Effra contains its fair share of bluesy bop jams, many of which were written by Mullov-Abbado during lockdown: the album’s namesake – “The Effra Parade” – is an enjoyable tune that takes its name from a small road in Brixton. “It’s actually a really boring residential road”, its composer admitted, which is a stark contrast to the composition’s boisterous energy. As the opening performance of the night, this was the audience’s first taste of what proved itself to be a consistently very strong horn frontline: James Davison (trumpet and flugelhorn), Tom Smith (alto saxophone, bass clarinet) and Sam Rapley (tenor saxophone). This trio were to take up most of the soloing spotlight throughout the night, with a few standouts from Scott Chapman on drums, Liam Dunachie on piano and Mullov-Abbado himself.

Tracks such as “The Effra Parade”, the Jobim-inspired “Canção de Sobriedade”, and the as-yet unrecorded “Popcorn, Incense and Mary Jane” (so-called after the smells you may be assaulted with when walking through Brixton) were balanced out by gentler tunes like “Bridge” and “Rose”, dedicated to Mullov-Abbado’s wife and daughter respectively.

Following a dedication to the late Martin Hummel (+), founder of Ubuntu Music on which Effra is released, the band finished on a strong note with another hard bop tune, “Lock, Stock and Shuffle” from 2015’s New Ansonia. The closest the band came to truly channeling The Jazz Messengers, this was a fitting finale to a night of bops and ballads.

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For some time now, the Royal Northern College of Music’s (RNCM) Big Band has treated audiences to two public concerts a year (in June and December), alongside a very impressive roster of guest musicians and directors. In the past this has included pianist Nikki Iles, Andy Scott (sax) and Dave Hassell (drums) and trombonist Dennis Rollins. So far, 2024 has been a year for vocalists: Sara Dowling joined the big band for their June concert, and in a few weeks time Madeline Bell will grace the RNCM Theatre’s stage.

Originally from Newark in New Jersey, and with a background in soul and gospel, Madeline Bell built her career in Europe from the early 60’s onwards. Having featured as a session singer for a number of big names including Dusty Springfield, the Rolling Stones and Donavan, Bell joined British pop group Blue Mink in 1969 – with whom she enjoyed several Top 20 hits including “Banner Man”and “Melting Pot”.

More recently, Bell has embraced a jazz and blues repertoire with collaborations with the BBC Big Band and the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw, and with performances at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival and London’s 606 Club – not to mention a reunion with Blue Mink’s Roger Cook alongside the English Chamber Orchestra and Ian Shaw at Cadogan Hall, to celebrate her 80th birthday earlier this year.

Given all this, it’s no surprise that both RNCM Big Band director Iain Dixon and also Steve Berry – bassist, Loose Tubes co-founder and Head of Jazz and Improvisation at the college – are so excited to present Madeline Bell at the big band’s December concert this year. I chatted briefly with Berry, who told me of Dixon’s existing relationship with Madeline Bell, the two having worked together when Dixon was at the BBC Big Band: “(Iain’s) phrase about Madeline coming was ‘she’s the real deal’”. This is very special praise coming from Dixon who, I’m told, does not hand out compliments carelessly.

Bell will be singing some soul and jazz classics, including Duke Ellington’s “It Don’t Mean a Thing”, Etta James’ “Stormy Weather” and Stevie Wonder’s “If It’s Magic”, as well as tributes to Dusty Springfield and Otis Redding. In addition to Bell’s performance, the big band will play instrumental pieces that have been sourced and (in most cases) arranged by Dixon – including numbers from Wayne Shorter, Ornette Coleman and Herbie Hancock, to name a few household names – as well as two compositions by RNCM students. The showcasing of student work has been a consistent element for the ensemble, and one that I’m told will be “gradually progressing and developing”. Giving a space to this exciting emerging talent is naturally an extremely important aspect for the college, and Berry tells me of the calibre of these compositions that “the bar is always getting higher…these student pieces are a strong and healthy sign of further progress”. Another ensemble to keep an eye out for is MIUAWGA (an acronym standing for ‘Making It Up As We Go Along’). As the name suggests, the emphasis here is on the improvisational element over any boundaries imposed by a perceived definition of jazz. MIUAWGA is open to any instrumentalist or vocalist across the college and also hosts concerts featuring some notable guests: since its conception in 2020, these have included trumpeter Laura Jurd and violinist/vocalist Alice Zawadzki.

