Photograph of Dee Byrne, Olie Brice and Nick Malcolm by Pam Mann

5th ANNUAL BATH JAZZ WEEKEND, WIDCOMBE SOCIAL CLUB, BATH

SATURDAY 4th JANUARY 2025

DEE BYRNE’S OUTLINES

Dee Byrne – alto saxophone, Nick Malcolm – trumpet, Tom Ward – clarinets, Rebecca Nash – piano, Olie Brice – double bass, Andrew Lisle – drums

The afternoon session on the second day of the fifth annual Bath Jazz Weekend (hereafter BJW) began with this performance by Outlines, a sextet led by alto saxophonist, composer and improviser Dee Byrne.

I was particularly looking forward to this performance after favourably reviewing Byrne’s album “Outlines”, released on Whirlwind Recordings in 2023. The disc features exactly the same line up as that listed above and as I predicted at the time Outlines has become a band name as well as an album title. My review of the “Outlines” album can be found here;
https://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/dee-byrne-outlines

The line up includes pianist Rebecca Nash and bassist Olie Brice, both of whom were members of Byrne’s previous five piece group Entropi, with whom she released the albums “New Era” (2015, F-ire Presents) and “Moment Frozen” (2017, Whirlwind). Both of these recordings are reviewed elsewhere on The Jazzmann as are live appearances by Entropi at the 2014 and 2017 London Jazz Festivals.

Of her writing for the sextet Byrne says;
“Outlines is my new project, playing original compositions that evolved out of a creative experiment: introducing visual art into my composition practice. Out of this, short musical sketches emerged that stood alone as artistic statements. These short statements are ‘Outlines’ – a springboard for this dynamic ensemble to go in new, exciting directions every time. I decided to peel everything back to the basics of being creative. I started drawing and set rules for myself, retraining my mind to stop criticising - to follow impulse without being attached to outcome! Then I applied the same approach to writing music - they’re genuine musical sketches! There are a lot of strong, deep musical and personal relationships in this band - the sort that can’t be fast-tracked. It’s a real band!. All the players in this project are able to really dig into playing tunes, but are also completely confident in being free.” 

I have always enjoyed Byrne’s work best when it finds her exploring the cusp between composition and improvisation, which is exactly what this all star sextet does. All of today’s material was sourced from the “Outlines” recording but was presented in a very different running order and with each individual piece differing significantly to the recorded version. It certainly wasn’t just a straight album run through.

That said the band did start with album opener “Capsule”, a title that seems to hark back to Byrne’s fascination with cosmology, a subject that informed her writing for the Entropi group. It also refers to  “a time pod of artefacts launched into space”. The opening written section featured the rich blend of horns that characterises Byrne’s writing for this sextet.,  The leader’s alto combined effectively with Malcolm’s trumpet and with Ward’s bass clarinet, the latter representing a particularly distinctive component of the sextet’s music. Byrne took the first solo on alto, her fluent and incisive improvising fuelled by Brice’s muscular bass lines and Lisle’s forceful drumming. Nash followed on the venue’s grand piano, the recording features her soloing on an electric keyboard and adopting a ‘Rhodes’ sound. Eventually the melodic ‘head’ returned, led by the distinctive sound of Ward’s bass clarinet.

“Immersion” was introduced by the sounds of piano, bass and drums, with the three horns subsequently combining to state the theme. In Byrne’s words the title “Immersion” refers to “fully committing to something and jumping in and seeing what happens”, which is a good analogy for the ethos of the music as a whole.  More colourful ensemble playing led to an exploratory trumpet solo from Malcolm, followed by an otherwise unaccompanied set of alto and bass clarinet exchanges. The full group then reconvened for a second theme statement prior to lurching off into a collective free jazz squall.

