Gig round-up: May

Some great gigs to report on from May.

We made two Sunday afternoon trips up to Yorkshire - the first to Seven Jazz in Leeds, and the second to Pave Bar in Hull.

The Hull gig coincided with the final game for Hull City in the premiership, so the bar was unusually full with expectant Tigers fans. An interesting atmosphere to play some intimate jazz to! Kick-off was mid-way through the second set, so at least our last set and a half of music-making happened in peace!

The following weekend, we had a fabulous trip to Jersey, playing 3 different hotels in as many days. The audiences were receptive, generous and large, and much credit goes to my wonderful sister, Clare, who put us up and helped with a great deal of promotion for this terrific trip.

Our return from Jersey was nearly hugely delayed owing to a certain angry volcano. However, we made it back in time on Monday evening to have at least a day's rest before setting off to Scarborough on Wednesday 19th May. What a great venue! We had an incredibly enjoyable gig and, judging by the club's review, the audience did too! (Click here to read the review)

The following day we had an afternoon gig at the beautiful Sewerby Hall, just south of Scarborough. The event was well-attended, which was a relief to me because we had competition in Scarborough from one of the world's most famous women... the town was enjoying a visit from the Queen!! Nevertheless, our afternoon concert was an incredible success - both for the attention of the audience and the attractive surroundings. That evening, we finished off the mini-tour with a great evening of jazz in Hebden Bridge, joined this time by the superb saxophonist Dave O'Higgins.

One of my favourite gigs on the tour so far has been in the Wayfarer's Arcade at the Southport Jazz Festival. This beautiful Victorian arcade (click here for more info) housed a band stand and plenty of seating for passers by, shoppers, or jazz fans to listen for some or all of our concert. It was a delightful setting, and the architecture made for optimum natural reverb! A real Sunday afternoon treat.