Northumbria University's Sutherland Building is home to a weekly, term time Tuesday lunchtime concert series. This afternoon two of Tyneside's premier improvisers would present half a dozen pieces to a select, but attentive, audience. Composers and compositions would be familiar to most, if not all, present.
Without fanfare, John Pope (double bass) and John Garner (violin) began their half hour performance by taking another look at Carla Bley's Egyptian. The composition is often heard in a large ensemble setting. The two Johns have form in this regard, they were up for the challenge of making something of it as a duo. And make something of it they did! Anthony Braxton is a touchstone. Our intrepid duo opted to play the octogenarian's Composition 40-F, their near-constant eye contact a noticeable feature of the performance. Afterwards, Garner made reference to the Batman theme, a reference noted by your correspondent during the performance of the piece.
Ornette Coleman was in the mix. Two pieces, Lonely Woman and a very bluesy Blues Connotation were at the heart of the afternoon. You can't beat a blues - freely improvised or not! Goodbye Pork Pie Hat tipped our duo's hats to Mingus, similarly, Rhythm-A-Ning to the great Thelonious Sphere Monk, Pope suggesting the man remains underappreciated to this day.
Thirty minutes flew by - the sign of a good gig. Messrs Pope and Garner were keen to play one more -'a short one', said JP. Signing off with a Jimmy Garrison composition, the thought occurred that James Emory Garrison is another name deserving of wider recognition.
Set list: Egyptian; Composition 40-F; Lonely Woman; Blues Connotation; Goodbye Pork Pie Hat; Rhythm-A-ning; a Jimmy Garrison composition.
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