Following on from a sold out lunchtime concert in Newcastle the Sam Toulson Quartet moved on down the road to Cockerton, Darlington. The Traveller's Rest is home to Opus 4 Jazz Club which, by and large, likes its standards and bebop burners. Four amazingly talent young musicians read the room and set about delivering the goods.
Storm Babet did its best/worst, however, Darlington's jazz fans weren't to be deterred. Alto saxophonist Sam Toulson is a local lad yet, until this evening, he hadn't set foot in the West Auckland Road hostelry. Ready to go at eight, Toulson, the Ho brothers - Edgar (piano), Oscar (double bass) - and, originally from Harrogate, drummer Ansel Bayly - the quartet opened with How Deep is the Ocean? Absolutely sublime, the ensuing thunderous applause said it all, as did the smiles of all four musicians.
An extended, dynamic take on I Got Rhythm had them a whooping and a hollering. My Little Suede Shoes, Just Friends (Toulson and co were making new friends this evening), Toulson's arrangement of Bonny at Morn, it had been an exhilarating first set.
A dash for the downstairs bar, a(nother) pint of the Ossett, a raft of raffle tickets, it could well have been stormy out on the street, upstairs at the Traveller's Rest, Sam, Edgar, Oscar and Ansel had been brewing up a storm of their own. The interval raffle brough dividends - a winning ticket yielded a CD - Cannonball Adderley's Somethin' Else. A second winning ticket then a third winning ticket, your correspondent did the decent thing: Put them back (in the metaphorical hat).
The second set opened with Toulson putting down a marker with some blistering bebop alto sax resulting in more deafening applause. You Stepped Out of a Dream showcased the quartet's firm grasp of GASbook material. The Nearness of You reiterated the fact. These guys are something special. And then, what tempo would you like? Cherokee, at the speed of light? You got it! Wow! Follow that, alright - how about a searing After You Gone? Yes, these guys can really, really play!
It had been a memorable evening, the Sam Toulson Quartet will be back, that's for sure.
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