While chasing away England's wintertime blues in Gibraltar, I stumbled upon the city’s emerging jazz scene at a Thursday night jazz jam session at the O’Callaghan Eliot Hotel. As a fan of dinner jazz and classic jazz artists, I decided to to see for myself, what the Gibraltar jazz train was all about.
On deck, and playing to a full house, was the George Posso Trio--a mainstay of Gibraltar jazz tradition. Jazz veteran George Posso (Gibraltar) on double bass led the group, which included former East Londoner John Porter (Estepona) on piano and Charlie Rovegno (Gibraltar) on drums.

The trio was joined by Yves Gerard Muller (Switzerland) on the flugelhorn and Djamal Adib (Germany) on alto sax. Attorney-by-day Stephen French-Davis (Gibraltar) added his deeply soulful vocals to “It Ain’t Necessarily So”, “All the Things You Are”, and “Just the Way You Are”.

The group wooed a lively mixed crowd of locals and visitors with classic greats such as “Sunny”, “Take Five”, and “Tin Tin Deo”. Staying true to jazz roots, interpretive solos and improvs showcased each artist’s amazing talents.

I am a big fan of the flugal, having blown the horn myself in years gone past, but for me the song of the evening was “Blue Bossa” and Djamal nailed the sax melody to the wall.

The evening slipped by too fast and before I knew it, the George Posso trio and friends were on the last song of the last set. As a parting treat, Mark Reeves (Kent) made a cameo appearance on drums closing out truly wonderful evening.

While locals are no strangers to the Gibraltar jazz scene, visitors to the area can read up on George Posso and crew and other jazz events by visiting the Gibraltar Jazz Society website at http://gibraltarjazzsociety.com, or just pop in to Eliot’s Thursday evenings from 9.30-11.30pm. There is no cover charge, and an evening indulging in classic jazz, the Gibraltar way, is the perfect nightcap after a long day on The Rock.

By CA Eccles
http://cindyeccles.writersresidence.com/