The band opened with In Your Own Sweet Way which proved to be a relatively gentle introduction to the evening’s music with flowing lines from Jim and delicate brushwork from Steve. Four followed which was much more up tempo with the guitars harmonising and ending in a three way conversation between the guitars and drums.

It set the pattern for the evening’s music, where delicious ballads contrasted with full on tunes where Peter and Jim were tearing it up.

Peter related how he heard the news of Benny Golson’s death while out on the road. As a tribute, they played a stunningly beautiful Whisper Not with a lovely wistful solo from Peter.

The interplay was remarkable, almost telepathic with barely a glance between them to cue in the changes. They were having fun as well – during one solo Jim referenced Tiptoe Through the Tulips and then improvised around it. It made perfect sense!

Funjii Mama, played as a calypso, brought a burst of Caribbean sunshine, in contrast to the cold, damp London night outside. That is, after a false start from Peter, accompanied by much laughter showing that even the greats fluff their lines occasionally.

Lyresto made for an interesting choice. The original, played by Burrell and Coltrane, lent itself well to two guitars with straight ahead, fast driving blues and Jim tearing it up and trading licks with Peter.

As gently the evening started, it finished with a rousing Birdlike – Peter playing fast bebop blues with rhythm guitar pushing it along, kicking up a storm.

There was even time for a quick encore – Gee Baby, Ain’t I Good to You (in Eb!), took the temperature down after the last number and was delivered as straight ahead blues,. It featured a lovely bit of Wes inspired blues from Jim.

Of course mention must be made of the rhythm section who turned in a sterling performance with the lovely elegant lines from Jeremy and the sheer artistry from Steve. They were the perfect foil for the guitarists and stepped up to drive the music where required. They also had plenty of opportunities to solo and demonstrate their musicality.

So a very special night came to an end. The band decamped, accompanied by a small entourage of musicians. Judging by the number of jazz guitarists in attendance, there can’t have been many left elsewhere in London.

Peter Bernstein: guitar
Jim Mullen: guitar
Jeremy Brown: bass
Steve Brown: drums

SETLIST
In Your Own Sweet Way Dave Brubeck
Four Miles Davis
I Fall in Love Too Easily Jule Styne/Sammy Cahn
Con Alma Dizzy Gillespie
Funjii Mama Blue Mitchell.
Whisper Not Benny Golson
Lyresto Kenny Burrell
Autumn in New York Vernon Duke
Birdlike Freddie Hubbard
Encore: Gee Baby, Ain’t I Good to You  Andy Razaf/Don Redman

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The trio played two sets at Alfie’s which has only been in existence since early 2023 and gets its name from a resident feline. It’s a welcome addition to the jazz scene with Nigel describing it as the “newest, hippest jazz club”. The club is a cosy, intimate venue and the sound was good throughout the gig.

The second set opened with “Morning Star” which Nigel had loosely based on a Lorne Lofsky version. It proved to be a relatively gentle introduction to a night of music that was played with so much intensity and dynamism. Joel Barford’s brushwork was deft and insistent, gently driving the music along.

There were a couple more low key numbers. A sweet ballad “Spring can Really Hang You Up the Most”, again with Joel on brushes, which Nigel first heard performed at Glastonbury by Rickie Lee Jones. The other “Sweet”, a Price composition based around the chord changes of Stanley Turrentine’s “Sugar” was played to “take the temperature down”. The trio may have chilled down but couldn’t resist upping the tempo to play what turned out to be a quirky bluesy number.

The pace picked up with a Rogers and Hart number “Falling in Love with Love” that was delivered as a fast-paced waltz with Ross Stanley coming in with what proved to be the first of several intense solos and Joel tearing it up on drums.

There were a couple of dedications. “Kid Gloves” was a dedicated to Pat Martino (whose nickname was Kid). It raced along with fast linear guitar runs and a coruscating Ross solo. In support, Joel’s drumming was really driving and kicking the number along. “You Don’t Know Me” was dedicated to Joey de Francesco. The melody was instantly recognisable but it was a funked up version of the Ray Charles classic, kind of Wes Montgomery meets Ray Charles. It almost had people up and dancing which was only prevented by lack of dance space. Ross was killing it with his Ray Charles inspired playing and closed off the number with a gospel-spiked coda.

The final number of the set was “Night Flight”, introduced by Nigel as being based on the chord changes of Herbie Hancock’s “Maiden Voyage” but “something went wrong on the way”. No matter. It was an absolute burner that really took flight with the trio in a frantic three-way conversation with each other. There was even time for a quick encore. “Booze Blues”, inspired by a beer festival, was a fast blues in Bb and kept short.

