Giles Strong Quartet @ Blaydon Jazz Club - Sept. 18

(© Roly Veitch)

Giles Strong (guitar); Pete Tanton (trumpet, flugelhorn); Ian Paterson (double bass); John Bradford (drums)

Giles Strong's recently formed quartet comprises hand-picked, seasoned musicians perfectly at ease interpreting his original charts, not to mention being au fait with a selection of jazz standards. Here at the Black Bull guitarist Strong was joined by Pete Tanton, trumpet and flugelhorn, bassist Ian Paterson and the ubiquitous John Bradford, drums. Blaydon Jazz Club's loyal following duly turned up at the newly refurbished Black Bull, and, for the next couple of hours, hung on to every note - a 'listening audience' if ever there was one.

Giles Strong is straight out of the mould marked 'jazz guitar virtuoso': from Hot Club six-stringer to accompanist to an array of vocalists to cookin' like nobody's business. Blues Clues opened the show, the clue was in the bluesy feel to Strong's original composition. Mubo, an uptempo Latin feel with John Bradford's skittering brushwork, to (waltz time?) Coco in Paris featuring trumpeter Tanton (sounding like a tightly-muted Miles!) to the first of the evening's standards, Love for Sale. A new number, Strong's June Joy heard Tanton on mellow flugelhorn, bassist Paterson's impeccable sense of time walking them through it. Alone Together took us up to the interval. A class first set.

You'll be There, I'll be Here, Strong's subtle contrafact to There'll Never be Another You resumed matters. We were listening to four like-minded musicians enjoying themselves, the bonus, if that's what is was, they were playing to an appreciative audience! The quirky, much-played Nature Boy, followed by Brother T taking it up a notch, Paterson's wholly acoustic double bass solo a highlight. 

(© Roly Veitch)

I'll Remember April, John Lewis' Django, On Green Dolphin Street, this was chamber jazz it its best. Throughout the evening John Bradford's undemonstrative brushwork and use of mallets (occasionally picking up the sticks!) amounted to a percussion masterclass. Aspiring drummers should check out JB. The Black Bull audience wanted an encore. Strong and co obliged with Billie's (Billy's?) Blues. 

Blaydon Jazz Club's next concert promotion (Monday 16 October) offers something a little different. Legendary trombonist Gordon Solomon will be bringing in his River City Hot Six. A band with a pedigree, it's likely to be busy, arrive early to bag a seat in time for the eight o'clock down beat. Russell