Brilliant Brush-Work! The Paul Edis Trio @ The Gala, Durham – August 23

© Malcolm Sinclair

Paul Edis (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); Russ Morgan (drums)

This first concert in the Gala’s Tenth Anniversary Series (gosh, is it really that long?) began, appropriately, with Paul paying tribute again to the late Brian Ebbatson. His words (which have appeared earlier in these pages) were also given prominence in the programme notes. Brian was also referenced in the introduction to the sixth tune on the set-list: It Is What It Is and there was a collection after the show for Brian’s nominated charities: Macmillan Nurses and Saint Cuthbert’s Hospice. The gig, I’d have to say, was a joyous celebration which was all, like that sixth tune, very much “for Brian”.

© Malcolm Sinclair

Whiskers opened the show and immediately put Russ Morgan to the fore. All three of these musicians are top performers but for me, today, his drumming stood out! Apart from giving it some stick in a solo on the harum-scarum bus-ride entitled Madeira, I only clocked him using sticks for a few seconds here and there in the whole of the show. Everything else was “whiskers” which, thanks to some newly acquired hearing aids, I could actually hear clearly for the first time in years. In name-checking Russ at the end of the tune Paul referenced Ed Thigpen – praise indeed!

After the ups and downs of Snakes and Ladders we had The Start of the Journey written in New York about the mix of anxiety and excitement felt before a big challenge. I’d not heard this tune before (it’s not been recorded yet) and I liked it very much. I could imagine it as part of a film score – a bit like the Gershwin + NY skyline at the start of Woody Allen’s Manhattan. Paul confessed at the end of the tune that he’d forgotten to give Russ Morgan the music for it: I don’t think anyone in the audience would have guessed that, so flawless was the performance!

Start Over was cheerily optimistic: Andy Champion’s bass solo sounded positively chirpy – one of several excellent solos on the day. Another new tune to me – a “world premiere” apparently – called Good Times was next. Its composer described it as “gospelly” – it certainly was uplifting with infectious rhythms and oodles of my favourite piano style which led, somewhat surprisingly, into a few minutes of audience participation. We were invited to clap on alternate beats and then sing no fewer than three different parts with sections of the audience responsible for each! It could have been chaos but oh, no it wasn’t – it worked, people all joined in and to me, the harmony sounded good (and my hearing aids do not lie!). Paul’s years of doing panto have borne strange fruit!

Given that all of today’s tunes were Edis originals: the variety of styles and moods was indeed impressive.

The show over-ran by a few minutes to accommodate the aptly named The End – a bluesy number which again was new to me. I liked this one, too! Paul prefaced this number by reassuring the audience that anyone who had to leave (to catch a bus, or whatever) could do so. No one moved!

More gigs are planned through to January 2025. Book early as the tickets fly off the shelf! Jerry