The RNCM Big Band’s concert with Madeline Bell promises to be a special evening for audience and ensemble alike. Berry says: “It will be nice for people to get a chance to hear the ‘real dealness’ of (Madeline Bell), to borrow Iain’s phrase, which is great for the students as well because they get right up close and personal with someone who’s really deep in the tradition”.

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Staying true to the album’s title, there’s a strong storytelling element to these songs: stories of romance, passion, madness and longing. Zawakdzi’s voice was wonderful and she delivered these songs with a theatrical flair that felt appropriate, whether through dance or gestures such as clutching her chest or, as in one particular moment, almost obscuring her face with her hands.

As mentioned, the songs on Za Górami traverse a range of cultures. The trio itself represents a diverse European heritage and the geographical pool that they drew from last night was even larger; songs from Poland, Argentina, France, Sardinia and Mexico; Sephardic Jewish folk tunes sung in Ladino; and even a composition from the trio’s own Fred Thomas, which takes the lyrics from a James Joyce poem. Guest oud player Saied Silbak joined for a few pieces: “Pizzica de San Vito” was a lively tarantella with excellent interplay between Silbak and Mullov-Abbado on bass, and “Al Rozana” added Silbak’s own Palestinian heritage into the mix.

Other highlights included “Leaving Limerick”, an Irish folk tune that had Zawadzki playing a shruti box – a drone instrument originally from India – and Thomas (a formidable multi-instrumentalist) on the vielle, a medieval fiddle. The following piece, “Los Bilbilikos”, layered all the strings at the ensemble’s disposal, including vielle, violin, oud and bowed double bass, in a beautifully rich harmony. And the ensemble’s rendition of the traditional Sardinian “Tancas Serradas A Muru” was fun and upbeat. It’s only a shame that some of these pieces, which included my own personal favourites, are not featured on the album itself.

Zawadzki described this coming together of different ancient music as revealing hidden messages, giving a sense that time is no longer linear. I won’t discuss theories on the metaphysics of time here, but what I will say is that this gig was a mix of impressive individual talents in a melting pot of styles and cultures, and the intimacy of Hall One in King’s Place was a perfect setting for it.

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Based in the neo-gothic St Mary Magdalene’s Church, Grand Junction was a beautiful venue to play host to Ahmed’s electrifying style of psychedelic Arabic-infused jazz – even if the cavernous space meant that, during louder moments, some of the finer details were lost.

That’s perhaps a pedantic criticism. It was immensely impressive to see Ahmed’s mastery of the trumpet and flugelhorn all the while fiddling with various electronic effects like delays, spacey reverb and psychedelic synth sounds. Also noteworthy were solos from George Crowley on bass clarinet and Ralph Wyld on vibraphone, while Josh Blackmore (drums) and Dave Mannington kept down a strong groove.

The first half of the set featured familiar tracks from Ahmed’s (recently reissued, I might add) back catalogue: “Jamil Jamal” from La Saboteuse (2017), “Lahan al-Mansour” Polyrhymnia (2019), and the 2019 single A Shoal of Souls.

A preview of new material was reserved for after a short interval, and guest vocalist Randolph Matthews was invited on stage to accompany three tracks inspired by traditional Bahraini music and maritime culture (the upcoming album A Paradise in the Hold, which is due for release next February,takes a lot of inspiration from the songs of pearl divers, juxtaposed with Bahraini wedding poems). Matthews has a strong and versatile voice, with falsettos and unique vocal techniques almost mimicking whale song and other deep sea sounds.

This slight change of direction made in the second half was a highlight for myself, and I’d say we’ve got a lot to look forward to from Yazz Ahmed and Co next year.

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A concert of two halves, the trio was supported by fellow Norwegian Nils Okland with a set of Nordic folk music on the violin and hardanger fiddle: a series of light melodies over a steady heartbeat drummed by his heels. This was interspersed by Okland – equally soft spoken himself – telling the audience about Norwegian folk music, the country’s national instrument (the hardanger) and its variety of possible tunings. Okland ended his set with a version of Solveig’s Song from Grieg’s Peer Gynt, played on the very instrument that was a major inspiration for the composer.

A captivating introduction for some, perhaps not for others: in the interval, a group of men behind me lamented the 45 minutes of their life they wouldn’t get back. Personally I thought this judgement so expressed was a bit obtuse and unfair, but I can understand that a set of Norwegian folk music on solo fiddle was not what many people had come here for.

