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Jacqui Dankworth: It Happens Quietly 
This is as much the late John Dankworth's album as it is his vocalist daughter's. Made just before the composer's death in February 2010, it's devoted to the standard songs he always wanted to record with her, and framed by the creative jazz/classical arrangements that were his signature sound. The final vocals were added after his passing, which may be why these ethereal performances are some of Jacqui Dankworth's most affecting recordings - particularly amid the swoony strings and Tim Garland's soprano-sax lines on the title track. A central sequence of similarly soft, low-lit slow songs (I'm Glad There Is You, A Love Like Ours, My Foolish Heart, Blame It on My Youth) dominate. But the arrangements keep gently twisting the music away from schmaltz, the vocals are devoted and revealing, and the sound of John Dankworth's graceful alto-sax on the strutting The Man is a delicious finishing touch.
The Paul Booth Organ Trio - D'Fly, Cheltenham You wait ages for an electric organ trio to come along. And then ...
In November Cheltenham Jazz presented Nigel Price’s threesome - a setting for his virtuoso guitar playing.
Now here they were with a similar format: star- tenor-saxophonist Paul Booth, organist Ross Stanley and drummer Andrew Bain. And the reaction was ...vive la difference!
Booth’s band is very much a band, a thing of inspired empathy. Mind you, one could imagine negative mutterings about his massively sophisticated musical palette.
Instead he produced the opposite reaction. And that was the result of a skilfully planned and varied programme.
And - much more than that - it was due to the brain’s capacity to appreciate and enjoy creative complexity, when it comes flying upon a high tide of logic and momentum. No sweat, it was pure enjoyment. .
It certainly helped that Ross Stanley is the UK’s leading organist. He did great chunky chord Hammond blues to die for. But more, he had an instinctive flair for his instrument’s sound, weaving waves of delcious dissonance into conventional sequences.
Whilst Andrew Bain was a lead player’s delight, keeping the beat ever varied and interesting, and anticipating to a hair’s breadth, the need for increased dynamics.
A familiar old standard You’re My Everything tuned the ear to the trio’s approach.
Booth is a composer of note. Three of a Kind offered a bluesy kick, that had the saxist riding evolving waves of rising excitement, and Regatta suggested deeply mysterious voyaging.
A Charlie Mingus ballad and some fire-eating Jaco Pastorious jazz-rock were fine additions to the mix.
A free pint was on offer for anyone who could number the flying time signatures on Cole Porter’s, I Love You.
No-one did. But the exhilaration experienced in the attempt, was quite something.
Kenny Wheeler, Jon Irabagon, John Taylor, Michael Janisch, Andrew Bain (Pizza Express Dean Street, February 16th 2011, first night of two) 
This gig was always going to bring out the best in every player right from the start. Jon Irabagon had written a preview for us saying how much he was looking forward to playing with both Kenny Wheeler and John Taylor. It was the kind of gig which musicians had depped out their other work for, just for a chance to be in the audience. Or in two cases scampered down the whole length of the M1 to get to. It was the kind of gig where a drummer (in this case the ultra-responsive and creative Andrew Bain) will sit down at his kit, roll his shoulders and survey the scene... and find he doesn't have to look beyond the second row of the audience for inspiration - because he's looking straight out at Peter Erskine.
With two exceptions, the tunes were by Kenny Wheeler. Each one of these tunes, with their quirky asymmetries, their irresistible lines, their uplifting sadness has the sheen and durability of a unique diamond. This is music which will still be played in a hundred years' time. The musicians know what a privilege it is to share this music with its creator. You can absolutely feel that sense of occasion, right from the very first note.
Just one example: "The Jigsaw" last night was pure joy. Wheeler and Irabagon followed each other in canon in the tune, then in his solo Kenny Wheeler first toyed with the sinuous melodic figures in the tune, then started to stretch the intervals like elastic, reaching up, extending. Then John Taylor's solo was the poetry of absolute rhythmic freedom. This was musical completeness.
