Mike Hall Quartet @ the Railway, Stockport - June 18

(© Jeff Pritchard)

Mike Hall (tenor sax); Andrzej Baranek (keys); Steve Berry (bass); Eryl Roberts (drums).

The jazz gremlins were hard at work yesterday as Dean Masser who was the advertised act did not appear, his replacement being the Sale based reedsman Mike Hall. The reason for Dean’s absence was that his house was flooded so let’s hope he gets it fixed soon and that he’s back in action before too long.  

This weather is weird. I spent a few hours before the gig wandering about Stockport checking out some old haunts and it was warm and looked like it was going to chuck it down any minute, but it didn’t! 

Late on Saturday night I was watching TV when the picture went off and on the screen was the message No Signal which affected all the sets in all of the apartments where I live. Still, there’s always YouTube and Smalls to watch.

Anyway, back to the Railway gig Mike started the show with an uptempo Jerome Kern tune Long Ago and Far Away this being the first of eleven tunes which included material by Thelonious Monk, Bronislaw Kaper, Bob Mintzer, Kenny Wheeler, Hank Mobley, Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus. The first set was longer than usual containing seven tunes and that meant the second set  only had four numbers.

I thought the quartet worked well together and it was good to see bass player Steve Berry being given plenty of solo space as he has the ability and the experience to hold the audience's interest. The rhythm section  sounded in good form with Andrzej Baranek displaying his bebop credentials and Eryl Roberts driving things along. I don’t think I've seen a more impressive Mike Hall gig and I’ve seen him countless times in various lineups ever since I first encountered him maybe twenty five years ago at one of the lunchtime sessions at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester.

There is no jazz at the Railway on Tues June 20.  The next jazz at the Railway will be on Sunday June 25 with the Gaz Hughes Trio  9:00-11:00pm - free admission. Mike Farmer (photo to follow)

 

Long Ago and Faraway; Ba-lue Bolivar Ba-lues Are; Invitation; Play Pretty; Samba With Some Barbecue; Everything Happens to me; It’s You or no One; Nostalgia in Times Square; Everybody’s Song But my Own; A Flower is a Lovesome Thing; This I Dig of You;