Mike Hall Quartet @ the Moor Club, Heaton Moor, Stockport - Sept.8

© Jeff Pritchard

Mike Hall (tenor sax/saxello); Richard Wetherall (keys); Ed Harrison (bass); Dave Walsh (drums).

When I tried to buy a train ticket on Saturday morning I was told there would be at least fifteen cancellations on Sunday Sept. 8 so I decided to give this gig a miss. However, I changed my mind when I found out that the 6:44 train from Handforth to Manchester was running and was on time. The only problem was that, unlike last week, the train did not stop at Heaton Chapel so I had to get off at Stockport and catch the 192 bus and backtrack to Heaton Moor Road. The 192 actually goes past the Railway which of course is now closed. Mike Hall was a popular attraction at the Railway and he mentioned that the quartet this evening was the same line-up that he had been going to use there before its unfortunate closure.

I arrived at the Moor Club at about 7-30pm and managed to grab a front row seat very close to Richard Wetherall who was playing his nord keyboard and, also on my right, Mike Hall who was positioned ready to start the show with an up tempo version of Time After Time. 

This tune always reminds me of Chet Baker but it also sounded good on Mike’s tenor. He'd brought with him an instrument that I thought was a soprano but, as Mike explained in his very clear announcements, it was a saxello which was once owned by the late great reedsman Tony Coe. 

Mike featured the saxello on only one tune during the evening which was called Sad, a Little Bit by Milcho Leviev and my thanks to Richard Wetherall for showing me the piano part as I missed Mike’s intro.  

Leviev spent some time as  Art Pepper’s pianoman and I still have the LP Blues For The Fisherman on the Mole Jazz label which I bought off Art at Knebworth. 

I think I would have liked Mike to have played more than one number on saxello but that is my only criticism as I liked his choice of numbers and he included material by Bob Mintzer, Stevie Wonder, Bronislaw Kaper, Chick Corea, Billy Srayhorn and Thelonious Monk.  

The closing tune was a fast version of a 32 bar theme Mildew which I think I’m correct in saying was written by Chicago tenorman Johnny Griffin based on rhythm changes.  Ed Harrison and Dave Walsh did a great job and Mike must have been well satisfied by the large turnout and I spotted at least five followers of Bebop Spoken Here amongst the audience! An excellent gig. I had intended to get the 11:08pm train from Heaton Chapel but guess what? This train must have broken down because it did not arrive, leaves on the rails maybe! Mike Farmer

Time After Time; Night And Day; Invitation; Sad, a Little Bit; Oh Lady Be Good!; Papa Lips; Isn’t She Lovely?; Bolivar Blues; Amando’s Rumba; A Flower is a Lovesome Thing; Mildew.