Sunday Jazz @ Middlesbrough Town Hall, afternoon session - October 27.

Tommy Smith (tenor sax); Brian Kellock (piano).

(Review by Lance).

The sat-nav wasn't navving so, even though the Town Hall's tower was in sight, it may as well have been in Redcar. By the time I'd given up the idea of on-street parking and found my way into the 24-hour lot above the shopping mall, I'd missed the duo set by APPJAG nominated vocalist Zoë Gilby and Andy Champion. However, I did make it in time for a humdinger of a set from Smith and Kellock.

They opened up with a solo from Smith on a steaming version of Without a Song that, had we been on the planet Mercury, would have lasted three days but in Earth time a mere ten minutes or so. If, back in the day, Tommy  had been blowing first pikestaff for William Wallace at Falkirk it would be HRH Nicola the First today. As it is, the present resident at Buck House remains on the throne although more on that later, in the evening.

Fellow warrior, Kellock, delighted on piano his style undefinable, he's incorporporated them all from stride, to swing, to bebop and beyond. Together the pair served up a dish to diminish the hunger pains (no food!)

Paris Blues, from the film of the same name, was nice and relaxed, On Green Dolphin St. wasn't relaxed but it was powerful. Alfie was really what it's all about - a moment of beauty.

To finish we had Bernie's Tune with an intro that wouldn't have been out of place on Tiger Rag! Some rollicking stride piano from Brian of which more would be heard later.

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Gwylim Simcock (solo piano).

Simcock had the difficult task of following the dynamic duo but he comes in from a different direction with his own distinctive style which merges jazz, classical and maybe a few other genres. 

The pianist spoke at length about his compositions – see photo, he ain’t singing – which made for better understanding of the format. Much of the set comprised originals he'd dedicated to other contemporary pianists such as Billy Childs (Beautiful is Our Moment), Brad Meldhau (Before the Eloquent Hour) and Alberto Gismonti (Many Worlds Away). Non-originals included Kenny Wheeler’s Everyone’s Song But My Own and a beautiful My One and Only Love with, as an encore, How Deep is the Ocean? that, for me, was the highlight.

Lance