The Black Swan jam session: Party! Party! Party! - Feb. 22

(Photo © Mike Tilley)

Some time ago the Jazz Cafe jam session, formerly at the Pink Lane venue now known as Prohibition Bar, relocated to the Black Swan in Newcastle Arts Centre. The fortnightly session has long since become the stuff of legend with stars and future stars - local, national and international - dropping by to jam with all-comers. This evening's session promised to be a little bit different. Jam session supremo Paul Grainger pulled a few strings and we were looking at a first time collaboration between Newcastle University Jazz Orchestra (NUJO) and Edinburgh University Jazz Orchestra (EUJO). It had all the makings of a memorable occasion... 

(Photo © Mike Tilley)

Anticipating a larger than usual turn out, the session moved from the intimate basement bar area into the larger performance space. Arriving earlier than usual to secure a front row table seemed like a good idea. Not soon enough, already the place was busy, busy, busy! NUJO, EUJO and others were busy 'socialising' (ie drinking as though prohibition was just around the corner, metaphorically rather than geographically). The ace house trio - Dean Stockdale (piano), Mick Shoulder (bass) and drummer Abbie Finn) - got things under way with Have You Met Miss Jones? Stockdale's first solo met with tumultuous applause. Yes, this evening was going to be somewhat different! Bassist Shoulder soloed, cue tumultuous applause, drummer Finn, ditto. Minutes into the session the room was bursting at the seams. Minutes later they were standing up against the walls. Out on the street the Black Swan's exit-entry technician had his hands full overseeing a one-in, one-out policy.

The trio pressed on, It Could Happen to You. It was all happening. Bedlam? Near enough! Non-student participants were thin on the ground, perhaps they were queuing out on the street, instrument cases in hand. Ah! Here's Harry Keeble, tenor sax in hand. Keeble, himself not long out of college (a Leeds alumnus), set down a marker blowing some great stuff on Night and Day. It was as if our man was saying to the throng of undergraduates: This is the standard! Jan Spencelayh made the trip from Teesside. She wasn't about to miss out, belting out Moondance. Excellent. What's more, the room was singing along! Edgar Bell, cornet, was in the house. Quick! Get him on stage before the students take over! Fly Me to the Moon, Bell returned to Earth, resuming his seat. 

Dean Stockdale had been taking notes. Our man invited the first of several students to sit in. From here it all became a (non-alcoholic) blur. Jack, sax, Alice, trumpet, a female baritone sax player (a good player) playing Black Orpheus. There were others, many others. Esther Coombes (NUJO clarinet, has become something of a jam session regular) pitched in alongside the tremendous NUJO trumpeter Tom Alcorn. They were joined by the EUJO boys (Oskar Jones, tenor sax*) and girls. What's that about Bedlam?! Uptown Funk blew the roof off, Valerie likewise, the room a heaving, dancing mass of bodies. As the ensemble - NUJO, EUJO et al - tore into Stevie Wonder's You Can Feel it All Over the game was up, any pretence that this was a jam session was over, this was an out-and-out party!     

* In addition to being a fine tenor saxophonist, Oskar Jones is a composer of note. Tune to BBC Radio 4 next week (Monday to Friday, 1:45pm) to hear his contribution to The Lowball Tapes. Russell               

More Photos by Mike Tilley.