“Arrow of Time” (about “the relentless passing of time”) and “On The Other Side” were presented as a segue. With Ward switching to regular clarinet the former was introduced by a horn chorale, performed above a backdrop of mallet rumbles, piano and double bass. In time Brice established a bass groove that provided the impetus for Ward’s clarinet solo, his tone buzzy and distinctive, with alto sax and trumpet subsequently added. Nash was also featured at the piano in a loosely structured trio episode featuring Lisle’s skittering drum colourations and Brice’s grounding bass. Ward then returned for a second bite of the cherry before handing over to Brice for an extended bass feature that included some dramatic flamenco style drumming.

An extended alto sax / piano duet marked the transition into “On The Other Side”, which saw Ward switching back to bass clarinet as the horns once again combined to express the theme. Byrne’s powerful and incisive alto sax solo was followed by an extended solo drum feature from Lisle. The performance was then resolved by a woozy horn chorale followed by a reprise of the main theme.

“We Are Experiencing Turbulence” was ushered in by the low register sounds of bass clarinet and bowed double bass, with Brice deploying extended techniques, including bowing below the bridge. Meanwhile Ward’s bass clarinet sound was deep and woody and his playing included the use of multi-phonics. Nash’s piano was subsequently added, followed by alto sax, trumpet and the patter of Lisle’s hands on drum skins. A jagged melodic theme eventually emerged, quickly superseded by a series of free jazz exchanges between arco bass and drums, with Lisle deploying a combination of bare hands and sticks. Nash then waded in with a feverish and percussive piano solo that neatly epitomised the turbulence of the title, with Lisle an increasingly presence at the drums. Much of this episode was conducted in piano trio mode, but with the horns providing comment and punctuation. The horns then continued to squall and bray before the piece resolved itself with a coda featuring bowed bass, piano, and the patter of hand drums.

Introducing the final tune of the set Byrne said that she hoped the audience would find her composition “Liberation” suitably uplifting. This was ushered in by a passage of unaccompanied, subtly gospel inflected piano that sounded positively hymnal. Bass and cymbal shimmers were added before the horns, with Ward on clarinet, combined to state the attractive melodic theme. Solos followed from Ward on clarinet and Nash at the piano, the latter a flowing, lyrical statement. The horns then recombined on the theme. One of Byrne’s most accessible and straight forwardly melodic compositions this item was particularly well received by the Bath audience and Nod Knowles had little difficulty in persuading the band to remain on stage for a well deserved encore.

This proved to be a brisk run through of “Flow State”, named for “the ideal state of creation”. Introduced by a drum salvo from Lisle, with bass and clarinet soon added, followed by piano, alto and trumpet, this was a lively piece with a quirky melodic theme that almost seemed to tip its hat to bebop. The featured soloist was Malcolm, whose strident solo was followed by a series of fiery exchanges with Byrne’s alto as Outlines took their leave on an energetic note.

This was a fantastic way to start BJW’s main day. I wasn’t the only audience member to enjoy this thrilling blend of composition and improvisation with Byrne’s evocative, colourful and intelligent writing given colourful voice by a supremely talented sextet of hand picked collaborators, each one a composer and bandleader in their own right.

The presence of this band on the bill was one of the main reasons I chose to come to BJW 2025.

They didn’t disappoint.

KEVIN FIGES’ ‘YOU ARE HERE’ SEXTET

Kevin Figes – alto & soprano saxophones, Pete Judge – trumpet, Raphael Clarkson – trombone, Jim Blomfield – piano & keyboard, Al Swainger – double bass, Tony Orrell – drums, percussion

From one sax led sextet exploring the interface between composition and improvisation to another.

Kevin Figes is a Bristol based saxophonist and composer with some eleven album releases as a leader to his credit, several of which have been reviewed elsewhere on The Jazzmann. He has been a lynchpin of the Bristol jazz scene for many years and has been involved with many other collaborations.

