Ray d’Inverno Quintet, Be-Bop Club Bristol, Friday 20th January

Ray d'Inverno - that's not the Be Bop Club's new piano sadly

“…me too!!!” , I wanted to shout as Ray d’Inverno rhapsodised and declared his love for  the Keith Jarrett tune he was about to play late in this newly formed quintet’s second set.  In my own fumbling attempts at music making I played ‘Everything that Lives Laments’ for about ten years first with a quintet I co-led with my mate Pete, and then with my trio finally recording it on one of those home produced, sell at gigs kind of CDs (shhh…).  I’ve lately rested it from the set, but hearing this very fine quintet play their socks off on it, maybe its time to revisit. My personal response to this gig was as much flavoured by the choice of material as by the (very high) quality of the musicianship. Its a repeating experience with Ray d’Inverno; when I’ve seen him, he invariably plays something that I’ve heard and loved so much I’ve had to have a go myself, or one I’ve heard and thought the same but maybe been slightly daunted by its complexity. The latter category on this occasion was a Joshua Redman tune called Cat Battles. Its a typical Redman composition; almost funky but still somehow swinging, catchy melodic riffs with the soloing as likely to burst into racing swing as settle into rhythmic motifs, but lots of tricky little harmonic shifts.  Its not funk, its not post bop… Hip Bop? It always makes me want to join in. And this band were really ‘on it’.  I could go on. There were tunes by Chick Corea, d’Inverno himself and some less well known players (Christian Jacob was a new one on me I’ll confess, but on the strength of how often what Ray likes I find myself liking, I’ll check him out!)

The absolutely packed club were left in no doubt that this was the bands first outing – but it was only the annoucing that gave a clue. Andy Hague on trumpet  and recently settled on the these shores Canadian Terry Quinney on tenor were relaxed and fluent on all the material.  Cat Battles illustrated why Simon Gore, depping for the evening on drums, is such a phenomenon. The crispness of the groove and the stops and starts of the theme were perfect, no matter that he appeared to be reading it and later in the evening we were treated to the full churning, windmill action drum solo. Exhilarating. The beating heart of this band, the relationship between piano and bass player Ben Taylor was unfailingly propulsive. I’ll own that there is something slightly scary about (emeritus Professor) d’Inverno, his announcing veered into the slightly didatic as he offered musicological analysis of a few of the pieces, so I confined myself to skipping out of the door with a grin on my face rather than share my enthusiasm directly at the end (or try and nick his fat book of charts!)

2012
01/22
CATEGORY
BeBop Club
Ray d'Inverno
Review
TAGS





2 comments

Simon Spillett, St. James Wine Vaults, Thursday 12th January

Back in October in JazzUK, Simon Spillett published a wry and illuminating account of a solo tour, playing with local rhythm sections. You can read ‘If its Tuesday it must be Treorchy’ here . “If its Thursday it must be Bath” doesn’t quite scan in the same way but it was our turn as  the Jazzhouse Trio hosted Mr. Spillett for the inaugural gig of the Vaults’ sixth year. You don’t have to work very hard on your jazz anorak researches to throw up the link between Simon and the fabled British tenor man Tubby Hayes. The combination of the besuited band leader, the atmosphere at the vaults and the dimly lit cellar  made us feel you could almost blink and you’d be back in London circa 1961, with the band at full stretch playing Oleo, the tenor etching out the familiar changes with a blizzard of arpeggios and be-boppish leaps. There’s even something about the tone that evokes that era and the playing of Hayes.  We were wondering if the band had approached the gig with some trepidation, given the reputation of the guest for playing at breakneck tempos. If they did, maybe only the odd bead of sweat betrayed it. There were plenty of quieter moments with a gorgeous, little played ballad called Where are You showcasing a more tender side to Simon’s playing  and Doxy, taken at a gentle medium swing settling into an infectious groove. Leavened by the deadpan wit deployed in the announcements this was an engaging and entertaining start to the year and one to blow the cobwebs away for the resident trio.

