Photograph of the Full House Brass Band by Pam Mann

Brecon Jazz Festival, Springtime Jazz Day Festival, Various venues, Brecon 12/04/2025.

2025 sees Brecon Jazz under new management following the decision of Lynne Gornall and Roger cannon, who have co-ordinated the Festival since 2016, to take a step back. Lynne & Roger will continue to run Brecon Jazz Club, something they had already been doing for many years before coming to the rescue of the Festival following the withdrawal of the Cardiff based Orchard Media Group in 2015.

The main concert programme for the 2025 Festival, which will take place over the weekend of 8th, 9th and 10th August has already been finalised,  with other performances yet to be announced. Details can be found at the new Festival website;

To promote awareness of the main Festival the new management team presented a Springtime Jazz Day Festival on April 12th 2025, the natural successor to the ‘Taster Days’ presented by Lynne and Roger in recent years.

The programme included two ticketed events at The Muse Arts Centre, a Festival venue and also the regular home of Brecon Jazz Club. There were also two free admission performances in the intimate setting of the Found Gallery and a late night performance at the Brecon Tap public house. There was also some free music in the town square, although I didn’t really get to see any of that. It all made for a full and very satisfying package.

BEN CREIGHTON-GRIFFITHS, THE FOUND GALLERY

Ben Creighton-Griffiths – harp

Ben Creighton-Griffiths is a Cardiff based harpist and composer who has appeared regularly on the Jazzmann web pages in a variety of different musical contexts.

He divides his time between the jazz and classical worlds and is a virtuoso on the classical harp. I have enjoyed his playing in a number of different formats ranging from solo performer to leading his ‘electro-fusion’ trio Chube, an electric band that sees Creighton-Griffiths radically altering the sound of the harp via effects pedals and electronics. The group’s repertoire embraces jazz, pop, rock, reggae, disco and more. Chube has to be seen to be believed and I believe that this trio will be part of the main BJF in August.

Creighton-Griffiths also performs in an acoustic duo with Chube bassist Ashley John Long, and with Swing Strings Trio, a gypsy jazz outfit featuring featuring Creighton-Griffiths, Long and bandleader Xenia Porteous (violin).

He also explores the gypsy jazz repertoire with Transatlantic Hot Club, a quartet featuring himself and Long plus French born, New York City based violinist and vocalist Adrien Chevalier and Corsican accordionist Jeremy Lohier. This group is due to tour the UK shortly, details of the dates can be found here;
https://www.thejazzmann.com/news/article/transatlantic-hot-club-uk-tour-april-may-2025-ben-creighton-griffiths-harp-adrien-chevalier-violin-ashley-john-long-bass-jeremy-lohier-accordion

Creighton-Griffiths has also worked with Swiss born, Paris based vocalist Tatiana Eva-Marie. Meanwhile vocalist / harpist Tara Minton has guested with Transatlantic Hot Club while Chube gave a memorable performance at the 2019 Wall2Wall Jazz  Festival Abergavenny in the company of guest trombonist Dennis Rollins.

Today’s free admission performance in the intimate confines of the Found Gallery was an entirely solo performance with Creighton-Griffiths playing a selection of his favourite tunes sourced from across his jazz repertoire.

Playing to a small but attentive and supportive audience he demonstrated his virtuoso technique, skilfully combining melody and rhythm on tunes such as “Manhã de Carnaval”  (aka “Black Orpheus) by the Brazilian composer Luiz Bonfa.

This was followed by a trio of jazz standards, “I’m Confessin’ That I Love You”, “I Saw Stars”, and Hoagy Carmichael’s enduringly popular “Georgia On My Mind”.

Creighton-Griffiths’ version of the Eden Ahbez song “Nature Boy” was inspired by the funked up arrangement of the song by guitarist / vocalist George Benson. It’s a piece that also features in the repertoire of the Chube trio.

Next we heard Creighton-Griffiths’ interpretation of the jazz waltz “Alice in Wonderland” before a dip into the gypsy jazz canon with guitar virtuoso Stochelo Rosenburg’s “For Sephora”.

The romance of “La Vie En Rose”, a song indelibly associated with Edith Piaf, was followed by a solo version of the traditional Turkish folk song “Katabim”, a tune that normally features in the Chube repertoire.