Figes was a long time associate of the late, great Bristolian pianist, composer, improviser, bandleader and educator Keith Tippett (1947 – 2020) and following Tippett’s death became the musical director for a series of concerts in Bristol celebrating Tippet’s life. The concerts were a huge success and included performances by a six piece band of mainly Bristol based musicians assembled by Figes under the collective name You Are Here Sextet. The instrumentation was based on that of Tippet’s own sextet and the band was named after the title of Tippet’s debut solo recording “You are here…I am There”, first released on Polydor Records in 1970 and the first of more than fifty recordings as a leader or co-leader.

The repertoire of the You Are Here Sextet has been expanded to include material written by some of Tippett’s closest musical associates, among them former Soft Machine saxophonist Elton Dean (1945-2006) and the great South African bassist and composer Harry Miller (1941-83). Dean was a member of Tippett’s sextet and also taught Figes to play the saxophone, links that more than justify Figes’  decision to expand the You Are Here Sextet’s repertoire.

The sextet released the album “You Are Here” on the Jazz Now album in 2024 and today’s set list was based around the album repertoire. The personnel on the disc is as listed above, but with Riaan Vosloo occupying the bass chair. The album packaging incorporates liner notes from Figes and BJW supremo Nod Knowles and bears the the message; “Dedicated to Keith Tippett. His Music Lives On”.

And live on it most certainly did at today’s gig as the sextet began with album opener “Thoughts To Geoff”, a Keith Tippett composition that commenced with a rousing horn fanfare that also included drummer Orrell’s blowing of various whistles and duck calls. He then established a rolling drum groove that fuelled the full blooded carousing of the horns, with Clarkson on trombone and Judge emerging as the opening two soloists. A piano and drum dialogue evolved into a mercurial piano feature from Blomfield that channelled the spirit of Tippett himself. Figes and Stainger added to the debate and the performance concluded with a rumbustious sextet restatement of the main theme. An exhilarating start.

Wearing a Deram Records T-shirt that emphasised his love of vintage prog rock and its various jazzy offshoots Figes explained that the sextet would also be paying tribute o some of the artists associated with Tippett, notably Miller and Dean. The next section commenced with a brief soprano sax / trumpet improvisation based around “Dedicated To You, But You Weren’t Listening”, a composition written for Soft Machine by that group’s bassist, the late Hugh Hopper (1945-2009).
This segued into “Seven for Lee”, a composition written by Hopper’s one time Soft Machine bandmate Elton Dean, the title possible a reference to Dean’s London residence at 7, Farley Road. Responding to the prompting of Orrell’s drums Clarkson delivered the first solo, followed by the leader on soprano sax, the pair subsequently entering into a series of lively instrumental exchanges.

Tippett famously guested with the rock band King Crimson, contributing to three albums and appearing with the group on Top of The Pops. He famously delivered a dazzlingly jagged slash and burn piano solo on the single “Cat Food”, a minor hit in 1970.  Today Jim Blomfield tapped into that spirit as he unleashed his inner Tippett during an instrumental arrangement of “Cat Food” that saw the unison horns replicating Greg Lake’s vocal line.

Following the punchy “Cat Food” there was a change of mood with the Harry Miller composition “Traumatic Experience”, a piece previously covered by the Dedication Orchestra. The performance was preceded by a brief improvised episode featuring the soprano sax of Figes and the muted trombone of Clarkson, the latter’s sound subtly vocalised. Such improvised episodes are sprinkled throughout the “You Are Here” recording, punctuating the more formal written tracks. The loosely structured “Traumatic Experience” featured the woozy chorusing of the three horns, with Figes featuring on soprano as Clarkson temporarily detached his trombone slide. Orrell made use of a range of small hand held percussion including small cymbals and a visually arresting skull shaped gong, while Blomfield rummaged around inside the piano. Finally Figes and Judge directed the bells of their horns into the piano’s innards, utilising the natural resonance.