This was the first time I had heard Jon Irabagon live. It is in the nature of the modern player to have absorbed a wide range of influences, but Irabagon knows how to portray voices which are so contrasting, they almost seem to compete with each other for attention. The crowd seemed to take him best to its heart when he was at his most Breckerish, constructing and firing off a profusion of shapes and patterns. But wait, that's just part of the story: there is an Albert Ayler in him who demands to have his say. And maybe even a gutsy Bennie Wallace too. I felt like an autograph-hunter wrong-footed by finding I'd been given more than one signature. He’s Othello, but here he is as Iago too. This is definitely my problem rather than Irabagon’s. At a first hearing I know that I've heard a lot of different parts, and not yet identified the sum of them, the whole. Which is to say that Irabagon is a fascinating saxophonist who absolutely deserves to be heard.
Bassist Michael Janisch had assembled this fabulous project. Mike deserved every whoop of applause which greeted the end of his bass solos. Contributions like his - both as bassist and as producer - to the musical life of our great city are beyond price. The same quintet is at the Pizza Express tonight. Don’t miss it.
The singular Kenny Wheeler 
Kenny Wheeler is one of the most inspirational and treasured players on the world jazz scene. The Canadian-born, England-based trumpet and flugelhorn player has enjoyed a long and varied career playing in quintets, quartets, big bands and with strings. He’s probably best known for his fine solo albums ‘Gnu High‘ (which featured Keith Jarrett on piano) and ‘Deer Wan‘ on the legendary ECM record label, but also enjoyed a successful and lengthy collaboration with singer and songwriter David Sylvian in the ’80s and ’90s on albums such as ‘Brilliant Trees‘ and ‘Dead Bees on a Cake‘. He has also worked extensively with American avant-garde saxophonist Anthony Braxton and in the group Azimuth with vocalist Norma Winstone and pianist John Taylor, who joined Wheeler here at the Pizza Express.
A cliche-free player with a breathy, romantic sound, this was a relatively rare chance to see Wheeler perform in the UK. His elegant, labyrinthine compositions with their tricky chord sequences and shifting harmonies offer a challenge to soloists, but it’s worth the effort - Wheeler’s catalogue is full of intriguing, original work which defies categorisation.
Now 81, Wheeler stayed seated throughout this set, paying rigorous attention to the sheet music in front of him. He may have lost some puff but still managed to hit his trademark high squeals on ‘Old Ballad‘, eliciting murmurs of approval from his young band. Pianist Taylor was a perfect foil with his instinctive feel for Wheeler’s compositions, navigating the potentially treacherous tonalities with shimmering, incisive statements. On ‘Cantor No.1‘, tenor saxophonist Jon Irabagon played a thrilling, rhythmically-loose solo full of fluttering variations on the main theme which then cajoled Taylor into a remarkable polyrhythmic piano assault, kicking the band into high gear and double time. Non-linear drummer Andrew Bain channelled Jack DeJohnette via Brian Blade while bassist Michael Janisch was nothing short of a revelation, burning through this complex music with energy and commitment.
An amusing footnote had John Taylor announcing the band to the audience and being unable to pronounce Irabagon’s surname - a pointer that these musicians had met on the bandstand and merely communicated through Wheeler’s music, a tribute to these superb players and the power of great jazz.
Kenny Wheeler Quintet, Pizza Express Jazz Club, London Kenny Wheeler’s 80th birthday celebrations last year included a short tour fronting a bespoke big band with an all-original repertoire. This gig put the trumpeter under an equally harsh spotlight. Wheeler’s style is demanding in itself - rarely resolving melodies, high interval leaps and oblique, long-sustained notes - but this freshly convened quintet had the extra bite of young American tenor sax tyro Jon Iragabon, whose last album was 90 minutes of continuous improvisation with bass and drums.
Wheeler, playing flugelhorn throughout, delivered his trademark leaps, tone intact, and spun his long, oddly shaped lines with an unerring logic. But what made this gig so engrossing was the sheer quality of the band’s performance. The three lead voices were strong, technically assured thematic improvisers, and Michael Janisch on bass and Andrew Bain on drums sailed through the most challenging changes in tempo and mood. And pianist John Taylor was in magnificent, upbeat form, full of urgency and nuance.
Wheeler’s compositional palette is made up of complex harmonies and awkward movements. But there is room to investigate the deeper recesses of each structure and discover interesting pathways. Two numbers in, and Taylor was giving each measure a different shade, probing at the pulse and draping riffs with casual precision. And, like Wheeler, he expanded his simple motifs into open-spaced epics, transforming their impact by dropping a note or suspending a chord.
