Alex Clarke Trio, Brecon Jazz Club, The Muse Arts Centre, Brecon, 27/05/2025.

Alex Clarke – alto saxophone, Aidan Thorne – double bass, Matt Holmes – drums

Saxophonist Alex Clarke first came to my attention in 2022 when she appeared at that year’s Brecon Jazz Festival as a guest soloist with two different acts, the Jane Williams Band and The Numbers Racket. She is also an acclaimed educator and prior to these two live performances had presented a workshop for young jazz musicians elsewhere in the town.  My account of Clarke’s two Brecon appearances can be found as part of my Festival coverage here;
https://www.thejazzmann.com/features/article/brecon-jazz-festival-family-jazz-dance-day-brecon-county-showground-brecon-07-08-2022

Meanwhile guest contributor Trevor Bannister enjoyed a performance by a Clarke quartet featuring drummer Clark Tracey,  bassist Dave Green and pianist Rob Barron at the Progress Theatre in Reading in June 2023. His account can be found here;
https://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/alex-clarke-quartet-jazz-at-progress-progress-theatre-

I was to catch up with a version of the Clarke quartet featuring Tracey, pianist Dave Newton and bassist James Owston at Kidderminster Jazz Club in February 2024. Review here;
https://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/alex-clarke-quartet-kidderminster-jazz-club-st-ambrose-parish-centre-kidderminster-worcs-05-04-2024

Clarke has also established a fertile musical relationship with the young Cardiff based pianist and composer Eddie Gripper, beginning in 2023 with a performance at Black Mountain Jazz in Abergavenny that also featured fellow saxophonist Dan Newberry.  The two saxophonists were accompanied by the members of the Club’s house trio, the BMJ Collective, featuring Gripper, bassist Clem Saynor and drummer Alex Goodyear. Review here;
https://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/the-bmj-collective-with-alex-clarke-and-dan-newberry-black-mountain-jazz-melville-centre-abergavenny-25-01-2023

In 2025 Clarke and Gripper made a triumphant return to Abergavenny co-leading a quartet featuring bassist Nick Kacal and drummer Patrick Barrett-Donlon. Review here;
https://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/eddie-gripper-alex-clarke-quartet-black-mountain-jazz-melville-centre-abergavenny-16-02-2025

Clarke’s debut album “Mirage” was released in 2018 and featured pianist Tom Kincaid, bassist Ed Harrison and drummer Eryl Roberts.  The recording featured  Clarke’s arrangements of jazz standards plus lesser known tunes by Tubby Hayes, Harold Arlen and others.  In 2019 she also appeared on the album “Songs from the Jazz Country” by the TJ Johnson Band.

Clarke is an important member of the band led by trumpeter Chris Hodgkins that released the album “A Salute To Humphrey Lyttelton”.in 2022 She appears on tenor sax and clarinet and is also featured as an arranger. A review of this recording can be found as part of a Jazzmann feature about Hodgkins here;
https://www.thejazzmann.com/features/article/chris-hodgkins-festooned-with-trumpets-a-salute-to-humphrey-lyttelton-vic-parker-at-the-quebec-hotel

But it was with her second album “Only A Year” that Clarke’s solo career really took off, the presence of big names like drummer Clark Tracey, pianist Dave Newton and bassist Dave Green causing both the critics and the jazz public to sit up and pay attention. As a result Clarke’s quartet has become an increasingly popular attraction on the UK live jazz circuit.
Album review here;
https://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/alex-clarke-quartet-only-a-year

As a saxophonist Clarke has named her main influences as being Scott Hamilton and Lester Young on tenor and Phil Woods, Cannonball Adderley, Vincent Herring and Kenny Garrett on alto, but there are also many more..For such a young musician her approach is uncharacteristically mainstream, but Clarke has a deep and uncompromising love for this style of jazz and has no desire to become a slave to musical fashion.

As the above paragraph suggests I’ve always regarded Clarke as being a straight-ahead or mainstream jazz musician. But tonight’s event was very different and revealed a very different side of her playing, even if the programme was still based around the standards repertoire.

Tonight was the first date of a short tour featuring the new trio of Clarke and the Wales based musicians Aidan Thorne (double bass) and Matt Holmes (drums). As Thorne explained the collaboration came about after he and Clarke met at a jam session at the Flute & Tankard in Cardiff.

Keen to work more extensively with the saxophonist Thorne set up a short Welsh tour with dates in Brecon, Rhayader, Aberystwyth, Narberth and Pembroke Dock. He enlisted the services of drummer Matt Holmes, a member of Thorne’s group Duski, whose two albums “Duski” (2016) and “Make a Wish” (2020) have both been reviewed elsewhere on The Jazzmann, together with several of the band’s live performances.

