The groove was in the moment they hit Wet and Dry - rock solid cement. They soloed at length before going into 4's or was it 8's or was it 1024's? It didn't matter - they were digging deep and the socially distanced audience were also digging deep - and this was just the opener! Come rain or come shine it couldn't get any better than this - could it?
It could!
The evening was about Wes - Montgomery that is - and I'd like to think that the late great guitarist would have been pleased with the rearrangement of his tunes. They certainly worked for me.
Jingles, a number Wes recorded many times, was announced as a samba but, this wasn't just another samba, this was the real deal. Joel Barford kicked it off like as though there was no tomorrow - where has this guy been hiding all my life? Okay, I know, he wasn't born for most of it but he is now and it showed as he set the scene for some paint-stripping guitar, blistering tenor and some nut-cracking B3 that had Karen doing the moves (within government guidelines) as she served the socially distanced tables.
If actual dancing had been allowed then couples would surely have been having a smooch to Dreamsville before the band went into Twisted Blues - a boogaloo! I needed a reality check. Was I in downtown Philly or maybe in a bar off Central Avenue in L.A.? No, I was in Newcastle's West End - The Globe, HQ of the Jazz Co-op.
I think I'd be hard-pressed to hear anything better outside of Birdland or Ronnie's and, as it happens, these guys are playing Ronnie's this coming Thursday. Unmissable.
I could write so much more but my hands are a bit fragile after doing so much clapping! However, all is not lost, Vasi wasn't the only ace tenorman in the house. Nick Gould added his own report on Facebook which I've purloined and added as a sort of coda to a fabulous evening.
Lance.
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4 comments :
Even if we hadn’t been starved of live music for the last 7 months this would have been a an amazing gig, I am a big fan of these guys. For me they are absolutely the pinnacle of UK Jazz.
Every member of the group a great player and soloist in their own right and working together as a team to produce fabulous music.
Every tune a winner.
Thanks to the band and the Jazz Co-op for making it happen, a memorable evening for everyone in the room.
Nick Gould
Great photo, Debra - and what a storming hot gig this was! We have to thank you and the Globe team so much for the way you've organised the music in a Covid safe setting for us jazz lovers. xx
Thanks Patti. That's Lance's photo not mine! There's a whole team of people that have made this possible at The Globe - it's been a pleasure to cooperate with them & see some great music x
C'est la vie! Looking forward to the next one with David Gray - I've seen the set list (my lips are sealed) and it looks to be another brilliant night at the northeast home of live jazz.
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