(Review
by Russell)
It was another run of the mill jam session as three
familiar faces - Messrs Edis, Grainger and Morgan - kicked things off
with I'm Old Fashioned followed by Blame it on My
Youth (pianist Paul Edis singing on both of them). This was to be
anything but yer usual drop-by-and-have-a-blow affair.
At the end of a long day the house trio wasted no
time inviting the first of the sitters-in to have a blow. This was the late
night knockings of day two at the 2019 Ushaw Jazz Festival with an A-list cast
queueing up at the bar. First to join the party was Birmingham Conservatoire
undergraduate pianist Will Markham who wanted to take a look at Stella
by Starlight. From here on in, 'til gone midnight, it was a bewildering
roster of A -listers tackling the likes of It Could Happen to You and If
I Should Lose You.
This 2019 edition of the Ushaw Jazz Festival late
night jam session attracted and retained a sizeable audience, there for the
duration. Matt Anderson (tenor), Chris Biscoe (killer alto), local hero Francis
Tulip (guitar) more than holding his own, fellow Birmingham wunderkind Kai
Chareunsy riding effortlessly on Russ Morgan's cymbals (our house drummer
adjourning to the bar to catch up with Pete Cater) - all were up blowing, soon
to be joined by the evening's star concert performer Tony Kofi to blow yet more
heavy duty baritone. 
All jam sessions seem to produce a highlight among
highlights and as the evening approached its end someone called Rhythm-a-ning.
Now then, seemingly everyone got on board, at one point Edis, Markham and the
superb Durham University undergraduate Ben Lawrence threatened to make it not a
four hander but a six hander as Tulip stood his ground alongside the horns
trading out front with Mr PG - that's bassist Paul Grainger - bossing it in the
engine room. This was classic jam session fayre.
To close - and to give everyone a breather - Edis
and Kofi played Isfahan. A memorable moment, that's for sure. Gone
midnight the stand filled with every last one of the sitters-in including a
belated stint from drummer Pete Cater as we went out on a blues in G. Day three
- Sunday - would soon be dawning.
Russell
Paul Edis (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass);
Russ Morgan (drums) + Will Markham (piano); Matt Anderson (tenor sax); Chris
Biscoe (alto sax); Francis Tulip (guitar); Tony Kofi (baritone sax); Kai
Chareunsy (drums); Ben Lawrence (piano); Pete Cater (drums).
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