2012
01/16
CATEGORY
Review
Simon Spillett
St. James Wine Vaults
TAGS


Write comment

WordPress kindly sent the report again…

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 3,400 times in 2011. If it were a cable car, it would take about 57 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

2012
01/03
CATEGORY
Ramblings
Review
Write comment

Can’t get that tune out of my head… the one’s that stuck from 2011

I rather like the idea of the CDs that somehow always seem to find their way back into the CD player (pace Peter Bacon’s version of this thought). There are lot of ‘best of’ lists doing the rounds and my humble list is as random as my New Year’s Honours. Its determined by a weird mixture of my taste, what catches me at a particular moment, of course the inherent quality of the music itself and the randomness of what I happened to buy (mood and finances dependent) – so of course not all of it is this year’s vintage. The same applies to gigs and the test seems to be similar – which one’s keep coming back to me either in the memory or on the player.  So here goes, not a long list (again, Pete Bacon’s festive 50 is impressive, what a lot of listening to get it down to 50!)  one’s  acquired this year that keep sneaking back onto the player, in no particular order:

  • Hush, Niki Iles – I love Niki’s touch and melodic sense but most all the choice of tunes
  • Turn Left at Monday, Barry Green & Dave Green – the first few notes of of the album always grab me, space and momentum all together and loads of swing;
  •  Flight Lines, Rachel Musson’s Skein – I love the ensemble sound of this album, the free but not free line they walk and Rachel’s alternately warm and rasping tenor sound;
  •  Bird Songs, Joe Lovano’s US Five – ahhhh, the feel. Tight but loose, masterful;
  • The Impossible Gentleman – this always takes hours to play because i have to play Mike Walker’s Clockmaker five times whenever I put the album on.;
  •  Esperanza Spalding, Esperanza – ok, slow on the uptake but I just discovered this in 2011 and like the groove and jazz blend, ditto the next one;
  • Lost and Found, Gretchen Parlato;
  • The Heart Emerges Glistening, Ambrose Akinmusire. I just love the range of styles this music embraces, still unmistakably jazz and fantastic playing

In their different ways all these never fail to touch me, make me smile, tap my foot or all three, they’ll be jostling for position with some older favorites fro some time to come methinks.

Live music, there’s been plenty though other demands of life mean a bit less than some years (I didn’t really catch much in the way of festivals this year). Still, there are a few real standouts that still glow;

Big treats that lived up to their promise

  • Joe Lovano and US Five at St. George’s Bristol
  • Roy Haynes at Queen Elizabeth Hall – inspiring on so many levels, but mostly for fabulous swinging jazz
  • Wynton Marsalis with his quintet at Ronnie’s
  • Keith Jarrett at Royal Festival

Possibly one of the favourites – Impossible Gentleman at Colston Hall2 Bristol.

Most of my live listening has been local and its been often just as satisfying. Particluar mentions go to

  • John Law with his OPT trio at the BeBop club
  • Pushy Doctors, everywhere, loads and always better than the last time and huge fun.
  • Alan Barnes – I’ve seen him in these parts two or three times this year and he’s dazzled and excited each time.
  • Jazz House Trio for being unfailingly quality no matter who they’ve accompanied this year.

A short – ish list of the stuff that’s crossed my radar then, but its makes me think, in the words of Frank Sinatra, “it was a very good year”

2011
12/31
CATEGORY
Ramblings
Review
Write comment

Jazzyblogman New Year’s Honours

Live jazz music is alive and well on our patch of the south west of England. There are of course a few caveats to that; venues and gigs come and go, audiences evaporate, musicians struggle to make a living. But still week in week out there are dozens of live gigs both big and small, big bands are rehearsing, jam sessions, workshops and short courses are attended.  In slightly sentimental moments, I think about how much this adds to our collective life. There’s the direct enjoyment (mostly!) of either playing or listening, but lets acknowledge the simple connections between people that are formed or reinforced by these happenings (friendships, shared experiences and more) that I think enriches our lives.

Almost without exception this is all very local and happens because an individual or a small group make it happen, usually without any particular financial reward beyond covered costs. So here goes with my New Year’s Honours that reflect my own slightly idiosyncratic, crooked path through the jazz scene on the Bristol, Bath and environs patch and salutes ‘those that make it happen’.

Gigs in Bath: All hail Wade Edwards for jazz at the Vaults and now 5 years of a regular club at the Wine Vaults (and to Neil the landlord for supporting it). Also in Bath don’t forget the Sunday sessions at the Ring-o-Bells booked by Joe Spibey and supported by the pub. Other restaurant gigs, long time ‘putters on’ of jazz when they don’t have to – Green Park Brasserie and Gascoyne Place. (Up and comers: look out for gigs at Market supported enthusiastically by manager Ashley)

Gigs in Bristol: So much going on here, I’m bound not to mention stuff but the criterion is what I know of so, thinking of people, a loud whoop for the Be Bop Club and Andy Hague (now entering its 22nd year?), but also now firmly established on the local scene The Coronation Tap and the The Greenbank as venues including jazz in their vaied programmes due to the commitment of managers. A new gig this year at the Rose of Denmark, a distinctive programme booked by Pete Judge. Sadly this year Future Inns stopped supporting Ian Storrer’s series of Jazz gigs, but never a man to put off by a mere lack of a venue Ian has continued to bring world class music to the city – its looking promising for 2012 with more scheduled at the Colston Hall2. Venues seem a slightly different category, but it would seem odd not mention St. Georges Bristol and a hugely varied programme booked by Phil Johnson on their behalf. Similarly the Wiltshire Music Centre at Bradford on Avon through Artistic Director Keith Nimmo.

