Picture of Phil Meadows sourced from the EFG London Jazz Festival website
http://www.efglondonjazzfestival.org.uk

EFG LONDON JAZZ FESTIVAL, DAY NINE, 22/11/2014

PHIL MEADOWS GROUP / ENGINES ORCHESTRA

Some time last year I acquired a second hand copy of “Engines Of Creation”, the d?but album by the young saxophonist and composer Phil Meadows. Credited to the Phil Meadows Group it featured a quintet of young rising stars with the leader appearing on alto and soprano saxes alongside Laura Jurd (trumpet), Elliot Galvin (piano), Conor Chaplin (acoustic and electric bass) and Simon Roth (drums). It was an astonishingly mature d?but that featured some excellent writing from Meadows and some fine playing from all the members of the group.

Born in the North of England Meadows studied at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester before moving south and quickly acquiring a burgeoning reputation on the London jazz scene. A frequent award winner he has been been voted “best newcomer” at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards and was also the winner of the 2013 Peter Whittingham Award which, along with support from Arts Council England, helped to finance the recording of “Lifecycles”, an ambitious and totally convincing suite/song cycle that embraces both the jazz and classical traditions. The album features Meadows’ core quintet alongside the twenty strong Engines Orchestra conducted by Matt Roberts and featuring a number musicians who have appeared elsewhere on these web pages in a jazz context. However this is a multi skilled collection of musicians, all of them classically trained but with the ability to perform in a less formal, often improvised setting in an age when the traditional musical barriers are thankfully coming down.

The final Saturday of the Festival found Meadows at a sold out Hall 2 at Kings Place to launch the recently released “Lifecycles”. The Phil Meadows Group took to the stage first to perform three pieces before being joined on stage by the Orchestra for a performance of the greater part of “Lifecycles”.

The Group commenced with “Fin”, a Meadows composition dedicated to Beats & Pieces Big Band and Let Spin drummer Finley Panter who is now resident in Berlin. The composer’s honking solo alto introduced the spiky theme which saw the saxophonist doubling up with Jurd before the first solo from Chaplin on acoustic bass who handed over seamlessly to Galvin at the piano.

Chaplin switched to electric bass for “Runner”, a piece inspired by the traffic gridlock on London’s South Circular Road. His Steve Swallow style groove inspired excellent solos from Meadows, Jurd and Galvin as the Group warmed to their task.

On the morning of the concert members of the jazz loving public had been encouraged to visit Kings Place to participate in the “Audience Commission” whereby ideas suggested by the public were transformed into a composition by Meadows which was to be premi?red at the afternoon concert. Out of this process emerged “From London To Paris By Train”, the melodies and rhythms based of the tune based on that phrase. Even at this stage it was remarkable how “together” the music sounded with Meadows and Jurd stating the theme before the trumpeter’s gauzy solo suggested that we might already have arrived in the French capital. Galvin’s lyrical piano was playing was enhanced by Chaplin’s liquid electric bass and Meadows’ bitter-sweet alto solo gradually grew in intensity to round off a piece that certainly didn’t sound as if it had been written by committee!

It was now time for the Engines Orchestra to take the stage. All were dressed immaculately, the guys in dark suits, the girls in elegant black dresses, it was just like going to a proper classical concert! The five full time jazzers looked positively down at heel by comparison. The Orchestra was conducted by Matt Roberts, a celebrated composer and arranger for jazz big bands and large ensembles whose direction struck a good balance between the formality of classical music and the looseness of jazz. The leader of the orchestra was violinist Emily Davis, an experienced classical player but also a musician willing to embrace the art of improvisation, as we were to see later. 

“Lifecycles” is a study of the individual’s place in society and of their reaction to various events and influences. Emotionally and musically it’s an impressive piece of work and the qualities that make the album such a success were also readily apparent throughout this live performance with the members of the orchestra integrating superbly with the core jazz group.

The suite, ten months in the writing, began with the song “Missing Days” which featured the soaring vocals of Alice Zawadzki on a lyric that reflected on the hectic pace of modern life and our collective tendency to become absorbed in the daily whirl of work and socialising while remaining oblivious to the natural beauty around us. With an urgent solo from Meadows and an arrangement that emphasised the bustle of daily life albeit allied to a strong vocal melody this was a highly effective opening movement.

“Lifecycles” itself also featured an arresting melody, stated first by buoyant orchestral strings, the orchestra then providing the backdrop for Meadows’ solo on soprano sax.

