The Great North Big Band Jazz Festival - Friday March 1

Bill Watson BEM has been running the Great North Big Band Jazz Festival for, wait for it, twenty one years! Bands - school, youth and senior - travel from all points, eager to participate, no doubt dreaming of taking home an award. The event planning is year round (chasing funding, persuading sponsors to get on board, confirming bands' participation, and so much more), culminating in three days of big band action. The GNBBJF is the premier event of its kind and regular attendees here in Chester-le-Street have come to expect musicianship of the highest standard.

Friday evening's concert programme featured Musicians Unlimited. Advance publicity suggested it would be a double bill, however, on this occasion, the Festival Band was unable to appear. Every cloud has a silver lining...we were treated to not one but two sets from Mick Donnelly's long-established outfit! 

As Musicians Unlimited took to the Park View Community Centre stage, the non-competitive, stress-free aspect of the concert afforded musicians and audience alike the luxury of enjoying the occasion, the stress (and all of that stuff) was for tomorrow! Fittingly, festival director Bill Watson led the way for the evening's many soloists, blowing trumpet on I've Found a New Baby. MU's trumpet section shone on Sammy Nestico's arrangement of Satin Doll, Watson and pianist Gary Hadfield featured on All or Nothing at All and the reeds impressed on Bill Bailey. 

In the Mood opened the second set, MD Donnelly stressing, as if by way of apology, it was the Doc Severinson arrangement! Miller or not, it was more than good. Blowing tenor all night, star soloist Sue Ferris demonstrated just how good she is. Make that 'fantastic'. And then there were the vocalists - Jan Spencelayh and Paul Skerritt.* At intervals during the evening Jan and Paul would take to the stage, standing out front, making themselves heard - Jan on This Masquerade, A Night Like This and others, Paul singing Happy Together, Misty and more. To close two enjoyable sets, Musicians Unlimited went out on a high. Playing flute, Sue Ferris (and band) blew the roof off with Tito Puente's Oye Coma Va.    

* Paul Skerritt and the Danny Miller Big Band will be in concert at the Glasshouse (formerly Sage Gateshead), Gateshead on Friday 26 April. Book now at: www.theglasshouseicm.org. Russell