Photograph of Soweto Kinch and Shabaka Hutchings of The Blue Notes by Tim Dickeson

EFG LONDON JAZZ FESTIVAL 2014

DAY TWO, 15/11/2014

DEDICATION ORCHESTRA

The first Saturday of the festival and an enjoyable lunch with my London dwelling cousin Tim Owen, former Jazzmann contributor and writer of the now happily re-activated Dalston Sound blog http://www.dalstonsound.wordpress.com

Both Tim and I had tickets for the early afternoon performance by the Dedication Orchestra at Queen Elizabeth Hall. Although we missed the pre-gig talk relating to South African Jazz and the legacy of the Blue Notes the performance itself was excellent, bringing back happy memories of my first exposure to the music of the Dedication Orchestra some twenty years ago at the old Outside In Festival which used to be held at the Hawth in Crawley. I’ve waited all that time to see them again but in the meantime the albums “Spirits Rejoice” (1992) and “Ixesha (Time)” (1994) have been regularly revisited, “Spirits Rejoice” being a particular personal favourite.

The Dedication Orchestra was first established in 1991 to celebrate the memory of The Blue Notes, the group of South African musicians exiled to the UK during the apartheid years of the 1960s and 70s. The Blue Notes was a mixed race group, pianist Chris McGregor was white, the other members black, and as such the band found themselves ostracised in their native South Africa and felt they had little alternative but to re-locate to London. Quickly absorbing themselves in the capital’s jazz scene the Blue Notes, both individually and collectively, had an enormous influence on several generations of British jazz musicians and their legacy can be heard to this day. Drummer Louis Moholo Moholo, now in his seventies, is the only survivor of the original Blue Notes with McGregor, trumpeter Mongezi Feza, saxophonists Dudu Pukwana and Nick Moyake and bassist Johnny Dyani all having suffered premature and often tragic deaths.

With Moholo at the helm the Dedication Orchestra gathered together many of Britain’s finest jazz musicians to play big band arrangements of tunes written by members of the Blue Notes. A successful inaugural concert at London’s 100 Club on New Year’s Day 1992 was followed by a trip to the studio to record “Spirits Rejoice” for bassist Harry Miller’s Ogun record label. Proceeds from the sale of the album were used to establish a bursary, The Spirits Rejoice Trust Fund (later renamed The Blue Notes Memorial Trust), enabling young South African musicians to study and develop their music in the UK and Europe. Following the fall of the apartheid regime the work of the trust has now extended to South Africa itself with the establishment of the Musical Action for People’s Progress (MAPP) project in Capetown, a welcome reflection of the way in which times have changed for the better.

Fast forward to 2014 and many of the musicians who were present in the ranks of the first Dedication Orchestra are still members of the band. These include drummer Moholo, pianist Keith Tippett, saxophonists Evan Parker, Ray Warleigh and Chris Biscoe, trumpeter Jim Dvorak, trombonist Dave Amis, flautist Neil Metcalfe, tuba player Dave Powell and vocalists Julie Tippetts and Maggie Nichols.

Other members of the Dedication Orchestra 2014 were John Edwards (double bass), Mark Lockheart, Jason Yarde and Julian Arguelles (saxophones), Henry Lowther and Chris Batchelor (trumpets), Annie Whitehead, Fayyaz Virji and Alan Tomlinson (trombones), Mark Charig (tenor horn) and David Serame and Cleveland Watkiss (vocals). The band was directed by Steve Beresford who had been involved in the production process on both of the Orchestra’s albums.

The concert began with Sean Bergin’s arrangement of Dudu Pukwana’s “Mra”, an ensemble piece with Moholo’s drumming at its heart and with the thrilling blend of horns and voices augmented by Tippett’s distinctive piano flourishes.

Another Pukwana tune, “Blues For Nick” in an arrangement by Dave Powell included solos from flautist Neil Metcalfe and bassist John Edwards.

The first two tunes had been sourced from the “Ixesha” double album but the Orchestra now revisited their d?but recording for Tippett’s arrangement of Harry Miller’s “Traumatic Experience” , the pianist conducting the orchestra in a piece notable for the massed sounds of the trombone section.

The Orchestra has always deployed the services of the best British jazz arrangers, many of them recruited from within the ranks of the band. Django Bates was in the first incarnation of the orchestra (playing tenor horn) and his arrangement of Pukwana’s beautifully melodic “Hug Pine” was a definite set highlight with solos coming from Chris Batchelor on trumpet, Mark Lockheart on tenor sax and Keith Tippett at the piano.