“The Spark” was a freely structured interlude featuring Tori Handsley’s harp, Jurd’s muted trumpet and Zawadzki’s unsettling wordless vocals. On the album it’s little more than a vignette but here Galvin’s audacious passage of unaccompanied Keith Tippett style piano led into “Intoxicated Delirium” which featured a blazing Jurd trumpet solo. With the strings deploying both pizzicato and arco techniques and with the brass players in pugnacious form this was a rousing piece that was crowned by the attack of Meadows’ incisive soprano solo.

“Remembrance” and “Celebration” were thematically linked, Meadows dedicating the performances to the memory of nineteen year old Tomorrow’s Warriors saxophonist David Turay who had been found dead just a few days earlier.

“Remembrance”  opened with the sound of Meadows’ soprano sax over harp and droning strings and featured a convincing improvised dialogue between orchestra leader Davis and cellist Gregor Riddell. In a performance that made effective use of dynamics the sound of the full ensemble subsequently erupted in a manner akin to sunlight bursting through dark clouds with Zawadzki’s evocatively soaring vocals bringing the piece to a rousing climax.

“Celebration” incorporated an angry free jazz outburst and a torrential and tumultuous Cecil Taylor like solo from the brilliant Galvin before eventually settling into a more obviously celebratory mood via Chaplin’s electric bass groove and Jurd’s ebullient trumpet solo. Jurd also contributed flaring trumpet to the brief “Strife Of Life”.

Meadows had a lot of “thank yous” to announce before the final movement. These included expressions of gratitude to Clive & Suzanne from the Peter Whittingham Foundation, the Arts Council and the album’s executive producer Alex J Watson.

The closing “Twice The Man” was written during Meadows’ recovery from a diabetes related illness, shades here of drummer and composer Ollie Howell’s “Sutures and Stitches” project. Zawadzki sang Meadows’ words with grace and conviction in a performance that acted as a kind of valedictory. Instrumental solos came from Chaplin on acoustic bass, Jurd on trumpet over a backdrop of pizzicato strings and Meadows himself on triumphantly soaring soprano sax.

Playing in front of a full house and with many family and friends in the audience this concert represented a triumph for Meadows who acquitted himself superbly in both the small group and orchestral settings. The playing of the entire ensemble was superb throughout and the blending of jazz and classical elements was totally convincing, evidence of Meadows’ maturity as a musician, composer and arranger ? although he did acknowledge the help of Roberts, Tim Garland and others with Garland having fulfilled the role of “Studio MD” on the album. 

“Lifecycles”, the album is highly recommended, a thoroughly convincing synthesis of jazz and classical influences and a highly intelligent and emotionally involving piece of work. It deserves to sell well and to enhance Meadows’ reputation as one of the brightest young talents on the UK music scene. I wasn’t sure if the mix of classical and jazz would work but it succeeded brilliantly and this performance turned out to be one of the highlights of the festival week.

It’s also worth pointing out that it is not the intention for the Engines Orchestra to work with Meadows exclusively. They are to continue as a stand alone entity and there are plans for them to co-operate with other jazz musicians and composers in the future.

JOHN STEVENS -  A CELEBRATION

I took the tube down to the Southbank where a concert celebrating the work of the pioneering British free jazz drummer John Stevens (1940 -94) was being held in the evening in the Purcell Room.

However other Stevens related events were taking place throughout the day around the QEH and I managed to catch a short performance commissioned by musician, author and broadcaster David Toop, the loosely structured piece featuring some of the UK’s leading improvisers in the shapes of;
Ed Jones (tenor sax), Alexander Hawkins (piano), Maggie Nichols (vocals), Trevor Watts (alto sax),
Ben Nightingale (guitar), mark Sanders (drums) and Gary Crosby and Mitch Stevens (both double basses).

I later wandered over to the Clore Ballroom to catch something of the set by South African born trumpeter Claude Deppa and contrived to miss a solo piano improvisation by Alexander Hawkins that was widely praised by those that were there.

I also caught a brief snippet of the duo of Trevor Watts and Mark Sanders but again had to move on (back to Kings Place) and found that I was unable to fully immerse myself in their dialogue. However I was to catch up with Sanders again a few days later as part of the Deep Whole Trio alongside bassist Paul Rogers and saxophonist/bagpiper Paul Dunmall. These three gave an intensely compelling performance at the Queens Head, Monmouth just a couple of days after I got back from London.

CLAUDE DEPPA QUINTET / CHARLOTTE GLASSON BAND

I’ve been a long term admirer of the playing of South African born trumpeter Claude Deppa since his days as a member of various Andy Sheppard groups and as a member of Tony Haynes’ Grand Union Orchestra. 

