Eddie Martin has won many accolades over the years, including a Mojo Award, Best European Blues Artist, as well as Best Guitarist/Harmonica player in the British Blues awards, so it was a delight to welcome him to an evening at Teign Jazz and Blues, in front of a near-capacity audience. With a huge catalogue of songs to his credit, Eddie’s band soon hit their stride, starting with a great, upbeat version of ‘Play The Blues With Feeling’.
Eddie was ably supported by the highly accomplished Tom Gilkes on drums and his frequent powerhouse partner, Jerry Soffe on bass. The trio performed a tight first set, consisting entirely of self-penned numbers, the highlight of which for many was a slow blues,
‘Frozen Lake’ off his Thirsk album.
They upped the ante in the second set, Eddie responding to the enthusiasm of an audience happy to indulge in some communal singing. Again, all the numbers came from Eddie’s pen.
By this time Tom and Jerry were on fire showing off their musical skills individually on ‘Black, White And Blue’, while Eddie wowed with his guitar wizardry on ‘I Choose You’. Everyone left totally satisfied with a wonderful evening’s entertainment.