Iragabon was equally assured. He has a rooted, muscular tenor sax sound, ultra-precise articulation and is comfortable in all registers. His first set ballad was an exquisite wrap, his duets with Wheeler sensuously voiced and his free-jazz fire undimmed.
The session-precise first set ended with the dramatic tempo changes of "Canto No. 1". The looser, always engaging second set conjoined brittle tango with a blues waltz, featured Wheeler’s "Everybody’s Song But My Own" and ended with an upward-sweeping, tempo-shifting swinger. Long improvisations were balanced by ad-libbed duets and a cappella showcases and rhythms tensed and changed shape. It was a terrific gig, with the veteran on his mettle and the band confidently freewheeling through Wheeler’s tricky originals.
Are We There Yet? Tom Rust Trio and the Malcolm Edmonstone Trio (2010) Leave it to the British to wipe the rust off aging American standards. Or, in this case, an Englishman named Tom Rust. Unlike so many of his Stateside contemporaries, Rust refuses to stick to unwritten rules, avoiding paint-by-numbers renditions of songs that have been covered a million times, often in the same fashion.
Rust's version of "That's Amore" virtually ignores the Las Vegas schmaltz of the Dean Martin original that became the blueprint for countless young jazz vocalists, karaoke singers, and overweight wedding crooners. Rust gives it a modicum of swagger and an abundance of calm self-confidence; it's as if James Bond were handed a microphone and was ordered to seduce a girl at a party, his deep British accent heightening the track's ripe sensuality.
Rust opens the album with "TV Blues", a humorous couch-potato lament that establishes his credo of nonconformity. It's doubtful that many jazz singers, especially one who isn't as established yet, would begin their record with such a witty tune. However, Rust isn't afraid of people not taking him seriously. "Just change the channel/I'm a brand new man," he quips, his dry delivery embedded with a wink and a smile. Of course, it helps Rust that his backing band - the Malcolm Edmonstone Trio - is so effortlessly good. The tinkling piano and pumping bass behind Rust on "TV Blues" is the kind of support that elevates an artist from being merely terrific to absolutely swell.
"Saturday Night" and "Ruby Baby" showcase Rust's after-hours croon, and what a wonder it is to hear, a reverberating melancholy baritone. Rust's most emotionally fragile moment arrives on "I Keep Going Back to Joe's," his wounded voice choking back deep-seated longing. If the British are coming, don't be surprised if Rust leads the charge.
Michael Janisch - Seven Arts, Chapel Allerton, December 9th 2010 AN incredible gig from bassist and bandleader Michael Janisch and his band, built of a careful selection of the top jazz musicians in the UK at this time.
Currently touring promoting his debut release as a leader – Purpose Built – Janisch has gone from strength to strength since emigrating from America in 2005 and secured his position as one of the top bassists in the country.
The first set featured each member of the group and each player stood out with an individual musical voice.
Frontline players Jay Phelps (trumpet) and Paul Booth (tenor sax) – different to one another in their harmonic approach, yet both very lyrical players, who share an exploratory rhythmic diversity in their solos – complemented each other wonderfully; going in very different directions at times, and coming together where appropriate.
A top class rhythm section, with Janisch at its core, driven from behind and pulled along by the relentless Andrew Bain on drums, blended beautifully with the horns.
With vibraphonist Jim Hart creating spacious harmonic textures where appropriate, he proved why he's one of the most in-demand players in the country through his prowess as a soloist.
Janisch's intelligent and musical compositions paired with some arrangements of standards – Billy Strayhorn's Blood Count, Sammy Fain's Love is a many Splendored Thing and Miles Davis' Milestones made for a diverse and eclectic mix of tunes and styles.
The music was heightened greatly by the band's energy in the second set and the great space the music was being created in – with Seven Arts definitely being one of the finest live music venues in this part of the country – making for an great evening of intense and thrilling music.
Michael Janisch’s Purpose Built Quintet - Warwick Arts Centre Studio, Coventry, December 11th 2010 Jazz Coventry, the Warwick Arts Centre and the Michael Janisch band clubbed together and bought their audience a rather special early Christmas present last night: a gig as enjoyable as any I have been to this year, and a fine way to end my jazz concert-going of 2010.