Bassist Swainger provided the improvised intro to Tippett’s “Septober Energy”, an excerpt from Tippett’s large scale composition of the same name that was recorded by his jazz / prog rock big band Centipede in 1971. A blazing horn fanfare and a rousing main theme were augmented by Orrell’s powerful drumming, with Clarkson leading off the solos and entering into a series of exchanges with Figes’ alto. There were even moments when the music veered close to conventional swing as Get The Blessing trumpeter Judge delivered the next solo. The performance then concluded with a duet between Stainger on bass and Blomfield at the piano.

The fourteen minute Tippett composition “I Wish There Was A Nowhere” represented the sextet’s longest piece and passed through a number of different sections. It was introduced by a passage of unaccompanied piano from Blomfield who was subsequently joined by powerful bass and drum accompaniment, with the rhythm section also helping to fuel Figes’ incisive alto solo. A passage of unaccompanied trumpet from Judge marked the transition into the next passage, a more reflective and lyrical episode featuring rich horn voicings followed by individual solos from trumpet, alto saxophone and piano with Orrell deploying brushes behind the soloists. A reprise of the main theme by the horns led to a more rumbustious closing section with Clarkson’s rousing trombone prominent in the arrangement as the music again built to a powerful climax.

A shorter Tippett composition called “Dedicated to Mingus” was introduced by a passage of unaccompanied bass from Swainger – very appropriate. Elsewhere vocalised trumpet and vocalised trombone sounded appropriately Mingus like with Clarkson’s solo even evidencing something of a New Orleans influence as he soloed above a gently marching rhythm. The subsequent sound of the three unmuted horns represented an effective contrast.

A hugely enjoyable set concluded with Tippett’s lively and joyous “Cider Dance”, introduced by an improvised passage of unaccompanied piano from Blomfield. This piece was a real celebration of Tippett and his work and featured the sounds of Blomfield’s piano pyrotechnics allied to carousing,  braying horns with Clarkson the featured soloist.

The musical heritage of Keith Tippett is safe in the hands of Kevin Figes and this excellent sextet. It was a pleasure to see this material played live by an excellent band and the new “You Are Here” recording also makes for very enjoyable home listening.

Something of a Tippett theme was another constant of this weekend. Following Keith’s passing his widow, vocalist and songwriter Julie Tippetts has fallen ill and is currently unable to work. She has recently downsized to a flat and during the clearance of the former Tippett family home several boxes of CDs featuring the music of both Keith and Julie have been found. The albums are now being sold off to provide financial assistance for Julie while she is unable to perform. These were on sale at the BJW merch desk and by the end of the Festival nearly all of them had gone – and there were a LOT there to start with. They were very reasonably priced at £10.00 each and people have obviously been very generous with their support. I bought a couple of items myself, each featuring the work of both Keith and Julie. A significant amount of money must have been raised for Julie and the sale was again representative of the co-operative nature of BJW and WSC and of the wider British jazz community. It was all very heart warming. Get well soon Julie.

SECRET PATH TRIO

Fraser Fifield – low whistle, Highland bagpipes, Paul Harrison – piano, keyboards, Tom Bancroft – drums, bodhran

The first event of the evening session featured the Secret Path Trio, led by the Scottish whistle player and piper Fraser Fifield, a musician with strong links to both the folk and jazz scenes in his native land.

Harrison and Bancroft are also well known on the Scottish jazz scene and Bancroft, in particular, has always worked closely with folk musicians. These are musicians who are proud of their Scottish roots.

Their presence on the programme represented another link in the ongoing jazz / folk strand that permeated the Weekend and was also reflective of Nod Knowles’ love of Scottish music following his years of living and working in the country during his time as Head of Music at the Scottish Arts Council.  Tonight’s show offered a rare opportunity to see this trio performing in England and the trio had flown down from Edinburgh to Bristol, and then on to Bath, specifically for this event.

In addition to his pipes and whistles Fifield also plays soprano saxophone and is a musician involved in a myriad of collaborations across a variety of music genres and with musicians from different musical cultures from all over the globe. While remaining proudly Scottish he’s very much a ‘world musician’.

