Fergus McCreadie

Sage, Gateshead

12 May 2024

It's rare that I go to a jazz gig, but its rare that I find a musician like Fergus McCreadie. I'm not even sure how his albums originally came to my attention, but they are stunningly beautiful. Enough to have me watching out for the last couple of years for a gig I could get to, And now here's one right in my back yard...

Sage Hall Two... ah, I've talked about this venue enough already. It's the most perfect venue I've ever been in (and I've been to a fair few), and it's perfect for this concert. There's the Steinway piano on the left, drums on the right, a double bass in the centre, and basic lighting on them, and that's it. No elaborate stage show or visual distraction, just the music.

McCreadie sits at the piano, and tells us the trio doesn't have a set list tonight, they're just going to play and see what happens. So he starts, with a flurry of ridiculously fast notes, and stretches the solo out while David Bowden (bass) and Stephen Henderson (drums) wait for an opening, and when they find it they show they are every bit his equal, whether they are complementing his leads or taking their own solos. The trio plays, seeming to be freely improvising, for 45 minutes. Literally a 45-minute continuous piece of improvised music, and its absolutely beautiful. McCreadie doesn't just play fast and flashy, he plays streams of beautiful melodies, packed with feeling and emotion. Occasionally I think I hear snatches of tunes from his albums rising in the music, only to fall back again in another burst of improvised soloing. It's breathtaking, and mesmerising, and when he stops and tells us 45 minutes has passed, it's hard to believe.

There's a short break, then they come back for...

Another 45-minute piece of continuous improvisation.

I have literally never heard anything like this in my life. It's just astonishing.

Best concert I've ever seen.