The return of the Black Swan jam session - Oct. 17

Due to circumstance there hadn't been a Black Swan jam session for a month. Arriving in good time for 'doors at seven' it came as surprise to find the doors already open and a good number of folk taking their seats. What's going on?

Descending the stairs into Newcastle Arts Centre's Black Swan bar/performance space it quickly became clear some were keen as mustard. Within twenty minutes the place had rapidly filled up - what's going on? All the indications were it was going to be one busy old night. By the seven thirty down beat all seats were taken - what's going on? 

The house trio - Messrs Alan Law, Paul Grainger and Mark Robertson - got things under way with a nice take on Close Your Eyes. So busy was the place, MC Grainger opted to get the first of the evening's guests up earlier than is the norm, the place was that busy. Tenor saxophonist Harry Keeble, sporting an unseasonable Christmas jumper, elected to play In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning - fabulous! Alto saxophonist Paul Ruddick joined HK to play All the Things You Are - equally fabulous. The place was busier than busy - what's going on? And still they kept on coming down the stairs. It was still early o'clock, a 'late-arriving couple' - by the usual standards they weren't late, but this evening was turning out to be anything but 'usual' - remarked: We should have got here earlier.

Abbie Finn was in the house, she sat in, of course. Kate O'Neill sang Billie, and then, and then...in walked Elliott Todd. Abbie, Harry and Elliott took Seven Steps to Heaven to the cleaners, top stuff, the joint was jumpin'. Becky Tuck joined the party, as did Bailey (that's drummer Bailey Rudd), bassist Liam, pianist Murray (Alan Law went to the bar) and the keen-as-mustard Edgar Bell (trumpet), Becky Put a Spell on You - yes, that's you and you and you, every last one of you. Tremendous.

The jam session's 'all-hands-on-deck' finale started some forty minutes earlier than usual - what's going on? For the next forty minutes we were in Bedlam. Upstairs they were hanging over the rail looking down on the action, they were on the stairs, no one was about to give up a seat. Jude Murphy, that's Jude the flautist, summoned the spirit of Roland Kirk and, right on cue, in leapt Haaruun Miller, simultaneously blowing tenor and soprano, by accident or design channelling his inner Rahsaan. The Chicken took it out, going round and round and round, wonderfully chaotic. MC Grainger thanked one and all, a collective thanks and rather neatly described the finale as the 'Esther Coombes Extravaganza'. As MC Grainger put it: It's always this good. Russell   

Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Mark Robertson (drums) + in something like order of appearance: ? (vocals); Harry Keeble (tenor sax); Paul Ruddick (alto sax); Adam Sams (guitar); Shivan Ruddick (trumpet); Abbie Finn (drums); Kate O'Neill (vocals); Elliott Todd (trumpet); Bailey Rudd (drums); Becky Tuck (vocals); Liam ? (guitar); Murray Wankling (piano); Edgar Bell (trumpet); Haaruun Miller (tenor sax, soprano sax); Owen Jones (double bass); Ian Drever (vocals); Jude Murphy (flute, vocals); Johannes Dalhuitsen (bass clarinet); Esther Coombes (clarinet, alto sax); David Gray (trombone, vocals); Gary ? (bass guitar)