So a marvellous evening of music came to an end. It had been delivered with intensity and so much energy and quite astonishingly seamless interplay between the trio.

This gig was the first of a dozen or so dates that the Organ Trio are currently playing (link to dates below). It’s also an opportunity to buy the Live ’23 recording. It’s not just a record of a remarkable U.K. tour but 25% of profits go directly to support U.K. jazz clubs.

Nigel Price: Fibonacci Londoner guitar
Ross Stanley 1963 B3 Hammond Organ
Joel Barford: Drums

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There was one innovation which I thought worked really well. For each number, there was a projection on the wall behind the band. It changed with each tune and showed a still from each film with titles and composition details. At one point, there was a life size projection of Clint wearing a poncho from the spaghetti western days and of roughly the same age as Kyle, appearing to look over the shoulder of Kyle. The family resemblance was remarkable.

The band were simply superb and their playing seamless. There were plenty of opportunities for the band members to solo. It’s almost unfair to mention names but Chris Higginbottom’s drumming performance impressed, energetic with gorgeous brushwork featured on a couple of numbers and on the encore, lending a latin feel and demonstrating his cross stick technique.

The show opening was straight ahead blues with Charlie Parker’s “Cool Blue” from Bird. There were other trips into the past. A muscular medley of Lalo Schifrin’s tunes from Magnum Force and Dirty Harry captured that energetic 1970’s vibe shared by police films and dramas of that time.

A slightly more surprising choice was John Williams’ theme from The Eiger Sanction. It lent itself well to a jazz arrangement while still keeping some of Williams’ dramatic musical flourishes.

The mood slowed down with a couple of Kyle’s compositions using acoustic bass. The standout tune for me was the theme from Letters from Iwo Jima. A gorgeous song with the bass picking out the melody, accompanied by lovely sax and brushes on the drums.

We’d been wondering if any of the music from the spaghetti westerns would feature. Kyle announced that we had come to “the part where we play Mr. Morricone”. First came “A Fistful of Dollars” featuring Kyle’s arrangement with minor chords, making it feel almost menacing. Then came “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”. The famous 5 note whistle was played on flugelhorn and then the tempo picked up with musical lines tumbling over each other and solos from horns and bass. Behind this, Chris was laying down a latino style tempo to bring a high energy finish to the evening’s music.

The length of the queue waiting to buy recordings and say hi after the gig was testament to how well the music was received. Given the wealth of potential material for Eastwood Plays Eastwood, I would love to hear a longer show in a bigger venue, complete with the projected backdrops.

BAND

Kyle Eastwood: acoustic and electric bass
Quentin Collins: trumpet and flugelhorn
Brandon Allen: tenor and soprano saxophone
Andrew McCormack: piano
Chris Higginbottom: drums

Setlist

Cool Blues
The Eiger Sanction
Dirty Harry/Magnum Force
Letters from Iwo Jima
Gran Torino
A Fistful of Dollars
Encore: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

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The guitarist, from Dinkelsbühl in Franconia, is developing an individual sonic language with a focus on both the performance of his compositions and his interpretation of music for guitar. His new recording “Versuch zu Träumen” is a further development of his musical vision. Schiepek has included two of his long time musical collaborators in Henning Sieverts (bass) and Bastian Jütte (drums). He is bound to be back on one of the bigger labels before long – he has also recorded for ENJA – but in something of a departure, the new one is on the Wooden Waggon Records label, produced by his sister Rebecca, who is also the dedicatee of one of the track’s. It is the label’s very first CD.

The theme of dreaming runs through the album. “Versuch zu Träumen” means ‘attempt to dream’ although the German word Versuch also has the sense of an experiment, trial or sketch. The theme references the idea that dreams are a window to our deepest thoughts and that dreamscapes are tied to the seeds of creativity.

“Versuch zu Träumen” 1, 2 and 3 frame the opening and closing of the album. 1 is very much an introduction with just the guitar playing a series of tumbling arpeggios, 2 develops the theme with a two note repetition overlain by strummed chords. 3 brings together a lead line coupled with the arpeggios but this time made more urgent by the use of percussion to bring the music to a climax and conclusion.

The standard “I have Dreamed” is lovely and has bass and drums accompanying Schiepek with a beautiful simple theme. The style of playing and treatment of the song is rather reminiscent of Julian Lage. The other standard “Darn That Dream” is just solo guitar with the main theme picked out along with bass notes. Rebecca is presumably a dedication to his sister and is a gentle ballad accompanied by Bastian Jütte on brushes. However, throughout the album, bass and percussion tend to be used sparingly.

