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| (© Pam) |
Francis Tulip (guitar); Joe Steels (guitar); John Pope (double bass); John Hirst (drums) + Ferg Kilsby (trumpet)
A scratch guitar pairing, allied to an ace bass and drums partnership, a near full house welcomed the Francis Tulip-Joe Steels Double Guitar Band. 'Double Guitar', it's a kind of 'it does what it says on the tin' name. What the name didn't and doesn't in any way covey is the high level of musicianship on show. Four conservatoire graduates, Tulip, Steels, bassist John Pope and drummer John Hirst, took the opportunity to get together to play some jazz.
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| (© Pam) |
Scratch bands aren't guaranteed to produce the goods, however, having heard each of the musicians on numerous occasions in various settings, this one had 'must hear' written all over it. John Coltrane (26-2) by way of Peter Bernstein, Joshua Redman and Wayne Shorter to Charlie Parker, from the off our quartet tore it up. Guitar solos were of the 'immense' variety and to characterise the match up, let's call Tulip the remarkably fluent contemporary player. Steels the inventive mainstream player. Steels selected Osvaldo Farrés' Tres Palabras. Was it a bolero? Whatever it was it sounded good!
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| (© Pam) |
A
couple of originals, Tulip's Song for S and Steel's The Wait (is that the correct title?), stood comparison with much of
the heavyweight material in the set list and it couldn't have been anything
other than a pleasure for the two-guitar frontline to be working with the two
Johns, Messrs Pope and Hirst. Second set, trumpeter Ferg Kilsby joined the boys
on a couple of numbers including a razor-sharp Confirmation. The members of the quartet are twenty-somethings and
thirty-somethings, the addition of sixth former Kilsby (a star-in-the-making)
suggests the regional contemporary jazz scene is holding up well against a
backdrop of cuts to music education in these difficult financial times. If this
Newcastle Jazz Co-op gig was a one-off, it'll be remembered fondly by all
present. A great night. Russell
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