Image of Emma Rawicz sourced from the EFG London Jazz Festival website; http://www.efglondonjazzfestival.org.uk

EFG LONDON JAZZ FESTIVAL 2024

FIRST SATURDAY, 16/11/2024

My first full day of the 2024 EFG London Jazz Festival found me enjoying two ticketed events at different venues, one at lunchtime, the other in the evening. Both are reviewed below.

ROYAL ACADEMY OF MUSIC JAZZ ORCHESTRA & ENSEMBLE with WINSTON ROLLINS and ORPHY ROBINSON
CELEBRATING BLUE NOTE RECORDS’ 85th ANNIVERSARY : THE MUSIC OF DUKE PEARSON & BOBBY HUTCHERSON

CRAZY COQS

This afternoon performance represented my first visit to Crazy Coqs, a performance space forming part of the huge and very impressive Brasserie Zedel complex.

Crazy Coqs is a comfortable and intimate circular room decorated in an Art Deco style and is equipped with a ‘proper’ grand piano. It’s a good space to see and hear music and has an authentic jazz club atmosphere similar to other jazz supper clubs such as Ronnie Scott’s, Pizza Express and 606, and like all of those it’s in the basement. The focus is very much on the music and the food is restricted to tapas style snacks, but these proved to be very enjoyable and anyone looking for a main meal could always visit the main restaurant before or after the show.

For the 2024 EFG LJF Crazy Coqs had a particularly strong jazz programme, the majority of it programmed by Spice Jazz, who had previously presented events at the nearby Spice of Life. Such was the quality of the programming, by Wild Card guitarist and bandleader Clement Regert, that I attended a total of four shows at the venue during the course of the Festival.

The first of these was a show celebrating the 85th anniversary of the founding of the prestigious Blue Note record label featuring the student musicians of the Royal Academy of Music in the company of mentors Winston Rollins and Orphy Robinson.

The programme honoured the compositional talents of two of Blue Note’s most prolific but comparatively unsung talents, pianist Duke Pearson and vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson. The Jazzmann is a long time fan of Blue Note and has always been keen to support up and coming musicians, so this gig represented a perfect fit for me.

Unfortunately things didn’t get off to a great start. A mix up with the guest list meant that we didn’t actually gain admission to the venue until the first number had nearly finished, although I still managed to catch a series of solos featuring tenor sax, trombone and drums. I suspect that this may have been an arrangement of Pearson’s most famous composition “Jeannine”, as we didn’t hear this later on.

The Royal Academy of Music Jazz Orchestra (hereafter RAMJO) was directed by Winson Rollins who explained that Pearson (1932-80) had been a pianist, composer and arranger and had once been the director of A &R at Blue Note and a musical director for John Coltrane. He informed us that RAMJO would be playing transcriptions of Pearson’s own arrangements and the second piece was described by Rollins as “an uptempo swing arrangement” of the Pearson composition “Make It Good”. This included solos for alto saxophone and guitar plus a series of dynamic drum breaks.
Rollins spoke of Pearson’s composition “Ready When You Are” as being “very dense” in terms of counterpoint, although the overall sound was more subdued than that of the previous piece, a genuinely rich and lush big band sound. This included solos for piano, double bass, trombone and baritone sax.

It was impossible to pick up the names of individual soloists so these remain uncredited. I had hoped to speak with Rollins after the show and get a full list of the RAMJO personnel and perhaps the featured individuals, but unfortunately he wasn’t around for me to be able to do that. If anyone from RAMJO is reading this and can supply me with the relevant details I’ll edit them into the review. Thanks.

“New Girl” included the use of flute in a distinctive arrangement that included solos for trumpet, tenor sax, guitar and drums.

The minor blues “Minor League” included a solo from one of RAMJO’s young trombonists that saw an enthusiastic Rollins clapping along and offering his support. There were also solos from guitar and alto sax, plus a dynamic drum feature at the close.

A relatively short, but very enjoyable set concluded with the boogaloo “Chilli Peppers”, which included solos for piano and flute, the band’s two flautists also doubling on saxophones.

The second set featured a nonet directed by Orphy Robinson that performed a series of compositions by the late, great vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson (1941-2016). None of the musicians in this smaller ensemble had been part of the Jazz Orchestra and I suspect that they might have been slightly older than their RAMJO counterparts.

This time I was able to ascertain the names of the personnel, which were as follows;

Orphy Robinson – vibraphone, Keira Chakraborty – alto sax, flute, Mali Sheard – alto sax, Gabriel Taylor – trumpet, Ethan Townsend – tenor sax, Ishmael Asgaard – trombone, Lewis Jones – piano, Zaki Oshan – double bass, Ananda Hanon - drums

As can be seen from the above line up Robinson actually played in addition to directing the ensemble and handling the announcements. I suspect that in his formative years Robinson was influenced by Hutcherson, so this was very much a passing on of the tradition.

