Nick Gould (tenor sax); Steve Grossart (piano); Iain Harkness (double bass); Kevin Dorrian (drums)
(Review by Lance)
At last! The mystery has been solved! The answer to the eternal question that has bugged musos for over 50 years.
Why was it that Billie Joe McCallister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge? We got the answer tonight - he'd heard Nick Gould blowing the tune (Ode to Billie Joe) and that was it, Billie Joe threw his saxophone into the muddy waters beneath the bridge and forgot to unhook the sling! In Billie Joe's defence, if I'd had my sax with me I might have done the same.
Prior to Billie Joe's ode, Horace Silver's Hippest Cat in Hollywood set out the JazzMain stall. Nick Gould can hold his own with anyone and his fellow groovers from yon side of Hadrian's fence are with him all the way.
Some nice ballads, Tormé's Born to Be Blue and Nobody Else But Me relaxed us as did a few Jobim's. Now don't get me wrong - I love Jobim and like hearing them sung by just about everyone. I like them as easy listening but... I've got this thing about bossa novas. They don't swing and I know that Stan Getz, Charlie Byrd and everyone else who jumped on the Brazilian bandwagon would disagree with me but, fortunately, as they are now all dead they can't argue. I long for the day when the bossa is over.
Still, it has to be said, JazzMain do them better than most.
The second set included a blistering Afterburner - this was my scene! If it had been a venue in Chicago, Detroit or Harlem we'd have been burning up the dance floor but this was Newcastle and we contented ourselves with barely discernible body movements although if minds could have been read...
It was happiness nonstop until Nick revealed the sad news that ace tenor saxist Jimmy Heath had died age 93 - who says that only the good die young?
An obit on Jimmy Heath will follow shortly.
Amsterdam After Dark; Tangerine - with Nick in Getzian mood - and a piano solo that can only be described as perm any 10 from 88!
The evening's penultimate number was Dexter's Cheese Cake. This was appropriate as, a couple of nights previous, I'd been watching a TV show where Stewart Copeland was interviewing some silly dick about the effect music has upon us. This geezer, who's like written books and things, said that music was like cheesecake - very nice but your world wouldn't change without it - he should have been at the Globe tonight!
Another Silver number, Liberated Brother, saw the night out and we left floating on a cloud (Metro) and tomorrow it will be cheesecake for breakfast, tea and supper.
Lance
PS: Memo to Kay Collin. Kevin passed on your apologies.
PS: Memo to Kay Collin. Kevin passed on your apologies.
7 comments :
Hi Lance, great to see you and the jazz posse last night. Thanks for the review. I was nursing a sick Selmer last night - one of my pads had come off which made life interesting at times. See you soon best Nick
It was fab seeing the band again, Nick - and I do hope your poorly Selmer gets well again soon - I thought I could hear one or two protest squeaks! See you soon at the Jam ..... xx
What's a squeak or two between friends? I remember seeing Stan Getz in, I think 1959, at Newcastle City Hall. There were two shows and I was at the early one. Later, talking to my sax teacher at the time - the late Jackie Laing - who had been to the second show, and he said that Getz also squeaked all through his set at the second show!
Nick Gould and Jazzmain are a class act, I was delighted when Nick played some Jobim numbers, never out place in the hands of the masterful sax of Nick Gould, are you listening Russell.
I was drinking a large Tea when Cheese Cake was being played, I knew their was something missing on my table.
Brian - you'll have to elaborate.
I think Brian may be attributing my Jobim comments to yourself, Russell.
Your right Lance, my Jobim comment was meant to be attributed to you, so my sincere apologies go to Russell.
BRIAN SHINE
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