The jovial Deppa has always led his own bands and still delights in playing the music of his homeland. At the Clore Ballroom he entertained a large crowd with his sunny version of township jazz and other music of the African diaspora in the company of fellow countryman Mervyn Africa (piano) plus Caribbean born musicians Pierre Chabrele (trombone), Andre Mathurin (electric bass) and Ian Grant ( drums). The quintet were being painted by the Festival’s resident artist Gina Southgate who was seated in the audience.

Deppa’s distinctive high register was as enjoyable as ever, his vocals on “Commander’s Call” less so and in the main the emphasis was on having a good time rather than anything deeply meaningful. Deppa is an entertainer and the crowd loved it but overall the soloing and general playing was well short of the calibre we’d seen the previous Saturday from a band calling themselves The Blue Notes that featured saxophonists Shabaka Hutchings and Soweto Kinch plus pianist Bokani Dyer.

It didn’t help that the piano of the veteran Africa was buried too far in the mix and he couldn’t always be heard clearly among the hubbub that is inevitably omnipresent at this venue. Having enjoyed Deppa’s playing in the past I was generally disappointed and was expecting rather more.  It was all a bit boring to be honest.

Earlier I’d caught just one number by a group led by multi-instrumentalist Charlotte Glasson that featured the leader on violin -she’s best known as a saxophonist. Again the feature seemed to be on good times and old fashioned entertainment and the audience reaction was enthusiastic. I didn’t really see enough to comment further but was interested to note the presence of the veteran genre hopping guitarist Chris Spedding in the line up alongside Mark Bassey (trombone), Mick Hutton (bass) and Sam Glasson (drums). 

JOHN ESCREET TRIO / JAMES MAINWARING

Back at Hall Two at Kings Place I was looking forward to seeing a performance by pianist John Escreet. Born in Doncaster Escreet moved to New York over a decade ago and has established himself as a significant presence on that city’s Downtown jazz scene. His 2013 album for Whirlwind Recordings, “Sabotage And Celebration” featured many of the leading names in contemporary US jazz including saxophonists David Binney and Chris Potter and drummer Jim Black. It was a hugely ambitious record that also included a string section and the music was occasionally challenging but ultimately very rewarding.

Escreet’s latest release is “Sound, Space and Structures”, a fully improvised album featuring his current working trio of John Hebert (double bass) and drummer Tyshawn Sorey. The record also includes a guest appearance from Evan Parker on tenor and soprano saxophones. Escreet’s fellow Brit was in New York for a couple of weeks in September 2013 programming the events and also performing at John Zorn’s club The Stone. He played one night with Escreet’s trio and the pianist suggested that they make a studio album whilst Parker was in town. The results are impressive and the rapport that was so quickly established between the trio and their illustrious guest are documented on nine improvisation simply titled “Part I” to “Part IX”. The pieces are short, focussed and non idiomatic and the music is accessible enough to be enjoyed by most adventurous listeners, it’s not just an album for die hard free improv fans.

No Parker tonight but the core trio of Escreet, Hebert and Sorey, the latter also making occasional use of a vibraphone set up immediately behind his drum kit. Describing his group’s music Escreet has said “as a trio our repertoire varies vastly ? from loose compositional sketches to highly intricate thru composed material, to completely open ended improvisation”. I suspect that we heard all of this tonight in a programme that was at first difficult to get a hold on but which subsequently drew the audience in to the trio’s intense and combustible sound world.

Ironically Escreet was the only member of the trio I’d not seen perform live before. Hebert has visited the UK to play with drummer Jeff Williams and saxophonist Julian Arguelles, the awesome Sorey was part of Fieldwork, the trio also featuring pianist Vijay Iyer and saxophonist Steve Lehman, that appeared at the 2012 Cheltenham Jazz Festival.

From the outset it was apparent that all three players were superb technicians but it took a while for listeners to become comfortable with their full blooded musical sparring, Escreet’s thundering double fisted arpeggios embraced the whole keyboard, Hebert switched between powerful pizzicato plucking and strumming and dramatic arco work and Sorey played with his usual simmering intensity, sometimes erupting to deliver vicious drum barrages that threatened to demolish his entire kit ? I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody thump a drum kit so hard. However in a lengthy opening item he also showed that he was capable of deploying a degree of sensitivity with delicate mallet work on both kit and vibraphone. 