This brought a delightfully intimate set to a close with the audience highly appreciative of both the exquisite beauty and the awesome technique of Creighton-Griffiths’ playing. The music was presented with a modest and easy going charm by this highly talented and versatile musician.

Creighton-Griffiths is due to return to Brecon for another solo performance at Brecon Cathedral on the 6th of June 2025, part of the Cathedral’s Friday lunchtime concert series.

He is also due to premiere his  Concerto for Jazz Harp and Orchestra  at Hoddinott Hall in Cardiff on 14th June 2025 in the company of the Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Michael Bell MBE. The programme will also include works by Shostakovich, Ravel and George Gershwin. The Jazzmann will be in attendance to review this event, the first time I’ve covered what will be a predominately classical performance.

Details of all Ben Creighton-Griffiths’ forthcoming shows, including the impending Transatlantic Hot Club tour can be found on his website http://www.bjcg.co.uk

SASKIA LAROO / WARREN BYRD QUARTET, THE MUSE

Saskia Laroo – trumpet, alto sax, vocals, electronics, percussion, Warren Byrd – keyboard, vocals, Paula Gardiner – double bass, Mark O’Connor – drums

The first ticketed event of the day featured this quartet led by the husband and wife team of Dutch multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Saskia Laroo and American keyboard player and vocalist Warren Byrd. Based in Amsterdam the couple perform regularly in a duo format but were today accompanied by a premier Welsh rhythm section in the form of bassist Paula Gardiner and drummer Mark O’Connor.

This early afternoon show represented the couple’s first UK concert appearance, although they will be bringing their full Amsterdam based band to the main BJF weekend in August. Today’s event also saw them stopping off in the UK on their way back to the Netherlands following a series of recent dates in the US.

Laroo and Byrd write their own material and today’s set list featured a mix of songs and instrumentals written by the couple either individually or jointly and began with the co-composed instrumental “Pretty Rome” which had something of the feel of jazz / bebop standard with its staccato opening phrases leading to solos that featured Laroo on both trumpet and alto sax, these punctuated by a solo from Byrd at his Roland RD700SX keyboard on an acoustic piano setting. There was also a feature for Gardiner, who was at pains to point out that this was her thirty ninth Brecon Jazz Festival gig, on double bass, plus a series of exchanges between the co-leaders and O’Connor at the drums, a trading of fours. The closing section also featured Byrd’s warm Gil Scott Heron style vocals and Laroo’s own vocals featuring her improvised lyrics.

Laroo is an exuberant personality and handled the majority of the announcements. Her willingness to talk effusively and to ‘put on a show’ quickly endeared her to a near capacity audience. Byrd also had things to say on his account and following Laroo’s introductory remarks now announced his own tune “Solace, Has A Bittersweet Menace By A Warm Sea”,  a piece inspired by the couple’s visit to Croatia. This was a relaxed and gently swinging ballad that included solos from Laroo on trumpet and Byrd at the keyboard.

The jointly written “Modification” increased the pace once more, an uptempo Latin-esque number that included an opening trumpet solo from Laroo followed by a dazzling piano excursion from Byrd, arguably his finest solo of the entire set. Gardiner’s bass solo was a highly dexterous affair that included some flamenco style strumming. O’Connor was also featured with a series of extended drum breaks.

Byrd has a way with evocative but enigmatic tune titles and next up was his instrumental composition “Fall Sunset, Blue Minded”, a bittersweet reflection on the coming of Autumn that featured the sounds of trumpet and piano, accompanied by double bass and brushed drums.

Also by Byrd “Hartford is My Home” was a celebration of his home city of Hartford, Connecticut and included his own soulful singing and lyrics plus Laroo’s soloing on Harmon muted trumpet. Readers may also be aware that for many years Hartford was also the home of the late, great New York born saxophonist and educator Jackie McLean (1931-2006). The performance of the song concluded with Laroo encouraging the audience to sing along to the amended chorus “Brecon is our home”.

The Harmon muted sound also featured on Laroo’s own song, the uplifting “Down By The River”, which also featured the couple’s vocal harmonies alongside short instrumental solos for trumpet and piano. Meanwhile the superbly adaptable and empathic team of Gardiner and O’Connor provided the necessary rhythmic impetus, always supportive and propulsive but never intrusive.