Miscellaneous music making:

Jam Sessions – still weekly, alternating between the Canteen and harbourside on a Monday night (how long has this thing been going on) and I’m not sure who the energizers are but I suspect a combination of Greg Cordez, John Blakely and regular drum host Trevor Davies (and of course the forebearance of the management). At the Greenbank monthly still under the banner of East Bristol Jazz Club and lovingly sustained by Simon Greening, Walter Dirks and Nick Langston.

And the workshops, oh the workshops! So many, interspersed with weekends and and termly performances/ parties. Surely the most public friendly and rocking ‘end of term gig’ is the Blow out Sax School’s termly Blow Out ( Mark Archer and Craig Crofton are the animateaurs), but the Bristol Jazz Workshops (that man Hague again), and Bradford on Avon’s Jazz Factory (MD Mike Daniels, but an impressive cast list of tutors and voluntary committee ) and the spin off Play Jazz weekend (organized and run by Rachel Kerry) are no less well supported and impressive.

Big Bands could probably take up a blog on their own: so many of them of them faithfully supported and voluntarily run. Here’s a few I’ve come across this year in the area – GBH. two DS Big Bands one in Bristol one in Trowbridge, Big R Big Band,  and of course the unique Bristol Reggae Orchestra (MD Norma Daykin).

I know I’ve missed people and am blissfully unaware of other great gigs and happenings, but just the ones of which I’m aware make we want to salute all this energy and music making: happy new year folks.

2011
12/30
CATEGORY
Ramblings
Review
TAGS

































1 comment

Terry Seabrook’s Milestones, Kind of Blue, St. George’s Bristol, Thursday 15th December

Listening to this sextet, brought to St. George’s by pianist and leader Terry Seabrook, play quite possibly the most widely known repertoire in all of modern jazz  -Miles Davies’ Kind of Blue in the order it appears on the album – was always going to be a slightly  different sort of jazz gig. They played it split across a break with mainly Seabrook’s Miles inspired compositions before and after the Milesian material. I wasn’t quite prepared for just how familiar the music was. Every phrase, every harmony was like a well loved friend. At one point, Terry Seabrook actually played Wynton Kelly’s solo on Freddie Freeloader rather than improvise. This was doubly spooky as its a solo I, like a number of piano obsessd friends, have transcribed and learnt so that every miniscule departure by Terry from Wynton’s feel or emphasis was immediately audible.  But there’s a reason this album is loved, and not just by self-confessed jazz obsessives: it is fantastic music and quintessential jazz of a timeless quality. That coupled with some fabulous soloists in the band (Alan Barnes, Byron Wallen, Ian Price) meant I departed with a warm glow. The standout moments for me were where the band seemed to bring themselves to the music and not just recreate the sound of Mile’s 1959 band. Alan Barnes’ baritone solo on Boplicity (one of the pre-Kind of Blue tasters in the set) seemed a distilled version of the apparent ease with which he creates excitement and freshness with flurries of notes and flowing lines whilst staying within the stylistic sound of this era’s music. He is a master. The whole band made Flamenco Sketches breath and sigh, but especially Byron Wallen: an anthem for today as well as 1959. A welcome pre-Christmas warmer at St. Georges then with a healthy turn out to appreciate it.

2011
12/28
CATEGORY
Review
St. George's
Terry Seabrook
TAGS




Write comment

Super Thursday: Bijou, Backstreets, Brassy or Classy?

What to do?  Contemplating an evening out in Bristol we find ourselves spoilt for choice. Is it to be bijou, backstreets, brassy or classy (ok that was dictated more by flow of words than content so apologies to anyone offended). Bijou is Busnoys at the Rose of Denmark, a trio of left field-ish creative vibes man Martin Pyne, Jim Barr on bass (Get the Blessing, Portishead etc) and the versatile and inestimable Trevor Davies on drums. Will Jim be doing a quick dash for the 10 o’clock kick off for Get the Blessing at the canteen (brassy!) – party time there I think. It could be the backstreets (of Easton) for Kevin Figes at the Greenbank for a very fine quartet playing material from Kevin’s recent album Hometime (my reactions to it here). I have a sneaking feeling we’ll end up at St. Georges for Terry Seabrook’s Milestones, and his Kind of Blue tribute, the most favoured option of my other pair of ears. Its a great band that includes Byron Wallen and Alan Barnes. Its sure to be classy.

