A master of a huge array of drum techniques, Clifford is constantly inventive, immersed in a stream of consciousness yet with ears wide open to hints, suggestions and prompts from his playing partners. He wrought an astonishing array of sounds from the house kit throughout the two sets, at one point playing polyrhythms on a half-filled bottle of water and a glass borrowed from a front row table. He regularly played around the kit with his bare hands for softer timbres, another card to play in the constant search for dynamic expression and imaginative phrasing. 

This was not a regular quartet for Clifford but he found instant rapport with Bruno Heinen, who brought a compositional and angular style to the keyboard, and bassist Oli Hayhurst’s muscular, technically brilliant and resonant bass playing. On tenor, Riley Stone-Lonergan was sinuous, lyrical and interesting harmonically, deploying the full range of the instrument on tunes such as Don Grolnick’s “Nothing Personal” and a poignant feather touch to Wayne Shorter’s “Infant Eyes”, segued with Coltrane’s “Naima”.

Clifford’s set list was challenging but always accessible to the audience, kicking off with Lennie Tristano’s take on Out of Nowhere’s changes, “317 East 32nd Street”. A delightful version of Chaplin’s “Smile” – in 7 – followed, with that great Tony Williams tune “Sister Cheryl” getting a fine rendition, too.

Clifford had chosen some real gems and was happy to give the audience a sense of his respect and awe for the compositions and their composers by explaining the history of each tune in a style as playful and original as his kit work. “L’s Bop”, by another great drummer, Lenny White, was a highlight of the first set, as was Wayne Shorter’s “502 Blues” with a superb preamble by Hayhurst.

Set 2 got under way with George Coleman’s “Low Joe”, during which Clifford playfully traded motifs played by Heinen in his solo, continuing with Kenny Dorham’s bop anthem “Short Story”. Here Clifford was obviously inspired by Elvin Jones’s virtuosic playing on the Joe Henderson album In ‘n Out. Monk’s striking “Evidence” followed before the gig closed with two impeccable choices: Hermeto Pascoal’s infectious, euphoric “Capivara” and Joe Henderson’s joyful “Y Todavia La Quiero” – a tune that builds momentum with just four chords, allowing each soloist to ‘nip outside’ the changes with Hayhurst’s bass a constant, reassuring presence around the roots.

Whether trading fours, supporting other soloists, or playing extended solos himself, Clifford showed immense musicality, never impressing for the sake of it and constantly finding something interesting to say. Outstanding.

Winston Clifford: drums
Riley Stone-Lonergan: tenor saxophone
Bruno Heinen: acoustic piano, electric piano
Oli Hayhurst: double bass

The post Winston Clifford Quartet first appeared on UK Jazz News.

Hugely energised and excited to be performing, Collier’s youthful exuberance lit up the vast arena despite this being the last night of a no-doubt gruelling tour schedule. His delight in making music and fearlessness in its execution were a joy to behold as he wowed us on piano, acoustic guitar, bass guitar and drums. Yet despite the individual brilliance, he always complemented, complimented and inspired his seven-piece (plus special guests) band.

Opening with the euphoric rock of 100,000 Voices, which utilised the sounds of crowds from previous concerts, the set list moved on through the more poppy “She Put Sunshine” before reaching heartfelt ballad “Little Blue” (a nod to Joni Mitchell’s “Little Green”, perhaps, especially as Joni collaborator Brandi Carlile is on the album version), complete with cascading acoustic guitar flourishes from Collier.

Next it was time for the deliriously joyful funk of “Time Alone with You”, somehow infused through the Collierfication process with the influences of Prince, Earth Wind and Fire, Michael McDonald-era Doobie Brothers, and even Weather Report – yes, I heard echoes of Joe Zawinul in some of those dense chords. Utter magic.

The audience was integrated into the gig, Collier vigorously conducting the oooing and aaahing of celestial motifs that were built up through sampling and harmonisation. Choirmaster is yet another of his vocations.

By the time “Mi Corazon” came along, another powerful track from the latest album Djesse 4, Collier had already bewitched us on piano, guitar and bass. Now he played a dynamite drum duet with Christian Euman before hitting the Steinway again for an adventurous solo.