I particularly enjoyed the clear chiming, ringing tone of the guitar, played with a degree of sustain and often interspersed with harmonics. It lends itself to a contemplative, at times pastoral feel. I found myself listening to the music in the early hours of the morning and it seems to suit that quiet time of day. Repeated careful listening allows the quiet beauty of this album to emerge.

Philipp Schiepek – Guitar
Henning Sieverts – Bass
Bastian Jütte – Drums

Tracks:

1. Versuch zu Träumen 1
2. The One
3. Rebecca
4. I have Dreamed
5. Darn that Dream
6. Unsagbar
7. Versuch zu Träumen 2
8. Versuch zu Träumen 3

All compositions by Philipp Schiepek except for “I have Dreamed” by Rodgers and Hammerstein and “Darn that Dream” by Jimmy van Heusen.

Versuch zu Träumen is released today, 29 March

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Peter had said that he and Jesse had got together a week or so before the tour to work on the setlist. My impression was that the first couple of numbers, Getting Sentimental Over You and Duke Jordan’s No Problem had been agreed on beforehand after which, everything else was improvised, both setlist and the music. The interplay between Peter and Jesse was nothing short of astonishing, as the pair appeared totally focussed on their playing with barely a glance to each other. Yet clearly they were listening to each other throughout the improvisations for cues to swap lead and rhythm playing so that their interplay was seamless. Equally astonishing was how well they complemented each other stylistically with such tasteful and melodic jazz.

We were listening to intricate and at times demanding jazz, which Bernstein acknowledged in complimenting the audience for their “extreme tolerance for guitar”. He further observed “You’re tough” drawing a ripple of laughter from the audience. The duo were playing with obvious enjoyment with more looks and smiles at each other as the evening progressed. Easy Living, the Billie Holiday ballad, was simply gorgeous and Bernstein informed us with a wry smile afterwards, “We added an extra beat to each bar”. Tommy Flanagan’s Beyond the Bluebird was a contrast with a sprightly intro that swung into a fast piece of improvisation. We heard a Jim Hall tribute using his arrangement of With a Song in My Heart after which the pair declared an intention to “Carry on with something else”. This turned out to be a very bluesy version of No Blues. A long time fixture of Peter Bernstein’s repertoire, Horace Silver’s Peace featured, after which Peter explained how it was ten bars long in all twelve keys and should be required learning for all aspiring guitarists.

The audience insisted on an encore. A quick discussion “Let’s do a Blues of some kind. B flat”? and a wonderful evening of music came to an end.

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The band returned to the stage after no more than a 30 minute break between shows. McCreadie suggested there was no planned setlist, but that they would use material from previous recordings and their forthcoming album.

They opened with three numbers that flowed into each other, including a traditional melody, ‘The Old Woman’s Dance’, and ‘Hillfoot Glen’ from McCreadie’s 2017 album Turas. It began gently, contemplatively, but gradually transformed into something much more dramatic and redolent of a Scottish landscape, even seeming to portray the arrival of a storm. A repeated left hand motif on piano, echoed by the double bass and allowing an improvisation with the right hand, was a particularly nice touch.

This was an evening of shifting moods, with flourishes of drama and episodes of much more reflective and contemplative music. We heard quiet and subtle themes that hinted at their origins in traditional folk music, but with a jazz-oriented treatment. More than once, I found myself recalling the work of E.S.T.

Bass and drums were allotted the occasional short solo, but that’s not to underestimate their impact. The use of a bow on the double bass was reminiscent of a bagpipe drone, while Henderson’s drumming provided exciting texture and tone.

The set was finished by ‘Forest Floor’, from McCreadie’s 2022 Mercury Awards shortlisted album of the same name, to bring a short but fulfilling late evening set to an end.

The post Fergus McCreadie Trio at Kings Place first appeared on UK Jazz News.

The band hit the ground running with a couple of tracks from album SuperBlue (“Sassy” and “Dharma Bums”) – extended versions with the American vocalist demonstrating his mastery of scatting. Both numbers were more uptempo, funkier and punchier than the studio versions, especially with the brass section kicking in.

Kurt chatted about how SuperBlue came about because of Covid lockdown and the frustration from not being able to play live. He explained how the project had been written and recorded remotely with Charlie Hunter laying down “clean grooves” for him to expand and write lyrics.