The trio played four lengthy, fiercely interactive pieces including the cheerily titled “The Decapitator” from “Sabotage”. This began with Escreet’s interior piano scrapings, a technique he employs both regularly and effectively, before progressing through an episode of arco bass. Meanwhile Sorey provided commentary on what was going on around him, conjuring up an impressive variety of sounds using the various sticks, brushes and mallets stored in a very well stocked stick bag. It needs to be, given Sorey’s propensity to hit a drum so hard the stick flies out of his hand. On this number we even heard his vocal eruptions as he went about his work with an obvious relish. However it wasn’t all sound and fury as the piece progressed via solos for vibraphone and pizzicato bass to end with a dialogue between Escreet and Hebert.

The mood of reflection continued into the third piece with duets between piano and drums and piano and bass with Sorey moving to clanking vibes and handing over in due course to Hebert on bowed bass. The trio are like a musical tag team and by now all were perspiring profusely, something that was only to intensify as they began ramping things up again, Escreet squeezing a quote from “I Got Rhythm” into a bravura, octave vaulting solo and drawing a laugh from Sorey in the process. This constituted a little light relief before the big man’s final assault on a kit that he’d already re-assembled during the course of the tune. A volcanic drum feature ended with the loudest snare shot I’ve ever heard and a yelp of pain from Sorey. “Are you OK Tyshawn?” enquired Escreet solicitously as the applause died down before turning to the audience and explaining “blood on the traps is a pretty regular occurrence in this band”.

Escreet also informed us that this was the last date of the trio’s European tour, possibly the reason that they were playing with such unbridled power and passion this evening. In the next piece one of Sorey’s cymbals went flying and landed on the floor with a crash as he carried on regardless. Eventually the storm blew itself out and the trio concluded their set with a reflective coda featuring piano, bowed bass and vibraphone.

It had been a draining but exhilarating performance for both musicians and audience. The intensity of the performance was astonishing and the techniques of all three musicians truly dazzling, real “musical white knuckle ride” stuff, now wonder Escreet has become such a well established figure on the New York scene.

If I seem to have written more about Sorey than about the leader then it’s because the drummer is such a force of nature, such a distinctive instrumentalist. Fellow drummers Jeff Williams and James Maddren were there to check him out. Thanks to John, John, Tyshawn, Jeff and James for speaking to me post gig and to Jeff for supplying me with a copy of “Valence”, his latest album, a concert recording made in Switzerland featuring a trio of Williams, alto saxophonist John O’Gallgher and bassist Sam Lasserson. I intend to take a fuller look at the album in the near future.

JAMES MAINWARING

Earlier in the evening support had been provided by Roller Trio saxophonist James Mainwaring who played a half hour solo set featuring saxophones and electronics. This was equally uncompromising and substantially different from the music of Roller Trio.

Mainwaring played three improvised pieces, the first opening with pecked tenor sounds and rushes of breath which were treated with live looping techniques to create both a rhythmic base and a backwash for the saxophonist’s improvisations, the use of further pedals creating reverb effects and other mutations of the saxophone sound. Mainwaring also periodically crouched to manipulate the sound yet further via an array of floor mounted devices. Snatches of melody combined with foghorn blasts and banshee like shrieks and if this wasn’t enough he also took up his soprano to add yet more layers to the sonic edifice he had created. It was all too much for one listener with Mainwaring’s bat like squeaks sending him rushing for the exit. He did return for John Escreet though.

Mainwaring’s second piece incorporated more manipulation, his use of electronics creating a sonic barrage that formed the backdrop for an impressive display of circular breathing, the saxophonist somehow seeming to play two melodic motifs simultaneously.

The third piece built from Mainwaring’s use of slap tonguing techniques to create a rhythmic backdrop above which he again blasted away on his bug mic’d tenor sax, again crouching to treat his sound. It was all very intense and somewhat draining for both musician and listener. “Thanks for ‘avin me” Mainwaring muttered breathlessly in his flat Yorkshire vowels before stumbling off. 

I’ll be honest this was a set that was admirable rather than enjoyable, a fascinating performance to see and hear but not necessarily the sort of thing you’d want to listen to at home. Mainwaring’s presence alone wouldn’t be a guarantee that fans of Roller Trio would necessarily have enjoyed this.

Roller Trio themselves played at the Clore Ballroom the following afternoon at one of Jez Nelson’s Jazz In The Round sessions. Their performance was broadcast on Radio 3 and was excellent, hard hitting but accessible and for most listeners far more enjoyable than this rather challenging solo set.
The trio’s long awaited second album “Fracture” has just been released and this another recording I hope to take a fuller look at shortly. I have heard it already and would just like to say at this stage that it’s an album that will satisfy their many fans and keep the name of Roller Trio in the public eye during 2015. 
 