A segue of Chris McGregor pieces demonstrated the often joyous nature of his writing, something demonstrated by the enthusiastic hand jiving of singers Maggie Nichols and Julie Tippetts. If memory serves the tunes were “Andromeda” in an arrangement by John Warren and “Manje” as re-imagined by Mike Westbrook. The first piece treated us to very different tenor sax solos from Julian Arguelles and Evan Parker, the first typically melodic the second more abstract and freely structured and including a sparky dialogue with Tippett’s piano. The second tune saw Lockheart taking over on tenor followed by Dvorak on trumpet and finally Moholo at the drums.

The late Kenny Wheeler’s arrangement of Pukwana’s “B My Dear” has always been a first album highlight and featured sumptuous mass horn voicing and a blazing solo from altoist Ray Warleigh.
The absence of Wheeler, who died earlier this year was particularly poignant. Sadly a number of other musicians who appeared on the 1992 release are no longer with us, among them trumpeter Harry Beckett, trombonist Paul Rutherford and saxophonist Elton Dean.

“The Serpent’s Kindly Eye”, another John Warren arrangement of a Chris McGregor piece began with a horn chorale and included glorious passages of big band swing and rousing solos from Jason Yarde on alto sax and Annie Whitehead on trombone.

The twenty first birthday of the London Jazz Festival has seen organisers Serious commissioning twenty one new compositions. Among these was a new Louis Moholo Moholo piece “For The Blue Notes” written especially for this project and arranged by his close collaborator, pianist and organist Alexander Hawkins. This was teamed with two other Moholo pieces “Amampondo With Zulu Fists” and “Woza”  Hawkins took over the baton from Beresford to conduct the orchestra on this impressive new work which incorporated lengthy improvised sections for Edwards’ arco bass the twin voices of Tippetts and Nichols and Parker’s always distinctive tenor sax.

Loose Tubes flautist Eddie Parker was the arranger of Mongezi Feza’s “You Ain’t Going To Know Me (‘cause You Think You Know Me”, a feature for the tenor horn of Mark Charig.

This was originally intended to be the final item but such was the audience reaction that the band stayed put to perform Eddie Parker’s arrangement of Mongezi Feza’s “Sondela” with Chris Batchelor taking the instrumental honours on trumpet. Also let’s not forget the excellent contributions of the singers, both here and throughout the concert.

The Dedication Orchestra was given a tremendous reception by a near capacity QEH audience, the warmth and love for both the Blue Notes and for the Dedication Orchestra itself was obvious throughout. Along the way Maggie Nichols kept us informed of the Trust’s worthy work in South Africa.

Mixing bright accessible South African melodies with the improvisatory gristle of the British avant garde the music was a thoroughly uplifting experience on a grey London winter’s afternoon. The only disappointment was the non inclusion of Tippett’s splendidly invigorating arrangement of Harry Miller’s “Dancing Damon”. That really would have been the icing on the cake.

DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER

Over at the Royal Festival Hall a recording of BBC Radio 3’s “Jazz Line Up” was taking place in the Clore Ballroom. A welcome bonus item, totally unscheduled, was a guest appearance by American vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater who was due to play a concert with her sextet later the same day in the QEH.

Accompanied only by her pianist Michael King the vivacious Bridgewater breezed her way through a playful version of George Gershwin’s “A Foggy Day In London Town” (a good crowd pleasing choice) giving full rein to her amazing scatting technique.

Buddy Johnson’s “Save Your Love For Me” was given a more formal, straightahead treatment with King totally attuned to Bridgewater’s muse.

The charming Bridgewater was accorded a great reception by the London crowd, many of whom probably had tickets to see her later on. I’m not always keen on singers but even I was impressed and was glad that I was fortunate enough to catch one of the legends of vocal jazz in action.

THE BLUE NOTES

Well not THE Blue Notes obviously but an all star group paying tribute to them on a South African themed day at the Southbank ? Abdullah Ibrahim was due to play the RFH later on. 

This version of the Blue Notes was an all star affair featuring South African pianist Bokani Dyer alongside British musicians Shabaka Hutchings (tenor sax), Soweto Kinch (alto sax), Percy Pursglove (trumpet) Karl Rashid Abel (bass) and Mark Sanders (drums).

The sextet performed fiery small groups versions of tunes associated with the Blue Notes and Chris McGregor’s Brotherhood Of Breath with blistering, incisive solos fuelled by driving rhythms. Hutchings, Kinch and Pursglove were all in inspired form and Dyer, a new name to me but who had appeared with his own group at the Vortex the previous evening, also impressed. The pianist proved to be an exuberant soloist and a highly rhythmic accompanist as he locked in with the juggernaut that was Abel and Sanders. 