2011
12/15
CATEGORY
Ramblings
TAGS







Write comment

Pushy Doctors – A consultation with Andy Sheppard; The Greenbank, Easton, Bristol; Saturday 26th November

A consultation in progress

A return to the Greenbank for the Pushy Doctors was greeted with an easy familiarity by the assembled punters last night.   Treasuring the exclusively local opportunities to see the doctors over the last six months or so, we’ve never had to wait too long for the next chance. The peer-less practitioners of their arts ensure the experience is always memorable . I’ve caught them a couple of times before, once in the same venue and then at The Bellin Bath. The material hasn’t really changed nor its arrangement, but that doesn’t mean they are just going through the motions. The ease with which they slipped into their examination of the repertoire (I’ll get bored of the medical puns soon) on this occasion suggested the regular gigs have added an extra dimension to the interactions. So no white coats last night, but Andy Sheppard was wearing s suit. “Have they been promoted” folk at the bar wondered.” Pushy Consultants now?”

Dr Dan Moore

There was something a bit different last night. Were they a touch more reflective? A bit jazzier? A vamp at the end of Killer Joe dropped to a whisper and a few of those breathy, soaring phrases that can only be Andy Sheppard were unleashed. Segues between tunes were a bit looser and freer before snapping back into a tight groove. ‘Only Love Can Break Your Heart’ squeezed mine a bit harder than usual delivered as it was with tense emotional force. The encore Naima was almost angular delivered over another ‘just so right’ groove with Tony Orrell producing just the perfect  accessory to shake (brought along for this moment?).  Breathtaking stuff again with a different twist. I did pause to reflect on the fact we had all paid just £4 in this pub in the back streets of inner city Bristol to see world class jazz, that had been promoted mainly through word of mouth, tweet and facebook as far as I can tell. Count your blessings say I, and this lot are still a big life affirming one. Keep your ear and eyes to the networks (and facebook page) for the next one.

Dr. Tony Orrell

 

Dr. Andy Sheppard

2011
11/27
CATEGORY
Andy Sheppard
Pushy Doctors
Review
The Greenbank
TAGS




Write comment

Geoff Simpkins Quartet, Dempsey’s Cardiff, Wednesday 23rd November

Geoff Simpkins’ exquisitely shaped melodic lines unfurl over a relaxed, unforced vamp from the rhythm section and gradually the shape of  How Deep is the Ocean’s melody emerges to start the set at Dempsey’s – my imagination or did everyone lean forward a bit ? This was a spell binding couple of hours from the band led by Geoff with Nikki Iles on piano, Martin France on drums and Simon Woolf on bass. These are all great players who have individually found and developed distinctive voices that complement each other beautifully. Reaching for the metaphors, they always sing and never shout at you even when they are burning it up  on Cherokee at some preposterous tempo. Much of this comes from Geoff’s sound and phrasing. Always warm with a melancholic edge, the alto spins and weaves long melodic lines. The reference points of Lennie Tristano and Lee Konitz are explict with tunes by both in the set (Thingin and Lennies’ Pennies).  Geoff’s own Don’t Ask has similar seemingly endless, fluent be-boppy lines  in the melody. Some of the most affecting moments came on the simple statement and then development of Kenny Wheeler’s melody Kind Folk and on the ballad Quiet Now, the title of the  latter seeming to sum it up; no-one overplayed and the phrases seemed to hang in the air.  Niki Iles’ touch and choice of harmony were perfect accompaniment with the same painterly development of solos, building a picture in sound for us without ( grabbing another metaphor) spelling  it all out in capital letters.  Alongside the delicacy and artistry, there was plenty of grit and energy. Cherokee began with an un-accompanied flurry of arpeggios and chromaticisms from the alto. When the tune arrived it was greeted with an appreciative chuckle by the audience and the band dug in at the blistering tempo, dazzling solos all round a launch pad for an intense drum solo. They certainly wove a spell over me.  A visit to Dempsey’s, a great space in which to play and listen,  wouldn’t be complete without adding another name to my mental roll of honor for unsung heroes who organise, promote and sustain jazz clubs like this. Dempsey’s angels are Alistair McMurchie and his partner, booking two nights of jazz throughout the year and with a great programme. Its hard to believe that there’ll be many gigs to top this one although I’ve no doubt there’ll be louder ones.

