Page 52 - Guerin Media | Cork Airport Holiday & Destination Guide 2015
P. 52
removing the punters while a standard or a blues and coolly cast a
simultaneously attempting to retain the subtle eye around the room to see which
“heads” anticipating the jam session. A
of the big guns were showing intent. By
complicated and often fractious the second number, the inevitable young
procedure, this high-security operation man with a horn would tentatively climb
took an hour or more and was fraught aboard the stage - perhaps the odd section
with tension. Musician’s passes were player eager to let loose - often apparently
passed around and re-cycled, drunken possessing more enthusiasm than natural
punters argued for gargle and more talent. As soon as it became clear that a
music while the musicians soloist was blowing longer than his ability
politely explained they were “on the
jam”. Complications could arise - some qualified him, I simply raised a
surreptitious eyebrow and a burgundy blazer
of the heads would find themselves would extend a metaphorical crook around
accidentally thrown out onto McCurtain John Wadham his unsuspecting neck. Then the serious horn
Street with the Billy Bunters. By 3.30am players would emerge; what a thrill it was
or so, a relatively small group of heads from home to play with some of those guys. Gradually the serious
and abroad would end up in a quiet bar upstairs and rhythm sections would emerge too, and eventually
the music would start again. Louis Stewart, Johnny Justin, Myles and I would give way to the cats. Over
Wadham, Chas Meredith, Richie Buckley, Dave Fleming, the last decade of the twentieth century I heard some
Jim Doherty, Ray Preston, Len McCarthy, Paddy Sullivan of the greatest jazz I have ever heard in that session,
sometime between 4am and 8am in the “Organ Room”,
et al would trawl the great American songbook with
the great American musicians. upstairs in the Metropole of a rainy October bank
holiday weekend. And I was being paid for
Each year a small number of it.
jam-session devotees would gently
lobby the festival committee for the use As the new century dawned, so I grew
of a room with a good piano and a weary of the dawn yawning and bleary-eyed
proper P.A. system. Then, in the traipsing into the B&B in time for breakfast.
mid-nineties, Jack McGouran, festival I was no longer officially stuck in the jam - I
director, booked me to host the first was gigging with a new quartet - Georgie
“official” pre-programmed jam session.
Fame guested with us in Cork and wrote
I had just formed a new organ trio with a song for me that we would later record
Justin Carroll on organ and Myles Dren- Sonny Rollins together. The bill was as strong as ever;
nan on drums. Jack’s brilliant plan was to Ahmad Jamal came in 2000 with George
book an organ star and his band for the Coleman and Idris Mohammad - the Everyman
headline evening gig in the Metropole and then, at Palace gig was a double-bill with Toots Thielemans. In
around 3.30am, my trio would stagger onto the same 2003, the great Johnny Wadham, centrifugal force of
stage and act as the house band for the jam session. the festival since its inception, passed away. By now,
This was a wonderful arrangement and new licensing laws and a rampant celtic
over the next few years Jack brought in tiger-cub meant that thousands of punters
the best organists to play Justin’s could drink all night in the Metropole, and
Hammond B3 - the great Jimmy the old jam session had moved to more in-
McGriff, Lonnie Smith, Joey de timate quarters. In 2005, I released my first
Francesco, Seleno Clark, Mike Carr, album,
“All My
Barbara Dennerlein and their Love’s
bands - some truly memorable gigs. In Vain”,
The jam session set-up proved a great
success - we even had a sound-man. and that
Those two great gentlemen of Cork Jazz year I
Festivals, Tony O’Neill and the late and played
much-missed Bill Johnson were there, Cork
gracious and efficient in their burgundy with a
blazers. We would start the session with Louis Stewart trio
52
simultaneously attempting to retain the subtle eye around the room to see which
“heads” anticipating the jam session. A
of the big guns were showing intent. By
complicated and often fractious the second number, the inevitable young
procedure, this high-security operation man with a horn would tentatively climb
took an hour or more and was fraught aboard the stage - perhaps the odd section
with tension. Musician’s passes were player eager to let loose - often apparently
passed around and re-cycled, drunken possessing more enthusiasm than natural
punters argued for gargle and more talent. As soon as it became clear that a
music while the musicians soloist was blowing longer than his ability
politely explained they were “on the
jam”. Complications could arise - some qualified him, I simply raised a
surreptitious eyebrow and a burgundy blazer
of the heads would find themselves would extend a metaphorical crook around
accidentally thrown out onto McCurtain John Wadham his unsuspecting neck. Then the serious horn
Street with the Billy Bunters. By 3.30am players would emerge; what a thrill it was
or so, a relatively small group of heads from home to play with some of those guys. Gradually the serious
and abroad would end up in a quiet bar upstairs and rhythm sections would emerge too, and eventually
the music would start again. Louis Stewart, Johnny Justin, Myles and I would give way to the cats. Over
Wadham, Chas Meredith, Richie Buckley, Dave Fleming, the last decade of the twentieth century I heard some
Jim Doherty, Ray Preston, Len McCarthy, Paddy Sullivan of the greatest jazz I have ever heard in that session,
sometime between 4am and 8am in the “Organ Room”,
et al would trawl the great American songbook with
the great American musicians. upstairs in the Metropole of a rainy October bank
holiday weekend. And I was being paid for
Each year a small number of it.
jam-session devotees would gently
lobby the festival committee for the use As the new century dawned, so I grew
of a room with a good piano and a weary of the dawn yawning and bleary-eyed
proper P.A. system. Then, in the traipsing into the B&B in time for breakfast.
mid-nineties, Jack McGouran, festival I was no longer officially stuck in the jam - I
director, booked me to host the first was gigging with a new quartet - Georgie
“official” pre-programmed jam session.
Fame guested with us in Cork and wrote
I had just formed a new organ trio with a song for me that we would later record
Justin Carroll on organ and Myles Dren- Sonny Rollins together. The bill was as strong as ever;
nan on drums. Jack’s brilliant plan was to Ahmad Jamal came in 2000 with George
book an organ star and his band for the Coleman and Idris Mohammad - the Everyman
headline evening gig in the Metropole and then, at Palace gig was a double-bill with Toots Thielemans. In
around 3.30am, my trio would stagger onto the same 2003, the great Johnny Wadham, centrifugal force of
stage and act as the house band for the jam session. the festival since its inception, passed away. By now,
This was a wonderful arrangement and new licensing laws and a rampant celtic
over the next few years Jack brought in tiger-cub meant that thousands of punters
the best organists to play Justin’s could drink all night in the Metropole, and
Hammond B3 - the great Jimmy the old jam session had moved to more in-
McGriff, Lonnie Smith, Joey de timate quarters. In 2005, I released my first
Francesco, Seleno Clark, Mike Carr, album,
“All My
Barbara Dennerlein and their Love’s
bands - some truly memorable gigs. In Vain”,
The jam session set-up proved a great
success - we even had a sound-man. and that
Those two great gentlemen of Cork Jazz year I
Festivals, Tony O’Neill and the late and played
much-missed Bill Johnson were there, Cork
gracious and efficient in their burgundy with a
blazers. We would start the session with Louis Stewart trio
52