A mesmerising rubato version of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” was next, after Collier had raced backstage to emerge on a podium set up at the opposite end of the auditorium from the main stage. Each note was harmonised in the style of Take 6 with Collier sharing vocals with the gospel-influenced Tori Kelly who had earlier played a dynamic support set with her trio.

Mum Suzie Collier next led on violin on a straightforward but moving rendition of “What a Wonderful World” before, to huge acclaim, Chris Martin from Coldplay sat in for a duo take on his band’s hit “Fix You”. Martin jokingly asked Collier to play fewer chords and pointedly accompanied the maestro by playing the electric piano with one finger.

In 2022, Collier revealed to the BBC’s Alan Yentob how pianist Gwilym Simcock had once advised him during a lesson to practice his piano scales a bit more because technique itself could trigger musical ideas beyond those sourced from the musical imagination. This sage advice had clearly been fully absorbed – there were plenty of the kind of pianistic moments that made Herbie Hancock and Quincy Jones famously sit up and shout “What was that?” when listening to early recordings of the self-taught Collier.

Vocally, Collier may not be as flamboyant as, say, Tori Kelly. His voice, however, is perfectly sonorous, has a wide range and is mellow and warm. But it was a good move to contrast his sound with a number of outstanding female vocalists, each with a highly distinctive style. Alita Moses shone particularly brightly but there were star turns too from Kimbra on the techno set-closer “Box of Stars”, and infectious, intricate backings on the funker “All I Need” from Lindsey Lomis and Erin Bentlage, who doubled on keys. The latter track also saw a jaw-dropping keys solo by Collier with a Minimoog sound – immediately memories of Chick Corea came to mind.

If any further sugar-rush of stimulation were needed, the sonic landscape was enhanced by the visual one: the lighting and set design for this gig were among the most colourful and attractive I’ve seen – complete with backdrops of trees and beautiful skies. A giant disco glitter ball and, at one point dancing skeletons, all enhanced the fun, as did some great camera work projected on to giant screens.

After a burst of whistles and sounds of the rainforest (for a moment I thought some amapiano might be on the agenda), the encore served to underline Stormzy’s “genre-less” comment: a solo version of Queen’s “Somebody to Love”, of all things, interrupted by Elvis’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love”.

There are simply no boundaries in Collier’s magical garden of sound.

BAND

Vocals: Alita Moses
Vocals and keys: Erin Bentlage
Vocals and guitar: Lindsey Lomis
Guest vocals: Tori Kelly, Kimbra, Chris Martin
Guest violin: Suzie Collier
Guitar: Ben Jones
Drums: Christian Euman
Bass guitar: Robin Mullarkey

The post Jacob Collier first appeared on UK Jazz News.

Under conductor Nick Smart, head of jazz programmes at the Academy, who shares a long history with Holland partly through working with Kenny Wheeler, the evening began with two smaller ensembles before working up to full big band. On opening track Homecoming, from the 1985 Seeds of Time album, brilliant young drummer Ananda Hanon enjoyed an instant rapport with the, as ever, relaxed and comfortable Holland, who was clearly enjoying himself in the company of the students. Bouncing accents with wild, creative abandon around this piece with its catchy Ornettish head, Hanon and Holland set up the perfect backdrop for saxophonists Tom Jarvis and Zac Schindler to take exciting solos that made great use of space and harmonic implications of Holland’s bass lines. It was instantly clear that Holland was freeing up his fellow musicians to showcase their individuality, somehow balancing his own continuous stream of invention with firmly rooting the music and triggering creative sparks among those around him. But how impressive it was that the young Academy musicians were so ‘in the zone’ in such stellar company, not overplaying and giving themselves space to think.

A haunting Dream of the Elders followed, the title track of Holland’s 1996 album, the ensemble now including vocalists Sylvie Noble and Anastasija Stanojevic singing lyrics by Norma Winstone, providing another Kenny Wheeler link.

