Photograph of Paul Rogers by Pam Mann

Fifth Annual Bath Jazz Weekend, Widcombe Social Club, Bath, Sunday 5th January 2025.

RIBBONS

Sara Colman – vocals, Rebecca Nash – piano, Henrik Jensen – double bass, Jonathan Silk - drums

The final afternoon of the fifth annual Bath Jazz Weekend presented three engaging, but very different sets of music, beginning with a performance by the quartet Ribbons, co-led by vocalist Sara Colman and pianist Rebecca Nash, two musicians with close links to the jazz scenes in both Birmingham and Bristol.

Colman and Nash are long term collaborators, Nash having appeared on Colman’s albums “”What We’re Made Of” (2018)  and Ink On A Pin” (2022), the latter a homage to Joni Mitchell. Meanwhile Colman guests on Nash’s debut solo album “Peaceful King” (2019).

The Ribbons project sees the pair collaborating as songwriters and an album release is due later in 2025.  It’s a collaboration that began in lockdown when they retreated to a cottage in a forest to write new material together, drawing inspiration from jazz, folk and classical music, plus the music of such great contemporary songwriters as Joni Mitchell and Paul Simon.

Much of today’s set was based around these new songs with the co-leaders being joined by two sympathetic regular collaborators in the shapes of bassist Henrik Jensen and drummer Jonathan Silk.

Unaccompanied piano introduced “Lost for Words”, with Colman subsequently joining Nash in an intimate piano and vocal duet.
The addition of double bass and brushed drums marked the transition into the song “Ribbons”, the performance incorporating a melodic double bass solo from the always excellent Jensen plus an expansive, but flowingly lyrical piano solo from Nash. Today’s show was the pianist’s second performance of the Weekend following her performance in the very different musical environment of alto saxophonist Dee Byrne’s Outlines sextet the previous day.

The lyrics to “Don’t Go Turning Over Stones” were based on Colman’s perceptions of Nash’s natural inquisitiveness and featured the cautionary chorus “Don’t Go Turning Over Stones Looking For Trouble”, but the advice went unheeded as Nash unleashed a turbulent and thrillingly adventurous piano solo. A word too for the empathic performance of drummer Silk, who gravitated between brushes and sticks as the music required.

Colman has enjoyed a fruitful working relationship with the Scottish vocalist and songwriter Sophie Bancroft, whose drummer brother Tom has appeared with the Secret Path Trio the previous day. “Sophie’s Song”, with a lyric about Colman and Sophie looking for the Northern Lights in Cromarty, Scotland, was based around the melody of the Wayne Shorter composition “Night Dreamer” and featured a celebratory piano solo from Nash.

Colman and Nash are not afraid to tackle serious subjects and “The Gardener” addressed the situation of women in Afghanistan under the rule of the Taliban, “where cats and squirrels have more rights than women”. Introduced by a passage of unaccompanied bass by Jensen and including further instrumental features from Nash and Silk this was a powerful song with a powerful message.

“Noble Heart” was a vocal version of the Nash composition “Palladium”, a tune from Nash’s all instrumental album “Redefining Element 78”. One of Nash’s most memorable melodies here featured lyrics from Colman paying heartfelt tribute to a deceased friend. Introduced by unaccompanied piano, followed by a voice and piano duet this was a true jazz ballad, a delightfully lyrical tune embellished by Colman’s soulful vocals and poetic lyrics, and later augmented by the sympathetic support of double bass and brushed drums.

The set closed with a joyous rendition of the Joni Mitchell song “Chelsea Morning”, one of the tracks from Colman’s “Ink On A Pin” album. A scat vocal introduction saw Colman exchanging ideas with Silk before going on to trade further ideas with Nash. This was a stunningly original
re-interpretation of a familiar song that even included a collective near free jazz episode.

It was an item that went down extremely well with yet another large and supportive crowd. BJW organiser Nod Knowles had been concerned that audience numbers might have been down on the final day, but in the event he needn’t have worried, with most of the loyal listeners staying right to the end, despite the numerous warnings of inclement weather.

A deserved encore saw the quartet again drawing upon Colman’s Joni project with a version of Mitchell’s “Black Crow” that placed an equal emphasis on Colman’s evocative and technically accomplished singing and Nash’s fluent and expansive piano soloing.

Through their years of playing music together Colman and Nash have established an impressive rapport and their move into songwriting represents the next logical step for their creative partnership. On the evidence of today’s performance the results thus far have been very impressive and the forthcoming album will be awaited with considerable interest.