There were surprises beneath the wrapping paper – no vibes on the stage and therefore no Jim Hart who was billed to be in the band, but instead a gleaming Steinway and Ivo Neame in as sub to play it. And playing it wonderfully, sight-reading the tunes with little preparation, turning in some blistering solos, full of freshness and originality.
Another treat was Jay Phelps, who I have heard on recordings but never in person. What a player he is, an improviser who really does tell stories in his solos, full of articulate musical sentences, asides, variations in tone and timbre, in speed and atmosphere, raising the temperature considerably in the process.
By contrast I found tenor saxophonist Paul Booth never really caught fire during this substantial two-set evening. It might be that he has perfected a strongly pattern-based way of soloing that adds complexity upon complexity but somehow lacks the means to bring that style to an adequate climax. I always feel when listening to him that my brain has been engaged and my amazement at his instrumental virtuosity triggered, but my heart somehow remains unmoved.
And so to the boys at the back, the leader on double bass (and, briefly, electric too) and Andrew Bain on drums. Heavens, do they get the heart swelling, not to mention the feet stamping and the head bobbing. Janisch said he likes playing with Bain because “he understands my music”.
Bain certainly dug in deep, endlessly creative, and so cool he managed, at the end of the evening, to keep the intensity at full throttle while occasionally pulling his high-hat stand back in line.
Janisch, of course, is an unalloyed joy to listen to – funky and fast, so accurate and with such bounce to his notes, equally eloquent in arco mode, a great driver of the band and a great soloist, too. And a very interesting composer. All the material, with the exception of Miles’s Milestones and Strayhorn’s Blood Count, was by the man himself and all contained beautifully constructed arranged parts as well as great opportunities to for soloing.
It wasn’t a huge crowd, so for all of you who didn’t get there, let this be a lesson. The next time you see Michael Janisch’s Purpose Built on the bill, I don’t care whether it’s 20 or 100 miles away. Just go!
Chick Lyall-Rob Hall Quartet, Glasgow Arts Club It's the mark of a special band that it can keep surprising its audience all the way to the end of a gig. That's what pianist Chick Lyall and saxophonist Rob Hall did here, continually finding different routes for their quartet to explore. As well as playing robustly melodic saxophone, Hall is the spokesman, introducing the repertoire that, in the first set, began with Steve Swallow's elegantly twisting Falling Grace and ended with Hall's own Pied Piper, which puts a dancey bounce into the steps of Hamelin's exiting rats. Lyall's contributions come entirely from the page and the keyboard. A player who occasionally appears to slip off the radar, he always returns with his already considerable talents enriched. He long ago absorbed the more gospel-influenced, down-home side of Keith Jarrett and the folk tradition-inspired romanticism of Bobo Stenson into a flowing, investigative style of his own and the resourcefulness that results created a string of solos that had this listener, at least, hanging on to every final note of resolution. His compositions come from various sources of inspiration and in that regard complement Hall's splendidly. The second set found them recreating Hall's Busy Berry, written for the Biggar Big Band, in a guise that updated Jarrett's Scandinavian quartet, exploring free improvisation with clarinet, a boogaloo beat and a bebop pay-off, and rattling through a jazz jig before ending with a rare jazz quartet reading of Ralph Towner's gorgeous Icarus. They were helped no end by bassist Jennifer Clark lending sure backbone and Andrew Bain's beautifully restrained drumming in another triumph for the new Bridge Music Glasgow Jazz Series. Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, June 27th 2010 Without a doubt, the highlight of the whole Glasgow International Jazz Festival - and not just because Wynton Marsalis sat in for a jam in the Concert Hall's Green Room. American bassist Janisch was joined by Scots drummer Andrew Bain, pianist Steve Hamilton and Canadian trumpeter Jay Phelps for a driving set of original compositions and standards. Janisch's sound is clear and solid - always on top of the time and driving the whole thing forward. Phelps was playing great, navigating Janisch's compositions well. Being privy to such an intimate performance from Marsalis was truly inspiring, swinging hard and fast through two tunes at the end of the set - joined for the closing Take The A Train not only by Phelps, but also Scots trumpeter Ryan Quigley. A truly exceptional gig. NYJOS with Chris Batchelor, Tolbooth, Stirling The