Celebrating Miles' Jack Johnson @ The Globe - August 4

Jack Courtney (trumpet); Sue Ferris (tenor sax, flute); Tom Atkinson (guitar); Alan Law (keyboards); Deon Krishnan (bass guitar); Jeff Armstrong (drums)

Dave Weisser leading his weekly Take it to the Bridge workshop in the upstairs space at the Globe is something of an institution. This evening, thanks to a last minute change of venue from the Cluny to Newcastle Jazz Co-op's HQ on Railway Street, guitarist Tom Atkinson brought in an all-star sextet to play music from Miles Davis' Jack Johnson album. Miles upstairs, Miles downstairs! 

At eight o'clock Take it to the Bridge was well under way, it would be another hour before the bell sounded for the Jack Johnson bout. At nine...Seconds out! Ding! Ding! Jack Courtney opened with ear-splitting wah-wah pedal trumpet. Wow! If Miles himself had walked in he'd have said something along the lines of: Who the f*** is this mother******? Way back in the days of the old Caff on Pink Lane, Courtney sat-in at a jam session. Impressive? Yes, but nothing like the stuff we were hearing this evening at the Globe. Fearless, every note bang on the money, this was 'Electric Miles' to a tee. 

Sue Ferris, small in stature, perhaps, went toe-to-toe with Courtney, blowing some coruscating tenor. Pianist Alan Law wound it up, the electric keyboard sound Miles was looking for was right here at the Globe. The backline boys, Messrs Krishnan and Armstrong set up a groove from the downbeat and that was that, absolutely killing all night long. If five and six string bassist Deon Krishnan is on a gig it can't be anything other than a funk-fest and that's exactly what we got. Superb. 

Tom Atkinson put together tonight's band. As band leaders go, our man isn't one for the limelight, rather, he's content to let the musicians on the stand interpret the music as they hear it. The Jack Johnson set done (Right Off and Yesternow), Atkinson ventured Miles Beyond (Mahavishnu Orchestra), putting his own blues-rock stamp on John McLaughlin's post-Miles supergroup. 

         

Tom Atkinson's six piece band will do it all again tonight in Darlington. The Forum Music Centre on Borough Road is the place to be at 8:00pm, perhaps 9:00pm. Book online at: www.ticketweb.uk. 
Russell