Abbie Finn Trio: Jazz on a Summer's Day @ St. James' & St. Basil's Church, Newcastle.

Abbie Finn (drums); Harry Keeble (tenor sax); Paul Grainger (bass).

Well it's Sunday so you have two options. You can either go to church  or go down to the pub. I opted to kill two birds with one stone. 

Abbie Finn, a drummer whom we have raved over ever since she first showed at the local jam sessions, and her two associates had the honour of playing the first ever open air jazz gig since Lockdown - and in the grounds of a church, whose green and pastured lands saw a hundred, maybe more, worshipping the drumlady. and, of course, her fellow disciples.

Like all of us, the trio had been in lockdown since the world, temporarily we hope, stopped turning. Musicians, hairdressers, razor-blade manufacturers and many other professions have been losing customers. However, today was truly a historic moment. If you're going to do it, do it in the glorious setting of the garden of those two Saints Jas and Bas. Rain? No chance, somebody up there likes jazz!

An idyllic setting is, perhaps, an over used word but, it was just that! We made our optional donations and purchased our refreshments and settled back ...

A mix of originals and standards kept everyone happy. Harry blew well within himself doing just enough to please the fans without upsetting the Bishop if he just happened to drop by. Paul, on bass, provided a few of his own as well as slotting in the occasional solo. His chorus or two on Tangerine was a masterclass on the art of playing an effective solo whilst still reminding the listener what the tune was. As juicy a Tangerine as I've heard in a long time.

Abbie, of course, was and is the consummate artist and, after the session, announced that the trio were going into a studio to record their first album. Details of this and forthcoming gigs will be found on her Facebook page ... for those who don't use Facebook ... watch this space!

Lance