Half-term holidaying and harmonies.

Half term used to be a time for sitting on a sofa, sleeping in, staying up late and trying to stop thinking about the children in my class.  Now it's a time for jetting around the country, visiting jazz clubs and catching up with family.

The week has started in Newcastle - for my return visit to The Cherry Tree.

Photo by Lance Liddle

I last was here in May, as part of a UK tour supported by Jazz Services.  I had brought my band up from London on that occasion, so this time I was a lone traveller ready to meet the local musicians - Paul Edis (piano), Mick Shoulder (bass) and Adam Sinclair (drums).  They were great - Paul was imaginative, listening and responding beautifully to my musical ideas; Mick was fast-fingered and fun and Adam created a wonderfully different timbre to a couple of ballads with soft sticks.  Ballads were a little bit lost on this audience - there was a large party of girls that staggered down the stairs at the end of the night a little worse for wear - but nevertheless we persisted!

The evening was reviewed by Lance Liddle - read his review here.

So that was Monday.

Tuesday = college reunion and relaxing with sister, niece and nephew.

Wednesday involved chilling out with another sister (there are 3 altogether: one identical twin and two elder), and singing at a new-ish jam session in Manchester at Indigo.  It's run weekly by Ed Kainyek - a terrific saxophonist that I met when I was living in Lancaster.

It is brilliant!  Packed to the rafters, bursting with students and older jazzers alike, and quality musician after quality musician getting up to jam.

On Thursday I made a short train journey to Wigan to sing with the Sounds 2000 big band at Wigan Cricket Club.  Run by Jim Ashcroft and formed in 2000 (hence the name), I've been invited to sing a few numbers as there is no regular singer with the band.

My first professional work was singing with NYJO, so I love the sound and exhilaration of singing with a big band - and I'd forgotten how much I miss it now that I mostly work with a quartet.

I'm announced in Wigan accent as "Sarah Helen Use" (reminiscent of Eliza Doolittle's elocution lessons about 'ertford, 'ereford and 'ampshire where 'urricanes 'ardly hever 'appen).

It's great stuff, but this gig is grossly unsupported considering the quality of music going on here.  Only 4 members of the band have full heads of hair - which includes 2 women (I've never sung with a band like this, having started out with NYJO, and subsequently performing with Military bands and and other big bands half full of the 'youth'), but it occurs to me that these are musicians that were learning their craft while the greats e.g. Sonny Rollins and Freddie Hubbard were doing their thing - so no reason why an older band shouldn't be a better band.

The quality of ensemble and the individual skill is excellent.  The band leader, Jim Ashcroft, is an advocate for little-known and well-arranged tunes, hence him selecting a handful of NYJO charts from my pad for me to sing.  The program is exciting, varied and current.  However, its excellence is not reflected in the disappointing patter that follows each tune from only a small number of hands.

I've unfortunately been involved in too many gigs where the band outnumbers the audience - more likely with a big band but still, so unfair.

An incredibly dynamic (not loud) band, Jim runs a tight ship performing the music he loves for only £2 entry including raffle.  The band rehearse here weekly and perform on the last Thursday each month.  If you're even a stone's throw away from Wigan, it's well worth checking out.

I was given a lift home to Manchester by the legend that is Ernie Garside - trumpeter with the band.  It was a hilarious journey with tales of Johnny Dankworth and playing with Maynard Ferguson, and as much effin' and blindin' as you can fit into 45 minutes.  A great way to end my enjoyable week of jazz.