joyous, physically uplifting African sounds of Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath weren't exactly overexposed on Scottish stages in the band's 1970s heyday and its early albums are coveted by vinyl collectors more for the rarity value of the record label, Neon, than the still fabulous content. So big hats off to former Brotherhood trumpeter Chris Batchelor for taking the opportunity of his guest appearance with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Scotland to introduce his former boss's musical message to these young players and encouraging them into a free spirited, invigorating session that makes tonight's concert at the Old Fruitmarket in Glasgow essential to any music lover's well-being. This was actually two very impressive sides of NYJOS. In the first half they gave a splendid account of the quiet man of British jazz, Kenny Wheeler's wistful and thoughtfully ecstatic Sweet Time Suite, capturing the elegiac brass chorales, shapely contours and engaging uptempo movement that make Wheeler's writing at once so deeply personal and highly approachable. The occasional free-wheeling required to realise this piece, alongside discipline and control, was hugely magnified, however, when Batchelor joined them after the interval. In Brotherhood of Breath, Chris McGregor and his fellow Blue Note, saxophonist Dudu Pukwana, married African folk melody and sociability with an Ellingtonian richness and Mingus-like roguishness to create truly intoxicating jazz. Playing in the round, NYJOS all but lifted the audience out of their seats during Pukwana's MRA, with its brilliantly panoramic horn fanfares, and McGregor's dancing, sunny Andromeda. If their individual improvising didn't always match the collective effort, it didn't matter. This was youthful enthusiasm and ability gloriously channelled. Repeated tonight at Glasgow's Old Fruitmarket. Jazz review: National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Scotland Tolbooth, Stirling THERE was a time when youth big bands clung resolutely to tried and tested fare, but these days the level of ambition has grown enormously. For their latest tour, NYJOS took on a piece that would challenge any established big band, Kenny Wheeler's Sweet Time Suite, and then capped the concert with a second half of equally demanding and unusual music. Co-director Andrew Bain conducted the young band through the manifold intricacies of Wheeler's lyrical seven-piece suite. They omitted Norma Winstone's wordless vocal contributions in the original, settling for a purely instrumental version that impressed with the discipline and coherence of the ensemble playing, enhanced by some resourceful soloing from tenor saxophonist Scott Murphy, Sean Gibbs on flugelhorn, Ruaridh Pattison on soprano and alto saxophones and bassist Brodie Jarvie, among others. It was a shade underpowered in places, but it was a more than successful first outing, and should tighten up further by the time they reach Glasgow on Monday. The special guest on this tour, former Loose Tubes trumpeter Chris Batchelor, led a celebratory and more informal second half in which the band revisited the music on which he cut his professional teeth, the South African-influenced jazz of London-based expatriates Dudu Pukwana and Chris MacGregor. The players attacked this vibrant, colourful and often challenging music with real flair and freedom, and a palpable sense of engagement with - and enjoyment of - everything they did. |
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'A true standout and, I believe, one of tomorrow's music stars.' Peter Erskine 'Andrew is among the most serious, as well as talented, musicians I have had in the past few years.' Dave Liebman 'I was impressed by the level that he exhibited in his performance on the drum set. I expect that he will stand out in the world of music in the years to come.' Billy Cobham 'Bain is the dominant force.' The Herald, UK 'An exceptional musician and composer.' John Riley 'One of the most outstanding, innovative and versatile young drummers of today.' Garry Dial 'Andrew Bain is an excellent musician.' Justin DiCioccio 'Bain is a world class percussionist.' Chris Rosenberg 'An exceptional drummer.' Ted Rosenthal 'A totally accomplished and professional musician.' Mark Soskin 'Bain is the real deal.' Peter Erskine The Andrew Bain Quartet 'Skilled, creative, sensitive, ambitious, enthusiastic... definitely check them out.' The Herald, UK 'A great drumming talent and a most-promising composer and bandleader.' Peter Erskine 'A very mature sounding group of players...highly expressive' Berliner Morgenpost, Germany 'Absent Folk' - The Andrew Bain Quartet 'Your CD is excellent, and you really sound great on it. VERY musical and mature; lovely touch... and I like your tune, too.' Peter Erskine |
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