Mike Hope (tenor sax, flute); Neil Yates (trumpet);
Ric Weedon (drums); Andrzej Baranek (keyboards); Joshua Cavanagh Brierley
(double bass)
A wonderful evening of jazz in Llandudno, North Wales, by a stellar quintet led by host Neil Yates who is one of the top jazz trumpet players in the UK.
Making his debut at the club was Manchester based drummer Ric Weedon. It was also the birthday of Andrzej Baranek who has been an integral part of the UK jazz scene for many years. I had not seen Mike Hope before but was impressed by the rich sound of his vintage Selmer tenor saxophone. I regularly see Joshua play in the north west of England and in North Wales. He is an immense talent who gets around.
The gig kicked
off with Tenor Madness the title track of the Sonny Rollins Quartet
album which is the only recording
featuring both Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane. This opener allowed all
musicians to show their virtuosity starting with Mike on tenor sax. Next up was
The Way You Look Tonight composed by Jerome Kern. The last tune in the set was One Note Samba composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim and the
interplay between Mike on tenor sax and Neil on trumpet was very enjoyable.
The band opened the second set with the jazz classic Lullaby of Birdland with Mike switching appropriately to the flute. Andrzej had a memorable solo on the Charlie Parker tune Ornithology. By special request the band played Take Five written by Paul Desmond and recorded by the Dave Brubeck Quartet in 1959 for their album Time Out. Whilst its probably the most famous jazz tune it is not regularly played at Llandudno Jazz Club so was thoroughly enjoyed by all. The concert concluded with the Bob Haggard tune What's New? and The Night has a Thousand Eyes.
Live jazz takes
place each Monday from 8pm at this venue
which is a dog friendly and award winning pub where the food is as good as the
music. Modern and traditional jazz alternates each week so trad jazz takes place
next Monday February 2. Richard Morris
Set list Tenor
Madness; The Way You Look Tonight; One Note Samba; Lullaby of Birdland;
Ornithology; Take Five; What's New?; The
Llandudno Jazz
Club, Penrhyn Arms, Pendre Road, Penrhynside, Llandudno LL30 3BY
Mondays @ 8pm.
£10 cash entry pp, no booking required but recommended if dining.
No comments :
Post a Comment