In Secret Path Trio the focus is very much on Fifield’s playing of the low whistle. He plays an instrument with an extra tone hole on the underside of the whistle that opens up possibilities for a greater musical range. His technique also borrows from various techniques from his pipe and saxophone playing to create a unique voice on the whistle.

Fifield says of his low whistle playing;
“I see the whistle as a blank canvas. It has its associations but to me it’s a universal instrument. I think all musicians ultimately want to play the music they would like to hear and it’s been my goal to be able to play music on the whistle that isn’t constrained by a diatonic structure.”

Fifield has recorded extensively with both jazz and folk musicians, with guitarist Graeme Stephen a particularly frequent collaborator.

The album “The Secret Path” is a digital only release from 2023 and features both Harrison, playing Wurlitzer electric piano, and Bancroft. The majority of the tunes were written by Fifield in 2022 and the album material was featured widely during the course of today’s set.

Opener “South Atlantic Seven” commenced with Harrison producing synth sounds from his electric keyboard, accompanied by Bancroft’s brushed drums. The leader’s whistle played folk inspired melodies as Harrison switched to an electric piano sound and it was Harrison’s keyboards that often performed the bass function in this unusual, possibly unique, instrumental format. In jazz terms the featured soloists were Fifield and Harrison, the latter now producing a twinkling, celestial sound from his keyboards. The juxtaposition of electronic keyboard sounds with those of a traditional folk instrument like the low whistle was a source of fascination throughout the set.

However Harrison also took advantage of the presence of the venue’s grand piano, moving to this instrument for “A Day Like Any Other”, the first piece from “The Secret Path” album to be played today. A loosely structured intro that included the sounds of interior piano scrabblings and cymbal scrapes evolved into an attractive melodic theme played with great tenderness by Fifield on the whistle,  evoking images of swirling Celtic mists. Harrison subsequently delivered a flowingly lyrical acoustic piano solo, supported by Bancroft’s delicately brushed drums.

Also from the album “Falling Awake” was the trio’s most upbeat offering thus far with its breezy folk melodies and driving rhythms, with Bancroft playing with sticks for the first time. Harrison’s keyboard solo embraced both electric piano and synth sounds.

As its title might suggest “Urgent Polka”, another tune from the album, maintained the energy levels with Fifield’s whistle dancing lithely around Harrison’s keyboard bass lines and Bancroft’s brisk brush work. This was a performance that was concise but exhilarating.

Now on ‘a bit of a roll’ the trio continued with “East of Leith”, a tune from the album that was written at an earlier date than the others. “I’ve long had a fascination for the kaval, (a Bulgarian end-blown flute” Fifield has explained, and this lively piece had something of a Balkan / Middle Eastern feel, hence the title of a tune merging these elements with those of traditional Scottish folk music, with a side order of jazz thrown in for good measure. The performance included Fifield’s virtuoso whistle playing allied to some dirty Rhodes style sounds from Harrison’s keyboard plus some dynamic drumming from Bancroft. A gentler passage of unaccompanied electric piano represented an oasis of calm before drums and whistle returned for a rousing finish.

From the album the title of “Not This, Nor That” represented the answer to the perennial question “Who Am I”?, but it might have been coined as a description of Fifield’s music too. This featured Bancroft picking up the bodhran for a series of playful exchanges with Fifield as Harrison moved to acoustic piano and later to synth as this lively tune, which closes the album, progressed. Meanwhile Bancroft effected a similar switch from bodhran to drum kit.

As befits its title “Waltzed In” was an elegant jazz / folk waltz introduced by an unaccompanied passage of electric piano, to which low whistle and brushed drums were added.  There was a wistful quality about Fifield’s playing here that was highly evocative.

Fifield took up the pipes for the first and only time for “The Dark Reel”, written some twenty five years ago and comfortably the oldest tune of the set. Launched by Bancroft’s drums this was a rousing performance featuring Fifield’s extraordinarily agile melody lines and some truly dynamic drumming as Harrison filled in any gaps on acoustic piano. At the close Fifield was visibly out of breath, his playing having been both virtuosic and powerful. “There’s still two tunes to go, have I peaked too early?”, he asked himself.

