Photograph of Ant Law’s Unified Theories sourced from the EFG London Jazz Festival website http://www.efglondonjazzfestival.org.uk

EFG LONDON JAZZ FESTIVAL 2024

THURSDAY 21/11/2024

SHAI MAESTRO TRIO, RONNIE SCOTT’S JAZZ CLUB

Shai Maestro – piano, Orlando Le Fleming – double bass, Ofri Nehemya – drums

This early evening show featured the Israeli pianist and composer Shai Maestro and his trio, featuring the British born bassist Orlando Le Fleming and rising star drummer Ofri Nehemya, another Israeli.

Maestro had been the pianist in bassist Avishai Cohen’s trio when that group, completed by American drummer Mark Guiliana, played a brilliant show at the Barbican at the 2019 EFG LJF. It was the quality of this performance that made me want to see Maestro again, this time leading his own band and performing his own music. 

Maestro has released a total of six albums under his own name, the two most recent “The Dream Thief”  (2018)and “Human” (2021)  for ECM. Selections from both of these were among the pieces heard tonight.

Introducing the trio to the audience Maestro promised us that the performance would include “lots of improvisation” as he signed off with the phrase “see you on the other side”.

The first piece we heard was the title track from “The Dream Thief”, which commenced with an extended solo piano introduction, to which were eventually added the sounds of mallet rumbles and bowed bass.  Eventually Le Fleming and Nehemya established a groove that provided the necessary momentum for Maestro’s opening solo, the pianist probing deeply and rhythmically, his playing exuding a hypnotic quality that continued even after the inclusion of a number of slyly humorous quotes. The chemistry between Maestro and Nehemya, his regular drummer, was particularly strong and found expression in a series of scintillating piano and drum exchanges.  These two really push each other in exciting and creative ways. An unaccompanied drum episode seemed to signal a segue into another piece but instead the trio continued with “The Dream Thief”, the performance characterised by the tight interaction between the members of the trio and with Le Fleming enjoying a bass feature before the close.

The title track of Maestro’s second ECM album followed, “Human” being a much more gentle statement featuring another solo piano intro and almost unbearably delicate group interplay, with Le Fleming’s bass taking on the melodic duties at one juncture. Nehemya performed with mallets throughout while Maestro’s piano playing exhibited an almost celeste like delicacy.

Maestro made a moving verbal tribute to the late, great drummer Roy Haynes (1925-2024) with whom he had played back in 2013. Haynes had passed away on November 12th, just a few days before EFG LJF got underway, at the age of ninety nine.

One of the many classic albums that Haynes played on was Chick Corea’s 1968 release “Now He Sings, Now He Sobs”. The Maestro Trio’s musical tribute to Haynes was “Steps”, a track from that album that was chosen, after some debate, instead of the more familiar “Windows”. It proved to be an inspired selection and prompted more intense and vigorous group interaction in addition to exploratory solos from Maestro and Le Fleming, a dynamic drum feature from the excellent Nehemya, and finally another thrilling series of piano and drum exchanges.

Introducing the next piece Maestro promised us “something softer”, which is precisely what we got with the beautiful and lyrical “Nata”, which included the leader’s use of the piano innards during the atmospheric solo piano intro and which again featured Nehemya’s sensitive deployment of mallets.

The performance concluded with “Mystery and Illusions” from the “Human” album, which began quietly with the sounds of unaccompanied piano followed later by brushed drums. But this was just the beginning, gradually the music began to grow in intensity, the interaction between the players, and particularly Maestro and Nehemya more concentrated and fiery as the group members probed more and more deeply, ramping up the tension as the music inexorably began to build to a climax.
Terrific stuff.

This was a brilliant performance from Maestro and the trio. They may only have played five tunes during the course of a seventy five minute set but as the man himself promised there was “lots of improvisation” and the band stretched out the tunes and explored them deeply, taking the majority of the audience on an absorbing musical journey.

I say “the majority” because once again I had to forcibly command a table of noisy punters to shut up as they were spoiling it for the rest of us. It’s unfortunate that Ronnie’s has become a ‘destination venue’ and I’m afraid this lot weren’t there for the music, as was evidenced by them asking a member of the waiting staff to take a picture of them posing in Ronnie’s characteristic seats afterwards.

However I don’t want to end on a negative, this was a terrific trio performance, one of the musical highlights of the Festival.

