It was an absolute delight to be in the presence of such a musician as the Parisian jazz violinist Daniel John Martin on his return to Bishop Auckland. This event hosted by #bishopaucklandjazz also featured the brilliant local talents of Mick Shoulder and Dave Smith on guitars and Paul Grainger on bass, collectively known as Swing Manouche. The evening took off with renderings of Douce Ambience and Lulu Swing before a calmer Clair de Lune gave the players (and audience) more t ime to breathe and to display their lyrical improvisations.
Throughout the evening the solos from DJM dazzled us with his complete mastery of the violin and its potential to deliver incredibly rapid passagework whilst being truly expressive and fun. Similarly, Mick Shoulder delivered his solos with consummate ease extracting so many different tones and t imbres as he progressed. Dave’s rhythm guitar and Paul’s bass playing were rock solid and provided the foundation for the others to build their solos. Troublant Bolero and Dinette closed the first half, but after a brief interval they were back with Coquette, Danube and Danse Norvegienne.
Then came the biggest shock in Sheik of Araby when DJM took to the microphone to sing a few familiar verses. It brought the house down! Then they simply had to do Djangology by Django Reinhart who was especially associated with this style of “Gypsy Jazz” followed by a poignant version of Je Suis seul ce soir and finishing with I Love You. Memories of Stephane Grappelli were provoked throughout the evening, but I think DJM went further still. The audience gave warm applause throughout and left with very happy faces having been so royally entertained. The next event is on Friday 8th May at 1pm and features the Alan Law trio. Let’s make Bishop Auckland great again!