For today’s show Jensen and Silk provided excellent rhythmic support and I assume that both will feature on the album, with saxophonist Iain Ballamy and multi-instrumentalists Ruth Hammond and Percy Pursglove also scheduled to be involved.

All of those present today will wish to hear “Ribbons” when it eventually becomes available.

SAROST; STABBINS / ROGERS / SANDERS

Larry Stabbins – tenor & soprano saxophones, Paul Rogers – bass, Mark Sanders – drums & percussion

The Keith Tippett thread that was running through the Weekend found expression on this final afternoon via an extraordinary performance from Sarost, a trio with a band name based upon those of its members, drummer Mark Sanders, bassist Paul Rogers and saxophonist Larry Stabbins, three comparative veterans of the British free jazz and improv scene.

Both Stabbins and Rogers were regular collaborators with Tippett back in the day, Stabbins playing in Tippett’s large ensembles such as Centipede and Tapestry Orchestra while Rogers was a member of the long running collaborative quartet Mujician, which featured himself and Tippett alongside saxophonist Paul Dunmall and drummer Tony Levin.

All three members of Sarost are veterans of the British free jazz and improvised music scene and have recorded prolifically, although Stabbins took some time out for a number of years, only returning to the fray fairly recently.

I’ve seen all three musicians at various times over the years, Stabbins with Tippett’s Tapestry Orchestra and with his own Stonephace group and Rogers with Tapestry Orchestra and the Tippett small groups Mujician and Rotor.

But it’s probably Sanders’ playing that I was previously most familiar with after seeing him with numerous groups over the years at gigs in Birmingham, Cheltenham and the now sadly closed Queens Head pub in Monmouth where Sanders appeared on a regular basis with such musicians as saxophonist Paul Dunmall and guitarist / clarinettist Alex Ward. I have also reviewed several recordings with which Sanders has been involved.

“Welcome to the Old School”, Stabbins announced, acknowledging the trio’s veteran status as they commenced their performance by embarking on an immersive thirty five minute improvisation based around one of the themes from Tippett’s 1978 “Frames” album, on which Stabbins played.
It was introduced by the remarkable sounds of Rogers’ unaccompanied double bass, an extraordinary seven string instrument shaped like a mandolin that also had a further series of sympathetic strings located below the main ones. A true virtuoso Rogers conjured an astonishing range of sounds from this custom built beauty, particularly with the bow as he created ringing overtones and cello like sonorities during the course of this spellbinding introductory passage.

Stabbins, playing tenor sax,  and Sanders gradually found their way into the music as Rogers put down the bow, his pizzicato technique including both plucking and strumming. His muscular bass lines, together with the polyrhythmic flow of Sanders’ increasingly dynamic drumming, helped to fuel Stabbins’ ferocious tenor sax shredding as the music built to molten levels of intensity.

Rogers continued to move between pizzicato and arco techniques as the music demanded and throughout the set probably played with the bow more often than not. Sanders was then featured with an unaccompanied drum episode that saw him deploying a combination of sticks and bare hands and also picking up a hand held gong possessed of an extraordinarily deep resonance. This instrument was featured during the course of an absorbing dialogue with Rogers’ grainy arco bass as both musicians explored the lower ranges of their respective instruments.

When Rogers began to explore the higher registers of his sympathetic strings Stabbins returned to action, this time playing soprano saxophone and entering into a dialogue with Rogers as Sanders dropped out. Stabbins’ spontaneous sax melodies were answered by shards of counter melody from Rogers’ plucked bass. The results were immersive and hypnotic, with Stabbins’ soprano taking on an increasingly incantatory tone. There was also the arresting spectacle (and sound) of Rogers using a plastic finger slide on the sympathetic strings in the manner of a blues slide guitarist.

Although punctuated by the sounds of Sanders’ gong Rogers’ use of the slide presaged an unaccompanied bass episode that involved both arco and pizzicato techniques and which featured some almost impossibility deep bowed sonorities. Interestingly Rogers deployed a range of bows throughout the set, not just the sole device deployed by most double bassists.

When Stabbins returned once more he was brandishing his tenor sax as this opening improvisation began to build towards a climax, with several diversions along the way including further sax / bass and drum / bass dialogues. When the three musicians finally came together they generated an enormous power with Stabbins’ sax shredding again powered by the relentless polyrhyhmic flow of Sanders’ drumming, this section coming to boiling point via the extraordinary high register sounds produced by Stabbins’ tenor.

