fifths
clock pattern! This great bebop number showed how tight a unit they are.
.
After
a samba version of Cole Porters All Of You, the tone was changed
with a powerful and distinctive repetitive riff style blues composed by Jeremy
- Pocket Blues. Some
passionate solos brought the first set to a close.
That
beautiful ballad Stolen Moments opened the second set before
moving on to the fast, swinging, Miles Davis/Charlie Parker bebop number Sippin’
At Bells with Jeremy excelling on piano, followed by the Dizzy
Gillespie classic A Night In Tunisia.
Cole
Porter's I Love You and a terrific version of Wee, with
outstanding solos all round, brought another memorable night by a group of the
area’s most talented jazz musicians to a close. It was much appreciated by a sizable
and discerning audience (in spite of the England match on tv.)
Also, the usual thanks go to Dormans Club for their help
and support in running the Jazz Club.
Ron
H
1 comment :
Yes...a great night ,and a great venue that continues to keep modern jazz alive on Teesside
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