Michael Young Trio @ the Engine Room, Sunderland - March 25

(© Russell)

Michael Young (piano); Paul Grainger bass); Abbie Finn (drums)

The trio returned to the Engine Room for, I think, their first gig at the venue this year. 

It was an evening that was not without minor catastrophes and that's not counting the weather. Firstly the Metro that I planned to take was withdrawn from service meaning that I arrived just as the pianist was hitting the opening chord of Steely Dan's Do it Again and it was no reflection on the band when my first thought was 'not likely' or at least not until the new trains are up and running!

However, after Norwegian Wood my mood picked up although if they'd opted for Yellow Submarine instead it may have dropped even further. Fortunately sanity prevailed. More Beatles crawled out of the woodwork for Baby You Can Drive my Car.

(© Russell)

By now you will have gathered that the concept of the evening's two sets were jazz versions of contemporary songs such Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit which was followed by Elton's Rocket Man which was when the second catastrophe occurred and the pedal board of the grand piano parted company with the rest of the instrument. A man of many talents, Young was under the piano fixin' (imagine if it had been Peterson or Jarrett!). It was rather like doing a makeshift repair on an exhaust pipe at the roadside. No wonder they closed the set with Led Zep's Black Dog.

Fortunately it was all sorted out during the interval and all was well for the second set. You Are the Sunshine of my Life, taken faster, than usual worked a treat to the extent that it inspired a couple of ladies to get up and strut their stuff. The band kept it going with extended solos all round. As it happens, the first live version I heard of the Stevie Wonder classic was by Stéphane Grappelli with John Etheridge and Diz Disley at nearby Sunderland Empire - a long time ago.

John Lennon's Jealous Guy; Prince's Sexy MF; Billy Preston's You Are so Beautiful and Cyndi Lauper's Time After Time took us to the appropriately named The End so I headed for The Doors.

The Metro was on time - the age of miracles hadn't passed - and I arrived home only slightly wet after an enjoyable evening by an excellent trio. Next one is on April 29. Lance