Although Duski features Thorne playing electric bass he is also an accomplished jazz double bassist and is a busy and popular presence on the South Wales jazz scene. I’ve seen Thorne playing jazz double bass in a variety of contexts including performances with trombonist Gareth Roberts, saxophonists Ben Treacher and Martha Skilton, drummer Ollie Howell and as a part of the very different groups Burum, Coltrane Dedication and Slowly Rolling Camera. He has also accompanied the Spanish musicians Arturo Serra (vibes) and Juan Galiardo (piano) and has recorded with Burum, Slowly Rolling Camera and guitarist Dan Messore’s Lacuna group.

Thorne is also a member of saxophonist Joe Northwood’s Tuk Tuk trio and was a part of Khamira, Burum’s collaboration with the Indian musicians Aditya Balani (guitar), Suhail Yusuf Khan (sarangi, vocals) and Vishal Nagar (tabla, vocals). He has also recorded with folk singer Julie Murphy and appeared on the soundtrack of the cult Welsh TV series Hinterland, a programme that was subsequently distributed to the rest of the UK.

Since moving From Cardiff to Mid Wales Thorne’s interest in folk music forms has expanded and with Duski currently on something of a hiatus he has been working in a duo with guitarist Jason Ball and also in a different duo with another guitarist, Toby Hay, the founder of Cambrian Records. I have been fortunate enough to witness live performances by both of these duos during the early part of 2025, two magical musical experiences that are documented here;

Thorne has a deep seated love of improvisation and also relishes the challenge of working in a chordless line-up such as tonight’s trio. It’s a configuration the frees both the bass and the drums from their usual supporting roles, giving these players more freedom as soloists in addition to their still ongoing rhythmic duties. Although tonight’s show was the trio’s first public performance they cohered remarkably quickly and gave a performance that was rich in terms of musical imagination and invention as they improvised around a well chosen set of standards. “Some we will play more conventionally than others” Clarke explained, setting the template for the evening.

Although Clarke is equally gifted on both alto and tenor saxophones she decided to specialise on alto this evening, obviously feeling that it was more suited to the exploratory style in which the trio was playing. One got the sense that on the whole Clarke enjoyed being taken out of her musical comfort zone, although there were moments of trepidation too, in the context of a trio that took far more of a free-wheeling improvisatory approach to the music than her regular quartet would normally do. The absence of a chordal instrument certainly encourages close mutual interaction and musical risk taking.

The trio commenced with a heavily disguised version of “You And The Night And The Music”, which placed Clarke’s playing in a more loosely structured musical framework than usual. Her alto sax melodies were complemented by Thorne’s double bass and the painterly drums of Holmes,  first cast here in the role of colourist and deploying mallets,  before switching to sticks as the music gathered a free-wheeling momentum. Clarke’s opening statement was followed by a highly dexterous double bass solo from Thorne, a musician whose playing just seems to keep getting better and better. Finally we enjoyed a drum feature from the excellent Holmes, a musician that I don’t recall having seen before. I was impressed.

With its walking bass lines and brushed drums the trio’s version of Duke Ellington’s “Satin Doll” seemed to be shaping up to be more conventional. But soon the trio were taking the music somewhere different via a series of brushed drum / double bass exchanges and Clarke’s adventurous alto sax soloing, her playing exploratory but always maintaining a strong sense of melody.

Similarly the late Bernie Miller’s “Bernie’s Tune”, which announced itself via an introduction incorporating the familiar head and embracing conventional swing rhythms, before moving in unexpected directions during the solos of Clarke and Thorne,  plus a closing series of sax and drum exchanges.

Next we enjoyed the rarely heard “Blue Daniel”, a composition by the troubled American trombonist Frank Rosolino (1926-78). Clarke’s theme statement acted as the launch pad for adventurous solos for both herself and Thorne. Holmes’ closing drum feature was then punctuated by minimal bass accompaniment.

The first ballad of the evening was Jimmy Van Heusen’s “Polka Dots and Moonbeams”, performed by Clarke as a solo saxophone piece that was intended to represent an extension of the unaccompanied cadenza that saxophonists sometimes deliver at the conclusion of a collective ballad performance. Clarke’s solo piece was a demonstration of her immense technical capability but was also emotionally satisfying, a spellbinding performance that completely captivated the audience as they honed in on every detail and nuance, even the gentle rustling of the saxophone keys. A degree of thought had obviously gone into the presentation of the performance, not withstanding the trio’s spontaneous and freewheeling approach, and both Thorne and Holmes were to enjoy their solo features during the second set.

Meanwhile set one continued with a version of Antonio Carlos Jobim’s composition “Corcovado” as the trio now turned their attention to bossa nova. A freely structured intro featured the sounds of Thorne’s double bass and Holmes’ cymbals before Clarke eventually arrived to state the melodic theme on alto, prompting Thorne and Holmes into switching to more conventional bossa rhythms. Clarke’s theme statement, plus its attendant variations led into a Thorne double bass solo, this accompanied by the playful clatter of Holme’s sticks on rims. Clarke then returned to stretch out further on tenor, her playing adventurous and exploratory, before eventually returning to the core melody.