There was a neat link between the first and second set in that Pearson played on, and contributed material to, Hutcherson’s 1963 recording “The Kicker”, which also includes Hutchinson’s own composition “For Duke P”. Remarkably Blue Note kept this session, which also features saxophonist Joe Henderson, in the vaults until 1999!

The opening item, “So Far, So Good” actually featured Robinson as a soloist, deploying two mallets in the style favoured by Hutcherson and attacking the vibraphone with great physicality. The performance also included further solos from alto sax and trumpet.

The title track of Hutcherson’s 1977 album “Knucklebean” included solos from Townsend on tenor sax, Jones at the piano and Robinson on vibes, but it was also notable for an exceptional performance behind the drum kit from the hugely talented Hanon.

Named after Hutcherson’s home in California his composition “Montara” (in a different, more riff based arrangement than today’s) was famously sampled by Ice Cube, albeit in a different, more riff based arrangement than today’s. Introduced here by the unaccompanied flute of Chakraborty this was a more mellow offering featuring lush ensemble textures and further solos for flute and trombone. A subsequent double bass / vibes dialogue then evolved into a Robinson solo.

Oshan’s double bass introduced “Ummh”, a track from Hutcherson’s 1971 album “San Francisco”. Funky, but also bright and breezy, this piece featured solos from Townsend on tenor and Jones at the piano.

“8/4 Beat” featured on Hutcherson’s album “Stick-Up!”, recorded in 1966 and released by Blue Note in 1968. Introduced by Hanon at the drums this featured an upbeat ‘mini big band’ sound from the ensemble and concise but fiery solos from tenor and alto sax plus trumpet and vibes.

Chakraborty’s flute introduced the final number, an arrangement of the Hutcherson composition “Patterns”. Unaccompanied flute was subsequently joined by the other reeds and brass as part of a horn chorale, with piano, bass and drums subsequently added. The impressive Chakraborty, still focussing on flute,  them emerged as the featured soloist.

This was another impressive set that featured some excellent playing from the students and from their illustrious mentor and director.  Drummer Hanon certainly looks to be a name to watch out for in the future.

In addition to being impressed by the ensemble itself I was also struck by Hutcherson’s abilities as a composer. Although he’s a musician that I have listened to regularly over the years I’ve always regarded him primarily as a gifted instrumentalist rather than as a writer. Today’s show was a reminder that I should re-evaluate his work in general and his output as a composer in particular.

My thanks to Orphy Robinson for speaking with me at length after the performance and for going through the set list and personnel details with me. Orphy is one of my jazz heroes, from his solo work back in the 1990s through to his recent collaboration with pianist Pat Thomas as the duo Black Top, so it really was a thrill to talk with him and to reminisce about gigs in days gone by at such far placed jazz outposts as Brecon and St. Donats. My wife even took a picture of us together. Thanks, Orphy.

Thus an afternoon that hadn’t started well ended with a very welcome and enjoyable bonus.

EMMA RAWICZ QUINTET, ‘VISITOR FROM EVERYWHERE’

KINGS PLACE, HALL ONE

Emma Rawicz – tenor & soprano saxophones, Laura Jurd – trumpet, Jason Rebello – piano, Conor Chaplin – double bass, Anton Eger – drums, percussion

My evening selection was this extraordinary performance from saxophonist, composer and bandleader Emma Rawicz.

Still only twenty two Rawicz has quickly established herself on the international jazz scene, signing to the prestigious German record label ACT for the release of her second full length album “Chroma” (2023). She had also impressed with the earlier “Incantation” (2022), recorded when Rawicz was just nineteen.

It was symptomatic of just how quickly Rawicz’s star has risen that she should be at a near sold at Hall One at Kings Place leading an all star international quintet featuring the talents of trumpeter Laura Jurd, bassist Conor Chaplin and the vastly experienced musicians Jason Rebello (piano) and Anton Eger, the latter perhaps best known for his lengthy tenure as the drummer for the phenomenally successful trio Phronesis, led by bassist Jasper Hoiby.

Specifically assembled for EFG LJF Rawicz’s stellar quintet has adopted the band name ‘Visitor From Everywhere’, a moniker derived from the Wayne Shorter compositions “Visitor from Nowhere” and “Visitor Somewhere”.

Indeed the whole evening represented a tribute to the late, great Shorter (1933-2023) with the group performing original material composed by Rawicz, most of it specifically for this project, plus a carefully chosen selection of Shorter classics.