The “Secret Path” album takes it title from the 1930s book through which the British philosopher Paul Brunton introduced the Western world to the Indian guru Ramana Maharshi,   a figure who has inspired Fifield for a number of years. Fifield has worked with Indian musicians, notably on the 2020 album “In Mumbai” and Eastern music and philosophy continues to inform his work. Indian influences were discernible in the melodies and rhythms here, as interpreted via low whistle, electric piano and drum kit.

As alluded to previously Fifield has also worked with Bulgarian musicians and the performance concluded with “Sofia Rakia”, a drinking song from the 2008 album “Traces Of Thrace” that ended the performance on an agreeably upbeat note.

A large and appreciative audience responded well to the Secret Path Trio’s amalgam of jazz, traditional Scottish folk and various world musics. Fifield is a singular musician, a virtuoso player of a number of different instruments and a skilled and inquisitive composer well versed in a broad variety of musical styles. His pan-global approach has resulted in a series of diverse but consistently interesting recordings, among them “Secret Path”.

In Harrison and Bancroft, both bandleaders in their own right, he has two committed and highly skilled musical colleagues who both made substantial contributions of their own towards the success of today’s gig.

It was all very different to the two horn dominated sextets we had seen earlier in the day and was testament to the diversity of Knowles’ programming for BJW.

NANI VAZANA

Noam ‘Nani’ Vazana is an Israeli born, Netherlands based vocalist, pianist, trombonist and songwriter. She is one of the very few artists currently writing new songs in the ancient Ladino language, the language of the Sephardic Jews, also known as Judeo-Espanol and basically the Spanish equivalent of Yiddish. Vazana’s website, http://www.nanimusic.com includes a detailed history of the Ladino tongue, which makes for very interesting reading.

As a music artist Vazana has toured widely in both Europe and North America and has amassed a considerable following. It represented something of a coup for Knowles to bring her to Bath for this solo performance.  He first saw her play at the Bimhuis in Amsterdam and was obviously highly impressed.

Vazana first learned the Ladino language from her grandmother. The Vazana family had lived in Morocco and various parts of the Ottoman Empire before returning to Israel and the young Nani began to study Ladino and its history more seriously and began to champion it through her music. She has released three four full length albums to date,  “Daily Sketch”, “Love Migration”, “Andalusian Brew” and “Ke Haber” (or What’s New). The last two of these are sung in Ladino, the first two feature English and Hebrew.

I don’t speak Ladino, or even Spanish for that matter, so some song titles will be Vazana’s rough translations. She began at the piano singing a song with a title translating as “No Mother, I Don’t Want”, which took the words of an old traditional Ladino poem and set them to a new melody. The audience were encouraged to join in with the simple wordless chorus and to “sing like drunken sailors”. Vazana is a huge personality and a born entertainer and the large crowd responded enthusiastically.

Introducing a traditional song with a title translating as “The Last Days Of Abraham” Vazana told us something of the history of the Ladino language and emphasised its pluralism – it has been adopted by Jews, Christians and Muslims. She often appears with a band but her performance of this song featured her singing to the accompaniment of backing tracks triggered by her laptop. I’m not usually keen on this type of thing, but in this context it worked effectively enough.

We also learned that Ladino is a matriarchal language, passed down from mother to daughter and rich in terms of references to “love, food and resistance”. This was by way of introducing “Puncha Puncha”, a traditional song about the pain of unrequited love. This featured Vazana on trombone and vocals and featured her instrumental soloing alongside an emotive singing performance that involved her beating her chest and thus altering the sound of her vocals. The title of the song seemed vaguely familiar to me and I suspect that the great Israeli bassist and vocalist Avishai Cohen may have recorded an instrumental version of this tune.

