Earlier the death of Astrud Gilberto had been announced so it was inevitable that there would be numbers associated with the Brazilian singer popping up during the course of the evening and the trio set the ball rolling with One Note Samba which, despite the title, actually contains several notes particularly in the middle eight.
Stu sang I Thought About You despite playing keyboard and juggling with a swaying mic stand simultaneously.
It was now time for the jammers to take centre stage and first up was Kate O'Neill who sang Billy Taylor's I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel to be Free. Loud and earthy, Kate wrings out every amount of emotion from a song. The Girl From Ipanema, as Astrud demonstrated, demands a more subtle, laid back approach, nevertheless, this version offered an interesting contrast.
On both of these numbers the super Spanish sax star Luis Verde (pictured) spiced things up just as Stan Getz did on the original Ipanema.
Verde stayed aboard for Coltrane's Soul Eyes. As the name implies it was indeed soulful - beautifully so.
Alex Shipsey played bass guitar on C Jam Blues before being joined by the indefatigable Edgar whose atonal approach to jazz could be the next 'new thing' - then again ...
Showtime joined him for Watermelon Man which, if it wasn't all (Herbie) Hancock at least some of it was.
Debra Milne added her tribute to Astrud with Corcovado (Quiet Nights) although it was perhaps too quiet. Perdido was more audible with an impressive scat chorus. By this time, Jacob Egglestone had signed in and, as always, he delivered.
A brief interval to allow Sid White to switch the kit around to suit the inscrutable Kris Finney's more orthodox set-up before Katrina Miller sang How Deep is the Ocean? An out of tempo first chorus followed by a nice easy swing feel.
Owen Jones (he's Welsh) took over on double bass and 'Showtime' showed as Theo (surname unknown) crooned They Can't Take That Away From me. It's rather wonderful that young singers such as Theo and Katrina manage to delve into the GASbook without hitting on Summertime!
Gray and Verde played Ornithology trombone and alto working well together with excellent solos then, just as the number was drawing to a close, David slipped in a vocal chorus of How High the Moon which is, of course, the chord sequence that Ornithology is based on.
Out of Nowhere had more good solos from alto and trombone plus the inevitable vocal. Is the trombonist who sings fast becoming the singer who plays trombone? Whichever, he does both very well.
At this point, knowing the hoards of 'Kissettes' would soon be exiting the nearby Utilita Arena I made my exit. However, the saga will continue shortly courtesy of Russell. Lance
Stu Collingwood (keys, vocals); Paul Grainger (bass); Sid White (drums) + Edgar Bell (trumpet); David 'Showtime' Gray (trombone, vocals); Luis Verde (alto sax); Jacob Egglestone (guitar); Alex Shipsey (bass guitar); Owen Jones (bass); Kris Finney (drums); Kate O'Neill, Katrina Miller, Theo, Debra Milne (vocals).
(Late arrivals - see Russell's separate post) Esther Coombes (clarinet); John Pope (bass); Jamie Watkins (bass guitar); Freddie Richards (drums).
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