(Review by Russell)
It was a rainy night in Geor...sorry,
wrong town, it was a rainy night in Newcastle. Perhaps the weather would deter
both sitters-in and listeners alike. At eight o'clock in a sparsely populated
Black Swan the house trio made a start with They Can't Take that Away
from Me.
Triste (João Gilberto
recorded Jobim's number) played out to the hardcore before the trio lit the
blue touchpaper with a scorching take on Billie's Bounce. Messrs
Stockdale, Grainger and Walker went for it, not least jam session kingpin Mr G
fuelled by who knows what...spinach? It was time to invite the first (the
only?!) sitter-in to join the trio. All the way from Cleveland, Jan
Spencelayh! The Nearness of You for starters, Devil
May Care with pianist Stockdale suggesting 'last four' as he helped
chart our most welcome guest through Bob Dorough's timeless composition.
Similarly, Stockdale suggested 'last twelve' on Almost Like Being in
Love. We'll be hearing more from Spencelayh, that's for sure.
Well, look who's in town...Andrea Pattison,
no less! AP's contribution was brief- What a Difference a Day
Makes - and then she was gone, not from the premises, you understand,
but to take her seat in a, by now, slowly but surely filling Black Swan.
Matt MacKellar is in town for a few
weeks before heading back to Berklee and readily gave Rob Walker a spell
on Joyspring. Another visitor from the Tees Delta, Mr Bob Caswell,
joined Stockdale and co to sing Moonlight in Vermont. An
observer commented to the effect: When Bob's on form he's great. Agreed.
CALLING ALL BASS PLAYERS! The usual
dearth of jam session bass players prompted PG to declare the trio would be
taking five. Time for another bottle of Old Peculier...
Clad in cycling gear, John Rowland
blew tenor until Jordan Alfonso arrived, this week toting his alto horn. JA
suggested Nostalgia in Times Square. Stockdale said: It's one of my
favourite numbers. Little did JA know it's one of the tracks on the pianist's
excellent Origin CD! Tremendous playing all round with the
still depping MacKellar's brushwork something to behold. Don't you just love
jam sessions?!
Summertime gets short shrift
from BSH Editor-in-Chief LL, principally on the grounds he's heard it done a
million times, but this outing proved a turn up for the books. Jamie Mackay was
in town (with his Telecaster!) and squeezed onto a now bulging stage - trio,
the horns and, wait for it, Mr Alec J Gamble. Was he here to dance? Blow bugle?
No, tonight our Swing Tyne dancer sat by the piano and played a fine bluesy
guitar solo, encouraged by bassist PG to 'keep going'. Stockdale took five with
Marcus Tham sitting-in. Our affable Singaporean hung around long enough to
play My Favorite Things, a super-swift, buoyant I Wish I
Knew and then, we knew it was coming sooner or later, Marcus was making his
final contribution to Newcastle's top flight jam session scene. St
Thomas - joyous, with all blowing - bade farewell to Marcus as he is
soon to return home to Singapore. Thanks Marcus, we'll hold you to your promise
to return one day. You know where to find us - fortnightly Tuesdays in the
Black Swan.
Russell
Dean Stockdale (piano); Paul Grainger
(double bass); Rob Walker (drums) + Jan Spencelayh, Andrea Pattison, Bob Caswell (vocals); John
Rowland (tenor sax); Jordan Alfonso (alto sax); Alec J. Gamble, Jamie Mackay
(guitars) ; Matt MacKellar (drums); Marcus Tham (piano).
1 comment :
Just like to offer my best wishes to Marcus. If I'd known you were leaving us so soon I'd have risen from my sick bed to wish you well.
It has been a pleasure hearing you play.
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