And besides you also get to meet nice people at Ronnie’s. Seated at the bar, where the journos and other guest list members are normally placed, we were lucky to make the acquaintance of Tom Butterworth, a cousin to both Orlando Le Fleming and to pianist Will Butterworth. Both Orlando and Will have featured on The Jazzmann on numerous occasions and Tom was kind enough to introduce me to Orlando, who in turn generously gave me a review copy of “Wandering Talk”, the new Whirlwind Recordings album from his band Romantic Funk. I intend to take a look at this once my EFG LJF coverage has been completed. The first Romantic Funk album “The Unfamiliar” (Whirlwind, 2021) is reviewed elsewhere on The Jazzmann.

My thanks to Tom and Orlando for their company and to the Shai Maestro Trio as a whole for a superb performance.

ANT LAW’S UNIFIED THEORIES, PIZZA EXPRESS JAZZ CLUB, SOHO
Ant Law - electric & acoustic guitars, Will Vinson - alto sax, Gwilym Simcock - piano, Ferg Ireland - double bass, Ernesto Simpson - drums

It was a short walk from Frith Street to Dean Street for this late night gig from a new quintet named Unified Theories, led by guitarist and composer Ant Law. The band had previously played an early evening show at the same venue.

Law has been a regular presence on the Jazzmann web pages both as the leader of his own groups and as a prolific sideman in the bands of others. Numerous recordings and live appearances featuring Law can be found elsewhere on these pages.

Ironically Le Fleming was meant to be part of Law’s new all star quintet but following the call from Shai Maestro his place was taken by Ferg Ireland. The other members of tonight’s stellar line up were pianist Gwilym Simcock, alto saxophonist Will Vinson and Cuban drummer Ernesto Simpson.

In another link to the earlier show at Ronnie’s Shai Maestro contributes to the 2023 album “Same Moon In The Same World” by the duo of Law and saxophonist Alex Hitchcock. Law and Hitchcock had performed this music with their band a few nights previously at another EFG LJF show.

Unified Theories’ early evening show had been sold out but there were a few more empty tables for this 10.00 pm session. Nevertheless I still couldn’t get a table in poll position and couldn’t see or hear Simcock quite as well as I would have liked.

The opening “Parity” featured the kind of complex unison passages that are typical of Law’s writing, but also included expansive solos from Simcock and Law plus a bass feature from the impressive Ireland. Law informed us that the tune was scheduled to appear on the band’s forthcoming album.

Another tune destined for the new album is “Nikumaroro”, named for a Pacific island. Characteristically dense and complex writing combined with imaginative solos, the leader going first and making good use of his range of guitar effects.. Simcock followed, and also entered into a piano / bass dialogue with Ireland, this underpinned by Law’s sustain drenched guitar washes and Simpson’s terse drum commentary. Vinson’s first solo of the set demonstrated the purity and clarity of his tone and his fluency as an improviser.

“Where Would We Be?” saw Law moving to acoustic guitar, ushered in by a duet between Law and Ireland that brought to mind the folk / jazz of John Martyn and his bassist Danny Thompson. With Simson largely deploying brushes solos came from Ireland on double bass, Law on acoustic guitar, Vinson on alto sax and Simcock at the piano.

A second acoustic number, “From A to Z” was originally recorded on “Ensconced”, Law’s duo album with the vocalist and lyricist Brigitte Beraha, which was released earlier in 2024. A song with something of a ballad feel to it this was played with Simcock sitting out and included solos from Ireland on double bass and Vinson on melodic alto sax.

“It’s good to revisit old tunes” explained Law as he introduced “Stract”, a composition from his 2011 debut album “Entanglement”. In spite of the usual complexities the tune also embraced something of a swing feel and included solos from Law, now restored to electric guitar, the returning Simcock on piano and Vinson on alto sax. The effervescent Simpson also enjoyed a closing drum feature. 

The fast moving “Colours” announced itself via a fast moving, tricky unison melody line and included a powerful alto solo from Vinson, arguably his best of the night, this fuelled by Simpson’s dynamic drumming. Law’s guitar solo saw him making extensive use of his range of effects and he was followed by Simcock at the piano. Again this is a tune that is intended to be featured on the forthcoming album.

Finally we heard “Ballroom”, which emerged from an atmospheric intro featuring guitar, alto sax, brushed drums and arco bass to embrace both elegant melodies from sax and piano and a rawer rock power courtesy of Law’s guitar. This was a piece that gathered power and momentum as it progressed and it represented a fitting climax to a very good set, although the band members looked a little drained after delivering back to back performances of this frequently challenging music.

On the evidence of this showing the forthcoming Unified Theories album is going to be well worth hearing.

My thanks to Ant and Gwilym for speaking briefly with me as I made my way out, the lateness of the hour provoking me into making a dash for the tube.

My visits to Soho’s two premier jazz clubs had delivered some brilliant, if frequently complex, music from the bands of Shai Maestro and Ant Law and it was a pleasure to see and hear both of them.

 

 

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