Black Swan Jam Session - August 23

Steve Glendinning (guitar); Paul Grainger (bass); Abbie Finn (drums) + Harry Keeble, Paul Gowland, Steve Summers (tenor sax); Haaruun Miller (alto/soprano sax); Esther Coombes (alto sax/clarinet); Nigel Greenwood (flugel); John Weaver (trumpet); David Gray (trombone);  Martin Waugh, Michael Young, Martin ? (piano); Ben Davies, Joe Steels (guitar); Sid White, Michael Mather, Felix Parkin-Christie, Bailey Rudd, Stefan ?, (drums); Jan Spencelayh, Kate O'Neill, Kay De'Ath (vocals).

There appeared to be more musicians than listeners in the audience although some of the musicians were also listeners as they awaited the call to arms.

Faces new and faces old culminating in what could have been the jam session to end all jam sessions with seven or eight horns jostling for floor space. However, the lateness of the hour - 10:20pm meant that soloists were just getting into their stride before their allotted couple of choruses were up. A more elastic approach could have resulted in a jam that Norman Granz would have been proud of!

With A-listers and B+ players present it would be unfair to single out any one player. However, it was a sheer delight to hear, amid the hoary old jam session favourites (admittedly all played/sung well) such as Stella, All the Things, Georgia, Fever, Softly, Never be Another You and that Summertime song, Paul Gowland play a couple of less hackneyed standards in the form of Speak Low and Spring Can Really Hang You up the Most.

There were drummers-a-plenty and it occurred to me why not split the kit between them? A on bass drum, B on snare, C on tom tom, D on floor tom, E on hi-hat etc. the results could be interesting!

Also, it would have been nice to have heard more from Martin Waugh who came down from Edinburgh - he's an excellent all-round entertainer. 

A superb session with too much happening to name check everyone although Kay De'Ath made an impressive debut with Stormy Weather that is worthy of mention - Lance