The ensemble reached big band status on the next tune, Ario, the elegant, floating masterpiece inspired by Holland’s experience of Rio de Janeiro from the 2005 Overtime album.  Flutes and harmon-muted trumpets, always an atmospheric combination, here set up altoist Elliot Wong for a wildly exciting solo full of long liquid phrases and perfectly timed and sculpted melodic fragments. Here the trombone section, including Ismael Aasgaard and Mateo Jaekel excelled together and in solos.

The choppy, funky yet time-shifting How’s Never from the 2010 Pathways album followed, featuring sparkling Fender Rhodes by Lewis James.

Holland’s compositions often have a sense of “discovering themselves”, starting often with a flurry of solo notes from the composer then settling into deep embroidered riffs in time signatures that are unusual but feel entirely natural simultaneously.  This quality was evident in the next series of tunes, all arranged by Jim McNeely, hallowed ground for anyone interested in how to orchestrate contemporary music in settings like these. Make Believe, which Holland told us, was inspired by trying to work out the time signature while listening to musicians in a restaurant in Tunisia, was a further example of this vibe of self discovery, which Holland’s more developed works have. Here it featured the clarion, stately tenor sax of Ethan Townsend and mellifluous flugel of Iacopo Teolis.

Another tune with an air of North Africa, for this listener, was Jugglers Parade, a lovely lurching kind of groove over which the soprano sax of Mali Sheard wove richly textured patterns. The pacey Cosmosis stretched the ensemble with its rhythmic and harmonic switches but with Holland laying down the sonic backdrop, you felt the big band could only soar above everything.

A raucous, rocky The Empty Chair completed the set, offering riproaring solos from Toby Evans on guitar and Noah Chiari on baritone sax who, like Holland, clearly enjoyed the moment intensely. As did we all. 

Age and experience contrasts were irrelevant; this was a night of moving, timeless music, another reminder of the sheer musicality of Dave Holland, composer and bassist.

RAM JAZZ ORCHESTRA

Bass: Dave Holland
Conductor: Nick Smart

Saxophones: Tom Jarvis, Zac Schindler, Mali Sheard, George Johnson, Elliot Wong, Oliver Koenig, Ethan Townsend, Noah Chiari (baritone and bass clarinet)

Trombones: Joseph Evans, Ismael Aasgaard Mateo Jaekel, Alfie Bousfield

Trumpets: Gabriel Taylor, George Hilliam, Iacopo Teolis, Zeb Buckeridge

Piano: Oscar Lyons, Will Inscoe, John Haslam, Lewis James (Fender Rhodes)

Guitar: Alfie Dean, Toby Evans

Vocals: Sylvie Noble, Anastasija Stanojevic

Drums: Ananda Hamon, Oscar Williams, Luke McCarthy, George Prentice-Povey 

The post Dave Holland and the Royal Academy of Music Jazz Orchestra first appeared on UK Jazz News.

Steel-pannist, composer and keyboardist Mark Cherrie is steeped in the Trinidad-jazz tradition through family ties (dad Ralph was one of the leading early lights of the Notting Hill Carnival) and work for many years with much-missed pianist/pan master Russ Henderson. Here, on his gorgeous sounding second album, he emphasises the lyrical and melodic possibilities of the instrument through several modes of accessible contemporary jazz. He pays homage to his forebears on the intricate calypso-flavoured “Ole Mas” and buoyant “Carnival is Over” while other compositions such as the pensive “Hello Stranger”, angular “Seesaw” and pacey “Meet You at the Finish Line” draw on snappy postbop.

“The Search” takes a ‘Song for My Father’-type groove over two chords but then takes a left turn and wanders through delicious changes, setting up pianist John Donaldson for a beautifully judged solo. Another left turn sees Caribbean-tinged “One and One Half Miles” feature a neat rhythmic hook and set of changes that reminded this listener of Pat Metheny’s ‘Better Days Ahead’ in its resolution.

“Between Two Worlds” is one of the standout tracks, an emotionally charged piece tonally similar to the title track, but the wistfulness of the former is swapped for something deeper and more reflective. 

Throughout, the quartet proves totally in sync with Cherrie’s concept, focusing on groove and sound. No bandleader could wish for a more sympathetic rhythm pairing than Eric Ford and Tom Mason while Donaldson’s solos and embellishments are nothing short of a masterclass.

