Nice gig at a village pub last night, the Greyhound in West Rainton. The first outing for our new quintet – previously we were four. New girl Karen Rann on soprano sax did very well, especially considering the lack of full band rehearsals. She and Jeff Smith on tenor went off into extended improvised duets on Angel Eyes, Beautiful Love, and A Foggy Day. The effect was edgy and unpredictable. A nice change from the usual ‘your solo, my solo’ approach.
We were followed by Off the Leash, a quartet put together just for the night with John Steele (saxes), Paul Beck (piano), Mike Clarke (bass), Stan Praszczalek (drums). They played more modern and fusion than us and even included numbers written by people who are still alive (Herbie Hancock)! For me the high points were a super fast version of Impressions and a haunting This Masquerade.
John has been working in a quiet but determined way to ensure that there are regular music nights at his local pub. There have been a number of setbacks. Last year the pub went into receivership and looked like it was going to be knocked down. But fortunately the new landlord aims to have something going on every night of the week. And slipped in amongst karaoke, darts and quiz are two jazz sessions a month. Well done John.
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