Jam Session @ the Black Swan Jazz Café - March 10

 (Review by Lance)

There were a few absentees in tonight's audience. Some had flown to Chicago to review the Bix Festival in Wisconsin whilst others opted to stay at home for environmental health reasons. Fortunately, that didn't deter the musicians who as usual gave it 101%.

The evening's house trio set the pace with Tangerine, The Look of Love and Blue Bossa as the room was soon filled with bodies carrying instrument cases.

First up was Ferg setting a jam session precedent by tuning up - it may catch on. The youngest player (only in years) elected to play I Remember Clifford, the Benny Golson tune written as a tribute to that great trumpet player Clifford Brown - no pressure there then! Suffice to say that 'Brownie' didn't turn over in his grave!

Someday my Prince Will Come swung as jazz waltzes should do but often don't. Harry Keeble paired up with Ferg for Beatrice and Recorder Me and we moved into hard bop Blue Note territory. By this time Ferg was blowing with confidence and matched Harry on some scintillating four bar exchanges - both horn players spurred on by Abbie's drums.

David Gray and Ray Johnson were the next pairing with  Harrison the younger (Charles) on guitar. Showtime had warmed up during the afternoon playing with Classic Swing at a Monkseaton hostelry and his lip was well and truly in. Veteran Johnson's lip is never out so it was no surprise that they took  The Lady is a Tramp for a ride she won't forget. 500 Miles High followed, the Prince of Slides was in machine gun mode - maybe he too should be in Chicago.

Steve Summers dropped by for Like Someone in Love that also had some nice playing by Charles on guitar.

Time to take five - literally - and a chance to chat with an amiable chap sharing a table with me. Needless to say I gave him a BSH card drawing attention to the site's Parliamentary Jazz Award back in 2018. He mentioned that his wife was a member of The House of Lords. Richard Hardman, for that was the gentleman's name, informed me that he was a former journalist (The Times, no less and I was thinking ' no pressure' for Ferg!)

Nice guy.

The show recommenced, and I use the word  'show' intentionally, with a couple of numbers from the inimitable Niffi. Nobody quite shakes it like this girl. She's a mover! After You've Gone and Sweet Georgia Brown had the room rockin'. Michael Mather was on drums and George and Ed doodled around as Niffi went for the jugular.

It was now a question of follow that if you dare! Wisely, Jan didn't fight fire with fire, instead she offered contrast with a smoky tune I didn't recognise - Joni Mitchell perhaps? For All the Things You Are the second of the Harrison brothers joined the ensemble along with Steve and a few more horns and Jan did good as, indeed, she always does.

For once, there was a bass player in the house enabling Paul to rest his fingers. Nathan Mays, a new name to me, slotted in nicely his sound totally different to Paul's. A Jobim song that had Intuit in the title was followed by the late McCoy Tyner's Contemplation. The elder Harrison blasted what may well have been the solo of the night.

The evening was drawing to a close but not before Kerry whose A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square was sheer class. I believe she was/is a member of the vocal group Scarlet Street. Impressive!

As ever, it was all hands on deck for the final Caravan. Short solos ensured a fair crack of the whip (so to speak) was had by all and nobody missed the last bus.

Another good one which would have been impossible without Stu, Paul and Abbie.

Lance

Stu Collingwood (keys); Paul Grainger (bass); Abbie Finn (drums) + Ferg Kilsby, Ray Johnson (trumpet); Ed Bell (cornet); David 'Showtime' Gray (trombone); Harry Keeble, Steve Summers, George Sykes; (tenor sax); Charles & Laurence Harrison (guitar); Nathan Mays (bass); Michael Mather (drums); Niffi Osiyemi, Jan Spencelayh, Kerry Green (vocals).