Opener “Where The Jumblies Live” was introduced by Eger at the drum kit and was notable for an opening series of tenor sax and trumpet exchanges between Rawicz and Jurd, the latter having been an inspirational figure and something of a mentor for Rawicz in the past. This was a piece that also featured fluent and expansive individual solos from both Rawicz and Jurd, each supported by the distinctive and idiosyncratic drumming style of the restlessly inventive and newly hirsute Anton Eger. In turn Eger was given room to roam thanks to the supportive comping of Rebello and the grounding bass of Chaplin. In a lengthy performance that represented a good introduction to the band as both a collective and as individuals the other three musicians also enjoyed their moments in the spotlight. With the group temporarily in piano trio mode Rebello’s solo saw him bouncing ideas of Eger, the pair having been set up so as to face each other on stage. Chaplin, Jurd’s bandmate in her quartet Dinosaur, was also featured with a melodic double bass solo.

“La Madrugada” (loosely translating as “Pre-Dawn”) was ushered in by a gentle dialogue between piano and bass, with Eger’s drums added, followed by a unison theme statement from tenor and trumpet. Chaplin was again featured as a soloist, followed by Rawicz on tenor and Rebello at the piano. The “party time” that Rawicz had promised in her introduction found expression via Rebello’s playful solo, before tenor and trumpet returned to restate the theme, subsequently diverging as the piece drew to a subdued close featuring the soft patter of Eger’s hands on skins.

Things quietened down further with “Presence of Absence”, a title derived from a translation of Portuguese phrase. A gentler affair altogether this was introduced by a lyrical tenor and trumpet theme, followed by individual solos from Rawicz and Jurd, with both musicians exhibiting an astonishing level of fluency on their respective instruments, an observation that could also be made about Chaplin’s double bass solo.

Rawicz had already mentioned that her compositions had drawn on Shorter for inspiration and that she hoped that her own work represented a part of his legacy. The first set concluded with the quintet’s interpretation of the classic Shorter composition “Yes or No”, with expansive solos coming from Rawicz, Jurd and Rebello.  Eger continued to represent a flamboyant presence behind the kit, sometimes playing with a combination of bare hands and sticks.

It had been an exceptional first half featuring some colourful and inventive writing from Rawicz (and from Shorter of course) plus some truly brilliant playing. It was enthusiastically received by a large and appreciative audience. I’ve previously criticised the Kings Place venue as being a little antiseptic but with an excellent sound mix and a supportive crowd it proved to be the perfect setting for Rawicz and her all star band.

The high standards were maintained throughout a second set that began with Rawicz on soprano sax for “Duende”, sharing the opening theme statement with Jurd before the pair delivered typically imaginative individual solos. Eger was also featured with a spectacular drum solo, he really is a distinctive stage presence whose presence captures both the eye and the ear. That said he is also capable of playing with great sensitivity should the music demand it.

Introducing her composition “Maelstrom” Rawicz observed that it definitely exhibited “strains of Wayne”. Less frantic than its title might suggest this piece got off to a surprisingly gentle start as it was introduced by the sound of Chaplin’s double bass. Again Rawicz, now back on tenor, and Jurd stated the theme with Chaplin continuing as the fulcrum as Rebello took the first solo. Rawicz’s expansive tenor solo finally steered us closer to the vortex implicit in the title, this evolving into a dialogue with Jurd as the piece drew to a close.

Rawicz’s love of language was apparent both in her on stage announcements and her choice of tune titles. Translating as “the effect of light shining through the leaves on trees” the ballad “Komorutoi” represented a more lyrical side of the band, beginning with an atmospheric tenor sax and piano intro, with Rawicz and Rebello subsequently joined by trumpet, double bass and Eger’s mallet rumbles and cymbal shimmers. Jurd’s thoughtful trumpet solo sounded almost flugel-like, while those of Rawicz and Rebello were also appropriately lyrical. Eger’s gentle hand drumming was a model of sensitivity as the piece resolved itself via the delicate horn interplay of Rawicz and Jurd.

The second set concluded with “Non Sequitur”, introduced by the trio of Rebello, Chaplin and Eger.  With the horns eventually joining to express the theme. Insistent rhythms set the tone for powerful and expansive solos, with Jurd dancing to Rawicz’s contribution before taking over herself. Rebello followed at the piano prior to Eger’s drum feature. This energetic final piece included some playful ensemble playing in addition to the excellent individual features and represented a great way to end an exceptional group performance. The five individuals, all stars in their own right, had gelled perfectly as a band under Rawicz’s astute, and astonishingly mature leadership.

With the large crowd totally behind them an encore was inevitable, this being a short (ish) rendition of Shorter’s “Beauty and the Beast”, introduced by Rebello at he piano and featuring Eger’s use of exotic items of small percussion. Rawicz stated the theme on soprano sax, with Rebello providing counter melodies from the piano, and entered into a series of horn exchanges with Jurd. It was thoroughly appropriate way to end a marvellous evening of music making.

Thank you to Emma for speaking with me after the show and for verifying the set list details. It’s always a pleasure to talk with this highly talented young lady. She exhibits an extraordinary maturity as an instrumental soloist, a composer, a bandleader and a human being. Emma tells me that she hopes to record this music for an album in 2025. On the evidence of tonight’s performance its eventual release is really going to be something to watch out for.

 

 

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