Jazz at Progress
Small Blue
Friday 27 March

Small Blue: Martin Pyne, drums & percussion; David Beebee, piano; Marianne Windham, bass.

Small Blue, the brainchild of drummer/percussionist/composer Martin Pyne, follows the time- honoured format of the classic jazz piano trio – acoustic piano, double bass and drums – in a wholly original way to present music of spellbinding quality. The lyrical beauty of Pyne’s compositions emerged from a wellspring of flowing, constantly shifting rhythms and rich textural backgrounds, capturing the ear, awakening the imagination and touching the emotions.

Martin Pyne himself, whose musical activities include contemporary dance and playing for silent film, proved to be the perfect guide to his unique world of music. Erudite and brimming with infectious enthusiasm he set the scene for each piece with a welcome explanation of how it came into being.

Not surprisingly, given Pyne’s obvious voracious appetite for reading, several of the titles emanated from literary sources - especially thrillers. ‘The Expendable Man’, drawn from Dorothy B. Hughes novel of 1963, captured the dark undertones of early 1960’s America to brilliant effect, with sinister cymbal splashes and startling rim-shots contrasting with the sparse piano lines of David Beebee’s keyboard and the shadowy bass of Marianne Windham; an object lesson in developing tension and atmosphere.

‘Before the Thaw’, depicting a particular scene in a Russian silent film dating from 1923, was similarly atmospheric, imbued with a deep sense of melancholy and regret.

Ben Okri’s poem ‘The View from Your Heart’, inspired emotions of a quite different order, bursting with colour, sunlight and the sheer joy of being alive.

In contrast to the exuberance of 21st century West Africa, ‘The Law and the Lady’, presented a portrait of Valeria Brinton, the central character in Wilkie Collins’ mystery story in the more subdued and sedate manner of late 19th century Victorian Britain. Like Count Basie, David Beebee demonstrated how a little piano can amount to more!

‘Weaving the Spell’, explored the realms of Arthurian legend in a swirling tapestry of sound, rhythm and freely expressed invention, in which Marianne Windham’s bowed bass was particularly effective. Marianne’s tireless works on behalf of live jazz and developing opportunities for young musicians was rightfully recognised in the Award for Services to Jazz in the prestigious Parliamentary Jazz Awards for 2025.

The first set came to a frantic conclusion with ‘Prabhakar‘s Taxi’, a harum-scarum ride though the bustling streets of Bombay, inspired by Gregory Roberts 2003 novel ‘Shantaram (Man of God’s peace)’ set in Bombay. The author noted that he ‘wanted the novel to have the page-turning drive of a work of fiction but to be informed by such a powerful stream of real experience that it had the authentic feel of fact.’ Small Blue achieved exactly that.

To feast one’s eye on a glistening drum-kit, in this case surrounded by an array of exotic percussion instruments, each with its own sound and musical personality, is a rare delight, topped only by a ‘drum master’ such as Martin Pyne, bringing them to life with the strike of a stick, a mallet, a wire brush or even a hand. A West African xylophone took pride of place to open the second set with a dazzling tribute to Ben Okri, the Nigerian-British poet and novelist. Take a look at Martin in action, with a wonderful shot taken by Steve Foster, House Photographer for Jazz at Progress:
https://www.jazzinreading.com/jazz-gigs-reading-berkshire/Martin3.jpg

Dodie Smith is best known as author of ‘101 Dalmatians, but also received considerable acclaim for her first novel, ‘I Capture the Castle’ published in 1948, which charts the dwindling fortunes of the Mortmain family. David Beebee’s ‘romantic’ portrait of ‘Topaz’, Mortmain’s second wife, captured her fading good looks and eccentricities (she likes to walk around the dilapidated castle naked under a raincoat) to perfection.

The minimalist principles of a Japanese rock and gravel garden inspired the sublime ‘Karesansui’, which translates to ‘dry landscape’ or ‘dry mountain water’. Pyne established an atmosphere of quiet contemplation with shimmering cymbals and dampened drums; Marianne Windham developed a melodic line of exquisite beauty; David Beebee completed the creative process at the keyboard.

The late Ed Blackwell, Ornette Coleman’s first-choice drummer, who died tragically young from kidney disease in 1992, inspired a generation of drummers through his sensitivity, feel for rhythm and understanding of jazz drumming’s origins in Africa and New Orleans. ‘Blackwell Tart’, provided a heartfelt and truly accomplished tribute to one of Martin Pyne’s musical heroes.

‘Honeystreet’, featuring a superb bass solo from Marianne Windham, evoked the pastoral beauty of a tranquil spot on the bank of the Kennet and Avon Canal in the Vale of Pewsey, Wiltshire. It’s a place I have visited on many occasions with a Brigadoon-like quality, whereby, a distinct community appears out-of-nowhere each weekend around the Barge Inn to enjoy the countryside, the food and drink and a festive atmosphere.

Martin Pyne’s far-ranging imagination turned a complete circle to bring us back to film noir in the form of the classic Humphrey Bogart crime thriller ‘The Big Sleep’. ‘Flirting at the Acme Book Store’ hinted at naughty goings-on taking place between Bogart and the book store proprietress played by Dorothy Malone after the sign on the door was turned to CLOSED. Great fun!

The title of ‘Laughing and Crying and Drinking and Waltzing’ speaks for itself, an hilarious evocation of being in ‘a state of increasing inebriation’.

The gentle ‘Stolen Breeze’, based on a Haiku, rounded off a magical evening or as one member of the audience put it, ‘An evening of magical surprises’.

The Small Blue recording Stealthy Moon and other albums by Martin Pyne are available from
https://martinpyne.bandcamp.com/album/the-stealthy-moon

As ever our thanks to Stuart McCubbin, Rich Saunders and the volunteers whose help and support keeps jazz alive and well at the Progress Theatre.

TREVOR BANNISTER