JOHN ETHERIDGE TRIO NORTH 2007 AUTUMN TOUR
Due to other commitments, I have had little time this year to post new items on the blog. I am now putting that right and, very belatedly, I have got round to our autumn tour with John. We played the Puzzle Hall, Sowerby Bridge, the Goodfellowship Inn, Hull, Cooper’s at Guiseley, the Padgate Recreation Centre, Warrington and the Vortex, London.
As usual, John was in great form and we had an excellent week. Although we didn’t know it at the time, the Puzzle gig was to be our last, because unhappily, it closed as a venue not long after. I have been playing the Puzzle Hall for fifteen years or more and am very sad at this turn of events. Pete Martin and Geoff Amos have worked tirelessly over the years to present the very best that northern jazz has to offer. Newcomers just starting to make their way and established artists all got a gig and all loved to play the Puzzle. Although the money was never great, the atmosphere was fantastic. It was the type of gig where you could try new things out and no one minded if it didn’t always work. I think that we all owe Pete and Geoff a huge debt of gratitude for their dedication and commitment to the music. We will miss the Puzzle. This was a great gig to go out on.
(Images copyright Alan Ainsworth 2008 www.jazzshot.co.uk)
Ken Ford at Hull has supported the Trio from the very first tour. We have never missed a year at Hull. We started at the Dee Street Club, then moved to the Goodfellowship Inn, then moved to the YPI Club and are now back to the Goodfellowship. Ken is a real star, a genuine unsung hero of the music. Through good times and bad, for many years, he has continued to promote jazz in Hull, often subsidising the gigs from his own pocket and we are really grateful for all he has done for us. Our gigs at Hull have always been well received and supported and 2007 was no exception. And we had an excellent meal at the Jericho Cafe just down the road!
Cooper’s at Guiseley was a new venue for us and we had a great time. Keith Jeavons has really developed a superb gig and long may it last. It was good to see my old mate Steve Halliwell, who plays Zak Dingle in Emmerdale. Steve used to come to gigs at the Duck and Drake in Leeds, another jazz venue which has gone and is sadly missed, and he loved Rod Mason’s Quartet, in which I played, which featured Jez Franks and Dave Walsh.
Jackie Moore promotes jazz in Warrington and we have played the Recreation Centre at Padgate several times. The surroundings are, it has to be said, less than welcoming: takeways, hoodies and general urban sprawl predominate in the area. However, once you get inside, it is a really nice space to play in. Peter, the sound man, bar man and general good egg, works wonders, and although the audience is generally modest in size, it comprises real fans who frequently travel some distance to make the gig, often players themselves, who want to hear you play your best. There is no ‘well impress us, then’, simply a wonderfully good humoured, friendly and supportive crowd. It is a very positive playing experience.
The Vortex was great fun. The place was packed and we sold loads of CDs after the gig! John reckoned that it was a Vortex record for CD sales but I take that with a pinch of salt! We were very well received and it was an excellent end to the tour. Here’s to the next one - our 10th!!
