I think I'm safe in saying that this was one of of the most unusual jazz gigs that the Co-op/Globe has booked since they first floated the project seven years ago and it is power to their elbow that they try to cover both ends of the spectrum and that wonderful world that lies in between.
Birdland, in NYC, proudly claims to be The Jazz Center of the World and, apart from Gotham City's other jazz clubs, few would argue against it.
Tonight's guest wore a Birdland T-shirt prompting the thought that, the Globe, in Newcastle, could make a similar boast regarding the north east. I always think of Ira Gershwin's line in They All Laughed: They all laughed at Rockefeller Center now they're fighting to get in. Substitute Rockefeller Center for the Globe and the similarities are there. Certainly tonight's socially distanced event met that criteria, albeit without any fighting.
I must confess that John Leigh Calder was a new name to me and, even now, a few hours later, the jury is still out.
His vocal range is amazing - maybe too amazing, the falsetto excursions really were overdone, irrespective of his technical mastery. In truth, close your eyes and the chances are you may have thought it was a woman singing.
A couple of blues, 1970s pops, a few jazz standards and, with the exception of Yellow Submarine, perhaps two of The Beatles' silliest songs ever - Norwegian Wood and Fool on the Hill.
Calder's bass playing was of the minimalist variety which is no bad thing. He hit all the right notes and in the right order. Alongside him, and blowing up a storm, Law, Keeble and Finn were in there doing the biz despite little, if any, rehearsal.
An interesting vocal adventure. Lance.
Evenin'; Corcovado; Masquerade; Room With a View of the Blues; Norwegian Wood; Night and Day; A Night in Tunisia; Isn't it Funny? (a Calder original); Work Song; The Fool on the Hill; All Blues/Everyday I Have the Blues; A Rainy Night in Georgia; Caravan; Alfie.
1 comment :
2 encores at the end of the night you can’t do better than that.
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