Joint vocals and muted trumpet also featured on the John Coltrane homage “Courtesy to Coltrane”, written by Laroo. Her lyrics also name checked numerous other jazz legends during a spoken word section, while Byrd was featured with a scat vocal episode. In addition to soloing on muted trumpet Laroo was also featured on alto sax. There were also features for Gardiner on bass and O’Connor at the drums, the latter also involved in a series of scat vocal / drum exchanges with Byrd.

Byrd’s song “Move This Madness” was a slice of jazz infused soul featuring his singing and lyrics alongside Laroo’s harmony vocals and Harmon muted trumpet.

“Brighter Day” was a duo performance with Gardiner and O’Connor taking a short break. This pared down performance was a reminder of the fact that the couple regularly perform shows in this format. Featuring the sounds of piano and breathy trumpet the song also incorporated the duo’s vocals, singing their optimistic message of hope for a brighter day.

Gardiner and O’Connor returned for a second composition honouring a now departed jazz legend. The jointly composed “Groovin’ Hard – Song For Roy”, was originally written for the late Roy Hargrove but is now also dedicated to the more recently departed Roy Ayers and Quincy Jones. The tune appears on Laroo’s latest album “Trumpets Around The World”. An uptempo piece intended as a celebration of Hargrove’s life the piece was driven by a propulsive drum groove and included the sounds of echoed trumpet, with Laroo manipulating the sound via a utility bely situated around her waist. Byrd was featured with a keyboard solo punctuated by his own scat vocal episodes. Gardiner was also featured with an expansive double bass solo as O’Connor kept the groove, the drummer then featuring in a series of trumpet / scat vocal / drum exchanges. Laroo and Byrd then combined to sing the song’s “Groovin’ High” refrain. This was a real celebration of Hargrove, one of Laroo’s trumpet heroes, and the piece was warmly received by the Brecon Jazz audience.

The final song was “Jazzparty” a song credited to (Laroo / Jean Baptiste / Gaasterland). This was ushered in by a ‘free jazz intro’ featuring the sounds of electronically treated trumpet. After Laroo made a show of unplugging her trumpet the rest of the band joined in for a song celebrating the joys of jazz with Laroo’s improvised lyrics featuring alongside instrumental solos for trumpet and piano plus a series of exchanges, variously featuring piano and trumpet, joint scat vocals, trumpet and bass and trumpet and drums as Laroo encouraged the audience to clap along, whilst coaxing everybody in the venue to get to their feet. By the end of the performance the whole crowd was on its feet dancing, swaying, clapping along and singing the song’s “Jazzparty” refrain.

The event had certainly been a triumph for the organisers who were rewarded with a great audience turnout and a high energy performance that sent the crowd home happy. This was certainly a very popular act and I’m sure that there will be many who will return to see Laroo again when she returns to the main festival in August.

I admired the couple’s decision to perform an all original programme and I was also hugely impressed by the way in which Gardiner and O’Connor responded and adapted to the music so quickly. Both were ‘on the money’ from the very start and the excellence of their playing contributed hugely to the success of this performance.

Byrd proved to be an excellent pianist, a composer of interesting tunes and a vocalist with a distinctive, if somewhat limited,  voice, one which lent itself well to his own songs. I did however have some reservations about Laroo, whose sometimes uncertain intonation on trumpet and heavily accented singing didn’t always convince. She is however a hugely extrovert performer and it was her enthusiasm and commitment allied to the sheer force of her personality   that endeared her to the audience and which ultimately carried the day. Despite these technical misgivings there’s no denying that this was an enjoyable and very entertaining show, with Byrd playing the ‘straight man’ to Laroo, whilst also finding plenty to say on his account, both verbally and musically.

 

GLEN MANBY TRIO, FOUND GALLERY

Glen Manby – alto sax, Dave Jones – keyboard, Nick Kacal – double bass

Back to the Found Gallery for the second free admission event of the day and this trio led by alto saxophonist Glen Manby, a stalwart of the South Wales jazz scene for more than thirty years.

I first recall seeing him play way back in 1994 when he led his quartet in a performance at the now long defunct Cardiff Bay International Jazz Festival. I have seen him perform many times since at venues in Brecon and Abergavenny as the leader of his own groups and sometimes with the bands of others.

Manby was also a member of the cult Cardiff band - and Brecon Jazz Festival favourites - The Root Doctors led by trombonist/vocalist Mike Harries. 

