I was beginning to fear that I’d never get to see a gig in Pontypool again. Last year’s Jazz In The Park festival was completely flooded out and only in January my trip to see Sax Appeal leader Derek Nash’s funk outfit Protect The Beat had to be abandoned due to torrential rain and near impassable roads. Even tonight our journey was punctuated by ferocious, thundery storms. Still enough of the Weather Report, at least in a meteorological sense. After a number of false starts it was good to be back in Pontypool for a first visit to the Comrades Club, the HQ of Pontypool Jazz. Thanks to Gary Stone and Clive Cochrane for the invite and to the aforementioned Mr Nash and his colleagues for a typically varied and effervescent Sax Appeal show.

Nash has become a regular visitor to Pontypool. I first saw him with Sax Appeal at the 2003 Jazz In The Park event and was very impressed. He has returned several times since in various guises and I was delighted to make the acquaintance of this consistently entertaining band once again. The gig was supported by the Arts Council of Wales’ “Night Out” scheme and I think it’s fair to say that everyone at a well attended Comrades Club enjoyed just that-a good “night out”.

The indefatigable Nash seems to eat, sleep and breathe jazz. By day he runs his Clown’s Pocket Studio from where he has produced and engineered a prodigious number of records, all to the same consistently high technical standards. He helps to run the Jazzizit record label with singer Trudy Kerr and by night he’s out gigging all over the country with membership of Jools Holland’s Rhythm and Blues Orchestra one of his most high profile engagements.

Nash tell me that the raison d’etre of Sax Appeal is twofold; firstly as an outlet for his writing and secondly to give him the chance to hear his favourite saxophone players at close range. First formed in 1980 Sax Appeal has maintained a fluid line-up with Nash the only real constant. Many fine saxophonists from both sides of the Atlantic have graced the band’s ranks, among them Mornington Lockett, Gary Plumley, Paul Booth and the American Nelson Rangell. The band has always deployed an equally classy piano/bass/drums rhythm section behind the multi saxophone front line.

Tonight’s incarnation of the band more than maintained Nash’s high standards. The five sax front line featured Nash and Matt Wates on altos (also both doubling on soprano), Jo Fooks and Simon Allen on tenors plus the versatile Bob McKay on baritone, flute and piccolo. The rhythm section comprised of the excellent Dave Newton on electric piano, Winston Blissett on electric bass and Louie Palmer at the drums.

Nash and Sax Appeal accommodate virtually all styles of jazz under their musical umbrella. The opening “Zoot Suit” embraced blues, swing, funk and gospel with solos coming from Allen on tenor, Wates on alto, Palmer at the drums and finally Newton on keyboards. It was an attention grabbing opener with powerful rhythms and solos of just the right length. Nash gives his musicians sufficient room to express themselves but exercises enough discipline to ensure that nobody lapses into self indulgence.

Next came a rare outside composition, the Latin flavoured “Rio” from the pen of the great Victor Feldman. The irrepressible Nash, a man who just can’t keep still busied himself on shakers and cowbell as Newton, sounding as classy as ever even on an electric instrument, lead off the solos. He’ was followed by long term member McKay’s effervescent flute and finally by Jo Fooks’ tenor.

“Drag It On The Ground” was a pure funk number with the rhythm team establishing an infectious, propulsive groove over which Allen blew some honking, dirty sounding tenor. Wates’ high register alto explored David Sanborn style territory. There was an outing for Blissett on funky five string electric bass with Allen returning for a second blast before Nash allowed himself his first solo of the night.

The latest studio release under the Sax Appeal banner is 2005’s “The Flatiron Suite” on Jazzizit records. Derek was kind enough to let me have a review copy after the show and the album will be examined in depth on the site at a later date. Tonight the band closed the first set with two pieces taken from the album.

The coolly strutting and swinging “New York Walk” provided the framework for solos from the inventive Wates on alto, the expressive McKay on baritone and former Humphrey Lyttleton side woman Jo Fooks on tenor.

The opening track on the CD, also the first movement of the Flatiron Suite itself followed. Subtitled “The Mountains” Nash here dedicated it to the nearby Brecon Beacons. Powered by Palmer’s almost military style drumming the piece provided the framework for a stunning solo from Nash himself on curved soprano (a 1926 Buescher Tru-tone). It was the solo of the night thus far. Newton followed before Wates and Nash traded licks, both on curved sopranos. Allen came next before the piece concluded with some dazzling horn interplay between all five front liners.

Five horn swing was also evident on the first tune of the second set. “Dervish” was introduced by Nash as “Weather Report” meets Ellington, Certainly Newton’s electric piano owed something to the former with further solos coming from Nash and Fooks. It’s a number that been re-arranged since featuring on the live album “Take No Prisoners” some years back.

“The Greens” was inspired by one of Gary Larson’s “The Far Side” cartoons. It’s a blues-as sung by a frog, although, probably mercifully, we didn’t get the vocal version. Wates led the solos on bluesy alto, at one time stripped down to just a duet with Newton. McKay’s growling baritone followed leading into a passage for saxophone quintet as the rhythm section dropped out. Finally came Allen on tenor, bluesy and smoky by turns as he explored the full range of his instrument before exchanging phrases with Nash’s alto.

Nash loves an element of funk in his music and this returned with “Outside In” introduced by Blisset’s slapped bass. Nash delivered another outstanding solo, this time on alto with Newton following at the keyboard. Blisset’s virtuoso bass solo was punctuated by McKay’s honking baritone fills and Palmer and Newton set up an impressive groove as Nash featured again on the coda.

“Dimanche Matin” was written by Nash for the Marciac Jazz Festival in South West France. It’s an exuberant gospel style number that featured bravado solos from McKay, Allen, Nash and Fooks with Allen just about shading the honours. The exertions led to Nash appealing to the bar for a glass of ice water.

After a quick chorus of “Happy Birthday” for one of the local jazz society stalwarts the band finished off with “John G’s Blues”, the concluding tune on the “Flatiron Suite” album. It was chock full of Charlie Parker quotes from the leader’s alto. “You could be Groovin’ High or Relaxin’ at Camarillo” as Donald Fagen once sang. Fooks, Newton and the consistently impressive Wates, a band leader in his own right, also featured as soloists.

Inevitably the band were called back for an encore, a version of “Billie’s Bounce” which saw all five saxophonists trading licks before Nash,appropriately took the last solo of the night.

Sax Appeal may have a naff name (even Nash self deprecatingly sometimes refers to “Sax Ordeal”) but they’re a hell of a band who always deliver the goods in a professional but entertaining manner. There’s nothing in the least bit pretentious about Nash or his group but behind the good natured presentation there is a good deal of musical inventiveness and a high degree of technical skill. There can’t be many who leave a Sax Appeal gig without a smile on their face. This is a band that both entertains and educates and can be recommended to just about everybody from hard core jazz fans to newcomers.

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