It was no surprise then to see Tord Gustavsen met with a reception much more unanimously enthusiastic (though it would be false to say that all traces of Nordic folk had left with Okland). The trio’s set was split into three distinguishable movements, which themselves consisted of tracks from the latest album as well as older favourites such as Graceful Touch from 2003’s “Changing Places”. These movements were woven together seamlessly, with solos from Vespestad, at times playing with paper towel rolls, and Raknes, whose bowed harmonics were steely and haunting.

Gustavsen himself brought the light, lyrical touch that characterises his ECM albums, as well as a more boisterous energy to juxtapose this. Between performances, deadpan humour and almost-existentialist musings (with mentions of meditation, mantras, death and resurrection) felt appropriate for a venue which had formerly been a church.

To round things off, the trio was joined by Nils Okland, for a beautiful encore that tied the jazz and Nordic folk elements together very nicely; no audible complaints from behind this time.

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The set itself consisted of a mix of Barghouti’s own compositions – many of which have their lyrics inspired by Palestinian poetry, for instance Mahmoud Darwish’s “Think of Others” – alongside a selection of well-known Arabic pieces. During a performance of “Mawtini”, once the unofficial anthem of Palestine in the 30s before being adopted as the national anthem of Iraq much later, many audience members could be heard clapping and singing along in a striking display of solidarity.

Her voice soft yet powerful, Barghouti’s versatility is exemplified by the obvious comfort she has in singing both classical Arabic compositions as well as jazz. Songs popularised by the iconic Lebanese singer Fairuz were juxtaposed with an arrangement of the jazz standard “Autumn Leaves” (sung partly in Arabic) and a rendition of the Civil Rights movement’s anthem “We Shall Overcome”.

Supporting Barghouti was an instrumental accompaniment featuring Khalil Khoury on qanun and oud, alongside a typical jazz rhythm section of piano (Tony Roe), electric bass (Diego Álvarez) and drums (Ruven Ruppik): once again demonstrating this bridge formed between jazz and traditional Arabic music. Barghouti also introduced her signature vocal technique into the performance: dubbed ‘Naistrumentantion’, this is a layered vocal mimicking of instruments, and was impressively employed in her arrangement of an old Ottoman instrumental piece.

Over the course of around two hours, a lot of musical ground was covered, and Nai Barghouti’s LJF performance at Kings Place received two standing ovations: a performance moving and musically brilliant, at once mournful yet uplifting.

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First up were Jambinai, presented as heavy metal “with a difference”. The band, founded in Seoul in 2010, blend noise and post-rock elements with ambient soundscapes through the use of traditional Korean folk instruments: the bowed haegeum, piri, and the characteristically percussive geomungo zither. These bring a certain eerie folk feeling to dark, doomy rock. And although some of the nuance of these instruments is lost in the wall of sound of the performance’s heaviest moments, a very good atmospheric balance is achieved throughout.

Uncharacteristically for a rock band, each member of Jambinai remains seated throughout their performance, this is until the final track of their set: “Onda”, meaning “come” in Korean. It’s a dramatic and uplifting song, perhaps also the band’s most popular, with lyrics such as “At the end of your darkness, pain will turn into the shining stars and it’s going to come to you” (sung, of course, in Korean). During the performance of this, vocalist and guitarist Lee Il-woo (who also plays the piri and sheng wind instruments) stands up, hands reaching to the sky in a triumphant climax: a rather moving gesture to finish the set.

Following a short interval, Leenalchi’s set is a striking contrast to the first. But, much like Jambinai, they have similar roots in traditional Korean music: that of Pansori musical storytelling. This expressive style of singing and gesturing, when combined with Leenalchi’s cyclical electric bass and synth-driven grooves, takes on an almost hip-hop guise while remaining something very much unique. The funky, energetic and fun atmosphere here is strikingly different to Jambinai’s heavy and dramatic rock, as An Yi-ho and Jeon Hyo-jeong – two of the group’s vocalists – dance about the stage.

Given this energy, the Southbank’s Queen Elizabeth Hall seems like an odd choice of venue for Leenalchi. Perhaps a space with more room to dance along would be better suited. That being said, this didn’t stop a number of people getting up to do so during the band’s joyous encore.

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With the sitar firmly in the foreground, Forever, For Now consists of four instrumental meditations, opening with Daydreaming: a gentle duet between Shankar and Frahm on piano. The second track (and the album’s lead single, YouTube below), Stolen Moments, is a layered melody beginning with solo sitar before expanding to include Frahm’s further embellishments: bright reverberations from the glass harmonica and a drone-like bass accompaniment from the harmonium.