The first set concluded with a romp through the Miles Davis composition “Solar”, a bebop era classic that the trio delivered at a fast pace with Clarke’s theme statement and subsequent solo accompanied by Thorne’s rapid bass figures and Holmes’ crisp, dynamic drumming, with further solos coming from each. An enjoyable, high energy conclusion to an excellent first set.

The bebop theme continued at the start of the second set with a lively and vibrant rendition of “Billie’s Bounce”, a blues written by Charlie Parker. Introduced by Thorne on bass and Holmes at the drums Clarke played the head and took the first solo, with Thorne following on double bass. Holmes’ drums feature was punctuated by sax and bass interjections.

Also very much in the jazz tradition “Whisper Not”, a composition by the recently deceased saxophonist Benny Golson (1929-2024) was less frenetic, but no less interesting as a relatively conventional Clarke theme statement was followed by typically inventive and imaginative individual solos. Thorne’s double bass solo was complemented by Holmes’ brushed drum accompaniment, the drummer extended this into a dialogue with Clarke’s alto, the saxophonist restating the theme before embarking on a more exploratory solo. Holmes was then rewarded with his own feature, prior to a final theme restatement by Clarke.

Holmes’ individual feature was a solo drum interpretation of the Thelonious Monk composition “In Walked Bud”. Holmes introduced the piece at the cymbals, variously alternating with snare and toms before bringing the three elements together in an integrated whole that also made effective use of the bass drum. This was a compelling performance, one that even saw Holmes sketching melodies on the drums. It must have been a challenge to play and Holmes can congratulate himself on a successful, and probably unique rendition. It certainly made a change from the numerous vocalese performances of this tune that I’ve witnessed over the years.

Clarke and Thorne returned to the stage for a second Charlie Parker tune – you could see why Clarke had opted for the alto. This was a fast moving rendition of “Donna Lee” that even included walking bass lines prior to more extensive double bass and drum features.

This set’s ‘ballad’ performance was “Misty”, written by pianist Erroll Garner. Holmes began this one on brushes, supporting Clarke’s opening theme statement and subsequent wide ranging, but intrinsically melodic solo. Melodiousness was also a quality that Thorne brought to his double bass solo. Clarke then stretched out further as the music gathered momentum, at one point accompanied by Holmes’ drums only.

Thorne’s individual feature was a solo performance of the traditional Welsh folk tune “Pan o’wn y Gwanwyn” (translating as “Song of Spring”), a piece that is the opening track on the recording “Archwilio’r Traddodiad: Exploring The Tradition”, Thorne’s recent album release with Jason Ball. It’s a tune that the Thorne / Ball duo had performed at Erwood earlier in the year, and now Ball was present in tonight’s audience to see his partner performing it solo. Tonight’s solo rendition saw Thorne deploying electronics to create a tambura like drone that provided the backdrop for the cello like melancholy of his double bass bowing. Like the two previous individual items it was a compelling and strangely beautiful performance.

Pizzicato bass, later joined by drums, introduced the endlessly adaptable “Caravan”. A relatively conventional alto sax theme statement was followed by a further bass and drum dialogue and then a more expansive sax solo. Holmes’ closing drum feature was both impressive and dynamic. As with his individual feature he delivered an impressively wide range of sounds from a comparatively small kit.

The evening concluded with a playful version of a final Charlie Parker tune, “My Little Suede Shoes”, introduced by a combination of double bass and the patter of Holmes’ hand drumming. Subsequent solos came from Clarke and Thorne as the trio signed off on an upbeat note.

This was a gig from a newly convened trio that exceeded expectations. Yes, the material may have been familiar but the trio’s adventurous approach to it represented a breath of fresh air. The standard of the playing was superb throughout and the interaction between the trio members consistently adventurous, imaginative and inventive. With Clarke and Thorne sharing the announcements the trio looked as if they were having great fun on stage, pushing each other to new musical heights.  They had already established a terrific rapport, one that was likely to become even more empathic as this short tour progressed. By the time you get to read this it will probably be over but I hope that you managed to catch them somewhere along the line. This first gig got the tour off to a terrific start and suggested that there might be even better things to come. The three individual features all worked well and helped to create a well balanced programme.

Congratulations to Aidan Thorne for putting the trio and the tour together and to all three musicians for their superb playing. I was already familiar with the playing of Clarke and Thorne but Holmes represented an exiting new discovery and will definitely be a name to keep a future eye on.

Let’s hope that this trio follows the model of the Clarke / Gripper quartet and is another seemingly one-off alliance that develops into something more permanent. It was good to see Clarke testing herself in this challenging, chordless trio format and she rose to the challenge magnificently. I really enjoyed seeing her play in this context and hope that the experiment can continue. There was a definite musical chemistry here.

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