He also played with a number of other popular bands across a range of jazz and other genres on the South Wales live music circuit including Red Beans ‘ n’ Rice, Bomb and Dagger, The Questionnaires, Love Parade, guitarist Rob Haddon’s Praxis group and vocalist Li Harding’s quintet. Currently he is a member of Chapter Four, the house band at Cardiff’s Chapter Arts Centre, which also features pianist Jim Barber, bassist Don Sweeney and drummer Greg Evans. 

But Manby’s first love was always jazz and particularly the music of the bebop and hard bop eras. As a jazz musician he has chosen to concentrate on alto saxophone (he has also played tenor) and cites his main influences on the instrument as being Charlie Parker, Cannonball Adderley, Sonny Stitt, Phil Woods, Jackie McLean, Paul Desmond and the UK’s own Peter King. Other sources of inspiration include trumpeter Tom Harrell and tenor saxophonists Sonny Rollins, Warne Marsh and Mario Rivera.

Manby has been tutored by a whole host of illustrious saxophonist /  educators and has also spent time overseas studying in the USA and Switzerland in addition to gaining an MA in  Jazz from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD) in Cardiff. He has also taught saxophone at the RWCMD and at Cardiff University.

In 2015 Manby was awarded an Arts Council of Wales Project Grant , which helped to the finance the recording of his debut album “Homecoming”, which was made in the company of a stellar quintet of London based musicians featuring trumpeter Steve Waterman, pianist Leon Greening, bassist Adam King and drummer Matt Home.  Seven of the ten tracks were Manby originals, largely written in a broadly hard bop style, and the album attracted a good deal of positive attention from the national jazz media.  My review of “Homecoming” can be found here;
https://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/glen-manby-homecoming

For both economical and geographical reasons it was always unlikely that the all star “Homecoming” quintet could ever become a going concern and for his second album as a leader Manby collaborated with a trio of musicians based in South Wales and the Borders, these being pianist Guy Shotton, bassist Olly Blanchflower and drummer John Gibbon.

The John Gibbon Trio is the ‘house band’ at the regular jazz nights held at the Old Black Lion Hotel in Hay-on-Wye. Led by drummer / promoter Gibbon, a veteran of the Welsh jazz circuit, the trio frequently accompanies top visiting soloists such as saxophonists Simon Spillett, Art Themen and Jo Fooks and guitarist Jim Mullen.

Manby had guested with the trio on numerous occasions and had established a strong rapport with them. He subsequently decided that they would make suitable collaborators for the recording of his second album “When Sunny Gets Blue” (33 Jazz, 2024). The music was documented over the course of a single day in October 2022 at the famous Rockfield Recording Studios near Monmouth. Gibbon is a long time friend of the Ward family and in Manby’s words “they fitted us into a slot between the big buck bands”.

A couple of gigs were arranged prior to the studio session to strengthen the collective rapport, with Manby also praising the natural tightness of the trio, something gained from their working together on a weekly basis at the Old Black Lion.

While the debut had placed a strong focus on Manby’s original writing the second album was centred around the standards repertoire and only featured a couple of Manby’s originals. This was something of a shame as I like Manby’s writing, but nevertheless “When Sunny Gets Blue” was still an enjoyable and impressive album with all four musicians playing well. Like its predecessor the album also attracted the attention of the national jazz press. My review of Manby’s second album, from which much of the above biographical details has been sourced, can be found here;
https://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/when-sunny-gets-blue

In the intimate confines of the Found Gallery Manby was featured as part of a ‘chamber jazz’ trio (no drum kit) and had tailored his set list to suit the acoustics of the performance space and the overall environment / ambience of the venue. Joining him were pianist Dave Jones and bassist Nick Kacal, two more major presences on the South Wales jazz scene.

The trio performed a standards based repertoire commencing with a bossa style arrangement of the Alex Wilder tune “Moon and Sand” with Manby stating the theme on alto prior to solos from himself, Jones and Kacal.

“Out of Nowhere” was given a swinging, Latin-esque treatment. Even without a drum kit Jones and Kacal were able to generate a commendable level of rhythmic propulsion and a satisfying sense of swing, as befits two of the leading figures on the South Wales jazz scene. The featured soloists here were Manby and Jones.

