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| (© Ken Drew) |
After some years in the musical wilderness Lewis Watson is well and truly back and it's as if he'd never been away. Since he emerged from his self-imposed semi-retirement a couple of years back he has played at most jazz strongholds in the area and all to very well attended and attentive audiences.
The all-star quartet has, over the course of those gigs, morphed from four first class individualists into a unit that thinks and acts as one although Watson, of course, remains the guiding light.
The set list is perhaps becoming formalised but that only applies to the tune titles. Once they've disposed of the head it's off into the unknown. Walking a tightrope across the Tyne with the only safety net their own confidence in their ability to successfully accomplish the task. Nobody drowned.
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| (© Ken Drew) |
The set finished with No Light, No Tunnel. A minor keyed original with a bluesy feel that probably reflected the feelings of many people in the world about many different things.
Hand to Hand got things moving again with a drum workout by John Bradford. Trane's The Promise followed. This was a freer set that stretched boundaries without breaking the Ten Commandments. George Adams' Autumn Song was, I think, my favourite number of the night although the second Coltrane piece, Liberia, ran it close and maybe Lewis' solo on the latter was a late equaliser.
However, this wasn't about scoring points. On double bass Andy Champion displayed the dexterity of an orchestral violinist, Mark Williams is as effective as a harmonic cushion as he is as a soloist at the cutting edge whilst John Bradford is - what can I say? John Bradford - the in demand kitman.
Great gig. Lance
Ps: I missed the final number, Prayer To Be. Buses don't hang about waiting.
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