Pursglove, last seen by me in a more formal large ensemble situation incorporating a choir, played with terrific verve and freedom as he locked horns with Kinch and Hutchings. The all too brief set included tunes by Chris McGregor, Dudu Pukwana and Johnny Dyani. It was all wildly exciting but over far too soon. I can’t wait to hear this again when it gets transmitted on Radio 3.

JEF NEVE
The international theme continued in Hall 2 at Kings Place with a double bill featuring a solo piano set from Belgian pianist Jef Neve followed by the innovative Swiss piano trio Rusconi. I’d not heard much from either of these acts before and the concert represented a bit of a “punt” on my behalf yet it ended up being one of my personal festival highlights.

My only previous exposure to Neve’s music was a duo album with vocalist Jose James that I didn’t particularly care for, mainly because of the singing. I’d got it into my head that Neve might sing tonight, but fortunately he didn’t. Instead we heard an impressive set of solo piano from a formidable technician who delivered an intriguing set of original compositions alongside imaginative, sometimes radical interpretations of outside material by both jazz and rock composers.

Neve runs his own piano trio but his new release for Decca records is a solo recording simply titled “One”. This proved to be the source for many of tonight’s pieces including an astonishing opening interpretation of Billy Strayhorn’s much covered “Lush Life”. The piece seems to be becoming increasingly popular as a vehicle for solo instrumentalists ? Peter King does a stunning solo alto sax version. Neve’s ten minute excursion began with a thunderous rummaging under the lid before settling down to portray a dark intensity full of ominous low end left hand rumblings. At first I thought the piece was completely improvised in the manner of a Keith Jarrett solo recital before the lyrical theme emerged almost half way through. Emotionally involving and technically brilliant, including a variety of classically inspired flourishes, this was a mind blowing introduction to Neve’s extraordinary abilities. The pianist described his take on Strayhorn’s masterpiece as “symphonic”. Few would have been prepared to argue.

Neve’s own “Could It Be True” began lyrically but soon developed its own power through Neve’s powerful left hand rhythmic figures and agile but percussive right hand runs.

Like so many contemporary pianists Neve has an admiration for the music of Thelonious Monk and he included a highly rhythmic version of the master’s “I Mean You”.

That tune doesn’t appear on the new album but his memorable version of Joni Mitchell’s song “A Case Of You” does. Announcing the tune Neve described Mitchell’s song writing as “painting with words” and he applied a lighter brush here, his tender lyricism complementing Mitchell’s words and conjuring up the wide, open feel of the prairies of Mitchell’s native Canada. It’s just a shame that the long slow fade was interrupted by the ringing of some idiot’s mobile.

Neve’s own “Solitude” was originally written for a contemporary dance theatre company and addresses the theme of a father / son relationship. The dynamic of the relationship is expressed in the tune’s dynamic and narrative arc and the piece has been the soundtrack to a performance by two male dancers. For all this it is a haunting and effective piece of music in its own right.

“Flying To Diani Beach” was inspired by a trip to Kenya and an expedition to Mount Kilimanjaro. By Neve’s standards the melody is relatively simple but he embellishes it in his trademark style. On the album it’s subject to some judicious orchestration but tonight it worked superbly as an evocative solo piano piece. 

Neve’s last piece added flamenco influences to an already rich palette containing elements of classical and jazz. I was hugely impressed with his performance which combined emotional impact with phenomenal technique. “One” is a richly rewarding listening experience and one of the best solo piano recordings I’ve heard in quite some time.

RUSCONI

Freelance publicist, DJ and radio presenter Debra Richards is a great champion of Swiss jazz performers and writes perceptively and regularly for the Swiss Vibes website http://www.swissvibes.org

Thanks to her efforts four Swiss bands were scheduled to play at LJF, the piano trios Rusconi and Plaistow, a quartet led by violinist Tobias Preisig, and the extraordinary duo comprised of Theo Bleckmann inspired vocalist Andreas Schaerer and drummer Lucas Niggli.

I got to see both of the piano trios beginning with Rusconi. I had an idea that I might like this band but never having heard their music before the decision to attend their performance at Kings Place still represented something of a “punt” on my behalf.

As it turned out Rusconi were probably the highlight of the week, there’s nothing as exciting as making a new discovery and this band pushed the piano trio into new realms of expression that borrowed liberally from the worlds of pop and indie rock.