The first original of the set was the recent composition “Spring Waltz”, a tune written by Manby to commemorate the uncharacteristically sunny spring of 2025. Also known as “Swing Waltz” this was a genuine waltz that also swung and which included solos from Manby, Jones and Kacal, plus a series of saxophone and piano exchanges in the place where the ‘trading of fours’ with the drummer might normally take place.

“Time Remembered”, a ballad composed by Bill Evans slowed the tempo and included lyrical solos from Jones at the keyboard (on an acoustic piano setting, so let’s call it a piano) and the leader on alto.

The swing element returned with “Just In Time”, fuelled by Kacal’s rapid bass walk and featuring solos from Manby and Jones followed by a series of sax and piano exchanges.

The Rodgers & Hart tune “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was” was ushered in by a dialogue between Jones and Kacal, with Manby subsequently joining to state the melodic theme. Subsequent solos followed from Jones on piano Kacal on double bass and Manby on alto.

The performance concluded with a rendition of the Jimmy Van Heusen tune “Here’s That Rainy Day”, featuring solos from Manby, Jones and Kacal on melodic double bass.

Despite the absence of drums this was an absorbing and highly enjoyable performance well suited to the intimacy of the performance space, with the three musicians establishing an easy going rapport. This was mainstream jazz in a chamber jazz setting and it worked very well thanks to the expertise of three highly skilled and vastly experienced musicians, all of whom played superbly, making significant individual contributions as well as gelling effectively as a unit. Quiet and unassuming but richly imaginative in terms of the soloing this was a delightful set from a very well balanced ‘chamber jazz’ trio.

JACK MAC & THE FULL HOUSE BRASS BAND

< THE MUSE

Jack Mac (Jack McDougall) - tenor sax, lead vocals, Thom Dalby-Anning – flugelhorn, tenor horn, Harry Archer – trombone, Ryan Huxtable – sousaphone, Tom Williams – drum kit
with guest Jon Crespo – trumpet

There was nothing quiet or ‘chamber jazz like’ about the act who played the second ticketed slot of the day at The Muse. The Full House Brass Band, led by saxophonist Jack Mac, are a New Orleans style brass band playing in the contemporary manner pioneered by their two prime musical influences, the Rebirth Brass Band and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band.

Mac is best known to me as the leader of the BMJ Collective, the ‘house band’ at the Black Mountain Jazz Club in nearby Abergavenny. With bassist Nick Kacal, seen earlier in the day with Glen Manby, and drummer Ryan Thrupp he forms the BMJC who tutor young musicians, the BMJazzKatz, as well as performing regularly at the Club with specially invited guest musicians. Numerous ‘BMJC with…’ live shows are reviewed elsewhere on these web pages and it’s a series of events that always delivers the musical goods, a series that consistently punches above its weight.

With this in mind I had high hopes for the Full House Brass Band. I’ll admit to not always being enamoured with the brass band format and its focus on entertainment over musical content, but Mac and his colleagues didn’t disappoint over the course of two high energy sets that combined excitement and entertainment with a high degree of musical sophistication. FHBB don’t just blast out unison horn riffs, there’s a lot of colourful interplay between the three horn front line of Mac, Dalby-Anning and Archer, with improvisation within the overall framework positively encouraged This was music you could listen to as well as move to.

Kicking off with a version of the Dirty Dozen’s “Blackbird Special” that included a snippet of Ray Noble’s jazz and bebop standard “Cherokee” the FHBB announced themselves with a series of punchy, rousing unison horn lines from Mac on tenor, Archer on trombone and Dalby-Anning on flugel. These were fuelled by Huxtable’s walloping sousaphone bass lines and Williams’ crisp, propulsive and economical drumming. The horn solos saw the members of the front line stretching out expansively and to great effect, with Mac going first on tenor sax, followed by Archer on trombone and Dalby-Anning on flugel.

For “New Orleans Mardi Gras” the group introduced guest trumpeter Jon Crespo, who was waiting in the wings. He delivered a blistering trumpet solo before departing to lead his own gig at the Brecon Tap public house. More on that later. This number included Mac’s rousing New Orleans style vocals in addition to further instrumental solos from himself on tenor and Archer on trombone, the latter delivering some low down and dirty gut-bucket rasps and wails.