The original song “When I Dream” appeared on Vazana’s 2018 English language album “Love Migration” and describes her fractious teenage relationship with her late father, whilst also functioning as a lament for his passing. This featured more lap top generated sounds in addition to Vazana’s singing and trombone playing.

Vazana once represented the Netherlands, singing in Ladino at a Eurovision competition for minority languages.

“Con Los Anyos Viene E l Sechel” (“With The Years Wisdom Comes”) was a joyous celebration of life that featured Vazana’s soulful singing and accomplished piano soloing. Sung in the Ladino language but with an infectious wordless vocal hook this was a song that could become a potential pop hit if she were ever to translate it into English.

“Durme, Durme” (or “Sleep, Sleep”) was a traditional Ladino lullaby that was sung to Vazana by her grandmother and which appeared on Vazana’s first Ladino album “Andalusian Brew”. Incorporating both Ladino lyrics and wordless vocals this was a simple but charming song that was tenderly performed on voice and piano.

An original song with a title translating as “Tomorrow’s Breakfast” took a traditional Ladino subject (food) but gave it a modern twist as Ladino lyrics combined with complex laptop generated beats, with the audience encouraged to clap along as best they could.

The next two items were unannounced – or at leat I didn’t get the titles, Ladino or otherwise. The first featured the trombone, albeit subjected to delay effects that involved the co-operation of sound engineer Mark Burton.

The trombone also featured on the second piece. Vazana had actually borrowed the instrument from Raphael Clarkson, who had performed earlier on with the Kevin Figes Sextet. Vazana’s own instrument had been “wrecked by an airline” and she is currently raising funds to buy a custom made replacement. Details can be found on her website.

Vazana’s latest album “Ke Haber” includes an inventive and effective merger of the Sting song “Shape Of My Heart” with Vazana’s own “Mi Korazon” and featured her at the piano singing a combination of English and Ladino lyrics.

A highly entertaining show concluded with the opening track of the “Ke Haber” album. “Cok Seni Severim” celebrates what is currently the world’s largest Ladino community, which is based in modern day Turkey. This featured Vazana’s piano playing and semi-operatic vocals.

This was a hugely entertaining show that also proved to be very informative. Vazana is a highly accomplished vocalist and multi-instrumentalist and is also a talented songwriter.

That said although this was a highly enjoyable live event I wasn’t totally convinced that I would want to listen to her music at home. I also found her relentless plugging of her merchandise a little wearing, and a bit too ‘show biz’ for a UK jazz audience.

The only other artist I know who sings in Ladino is the UK’s own Alice Zawadzki, who includes a number of traditional Ladino songs on her superb ECM album “Za Gorani”, released in 2024. I mentioned Zawadzki to Vazana, but surprisingly Vazana had never heard of her, although she was subsequently very keen to check her out. It’s nice to feel that you might have opened the door to some kind of link up or possible collaboration.

MOLECATCHER

Iain Ballamy – tenor sax, Rob Luft – guitar, Conor Chaplin – electric bass

The final performance of the day featured Molecatcher, a new project led by saxophonist Iain Ballamy and featuring the still comparatively young talents of guitarist Rob Luft and bassist Conor Chaplin.

It was a show that was particularly keenly awaited by jazz aficionados, a cross generational ‘chamber jazz’ trio with a drummerless line up that provided ample scope for plenty of intricate and intimate instrumental interplay.

Featuring a mix of ingeniously re-imagined jazz standards plus original compositions from Ballamy and Luft this felt a bit like a continuation of Ballamy’s Anorak project, a quartet that also delighted in subverting jazz standards, often in the form of contrafacts.

