NORTHUMBRIAN MUSIC
NIGHTS
What we said about
Speakeasy with Digby
Fairweather
Fans boogied to the blues
and all that jazz
In keeping with its brief to bring different sorts of music to different sorts of people, the Northumbrian Music Nights group imported the jazz combo Speakeasy with blues belter Carole Clegg.
Jazz music is not everone's cup of tea, so it looked a potentially risky venture. When the financial backing is there, however, the only risk is a bit of time and effort, same as jazz itself really.
Thanks to special grants from Jazz Action via Northern Arts and the Musicians' Union and with the continuing support of LEADER II, the music really did reach the heights at Allendale village hall.
Special guest trumpeter Digby Fairweather blew up his own storm that drove the exterior rainclouds and wind away, while Carole riposted in time-honoured fashion, followed by reedsman Eric Clegg and some nicely-timed riffs on guitar from Greg Anderson.
Ian Heslop on bass guitar and Keith Smith on percussion contributed a solid backing against which the various interplaying melodies and harmonics could stand out. The whole of the first half was a brilliantly cooked up enterprise of individual solos and persuasive duets.
In the best jazz tradition the music had to be spontaneous too, as keyboard artiste Seb Thirlway had broken down out Whitfield way and only turned up at the interval.
As the band started their second session under the hot spotlights, Seb's swirling keyboard technique provided a gel that glued the evening together in a burgeoning party atmosphere, as Carole boogied on down, joined by rapt fans dancing and shimmying away at the front.
The music just wouldn't stop and as a sated audience finally trickled out the door, the candles winked out and the tables and chairs began their slow return to their appointed cupboards, the band kept on playing, and then playing some more.