Archer then came up with more of the same on “Keep On Gwine”, a James Booker tune from the repertoire of the New Orleans Nightcrawlers Brass Band. Described by Mac as being “downbeat and bluesy” tonight’s rendition also included further solos from Dalby-Anning, back on flugel after featuring on tenor horn for “New Orleans Mardi Gras”, and Mac himself on tenor sax.

The introduction to “Mack The Knife” featured the kind of intertwining horn lines that I alluded to earlier, but I’ve just discovered that I’ve got no more notes for the performance of this song, probably because I was now up on my feet and dancing, as were many others in the room by this stage, some of them very enthusiastically and energetically.

“St. James Infirmary Blues”, a tune that Mac has also performed with the BMJC, featured his powerful vocals in addition to his tenor sax soloing, with further instrumental features coming from Dalby-Anning on tenor horn and Archer on trombone.

The first set concluded in truly rousing fashion with “Take It To The Street” (with its steal from the Steve Miller Band’s “Fly Like An Eagle”), a tune from the repertoire of the Rebirth Brass Band with solos from Mac on tenor, Archer on trombone and Dalby-Anning on flugel, with a closing drum feature from Williams rounding things off on a truly energetic high.

There was to be no let up during a second set that began with “Nothing But A Party”, a song from the Dirty Dozen repertoire that featured Mac’s vocals alongside instrumental solos from Archer on trombone and Dalby-Anning on flugel. It was noted that Saskia Laroo and Warren Byrd were in the house, with Laroo joining in with the dancing.

Back to the Rebirth song book for “New Orleans Music”, another vocal item that also included solos from Mac on tenor, Dalby-Anning on tenor horn and Archer on trombone.

An all instrumental version of the much loved “Cissy Strut”, a tune by New Orleans band The Meters featured solos from Dslby-Anning on flugel, Mac on tenor and Archer on trombone, the latter deploying a plunger mute to generate an earthy, vocalised wah wah sound.

“Wayne’s Thang”, a composition by the US alto saxophonist Kenny Garrett that has become something of a modern day jazz standard represented an unusual and unexpected choice for The FHBB treatment. Nevertheless it worked extremely well in this context and incorporated instrumental solos from Mac on tenor and Archer on trombone.

Huxtable’s sousaphone, soon joined by Willams’ drums, introduced an arrangement of the Fats Domino song “I’m Walkin’”, which included Mac’s vocals alongside solos for trombone and tenor sax as Dalby-Anning picked up a tambourine.

“Little Lisa Jane” was an audience sing-along led by Mac’s vocals that included instrumental solos for trombone and tenor horn.

Mac, Dalby-Anning and Archer all sang on the deserved encore, which merged “It Ain’t My Fault” with “Down By The Riverside”, “When The Saints Go Marching In” and even “Calon Lan”! Solos from tenor sax, trombone and tenor horn.

This was a hugely enjoyable performance that combined energy and showmanship with an unexpectedly high level of musical sophistication. The interplay between the horns was consistently interesting and the individual soloing fluent, imaginative and exciting. Huxtable and Williams combined to do a great job of driving the band forward with Huxtable’s extraordinary sousaphone bass lines a key ingredient of the band’s sound. The stamina required to play them must be immense.

All in all this was a performance that exceeded my personal expectations and also delighted a great many others, particularly those who threw themselves onto the dance floor with such energy and enthusiasm. Even I was powerless to resist. Very well done guys.

I was to see Jack Mac, and also Nick Kacal, in a very different context the following evening when they appeared with the BMJC and guest musician Denny Ilett, the Bristol based guitarist, in Abergavenny the following evening. But more of that in another article.

For now this was a great way to round off the day’s concert programme at The Muse. Congratulations to the Festival organisers for a programme that presented two very popular acts that appealed to a broad cross section of listeners, not just hardcore jazz fans such as myself. For a ‘taster day’ designed to lure listeners back to the main event in August this was exactly the kind of crowd pleasing fare that was needed, with the FHBB delivering above and beyond that remit with some truly inspired playing.

JON CRESPO TRIO, BRECON TAP

Jon Crespo – trumpet, flugelhorn, Dave Jones – keyboard, Greg Evans – drums
with guest Jane Williams – vocals, ukulele (first set)

Jonathan Crespo had already served notice of his capabilities as a trumpeter through his cameo with the FHBB at The Muse. This was confirmed further by two enjoyable sets at the Brecon Tap public house, the first of these featuring Crespo’s trio with guest singer and uke player Jane Williams.

