Alan Barnes (alto sax, baritone sax, clarinet); Alan Law (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); Tim Johnston (drums)
The first of Alan Barnes' three north east concert dates attracted a full house. Closed for six weeks for annual maintenance, Auckland Castle's management decided to open the historic Bishop Auckland building's Old Library especially to accommodate Mr B.
All seats occupied, Barnes renewed acquaintance with Mick Shoulder and several fans of long standing. Bassist Shoulder invited pianist Alan Law and drummer Tim Johnston to form a trio for this concert, the first of two with Barnes on this last day of January. Opening with There'll Never Be Another You, AB stretched out, MS responsive and entirely comfortable with the material, Messrs Law and Johnston perhaps a little tentative, understandably so, taking to the stage alongside the great Alan Barnes.
The rarely heard bossa Brigas Nunca Mas (No More Quarrels) made for a nice change but it wasn't long before AB (playing alto) and the trio returned to more familiar repertoire with a fine take on There is No Greater Love, Messrs Law and Johnston settling in nicely. Unusually, this Bishop Auckland Jazz lunchtime concert comprised two sets rather than the one hour set we've become accustomed to.
The second set opener raised the bar, Monk's Bye-Ya, no less. AB picked up the heavy artillery, ie the baritone sax, to play 'Tis Autumn. It just so happened Mr B has a new album to plug, its title...'Tis Autumn. Sticking with the baritone, Bernie's Tune fairly rattled along, our guest star demonstrating remarkable agility on the big beast as our trio got stuck in. Switching to the alto, AB and co made a great job of Al Cohn's Zoot-Case. It was approaching two in the afternoon, time to go, but not before we heard one more. The Shadow of Your Smile never fails to impress, the same can be said of Mr A. Barnes.
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