The inevitable damping down of the improvisatory flames came with the sounds of arco bass, mallet rumbles and the eventual return of the initial Tippett theme, which gradually faded away with the sounds of tenor sax and double bass underpinned by Sanders’ cymbal work, a combination of delicate filigree and harsh scrapings.

The trio’s second improvisation was a little shorter, at only twenty minutes or so duration. It was introduced by a flurry of notes from Rogers on bowed bass, answered by Stabbins on soprano sax who generated a series of almost bat like squeaks and demonstrated his prodigious circular breathing technique. A more discernible sax melody emerged as Rogers put down the bow and Sanders joined the equation, sometimes puncturing the flow with a series of drum explosions. A bass and drum dialogue then ensued, followed by an unaccompanied drum episode, with Rogers then returning with the bow to continue the conversation. Stabbins then waded in with some plangent tenor sax as the improvisation entered the finishing straight, a race for the line fuelled by the polyrhyhmic rumble of Sanders’ drums, Rogers bowing and Stabbins’ visceral sax shredding. One had to marvel at the sheer stamina and physical resourcefulness of these three comparative veterans, and particularly that of Rogers and Sanders.

Leading the rapturous applause Nod Knowles described the trio’s set as “absolutely spectacular” and as “ridiculous” (in a good way of course!). It was difficult to disagree with him. This extraordinary set really was one THE highlights of the entire Weekend and Rogers’ performance on that distinctive custom made bass was truly astonishing.

I haven’t heard much genuinely free improv since the Queens Head in Monmouth closed down and today’s performance by the mighty Sarost made me realise just how much I miss it. Thanks Larry, Paul and Mark for such an amazing performance and to Nod for bringing them to Bath.

HUW WARREN and ANGHARAD JENKINS; CALENNIG, NEW YEAR’S GIFT

Huw Warren – piano, Angharad Jenkins – vocals, violins

The very first album that I reviewed in 2024 was “Calennig”, a duo recording by pianist Huw Warren and vocalist / violinist Angharad Jenkins.
https://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/angharad-jenkins-and-huw-warren-calennig

“Calennig” means “New Year’s Gift” and the album liner notes provide the best summation of the inspirations behind the music;
“Calennig is the Welsh tradition of celebrating and welcoming the New Year. It symbolises hope and new beginnings. With these qualities in mind, we have taken a fresh look at some of the traditional music of Wales at Christmas and New Year, with a particular focus on the beautiful, ancient Plygain carols.
These carols would normally be heard unaccompanied, and most often in three-part harmony during the Plygain services of rural Wales, a tradition which has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years. Whilst we’ve stayed true to the melodies and lyrics of these carols, they are dressed here in different clothes.
This is a contemporary Welsh album which draws inspiration from, and deeply respects the unique traditions of Wales, but dances somewhere between the sonic worlds of jazz and folk”.

Introducing today’s show Jenkins described herself as a “folkie”, but like Warren, nominally the ‘jazz’ half of the equation, she is also a free thinking and versatile musician, more than capable of blurring and crossing musical boundary lines.

This final performance of the day was also the last in BJW’s jazz / folk strand and acted as an effective contrast to the sound and fury of Sarost’s set.

The performance began with an unaccompanied piano introduction that incorporated the sounds of dampened strings. A crystalline piano melody then underscored Jenkins’ speaking in both Welsh and English and explaining something about the Calennig project. She concluded with the memorable quote; “Tradition is not the worship of ashes but the preservation of fire”, a phrase that sums up the duo’s ethos perfectly as they approach the Plygain with total respect but bring something of themselves and their own times to it.

Album opener “Awn I Fethlem”  which features music and words written by Rhys Pritchard saw Jenkins singing the Welsh language lyric accompanied by Warren’s lyrical pianism.  Hitherto Jenkins has been best known as a violinist but she’s also a hugely accomplished singer and her primary role in this duo is as a vocalist, with her violin deployed more sparingly to provide moments of colour and texture. The singer’s role suits her and she gave an excellent vocal performance on the “Calennig” album, and again today.