 

   

   

   

 

EFG LONDON JAZZ FESTIVAL, DAY NINE, 22/11/2014

PHIL MEADOWS GROUP / ENGINES ORCHESTRA

Some time last year I acquired a second hand copy of “Engines Of Creation”, the d?but album by the young saxophonist and composer Phil Meadows. Credited to the Phil Meadows Group it featured a quintet of young rising stars with the leader appearing on alto and soprano saxes alongside Laura Jurd (trumpet), Elliot Galvin (piano), Conor Chaplin (acoustic and electric bass) and Simon Roth (drums). It was an astonishingly mature d?but that featured some excellent writing from Meadows and some fine playing from all the members of the group.

Born in the North of England Meadows studied at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester before moving south and quickly acquiring a burgeoning reputation on the London jazz scene. A frequent award winner he has been been voted “best newcomer” at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards and was also the winner of the 2013 Peter Whittingham Award which, along with support from Arts Council England, helped to finance the recording of “Lifecycles”, an ambitious and totally convincing suite/song cycle that embraces both the jazz and classical traditions. The album features Meadows’ core quintet alongside the twenty strong Engines Orchestra conducted by Matt Roberts and featuring a number musicians who have appeared elsewhere on these web pages in a jazz context. However this is a multi skilled collection of musicians, all of them classically trained but with the ability to perform in a less formal, often improvised setting in an age when the traditional musical barriers are thankfully coming down.

The final Saturday of the Festival found Meadows at a sold out Hall 2 at Kings Place to launch the recently released “Lifecycles”. The Phil Meadows Group took to the stage first to perform three pieces before being joined on stage by the Orchestra for a performance of the greater part of “Lifecycles”.

The Group commenced with “Fin”, a Meadows composition dedicated to Beats & Pieces Big Band and Let Spin drummer Finley Panter who is now resident in Berlin. The composer’s honking solo alto introduced the spiky theme which saw the saxophonist doubling up with Jurd before the first solo from Chaplin on acoustic bass who handed over seamlessly to Galvin at the piano.

Chaplin switched to electric bass for “Runner”, a piece inspired by the traffic gridlock on London’s South Circular Road. His Steve Swallow style groove inspired excellent solos from Meadows, Jurd and Galvin as the Group warmed to their task.

On the morning of the concert members of the jazz loving public had been encouraged to visit Kings Place to participate in the “Audience Commission” whereby ideas suggested by the public were transformed into a composition by Meadows which was to be premi?red at the afternoon concert. Out of this process emerged “From London To Paris By Train”, the melodies and rhythms based of the tune based on that phrase. Even at this stage it was remarkable how “together” the music sounded with Meadows and Jurd stating the theme before the trumpeter’s gauzy solo suggested that we might already have arrived in the French capital. Galvin’s lyrical piano was playing was enhanced by Chaplin’s liquid electric bass and Meadows’ bitter-sweet alto solo gradually grew in intensity to round off a piece that certainly didn’t sound as if it had been written by committee!

It was now time for the Engines Orchestra to take the stage. All were dressed immaculately, the guys in dark suits, the girls in elegant black dresses, it was just like going to a proper classical concert! The five full time jazzers looked positively down at heel by comparison. The Orchestra was conducted by Matt Roberts, a celebrated composer and arranger for jazz big bands and large ensembles whose direction struck a good balance between the formality of classical music and the looseness of jazz. The leader of the orchestra was violinist Emily Davis, an experienced classical player but also a musician willing to embrace the art of improvisation, as we were to see later. 

“Lifecycles” is a study of the individual’s place in society and of their reaction to various events and influences. Emotionally and musically it’s an impressive piece of work and the qualities that make the album such a success were also readily apparent throughout this live performance with the members of the orchestra integrating superbly with the core jazz group.

The suite, ten months in the writing, began with the song “Missing Days” which featured the soaring vocals of Alice Zawadzki on a lyric that reflected on the hectic pace of modern life and our collective tendency to become absorbed in the daily whirl of work and socialising while remaining oblivious to the natural beauty around us. With an urgent solo from Meadows and an arrangement that emphasised the bustle of daily life albeit allied to a strong vocal melody this was a highly effective opening movement.

“Lifecycles” itself also featured an arresting melody, stated first by buoyant orchestral strings, the orchestra then providing the backdrop for Meadows’ solo on soprano sax.

