Sue Ferris (tenor sax/flute); Graham Hardy (trumpet/flugelhorn); Paul Edis (keys); Paul Susans (bass); Rob Walker (drums).
(Review by Lance)
Back in the mists of time, Wingy Manone used to bill his shows as Come on in and hear the truth! Although the music played by the Sue Ferris Quintet bore no resemblance to the classic 1930's swing of Wingy, that phrase crossed my mind as soon as the opening bars of Opus de Funk threatened to lift the roof off the packed Mezzanine.
Trumpet and tenor hit the Horace Silver number on the button before Sue unleashed the gutsiest tenor playing you'll ever hear on a Sunday afternoon in Newcastle - or anywhere! This was one of those solos you didn't want to end! It did but it didn't matter as Graham Hardy picked up the baton and ran with it keeping the temperature at boiling point. Paul Edis did his bit (understatement of the year?) and Walker and Susans were solid.
More Silver with Song For My Father, a samba version of I Could Write a Book that worked and some fancy flutin' on Witchcraft. Graham Hardy arranged/transcribed Roy Hargrove's Soppin' the Biscuit and it was a tasty dish indeed!
Paul Edis, who, up to now, had been content to sit back and knock us sideways with his solos and super support threw another one of his hats into the ring with a six page arrangement of the Mingus classic - Fables of Faubus. It sounded great and the other four coped admirably with the varying changes of tempo.
An Edis original followed, the name of which I didn't quite catch - was it Mikey's Samba? - had Rob Walker going for gold and he got it!
The afternoon closed with Graham's arrangement of One Hand, One Heart from West Side Story. Not your usual flag waving finisher but a sensitive, beautifully delivered ballad.
A tremendous set and, not once did they fall in to the trap of ending a number with a round of fours - fours, these days, are so so passé!
Earlier, when there were still a few seats available, Mark Williams held the audience spellbound with a virtuosic solo set that encompassed the wide range of effects he had at his fingertips or, to be more precise, his toes. Electronic wizardry abounded as he moved from one pedal to another with a dexterity that many a B3 player would be proud of.
Despite all of this technology, it didn't hide the fact that Mark is a master of his craft. His programme comprised mainly originals although Monk's Bemsha Swing did sneak in.
It was a good start to the afternoon.
Lance.
PS: I now hear that Newcastle have beaten Man U!
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