The setlist included songs not written by Elling. One was a soulful version of PJ Morton’s “Sticking to My Guns”. He talked about childhood memories, remembering children’s TV shows like Bugs Bunny and struggles in school with arithmetic, especially multiplication tables. This just served as a segue into a song by Bob Dorough, “Naughty Number 9”, written to help learn the 9 times table! It’s the funkiest 9 times table recital you’ll ever hear, drawing a few wry smiles from the audience.

Another SuperBlue song, “Manic Panic Epiphanic”, brought the temperature down and was treated almost as a ballad. Towards the end, Elling decided audience participation was needed and divided up parts of the crowd to sing. Charlie Hunter featured one of several solos on his hybrid guitar – a remarkable instrument allowing him to play bass, rhythm and lead simultaneously and at one point popping and retuning harmonics to play a melody.

The Ornette Coleman number “Lonely Woman” featured, with lyrics added by Elling. He made a dedication to Ornette and his family for their musical contribution.

The highlight of the evening was introduced simply as “For Carla Bley”, a wonderfully emotional tribute. Kurt began singing slowly and majestically in his lower register. The song built and rose in intensity through the vocalist’s four octave range until the climax that had the audience on their feet. One of Elling’s finest vocal performances.

After the applause finally died down, it was time to dance, in as much as you can actually dance in between the wooden pews of Union Chapel. An extended funked up version of “The Seed” had the audience moving and jiggling and then it was over.

There was no encore but that wasn’t surprising as Ellling had left it all on the stage. The sound at Union Chapel can sometimes be a bit boomy but not tonight – the sound and balance were good and did justice to the latest instalment of SuperBlue live.

BAND: Kurt Elling (v); Charlie Hunter (hybrid guitar); Marcus Finnie (d); Julius Rodriguez (k), Horn section (2 trumpets and saxophone)

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After commenting on it being “so damn hot,” the trio ironically opened with “Indian Summer.” Price recounted how it had a personal meaning – it was his entry for a Sky Arts guitar competition some years ago but he was rejected as being “too old.” Ah well, their loss.

Aside from a Henry Mancini ballad and Billie Holiday’s “God Bless the Child”, described by Price as a “proper jazz tune,” the music was hard-driving and swinging.

In homage to Wes Montgomery, the trio featured “Jingles,” played as a samba, and a ferocious take on “Four on Six, which contained a couple of jaw-dropping moments with an incandescent solo from Price and a stunning drum solo from Joel Barford.

Jim Watson was given room to show his mastery of the Hammond and lead on Shirley Scott’s gospel tinged “Hey Shirley.”

A scorching “Booze Blues,” apparently written after a visit to the Ely Beer Festival, was the last tune of the evening and resulted in a standing ovation with the applause echoing off the church walls. Price paid tribute to the band and said, “This is what my life is about.”

The inevitable encore, Ray Charles’ “You Don’t Know Me,” was played as a tribute to Joey DeFrancesco.

The band performance was simply superb and compelling but mention has to be made of Joel Barford. His drumming had echoes of Bill Stewart, ranging from delicate brushwork to driving, swinging bebop. A standout performance.

You really do need to see this band on this tour. Not just to support local jazz but to hear some wonderful, dynamic trio music.

Nigel Price, Fibonacci guitar; Jim Watson, Hammond organ; Joel Barford, drums

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There were plenty of changes of pace and mood in the first half: “Katie”, dedicated by Orr to his daughter, was a much slower, introspective and moody piece that featured Orr’s guitar extensively. As the evening progressed we gained a broader picture of the musician we are about to lose – London’s loss is definitely Adelaide’s gain. “Spare Room” was inspired by his kids leaving home for university. “Isaac and Dad” was dedicated to his father and his friendship with a disabled young man who he used to visit.

Orr spoke of this being a huge moment in his life. During the chat, Cottle played a burst of “Spanish Flea” leading to puzzlement and laughter causing Orr to comment: “Mahavishnu Herb Alpert Spanish Flea”. Once you let fusion take hold, it really can take you anywhere.

Cottle and Mendolia proved to be such a dynamic rhythm section. Rock solid behind guitar and keys, they also provided momentum and drive for the faster-paced numbers.

Chatting briefly to Carl Orr afterwards on what was such a fitting goodbye, it was clear he was going to miss his home in England. Equally, he is looking forward to life in his new home in Adelaide. Australia is very fortunate to have Carl back again. We wish him all the very best for his move to Oz.

All photos by John McGloin.

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