2011
11/25
CATEGORY
Dempsey's
Geoff Simpkins
Review
TAGS





Write comment

An evening with Roy Haynes, Queen Elizabeth Hall, London Jazz Festival, Friday 18th November

Work, life and finances have conspired to limit my sampling of the 250+ gigs in this year’s London Jazz festival to a single sample. But what a sample. The Roy Haynes experience led to a little epiphany for me of which more in a moment, and a thoroughly entertaining evening.  I arrived at the Queen Elizabeth Hall to a buzzy atmosphere with Phil Bancroft’s ‘Home: As Small As The World’ project revving up on the free stage with a large audience lapping up the antics, video and scorching playing from his band.  I had been lured by Haynes’ legend status and the realisation that because he’s played on so many iconic recordings,  I’d been listening to him as long as I’ve been listening to jazz without necessarily registering it. So, there for full immersion, I ducked into into the pre-gig interview with the ‘hey groovy’ title “Here me talking at ya”.

Kevin Le Grende elicited a quietly heartfelt response in his arm chair style chat with Roy Haynes.  The octogenarian life force is focused on ‘what next’, no matter how much we might want to rub the hem of his robe. “These are the guys I want to play with at the moment” he said when asked how it felt to play with musicians of such a different generation. After hearing a snatch of  Oliver Nelson’s band from 1961, he commented that he’d been the oldest member of the band that had also included Freddie Hubbard, Eric Dolphy, Bill Evan, Paul Chambers and seemed genuinely reflective and sad at the recognition that none of them were here now. Nudged to reminisce a bit more, he bridled and insisted ‘I want to swim forward’.  Another message to jazz lovers; its all about the feel and the feelings. In a passage about his early life when asked what his first memory of drumming was, Haynes looked puzzled and then talked about how he got his first drum kit ( as if couldn’t remember ever not drumming) and then talked about his feel for rhythm and swing, thumping his chest as if to say its in there.. its part of your body, ” people thought I could swing” he said. Lester Young certainly thought so, hiring him when he was 19.   His rhythmic sense is still visceral, the impromptu bit of tap dancing in a very fine pair of cowboy boots was an eloquent demonstration of that.

The Fountain of Youth band’s set started with a frisky Roy Haynes larking about, shimmying around the drums, doing a little tap dance, grabbing the announcement mic and encouraging each of the band (Jaleel Shaw on alto, Martin Bejerano on piano and David Wong on bass) to play a few phrases as if to check they were all in order. It certainly whetted my appetite. Bejerano’s touch on the piano is exquisite, lush moving harmonies given a twist with little rhythmic stabs of different weights between the hands; Shaw’s sound, warm and sweet on alto  contrasting with his angular phrases that spin off one from another.  Then the leader leapt onto the drums, using beaters to pound up a storm before the band, picking up on the groove, went straight into Pat Metheney’s ‘James’.  Following it up with Monk’s ‘Trinkle Tinkle’ a heart stopping reading of the ballad ‘Everything Happens to Me’  and a version of My Heart belongs to Daddy  that turned into  a sort of rolling modal work out in Coltrane-esqe style made it seem like we were visiting all the corners of Haynes’ journey in jazz. And here’s that little epiphany (students of jazz will think me a bit slow on the up take, I’ve only been listening 20 years or so after all). As the band ramped up the excitement on ‘My Heart Belongs to Daddy’, there was Haynes, utterly relaxed driving the swing feel with his cymbals (just dah, dah de dah as he’d put it earlier except he implies and embellishes it rather than spells it out) , Jaleel Shaw’s solo of almost unbearable intensity getting approving whoops from the audience around me, the occasional artfully placed cracks on the snare drum emphasising the momentum, it was all just so right, exhilarating and just, to my ears, what its supposed to sound like – except that its Roy Haynes who originated/ exemplified that way of playing as the subsequently digested program notes tell me and a biog summarises nicely. I said I was slow on the uptake. This man helped make ‘that sound, that feel’, the right one. There was more knockabout banter with the audience and the band, but when they got down to the serious business of playing, (am I being fanciful?) all human emotions were there. Yes led by Roy Haynes, but what a great band. The roars for an encore bought Roy back on stage, with someone there to hold onto (a reminder he is 86) not to play but to thank us, bid us well and declare ‘ the party’s over’. Let’s hope just til the next time. As I was shuffling out, I overheard some one confiding to a mate “I didn’t think it would be that good”. Thanks Roy.

2011
11/20
CATEGORY
Hem of the Robe gigs
Queen Elizabeth Hall
Review
Roy Haynes
Uncategorized
TAGS






Write comment
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.