Corey Mwamba

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Thank you Leeds!

Ah. It's ALL over. And what a great way to end.

The train journey was standing all the way up; and the both the cabbie and I missed the large green sevens that highlighted the location of the place; but once inside it clear that Seven ArtSpace was a great place to do work in and relax. The altoist Jim Corry's quartet was playing Monk's Ask Me Now when I walked in; the bar area had some Bob Dylan quietly playing over the system, and a series of local art films projected on a wall. It was bustling despite the snow. The staff were all really helpful. And then I realised that the whole thing was not-for-profit, and set-up/run by volunteers. And my head said: Wow.

Anyway, Paul Dunmall and Paul Rogers came in and I was lucky enough to hang out with these two masters briefly, and hear them warm up. I knew it was going to be a good night. Dave and Josh turned up [which is always good when you're billed as a trio] and then I prepared to do something I hadn't done for a very long while—do the door for the gig! I wasn't exactly inundated with people, but we had a nice crowd by the time the two Pauls started. And their set was magnificent. Then after a short pause, we went on: and again, everything was different. It was a harder gig in some ways, especially after listening to such great improv beforehand—I think it was slightly unsettling for us—but we were still able to communicate and listen actively, and make music. A wonderful way to round off the tour.

Thank you to anyone that supported us—I'm sure we'll see you again.

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