A Busy Arvo

Jam session review for 29th September 

In a welcome return to form, 29 jammers fronted for this one: an afternoon framed by 6 pianists, dominated by eight singers, and elevated by the highlight of the day: Fiona Stewart and Deb Woodroffe singing a deux, a performance so polished that several people suggested they should work up something for the Newport Jazz Festival (2nd - 4th May 2025). With Ken Cowan on piano, and (gulp) no guitars. The sound was the best it had been all afternoon.   And it was a guitarist who pointed this out. Good grief.

Philip, Costa, Tony Luxmoore, and meself murdered a few standards.  Rose even sent a text to apologise for thinking she'd messed up The Thrill Is Gone (which she hadn't), in the mistaken belief that this would preclude any mention - it doesn't, and actually it was the Jam Session band that didn't get round this one too well, rightly blaming the charts, as, otherwise, who you gonna call ?

A neat set from the ever patient Ruby, with trumpeter Graham White, and pianist Malcolm Hornby. Worth waiting for. In a break with tradition, singers Jane, Anthony, Ashley and Kay don't get a mention.

Bassists Adam and Ivan both provided the sort of solid backing that has been, on occasion, desperately lacking for the jammers essays into the nether regions of the jazz spectrum. Similarly, drummers Martin and Richard stayed solidly on beat all arvo, without drawing any unnecessary attention to themselves.

Saxophonists: The Bounder led the charge, playing some restrained and elegant lines: the Gentleman Farmer has not been well of late, but still did enough to suggest that he was the pick of the saxophologists on the day.   Messrs Calamatta and Holt were their usual smooth selves, and I particularly enjoyed Keith's choice of Roadsong, although after three and a half hours of listening, I would have soloed on Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and enjoyed it.

All of which led to an afternoon of fine music making, and the most disorderly list from a busy the Good Captain, but with 29 names to wrangle, who can blame him...

Jazz, perhaps? We'll fix that later