Golden-larynxed vocalist Chantelle Duncan shines on two lush ballads written for Cherrie’s daughter while Dave O’Higgins‘s tenor brings the bebop chops and Fergus Gerrand’s percussion is a vital sonic ingredient throughout.

This is an accessible but always interesting follow up to Cherrie’s first self-penned record Joining the Dots, showcasing his ability to take the pan into fresh areas.

Memorable tunes, beautifully recorded and played – what’s not to like.

BAND:
Mark Cherrie; steel pan
John Donaldson: piano
Tom Mason: double bass
Eric Ford: drums

Special guests
Chantelle Duncan: vocals
Dave O’Higgins: tenor sax
Fergus Gerrand: perc

Recorded at Beeboss Studio, Seaford, E Sussex

The post Mark Cherrie Quartet – ‘Any Anxious Colour’  first appeared on UK Jazz News.

There could be several ways of doing this: go big band instrumental as Woody Herman did on his 1978 record Chick, Donald, Walter and Woodrow; go guitar-heavy and focus on the more stripped-back and rocky early Dan tunes; or take the hardest road – assemble a fabulous group of musicians and reproduce each tune as faithfully as possible. This means tackling some of the most famous guitar, sax and drum solos in rock history and reproducing a smorgasbord of sounds, often used just once or twice during a set – the marimbas on Aja, the timbales on My Rival for example. And this is exactly what the Royal Scammers set out to do, with tunes like “Hey Nineteen”, “Deacon Blues” and “Black Cow” being brought to life in vivid detail, as true to the composers’ vision as is possible. 

It makes sense. After all, Becker and Fagen were notoriously fastidious, with every note and sound counting for something and each painstaking album utilising the skills of the best players in town. The Scammers are treating the Dan’s work as respectfully an orchestra would a Mozart symphony. Of course there is inevitably individual input, for example, Andy Caine sings those amazing lyrics with great clarity but he does not attempt to impersonate the idiosyncratic Donald Fagen (that would have been weird), but in every other way all the intricacies of the originals are beautifully realised here. 

The horn voicings, the backing vocal phrasings, even the triangle part on Gaucho (which brought the house down!) and of course, that guitar solo on “Kid Charlemagne” – each were rendered with swagger, accuracy and dynamism. And the backing vocals – so crucial on these tunes – were beautifully rendered by the trio of singers, each of whom were familiar from seeing Jools Holland’s band, David Gilmour, Beverley Knight, the Strictly band and Van Morrison’s group. As for the tune “Aja” itself, left for the set’s climax, Jeremy Stacey’s take on the famous Steve Gadd outro was jaw-dropping and fully committed. But as impressive, though more quietly, were the sonic details from keyboardists Dave Arch and Gary Sanctuary.

None of this can be easy. Only a lifetime of absorbing the originals could enable Paul Stacey to embody Larry Carlton, Denny Dias, Jeff Skunk Baxter, Steve Khan and Elliott Randall on the same night. His frankly incredible rendition of Randall’s wild solo on Green Earrings would surely have got the thumbs up from current Steely Dan guitarist Jon Herington, and had this audience on its feet (well, me anyway).

It was pleasing to me that the Scammers chose, for this set, to avoid some of the better known Dan hits such as “Do It Again”, “Reelin’ in the Years” and “Rikki Don’t Lose that Number”. Instead we were treated to rarely heard killer tunes such as “The Glamour Profession”, “My Rival” and the labyrinthine Keith Jarrett-derived masterpiece “Gaucho”. Of the earlier Dan classics there was “Night by Night” and the brilliant Pretzel Logic, as an encore, but even if the set was double the length it would be hard to fit in all of Don and Walt’s great tunes – I’ve been to five or six Steely Dan concerts and gigs by cover bands and still not heard earlier gems such as “Doctor Wu”, “Your Gold Teeth” and “Throw Back the Little Ones”.

