ARQ at the Globe Newcastle
The determination of Newcastle’s Jazz.Coop to keep live
music going at its venue The Globe throughout the pandemic was rewarded in 2021
with two national awards – Co-op of the Year and All Party Parliamentary Jazz
Award – and two further grants from the Culture Recovery Fund.
In 2021 arranged over 50 jazz gigs. Half of them were
livestreamed from the empty Globe to an eager world of people longing for live
jazz. We have continued to livestream since audiences have been allowed back
because this enables more people to enjoy the music. Of the many excellent gigs
in 2021 I going to highlight three, each definitive performances of a
particular style of jazz.
In January Emma Fisk’s Hot Club du Nord gave a virtuoso
celebration of Django Reinhardt’s birthday. We knew they are one of the best
gypsy jazz bands in the UK, but the surprise was how naturally Emma Fisk took
to the livestream format. With a tablet on her music stand she engaged with the
online comments as though with an audience in the room.
In October a packed audience in The Globe (and online) was
spellbound by ARQ – Alison Rayner Quintet. This was the finest original
contemporary jazz performed by five musicians at the height of their powers –
carefully crafted melodies delivered with joyous spontaneity.
Another sell-out concert was the Clark Tracey Quartet
recreating the iconic Under Milk Wood suite written by his father Stan nearly
60 years ago. This was not a tribute band. The musicians and the narrator (Ben
Tracey – Clark’s son) delivered a striking, fresh interpretation of a classic.
Marvellous.
Dave Parker
Dave stood down from the board of the Jazz.Coop at our AGM in October- thanks for eight years of dedicated (and successful) hard work !
