Black Swan Jam @ Newcastle Arts Centre - April 18

Paul Grainger (bass); Michael Young (piano); Tim Johnston (drums) + Edgar Bell (trumpet); David Gray (trombone/vocals); Esther Coombes (clarinet/alto sax); Luis Verde (alto sax); Ray Burns (harmonica/vocals); Kris Finney (drums); Sid White (drums/vocals); Niffi Osiyemi, Ian Drever, Jan Spencelayh (vocals).

The jammers were fewer than usual and the audience relatively sparse compared to the norm. However, the quality, in the main, far exceeded the quantity.

On piano, Michael Young proved to be a welcome addition to the pool of players from which the house trio is drawn and it was good to see Tim Johnston on drums who impressed with his brushwork early on.

Amazingly for a jam session there were no guitarists or tenor players in attendance - surely a first!

The revelation of the evening was Luis Verde, a Spanish alto player who first appeared at the jam a couple of weeks back. This was the best alto playing heard in Newcastle since those halcyon days when Sonny Stitt played the Corner House.

Unfazed by the competition, Esther Coombes, rather than fight fire with fire offered contrast soloing on both alto and clarinet alternatively. Esther invariably gets thrown in at the deep end often having to cope with unfamiliar songs in the unfamiliar keys that singers choose. I suggest it is time she was given the opportunity to play a couple of numbers of her choice with just the rhythm section.

What can one say about David Gray that hasn't been already said? His place in the annuls of north east trombonology is rapidly becoming carved in stone. His vocals are getting there too.

No problem hearing Niffi this week. Her  full-on vocals resonated into every nook and cranny on I'm Beginning to see the Light and Tain't Nobody's Biz-ness if I do. This was the whole nine yards, at least it was until Edgar gatecrashed the party just as the singer was reaching a frenzied finale. This wasn't his finest hour. Nevertheless, Niffi, trouper that she is, emerged unscathed.

Jan also impressed on Route 66, drummer turned vocalist, the artist  formerly known as Paul Wight now Sid White sang Fly me to the Moon and the Rat Pack theme continued when Ian Drever sang All the Way, a song first heard when Sinatra sang it in the film The Joker is Wild. In the film Frank's character runs foul of The Mob and has his vocal chords slashed. No such fate awaited Ian and he lived to sing Lush Life.

Ray Burns played and sang Body and Soul and When Somebody Thinks You're Wonderful aided and abetted by David Gray on the latter.

Sid and Kris Finney spelled Tim on the kit and, if not a vintage night, it was still pretty damn good. Lance