Forever, For Now’s only trace of percussive accompaniment comes during What Will We Remember, the longest track on the mini-album (at around nine minutes): following a five-and-a-half minute ‘alaap’ section from Shankar, the piece is then underpinned by the woody tones of the slit drum, as Frahm measures out a steady, unchanging rhythm.

Of course, Shankar’s skill as a sitarist is beyond question. Well-deserving of each of her nine Grammy nominations, she has excelled within a number of different musical settings: from Indian classical ragas to pop-inflected music, jazz and larger scale orchestral collaborations. Forever, For Now is no exception. It’s a rather minimalist work, certainly when compared with 2022’s Between Us… featuring Jules’ Buckley and the Metropole Orkest with percussionist Manu Delago (also released on the LEITER label). It will be interesting to see how the trilogy of mini-albums progresses from here, musically and thematically.

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Five-Way Split was formed in 2020 between Quentin Collins (trumpet), Rob Barron (piano),  Vasilis Xenopoulos (saxophone), Mátyás Hofecker (double bass) and Matt Home (drums). Three years on, the band has released its debut album, All The Way (Ubuntu Music) – which made up most of the material for its Pizza Express gig. 

The band kicked off with “Out of Wayne’s Bag”, a tribute to the late Wayne Shorter, establishing a style that remained prominent throughout the night. Hard bop influences from the likes of Art Blakey, Horace Silver and Lee Morgan were more than obvious (even the album cover is reminiscent of Reid Miles’ designs for Blue Note throughout the 50s and 60s), with flowing bluesy improvisations abound. 

For the most part, Five-Way Split has no leader. As Barron described it (jokingly yet in earnest), the group is a “democracy”, with all tracks being written “for the band”. I don’t doubt this, for no one could be said to steal the limelight throughout the night. There were standout moments from every member of Five-Way Split – not only from Collins, Barron and Xenopoulos – but also Hofecker (who enjoyed a notably prominent double bass solo on “Mr Birthday Waltz”) and Home with some thunderous drum fills and solos (again, the Blakey comparison here is clear).

Five-Way Split is a group that rarely strays too far from its roots in hard bop, post bop and the New York contemporary bop scene. Sure, there might not necessarily be any stylistically ground-breaking stuff in this, but the band’s gig at Pizza Express Live was certainly enjoyable and engaging. 

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The vibes master (as he is often endearingly dubbed) is joined by Jim Ridl on pianos and keyboards, Lorin Cohen on bass and Samvel Sarkisyan on drums – alongside a whole host of guest musicians who make appearances throughout.

Without mincing its words, ‘Makram’ launches straight into a boisterous rendition of Cole Porter’s Love for Sale, going off on the right foot with some enjoyably energetic solos from both Locke and Ridl. This is one of two standards that bookend the album, alongside Billy Strayhorn’s Lush Life – the latter standing out on the album as a bright, unaccompanied vibraphone solo. 

The Porter standard is followed by an original composition from Locke, Raise Heaven (For Roy). This is a feeling tribute to the late trumpeter Roy Hargrove, who died in 2018; a slow ballad that’s underpinned by a rich accompaniment of brass and builds up to a powerful and emotional climax. 

Diversity is a focus on Makram. The album’s title track is a Middle-Eastern-inspired melody, composed, somewhat surprisingly, by Locke himself and backed by guest musicians Samir Nar Eddine on oud and Bahaa Daou on riq: an eastern percussive instrument very similar to the tambourine. Locke and the band cover other musical bases elsewhere, from hard bop and romantic ballads to Coltrane-esque chord changes. 

Saxophonist Tim Garland makes an appearance on Tushkin. And while the style isn’t quite to this particular reviewer’s taste (my own discomfort with certain styles of saxophone perhaps being connected with an aversion to 1980s/90s era smooth jazz), the playing is tight and well-delivered.

On a similar note, I would have quite liked to hear some more interesting tangents throughout the album – demonstrated, for instance, during a brief introduction to Shifting Moon with ambient effects and an ominous rumbling percussive introduction. For the most part, Makram plays within largely familiar territory. 

Nevertheless, that need not be a criticism. This is an album that certainly speaks to the talent and versatility of Locke and the quartet as players and as composers. There’s an interesting variety of tunes here, all of which make for good listening, and fans of Locke and vibraphone jazz are sure to enjoy it.

Makram was released on 17 February 2023.

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