The trio take their name from their pianist Stefan Rusconi but they proved to be a highly interactive ensemble with all three members involved in the writing process. Fabian Gisler contributes both double bass and electric guitar with Claudio Struby at the drums. All three members of the group sing and their latest album “History Sugar Dream” contains a couple of fully formed songs complete with English lyrics. In concert the threesome restricted themselves to wordless vocalising but this, together with Gisler’s excursions on guitar plus Rusconi’s use of synthesiser and a “Memory Man” sampler/effects unit to manipulate his sound pushed the group’s sonic range well beyond the usual parameters of the piano trio. The self described “three little rascals from Switzerland” (a description given extra credence by Gisler’s incongruous bright blue woollen hat) brought a sense of fun to their music alongside the influences of E.S.T. , The Bad Plus, Keith Jarrett, Sonic Youth, Aphex Twin, Radiohead and more.

Rusconi formed in 2004 and have released six albums to date including the excellent “Stop & Go” (2006) and “It’s A Sonic Life” (2010), their interpretation of the music of Sonic Youth. Much of tonight’s material was sourced from “History Sugar Dream”  and although many of the tunes went unannounced it was still easy to immerse oneself in Rusconi’s music, responding physically to their way with a groove and thrilling at the range of textures conjured up by the range of piano, bass, drums, guitar, voices and electronics.

From the opening number it was obvious just how contemporary the trio’s sound is, the wordless vocals expressing an indie rock sensibility that jelled perfectly with Stefan Rusconi’s use of electronica and Struby’s dance and rock inspired grooves. The leader also proved to be an inspired piano soloist with the other two members of the group locked perfectly into his vision.

It’s probably fair to say that Gisler is a more accomplished bassist than he is a guitarist but his excursions on the electric instrument were highly effective, conjuring intriguing textures and effects through the use of an array of floor mounted pedals plus tremolo arm. At other times his playing gave the music a visceral rock power and it wouldn’t be difficult to imagine the band re-locating their show to a standing rock club location like Xoyo, another venue on the LJF circuit. Indeed looking at the band’s website it would seem that they regularly play this type of space complete with a rock style light show / visuals.

Struby proved to be the perfect drummer for this group, a master of contemporary grooves who expanded his sound with the use of small percussive devices plus voice.

Set highlights included “Ankor” which contrived to be both atmospheric and hard grooving and “Sea Flower”, originally written as part of a collaboration with a Swedish dance company, the hard hitting piano grooves mingling with semi spoken lyrics.

“Alice In The Sky” combined Rusconi’s keyboard generated electronica with Gisler’s monstrous electric guitar in a kind of psychedelic freak out which Rusconi introduced with the phrase “if you do drugs, do them now”. Following this voyage into the realms of the outer cosmos on the Rusconi “spaceship” it came as no real surprise that they’d once worked with ex Henry Cow guitarist Fred Frith, a musician I was to catch up with later in the week.

Stefan Rusconi’s “Berlin Blues”, a tribute to the city where he now lives wasn’t really a blues at all (no real surprise there) but a constantly evolving depiction of the city’s harsh winters that managed to incorporate atmospheric wordless vocalising, a meditative passage of solo piano and a final section complete with quasi disco grooves. 

The four part suite “Sojus Dream”, written as a celebration of Laika, the first dog in space closes “Hstory Sugar Dream” and I found myself being reminded of old school prog rock, an influence that has probably been filtered down to Rusconi via Radiohead. 

I was hugely impressed by this intriguing, accomplished and witty trio, even after a decade together their music still sounds fresh, exciting and invigorating. For me they represented a significant new discovery and I’d have no hesitation in seeing them again and also recommending them to others.

The album “History Sugar Dream” is heavier on the vocals than the live show, a factor that might discourage some jazz listeners. Nevertheless it is an impressive piece of work, full of original ideas and excellent playing. Tonight I thought Rusconi got the balance absolutely right and they got a great reception from the Kings Place crowd, many of whom I suspect were discovering the band’s music for the first time.

After the show it was good to meet Debra Richards plus band members Stefan Rusconi and Claudio Struby. Thanks, guys.

Today was a day that emphasised the international nature of the festival with music from South Africa, the UK, the US and mainland Europe. It was good to revisit the sounds of the Dedication Orchestra after a long hiatus but even more exciting to discover the music of two new acts for me,  in Jef Neve and the Rusconi trio. And surely the “sound of surprise” is what this music we call jazz is meant to be all about.
   

 

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