In 2017 I reviewed a show by Barry based Crespo at Black Mountain jazz in Abergavenny, from which the following biographical details have been culled;

https://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/jon-crespo-quartet-black-mountain-jazz-melville-centre-abergavenny-30-07-20

Trumpeter Jonathan Crespo was born in Chile but the volatile politics of his original homeland resulted in his family moving to Canada when Crespo was still a child.
Crespo’s brother started playing trumpet in high school and Jonathan followed suit, studying classical music but also absorbing the rock of the music of the era including The Who, Led Zeppelin, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Pink Floyd and The Beatles. Crespo has since described himself as a “rocker in a trumpet player’s body”. 

Crespo discovered jazz via Chet Baker and studied the music at Humber College in Toronto, a specialist jazz college. Crespo later became of the Humber College Music Program Advisory Committee, an honour also shared by the late, great jazz pianist Oscar Peterson.

Crespo’s versatility has led to an interesting and diverse career which has included touring with the Beach Boys, KC and the Sunshine Band and Lenny Kravitz among many others. He has acted as trumpet player and musical director for a number of mainstream entertainers, with this aspect of his work including stints on US cruise ships and residencies in lounges and casinos in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

I’m not exactly certain when he first came to Wales but he is now resident in Barry. An acclaimed educator he teaches jazz, classical and commercial trumpet to students in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan and is an active presence on the South Wales jazz scene.

The Abergavenny show also included Jones and Evans, musicians with whom Crespo has worked for a long time, hence their level of rapport. On that occasion the group was a quartet, completed by virtuoso bassist Ashley John Long and the band delivered a hugely enjoyable standards based set distinguished by some exceptional playing from all four participants.

Tonight’s show was in a much more informal setting but Crespo and his colleagues had no difficulty in cutting through the hubbub of a busy, noisy pub on a Saturday night. I managed to find myself a pretty decent vantage point, on foot admittedly, and I thoroughly enjoyed what I heard of another standards based performance.

The gig was already well underway by the time we arrived from The Muse and we saw the conclusion of a first set that also featured guest musician Jane Williams on vocals and ukulele. A great friend of Brecon Jazz and something of an audience favourite her singing and playing could also be clearly heard on songs such as “Pennies From Heaven”, “Nature Boy”,  “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” and “Buena Serra Signorina”, the latter featuring Crespo on flugel while Jones deployed an electric piano sound.

The second set was all instrumental but this didn’t deter a knot of dancers who had followed us over from The Muse and the mood remained vibrant throughout as the trio kicked off the second half with a version of Wayne Shorter’s “Black Nile”, with solos from Crespo on trumpet, Jones at the piano and a series of lively drum breaks from Evans.

Jones, playing his second gig of the day adopted a funky electric piano sound on a rousing version of the Joe Zawinul tune “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy”, a piece that ‘Viennese Joe’ wrote during his tenure with saxophonist Julian ‘Cannonball’ Adderley. The dancers really loved this high energy, funk and gospel enthused rendition with its keyboard and trumpet solos.

There was a brief slackening of the pace with the ballad “My Foolish Heart”, which saw Crespo reverting to flugel before the final two numbers of the set saw the trio cranking up the energy levels once more.

Crespo switched back to trumpet for high energy performances of Tadd Dameron’s “Ladybird” and Sonny Rollins’ “Tenor Madness”, both tunes that had been played by the quartet at Abergavenny. I’d given up taking notes by now and joined the dancers, but take it from me these were two terrific performances featuring powerful rhythms, with Jones’ left hand working overtime covering the bass function, and some terrific trumpet and piano soloing.

Great music accompanied by some excellent and reasonably priced beer from independent Welsh breweries. What’s not to like? An excellent conclusion to a very enjoyable day of music that succeeded in its remit of throwing down a marker for the main festival in August. The two concert shows were very well attended, the Found Gallery shows attracted small but attentive and appreciative audiences and the Crespo trio plus their guest did a great job in the late night ‘party slot’ with Crespo living up to his “rocker in a trumpet player’s body” claim. He certainly seemed to be having a great time at ‘The Tap’ and his playing was brilliant, his tone bright and incisive and his soloing fluent and imaginative.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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