In the beginning, Jelly Roll Morton created New Orleans jazz, or so he would have us believe. This begat Chicago style, west coast, east coast, Parisian swing and, by a circuitous route, a distinctly Scottish identity as typified in last night's concert at Sage Gateshead by the Fergus McCreadie Trio.
The award-winning Highlands born pianist is very much a buzz-name in jazz circles these days so it was no surprise that the Sage Two concert hall was all three tiers full and deservedly so.
McCreadie has successfully fused many elements of his homeland's traditional music into that of contemporary jazz piano. An audio panorama that encapsulates the lochs and the glens, the skirl of the pipes and the vagaries of the northern weather into his playing and all done without compromising the jazz content.
Aided and abetted by Bowden and Henderson on bass and drums respectively who contributed more than mere support - they were very much an integral part of the unit - his formidable technique provides him with the tools to accomplish the task quite brilliantly.
It was compelling and original and although it took me a while to absorb all the subtle nuances it was worth the effort and I left feeling as though I'd conquered Ben Nevis. Lance
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