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| (© John Pritchard) |
John Hulme is a familiar figure on the Greater Manchester jazz scene and for those who go to gigs by big bands, you may have seen him sitting in the brass section.
Like a lot of trumpeters he also likes to play flugelhorn - an instrument I took a liking to ever since I first heard it played by Clark Terry on his Riverside album In Orbit. I don’t think I’ve heard any musician in recent times get as mellow a sound on the larger horn than Terry, with the possible exception of Tom Harrell who impressed me when I saw him at the Malta Jazz Festival a few years ago. John is an admirer of Harrell’s and tonight he played flugel on Harrell’s composition Moon Alley.
The opening tune, Clifford Brown’s Sandu, got things off to a swinging start helped by the excellent rhythm team of Owen and Bennett. The Quartet reminded me of those records by Art Farmer and Jim Hall especially when John played a nice relaxed version on flugelhorn of Richard Rodgers' My Funny Valentine which Miles Davis liked to feature. Another thing I liked about this gig was the fact that the tunes were just the right length, not overlong, with the result that a total of thirteen numbers were played, one more than the average. There was, however, time for an encore which was suggested by Paul, and this was On Green Dolphin Street which brought the evening to a very satisfying close. Hopefully there will be another visit from John before too long.
The next jazz gig at the Railway is on Sunday May 29 with the Dean Masser Quartet - Mike Farmer
Sandu; Ladybird; My Funny Valentine; Moon Alley; Well You Needn’t; Desafinado; Little Sunflower; Four; Recorda-me; Willow Weep For Me; Doxy; Cherokee; On Green Dolphin Street.
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