“Wel, Dyma’r Bore Gore I Gyd” (translating as “The Best Christmas Morning”) combined a traditional melody with words by Dafydd Ddu Eryri   and featured the same combination of pure toned vocals and lyrical piano. The fact that Jenkins sings in a language unfamiliar to English speakers is immaterial. The inherent beauty of the music and the sentiments of the words still shine through. English speaking listeners who have taken the music of Scots Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis to their hearts could no doubt do the same with this duo, it’s the beauty of the overall sound that beguiles, regardless of language.

Next came what the duo described as “a mash-up” of original instrumental tunes, one composed by Warren and the other by Jenkins. The titles remained unannounced but I suspect that Warren’s may have been “Clec”, a piece from the repertoire of one of his other projects, the quartet Perfect Houseplants. This segue featured folk inspired violin melodies, Warren’s increasingly percussive piano soloing and some vigorous instrumental interplay between Warren and Jenkins. Nevertheless it was still a performance that fitted in well with the overall aesthetic of the Calennig project.

Jenkins described the Plygain carols as being passed down the generations and the annual carol concerts featuring family groups singing in three part harmony as being the 16th century equivalent of a jazz jam session or open mic night. She sang the ancient “Ar Fore Dydd Nadolig” from her Plygain carol book,  “Hen Garolau Cymru”, her singing of the verses punctuated by two solo piano passages from Warren, who brought a contemporary jazz feel to the venerable folk melody.

The Calennig project was initially commissioned during the lockdown period and Warren and Jenkins first collaborated on line, liaising on three pieces that worked so successfully that they decided to research more pieces with the view to recording a full length album. The National Library of Wales proved to be an invaluable ally in this regard, with Jenkins acknowledging the institution’s support. The Calennig project has been a huge success, with album sales boosted by an appearance on the BBC Radio 4 programme Loose Ends, alongside Max Boyce. As a result the CD is now nearly sold out.

“Calennig”,  the tune, is an instrumental piece performed here on piano and violin with both players taking the opportunity to impress with their instrumental prowess. The music of the Calennig project has also been performed at a special concert at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff with Warren and Jenkins accompanied by a fifteen piece ensemble.

“Darth Nadolol 2020” features the words of two different lyricists, John Jones on the first two verses and Ceri Wynn Jones on the third. Jenkins’ expressive singing of the Welsh language lyrics was augmented by an expansive piano solo that embraced jazz, folk and classical elements,

“Roedd yn y Wlad Honno” featured a particularly affecting melody, plus words by Sion Ebrill. It also included short passages of unaccompanied piano from Warren, not jazz solos as such but concise statements that confirmed his mastery of the instrument. Warren’s playing, derived from a wide variety of musical sources, exploited the full sonic potential of the piano and was often stunningly beautiful.
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A second Jenkins original. “’Dolig Abertawe” brought the composer’s fiddle to the fore on a folk inspired melody that again fitted in perfectly with the ethos of the album as a whole. This was a sparkling duet that included superb contributions from both musicians, culminating in a dialogue featuring pizzicato violin and the sound of dampened piano strings.

An extended solo piano introduction that included dramatic classical style flourishes ushered in the melancholic “Myn Mair”, with its low end piano rumblings complementing Jenkins’ sombre but emotive vocals.

Finally we heard “Y Bore Ganwyd Iesu”, a more upbeat and celebratory offering  with Jenkins’ vocals expressing a genuine joyfulness, sung to a simple piano accompaniment, but with Warren adding more ornate flourishes during the fleeting solo piano passages. The closing section also saw Jenkins picking up the bow to deliver some rousing violin playing.

The timeless beauty of this ancient music allied to the superb singing and playing ensured that this was another performance that was very well received by the large and supportive audience, who had braved the rapidly deteriorating weather to stay on right to the end of the Weekend.

The deserved encore was “Hosanna Mwy”, a song familiar to many Welsh people, with some members of the audience able to sing along when invited to do so by Jenkins.

This performance of the Calennig repertoire really was a very special New Year’s Gift, as was the Bath Jazz Weekend as a whole. My thanks to Angharad Jenkins for engaging in a long chat with my wife and I and for providing me with a copy of the duo’s set list.

Thanks too to Nod Knowles and his team for an excellent weekend of jazz that featured an admirably diverse programme that embraced a variety of jazz genres as well as incorporating a strong folk / jazz strand. Every act delivered in its own way and many of the performances were truly inspired, with the audiences also playing their part in making this 5th Annual Bath Jazz Weekend such a successful event.

Although inevitably keeping a weather eye open I hope to be able to return in 2026.

 

 

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