There was a small matter of some football to watch so I missed this first set of the afternoon by the duo of Graham Hardy (trumpet/flugel) and Stu Collingwood (keys) on this, the final day of NJF. However, as I made my way through the throng someone said to me that I'd missed a cracking set and that Graham Hardy had, 'blown his socks off'!
This was an eyeopener. I'd only previously heard Matt with the Strictly Smokin' Big Band where he has but limited opportunity to extend. No such restrictions here and, just after you'd been assailed with Graham's socks, Matt's too were, metaphorically speaking, going with the prevailing wind which was a jazz tornado.
Driven on by some maniacal drumming - and that's intended as a compliment - by Stapleford with Pope and Lawrence right on the money, the opener, Mindful, set their stall out.
All compositions were by the leader and, although I didn't catch all the titles, a couple I did catch were Black Chaves and All Bets Are Off. The latter being, arguably, the one that got the cigar. Excellent!
This, ostensibly, was a recreation of the recording of the same name by Gerry Mulligan and Paul Desmond which indeed it was for the first couple of numbers where Sue and Steve were the perfect casting for the title roles. The contrapuntal passages on All the Things You Are and Out of Nowhere had me imagining it as a jazz fugue à la Wolfgang Amadeus.
Musicians were individually invited to step up so we had Kieran blowing on Plight of the Fumblebee, Pete remembering Clifford Brown and then Luis Verde. Talk about blowing your socks off, he blew the roof off. Not by the volume from his alto but by the decibels raised by the audience. the tune was This I Dig of You and they, the crowd, certainly dug him. Of course the cognoscenti who knew the amiable Spaniard from the Black Swan jam just sat back with a smug, I told you so, smile on their face.
Suddenly, the senoritas were forgiven for breaking English hearts. From Luis' first few bars it was Viva España! although, fortunately no one was drunk enough to sing that most inane of songs! A festival highlight!
Slowlight Quartet: Tom Quilliam (tenor/bari sax); Paul Loraine (keys); Ian 'Dodge' Paterson (bass guitar/synths); Athol Cassidy (guitar); YVA (vocals); John Hirst (drums)
So, suffice to say, the crowd loved it and I'm probably the one driving into the contraflow traffic on the M6.
Jonny Mansfield Trio: Jonny Mansfield ( vibes); Andy Champion (bass); Dave McKeague (drums).
Champion is never less than brilliant and McKeague showed why he should be seen on 'the scene' more often.
As for Mansfield, he was absolutely superb. Melodic, inventive - you name it.
Chatting afterwards, he recalled a gig he did at the old Jazz Café (now the Prohibition Bar) with Jam Experiment as well as acknowledging Dave Sayer's perceptive review of his most recent album on BSH. He played a track from it - Etude.
This was the perfect finale to what had been a great five days. Jamie and Michael are, with each passing year, bringing it closer and closer to the glory days of yore. Lance
Everything I Love; Stablemates; What is This Thing Called Love?; Ask me Now; Ease it; Etude; All the Things You Are; Windows.
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