On “Josie”, brilliant backing vocalist Bryan Chambers took on the lead vocal part – a smart move, as he brought another tone and a new slant on the tune, and enabling Caine to switch to lead guitar to nail that lovely, wistful Walter Becker solo. And on tenor saxes, Andy Ross and Jim Hunt channelled multiple reed personalities from the later Dan albums – Wayne Shorter, Tom Scott, Mike Becker and Pete Christlieb, with Ross’s Deacon Blues solo – a tribute to Christlieb – truly searing the soul.

One of the benefits of hearing these tunes in a smaller space is that the lyrics don’t get lost – as they tend to in the cavernous Wembley Arena or the 02. Caine, Chambers, Sumudu Jayatilaka and Louise Clare Marshall each seemed to relish the often humorous but also dark, poignant, substance abuse-drenched lyrics. 

The Royal Scammers is a truly ambitious project from some of the UK’s most in-demand musicians and the night left me moved, and utterly in awe yet again at the songwriting, lyric writing, arranging, thinking and feeling of Steely Dan.

BAND LIST

Paul Stacey, lead guitar, Jeremy Stacey, drums, Andy Caine, lead vocal, guitar
Robin Mullarky, bass, Dave Arch, keys, Gary Sanctuary, keys
Sumudu Jayatilaka, Louise Clare Marshall, Bryan Chambers, backing vocals
Jim Hunt, Andy Ross, saxes. Trevor Mires, trombone, Simon Finch, trumpet,
Pete Eckford, percussion

The post The Stacey Brothers’ Big Band Steely Dan project at Ronnie Scotts first appeared on UK Jazz News.

Swiss/Albanian Elina Duni is a vocalist of confident dexterity, range, power and delicacy and radiates passion for her music, an eclectic mix of Balkan folk, jazz and even West African genres. Rob Luft, produced fascinating soundscapes and a rich harmonic setting, often beautifully drenched with reverb and breaking out into exciting solos full of repeated motifs at dizzying speeds aided by judicious use of delay. Corrie Dick, a regular Luft collaborator, and Tom McCredie offered sterling support to the two stars of the show. 

Among the cover highlights were Luft’s dynamic version of “Willow Weep for Me”, Ornette Coleman’s “Lonely Woman”, and Charlie Haden’s “First Song”. It was a tribute to the quartet’s skill that none sounded out of place among the set’s Albanian beats and other European folk influences. Definitely worth catching, an evening with this unique band is an enriching, uplifting experience.

(*) from Facebook (permission sought)

Elina Duni vox / Rob Luft guitar / Tom McCredie bass / Corrie Dick drums

The post Elina Duni/Rob Luft quartet at Jazz Cafe POSK first appeared on UK Jazz News.

Every member of the youthful sextet clearly understood and was comfortable with their place in the music, perhaps the result of playing together in different contexts at the likes of Trinity Laban and the Royal Academy of Music in recent years. 

The East Hastings Sea Angling Association at the Stade, east Hastings is among the UK’s most memorable jazz venues. Its elevated position on the shingle right by the Channel, with a balcony open to the southern sky, seemed a perfect setting for the Sun Swells music, whose lyrics often referred to the sea, wide vistas and natural beauty. Infused with Celtic, Nordic and, to my ear, African influences, pieces such as “Sinking”, “Golden Flower” and “She Speaks” were delivered not so much as individual tunes but as parts of a whole, with just the occasional announcement by Dick to break things up. Speaking without a mic, Dick was somewhat inaudible but the soundscapes, accessible grooves, sweeping chord changes, delicate but purposeful vocals did all the talking necessary. 

This is a highly accomplished band with an array of influences voiced through each individual instrument and collectively via deeply felt, authentic composition and a profound sense of interplay.

LINE-UP

Corrie Dick: drums/ bandleader/compositions
Rebecka Edlund: vocals
Elliot Galvin: piano
Calum Gourlay: bass
Laura Jurd: trumpet
Rob Luft: guitar

FORTHCOMING TOUR DATES – FULL LIST

23/10/23: Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh
24/10/23: tbc, Glasgow
2/11/23: Worcester
16/1/24: Southampton Jazz Club
1/3/24: Crookes Social Club, Sheffield

The post Corrie Dick’s Sun Swells at Jazz Hastings first appeared on UK Jazz News.