“The Spark” was a freely structured interlude featuring Tori Handsley’s harp, Jurd’s muted trumpet and Zawadzki’s unsettling wordless vocals. On the album it’s little more than a vignette but here Galvin’s audacious passage of unaccompanied Keith Tippett style piano led into “Intoxicated Delirium” which featured a blazing Jurd trumpet solo. With the strings deploying both pizzicato and arco techniques and with the brass players in pugnacious form this was a rousing piece that was crowned by the attack of Meadows’ incisive soprano solo.

“Remembrance” and “Celebration” were thematically linked, Meadows dedicating the performances to the memory of nineteen year old Tomorrow’s Warriors saxophonist David Turay who had been found dead just a few days earlier.

“Remembrance”  opened with the sound of Meadows’ soprano sax over harp and droning strings and featured a convincing improvised dialogue between orchestra leader Davis and cellist Gregor Riddell. In a performance that made effective use of dynamics the sound of the full ensemble subsequently erupted in a manner akin to sunlight bursting through dark clouds with Zawadzki’s evocatively soaring vocals bringing the piece to a rousing climax.

“Celebration” incorporated an angry free jazz outburst and a torrential and tumultuous Cecil Taylor like solo from the brilliant Galvin before eventually settling into a more obviously celebratory mood via Chaplin’s electric bass groove and Jurd’s ebullient trumpet solo. Jurd also contributed flaring trumpet to the brief “Strife Of Life”.

Meadows had a lot of “thank yous” to announce before the final movement. These included expressions of gratitude to Clive & Suzanne from the Peter Whittingham Foundation, the Arts Council and the album’s executive producer Alex J Watson.

The closing “Twice The Man” was written during Meadows’ recovery from a diabetes related illness, shades here of drummer and composer Ollie Howell’s “Sutures and Stitches” project. Zawadzki sang Meadows’ words with grace and conviction in a performance that acted as a kind of valedictory. Instrumental solos came from Chaplin on acoustic bass, Jurd on trumpet over a backdrop of pizzicato strings and Meadows himself on triumphantly soaring soprano sax.

Playing in front of a full house and with many family and friends in the audience this concert represented a triumph for Meadows who acquitted himself superbly in both the small group and orchestral settings. The playing of the entire ensemble was superb throughout and the blending of jazz and classical elements was totally convincing, evidence of Meadows’ maturity as a musician, composer and arranger ? although he did acknowledge the help of Roberts, Tim Garland and others with Garland having fulfilled the role of “Studio MD” on the album. 

“Lifecycles”, the album is highly recommended, a thoroughly convincing synthesis of jazz and classical influences and a highly intelligent and emotionally involving piece of work. It deserves to sell well and to enhance Meadows’ reputation as one of the brightest young talents on the UK music scene. I wasn’t sure if the mix of classical and jazz would work but it succeeded brilliantly and this performance turned out to be one of the highlights of the festival week.

It’s also worth pointing out that it is not the intention for the Engines Orchestra to work with Meadows exclusively. They are to continue as a stand alone entity and there are plans for them to co-operate with other jazz musicians and composers in the future.

JOHN STEVENS -  A CELEBRATION

I took the tube down to the Southbank where a concert celebrating the work of the pioneering British free jazz drummer John Stevens (1940 -94) was being held in the evening in the Purcell Room.

However other Stevens related events were taking place throughout the day around the QEH and I managed to catch a short performance commissioned by musician, author and broadcaster David Toop, the loosely structured piece featuring some of the UK’s leading improvisers in the shapes of;
Ed Jones (tenor sax), Alexander Hawkins (piano), Maggie Nichols (vocals), Trevor Watts (alto sax),
Ben Nightingale (guitar), mark Sanders (drums) and Gary Crosby and Mitch Stevens (both double basses).

I later wandered over to the Clore Ballroom to catch something of the set by South African born trumpeter Claude Deppa and contrived to miss a solo piano improvisation by Alexander Hawkins that was widely praised by those that were there.

I also caught a brief snippet of the duo of Trevor Watts and Mark Sanders but again had to move on (back to Kings Place) and found that I was unable to fully immerse myself in their dialogue. However I was to catch up with Sanders again a few days later as part of the Deep Whole Trio alongside bassist Paul Rogers and saxophonist/bagpiper Paul Dunmall. These three gave an intensely compelling performance at the Queens Head, Monmouth just a couple of days after I got back from London.

CLAUDE DEPPA QUINTET / CHARLOTTE GLASSON BAND

I’ve been a long term admirer of the playing of South African born trumpeter Claude Deppa since his days as a member of various Andy Sheppard groups and as a member of Tony Haynes’ Grand Union Orchestra. 

