Lost In Jazz
To the Old Fruitmarket in Glasgow this evening, where Sushil Dade is producing the very first BBC Radio Scotland Young Jazz Musician of the year competition. He offers to give a me a tour of the backstage area but gets completely lost in the maze of corridors.
“We should have left a trail of breadcrumbs, “ I tell him.
“You wont write about this on your blog will you?”
“That depends..”
“On what?”
“On whether we ever get out of here and see our homes and families again”
The event itself turns out to be another fantastic night of live music. It’s almost a full house as our Jazz House presenter, Stephen Duffy, introduces the six finalists and most of them still in their teens. They offer a range of performances that includes piano, alto saxophone and vocals, but I’m particulary impressed by drummer Doug Hough. There’s such a blur of activity on the skins that I’m convinced he has three hands with two sticks in each fist.
The judges, chaired by Dave Batchelor, agonise over their decision and finally proclaim pianist Alan Benzie as the winner.
He comes on to the stage, I shake his hand and give him his certificate and £500 cheque.
“Er…what do I do now?” he asks.
“Just play,” says Dave, and so he does….to a rousing reception from the audience which tells us that judges got it right.
Sushil appears and offers to show me the way out of the building.
If you don’t hear from me soon, follow the trail of crumbs.