The Molecatcher name also suggests this. Ballamy is now a resident of the Somerset town of Frome, as are a whole host of other leading jazz musicians including Laura Jurd, Elliot Galvin, Dave Smith, John Law and Sam Crockatt. Ballamy spotted an advert pinned to a fence in the Somerset countryside advertising the services of a molecatcher – “no catch, no fee”. This appealed to Ballamy’s sense of humour and induced him to think of the new trio’s playing as being reminiscent of the behaviour of a mole – “when you hear the tunes he’s above ground, when we’re improvising he’s back in his tunnel again”. It’s a nice analogy that sums up the trio’s approach very well.

Ballamy honed his chops, and his humour, as a founder member of the great Loose Tubes, a British jazz institution that continues to exert a considerable influence on younger musicians such as Luft and Chaplin.

The trio began with Ballamy’s “Tranesong”, a re-harmonised version of John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” that inevitably ended up sounding completely different to the original. Breathy tenor sax combined with Luft’s immaculate, quasi orchestral guitar soundscapes and Chaplin’s fluidly melodic electric bass lines.

Luft’s command of a range of foot pedals plus a number of other floor mounted gizmos was masterful throughout, qualities that he also brings to his own groups. This was again emphasised on the trio’s version of Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “O Grande Amor”, introduced by a passage of unaccompanied tenor sax from Ballamy and also including fluent solos from Luft and Chaplin.

Ballamy described his composition “Green In Blue” as “being the famous Bill Evans tune ‘Blue In Green’ turned inside out and re-purposed”. Luft’s extended unaccompanied guitar intro included Stanley Jordan style ‘hammering on’ techniques plus further subtle use of his various effects. When Ballamy took over the melody he was answered by Luft’s counter melodies, with Chaplin’s bass also playing a key role in the resultant group interplay. Further individual features followed as the tune segued into the Jobim bossa “Antiguo” with both Luft and Ballamy featuring as soloists.

Luft’s contribution with the pen was “As Time Passes”, the title track of the excellent 2024 album released on the April record label by the international trio of Luft, Norwegian bassist Arild Andersen and Danish drummer Daniel Sommer. Tonight’s version featured Ballamy’s beguiling sax melodies and the composer’s immersive guitar soundscapes, all grounded by Chaplin’s anchoring five string electric bass. Eventually Chaplin was given his head with a melodic bass solo, followed by Ballamy on tenor as Luft continued to provide the lushly orchestrated backdrop. Having enjoyed and reviewed the original recording it was really good to hear this very different version.

Ballamy paid tribute to the late, great British pianist and composer John Taylor with his arrangement of Taylor’s composition “Rosicelli”, a tune that Ballamy’s IBQT quartet had played at their Music Spoken Here gig at The Marr’s Bar in Worcester in April 2024. Tonight it was introduced by a series of sax and guitar exchanges, with Ballamy eventually taking up the theme supported by Luft’s sensitive guitar chording. Chaplin’s lissom bass lines then supported fluent solos from Ballamy and Luft, the guitarist deploying a mix of finger picking and plectrum techniques, as he had done throughout the performance.

The final number saw Ballamy calling two guests to the stage to join the Molecatcher trio. These were his fellow Frome resident, trumpeter Laura Jurd, and his own son Charlie Ballamy, also a trumpeter. These two featured on a spacious, slowed down arrangement of the Dizzy Gillespie composition “Con Alma”. This was introduced by Jurd in conjunction with Luft and Chaplin, two of her regular musical associates. Charlie Ballamy was added, forming a two trumpet quartet, with Jurd taking the first solo. Iain bided his time before joining to add a typically fluent tenor sax solo. Charlie then came into his own with an assured trumpet solo that also borrowed from other jazz standards, I think I detected a snippet of “All The Things You Are” somewhere in there. He’s a highly promising young musician and it will be interesting to keep an eye on his progress – as it will be with regard to the core Molecatcher trio.

So ended a day of excellent music featuring five very different acts that took in a range of varied musical genres ranging through jazz, various forms of folk music and even a dash of prog rock. I enjoyed all of it as every artist ‘delivered the goods’, with the audience also contributing by creating an atmosphere that was warm and supportive throughout.

 

 

 

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