The jovial Deppa has always led his own bands and still delights in playing the music of his homeland. At the Clore Ballroom he entertained a large crowd with his sunny version of township jazz and other music of the African diaspora in the company of fellow countryman Mervyn Africa (piano) plus Caribbean born musicians Pierre Chabrele (trombone), Andre Mathurin (electric bass) and Ian Grant ( drums). The quintet were being painted by the Festival’s resident artist Gina Southgate who was seated in the audience.

Deppa’s distinctive high register was as enjoyable as ever, his vocals on “Commander’s Call” less so and in the main the emphasis was on having a good time rather than anything deeply meaningful. Deppa is an entertainer and the crowd loved it but overall the soloing and general playing was well short of the calibre we’d seen the previous Saturday from a band calling themselves The Blue Notes that featured saxophonists Shabaka Hutchings and Soweto Kinch plus pianist Bokani Dyer.

It didn’t help that the piano of the veteran Africa was buried too far in the mix and he couldn’t always be heard clearly among the hubbub that is inevitably omnipresent at this venue. Having enjoyed Deppa’s playing in the past I was generally disappointed and was expecting rather more.  It was all a bit boring to be honest.

Earlier I’d caught just one number by a group led by multi-instrumentalist Charlotte Glasson that featured the leader on violin -she’s best known as a saxophonist. Again the feature seemed to be on good times and old fashioned entertainment and the audience reaction was enthusiastic. I didn’t really see enough to comment further but was interested to note the presence of the veteran genre hopping guitarist Chris Spedding in the line up alongside Mark Bassey (trombone), Mick Hutton (bass) and Sam Glasson (drums). 

JOHN ESCREET TRIO / JAMES MAINWARING

Back at Hall Two at Kings Place I was looking forward to seeing a performance by pianist John Escreet. Born in Doncaster Escreet moved to New York over a decade ago and has established himself as a significant presence on that city’s Downtown jazz scene. His 2013 album for Whirlwind Recordings, “Sabotage And Celebration” featured many of the leading names in contemporary US jazz including saxophonists David Binney and Chris Potter and drummer Jim Black. It was a hugely ambitious record that also included a string section and the music was occasionally challenging but ultimately very rewarding.

Escreet’s latest release is “Sound, Space and Structures”, a fully improvised album featuring his current working trio of John Hebert (double bass) and drummer Tyshawn Sorey. The record also includes a guest appearance from Evan Parker on tenor and soprano saxophones. Escreet’s fellow Brit was in New York for a couple of weeks in September 2013 programming the events and also performing at John Zorn’s club The Stone. He played one night with Escreet’s trio and the pianist suggested that they make a studio album whilst Parker was in town. The results are impressive and the rapport that was so quickly established between the trio and their illustrious guest are documented on nine improvisation simply titled “Part I” to “Part IX”. The pieces are short, focussed and non idiomatic and the music is accessible enough to be enjoyed by most adventurous listeners, it’s not just an album for die hard free improv fans.

No Parker tonight but the core trio of Escreet, Hebert and Sorey, the latter also making occasional use of a vibraphone set up immediately behind his drum kit. Describing his group’s music Escreet has said “as a trio our repertoire varies vastly ? from loose compositional sketches to highly intricate thru composed material, to completely open ended improvisation”. I suspect that we heard all of this tonight in a programme that was at first difficult to get a hold on but which subsequently drew the audience in to the trio’s intense and combustible sound world.

Ironically Escreet was the only member of the trio I’d not seen perform live before. Hebert has visited the UK to play with drummer Jeff Williams and saxophonist Julian Arguelles, the awesome Sorey was part of Fieldwork, the trio also featuring pianist Vijay Iyer and saxophonist Steve Lehman, that appeared at the 2012 Cheltenham Jazz Festival.

From the outset it was apparent that all three players were superb technicians but it took a while for listeners to become comfortable with their full blooded musical sparring, Escreet’s thundering double fisted arpeggios embraced the whole keyboard, Hebert switched between powerful pizzicato plucking and strumming and dramatic arco work and Sorey played with his usual simmering intensity, sometimes erupting to deliver vicious drum barrages that threatened to demolish his entire kit ? I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody thump a drum kit so hard. However in a lengthy opening item he also showed that he was capable of deploying a degree of sensitivity with delicate mallet work on both kit and vibraphone. 

