A cast of thousands including: Sarah Travena on tenor, Alan Law on tenor and piano, Paul Grainger (bass), Pete Gilligan (piano), Omid Ramak and Ryan Siddall, Eric Stutt (drums), Matthew Office, Mark Williams (guitars), Elaine Binney (violin), Lindsay Hannon and Sheila Robson (vocals).The Jazz Café is the way Jazz Clubs used to be - not sitting with furrowed brows in sepulchral silence but with people actually enjoying themselves! If you want to furrow your brow go to The Sage or the City Hall.
The Jazz Café is a throw-back to a time when jazz was classed as entertainment and not some Radio 3 specialist art form. Of course we all know it is both and it is nice when the twain do meet but c'mon, tap your feet, click your fingers, accompany your applause with a hoot and a holler.
They do all this at the Jazz Café Sunday Afternoon Jam Session and I don't think the musicians minded at all. If the song required rapt attention they got it e.g. Lindsay Hannen singing But Beautiful - she also held the punters with Willow Weep For Me, Love Me Or Leave Me and quite an amazing version of Nature Boy.
Let them talk - if your solo is good enough they'll stop talking. If it's not then you'll welcome the chat to cover up that divergence from the sequence you made on bar 189.
The solos were good enough today. Apart from the usual suspects who to-ed and fro-ed we had Sheila Robson who did Billie Holliday proud with Loverman and, as I reluctantly left, Peggy's Why Don't You Do Right?
Just too many good things to write about today. So, with apologies to those I have missed out it was great.
Lance.
PS: As the only bass player Paul Grainger must get a special mention for service above and beyond the call of duty!
Are there any entry costs? Does it apply to musicians who want to jam?
ReplyDeleteEntry is free.
ReplyDelete