The trio played four lengthy, fiercely interactive pieces including the cheerily titled “The Decapitator” from “Sabotage”. This began with Escreet’s interior piano scrapings, a technique he employs both regularly and effectively, before progressing through an episode of arco bass. Meanwhile Sorey provided commentary on what was going on around him, conjuring up an impressive variety of sounds using the various sticks, brushes and mallets stored in a very well stocked stick bag. It needs to be, given Sorey’s propensity to hit a drum so hard the stick flies out of his hand. On this number we even heard his vocal eruptions as he went about his work with an obvious relish. However it wasn’t all sound and fury as the piece progressed via solos for vibraphone and pizzicato bass to end with a dialogue between Escreet and Hebert.

The mood of reflection continued into the third piece with duets between piano and drums and piano and bass with Sorey moving to clanking vibes and handing over in due course to Hebert on bowed bass. The trio are like a musical tag team and by now all were perspiring profusely, something that was only to intensify as they began ramping things up again, Escreet squeezing a quote from “I Got Rhythm” into a bravura, octave vaulting solo and drawing a laugh from Sorey in the process. This constituted a little light relief before the big man’s final assault on a kit that he’d already re-assembled during the course of the tune. A volcanic drum feature ended with the loudest snare shot I’ve ever heard and a yelp of pain from Sorey. “Are you OK Tyshawn?” enquired Escreet solicitously as the applause died down before turning to the audience and explaining “blood on the traps is a pretty regular occurrence in this band”.

Escreet also informed us that this was the last date of the trio’s European tour, possibly the reason that they were playing with such unbridled power and passion this evening. In the next piece one of Sorey’s cymbals went flying and landed on the floor with a crash as he carried on regardless. Eventually the storm blew itself out and the trio concluded their set with a reflective coda featuring piano, bowed bass and vibraphone.

It had been a draining but exhilarating performance for both musicians and audience. The intensity of the performance was astonishing and the techniques of all three musicians truly dazzling, real “musical white knuckle ride” stuff, now wonder Escreet has become such a well established figure on the New York scene.

If I seem to have written more about Sorey than about the leader then it’s because the drummer is such a force of nature, such a distinctive instrumentalist. Fellow drummers Jeff Williams and James Maddren were there to check him out. Thanks to John, John, Tyshawn, Jeff and James for speaking to me post gig and to Jeff for supplying me with a copy of “Valence”, his latest album, a concert recording made in Switzerland featuring a trio of Williams, alto saxophonist John O’Gallgher and bassist Sam Lasserson. I intend to take a fuller look at the album in the near future.

JAMES MAINWARING

Earlier in the evening support had been provided by Roller Trio saxophonist James Mainwaring who played a half hour solo set featuring saxophones and electronics. This was equally uncompromising and substantially different from the music of Roller Trio.

Mainwaring played three improvised pieces, the first opening with pecked tenor sounds and rushes of breath which were treated with live looping techniques to create both a rhythmic base and a backwash for the saxophonist’s improvisations, the use of further pedals creating reverb effects and other mutations of the saxophone sound. Mainwaring also periodically crouched to manipulate the sound yet further via an array of floor mounted devices. Snatches of melody combined with foghorn blasts and banshee like shrieks and if this wasn’t enough he also took up his soprano to add yet more layers to the sonic edifice he had created. It was all too much for one listener with Mainwaring’s bat like squeaks sending him rushing for the exit. He did return for John Escreet though.

Mainwaring’s second piece incorporated more manipulation, his use of electronics creating a sonic barrage that formed the backdrop for an impressive display of circular breathing, the saxophonist somehow seeming to play two melodic motifs simultaneously.

The third piece built from Mainwaring’s use of slap tonguing techniques to create a rhythmic backdrop above which he again blasted away on his bug mic’d tenor sax, again crouching to treat his sound. It was all very intense and somewhat draining for both musician and listener. “Thanks for ‘avin me” Mainwaring muttered breathlessly in his flat Yorkshire vowels before stumbling off. 

I’ll be honest this was a set that was admirable rather than enjoyable, a fascinating performance to see and hear but not necessarily the sort of thing you’d want to listen to at home. Mainwaring’s presence alone wouldn’t be a guarantee that fans of Roller Trio would necessarily have enjoyed this.

Roller Trio themselves played at the Clore Ballroom the following afternoon at one of Jez Nelson’s Jazz In The Round sessions. Their performance was broadcast on Radio 3 and was excellent, hard hitting but accessible and for most listeners far more enjoyable than this rather challenging solo set.
The trio’s long awaited second album “Fracture” has just been released and this another recording I hope to take a fuller look at shortly. I have heard it already and would just like to say at this stage that it’s an album that will satisfy their many fans and keep the name of Roller Trio in the public eye during 2015. 
 

 

   

   

   

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