Saturday at Brecon Jazz, 10/08/2013.

Photograph of Phronesis by Tim Dickeson

Having taken a quick overview of the festival and its recent history as part of my Friday coverage I’ll move straight on to an excellent day of music beginning with;

JULIAN SIEGEL QUARTET

Multi reeds player Julian Siegel has developed into one of the UK’s most respected jazz musicians. The versatile Siegel plays tenor and soprano saxes, clarinet and bass clarinet with almost equal brilliance and is also an accomplished composer and conductor. He plays in settings ranging from the fiery jazz rock of Partisans, the band he co-leads with guitarist Phil Robson, to the more conventional environs of the BBC Big Band and all points in between.

In recent years Siegel’s main focus has been this largely acoustic quartet featuring Liam Noble on piano and occasional synthesiser, Oli Hayhurst on double bass and Siegel’s Partisans colleague Gene Calderazzo at the drums. This line up recorded “UrbanTheme Park”, one of the best British jazz releases of 2011 and Siegel has toured the album extensively. I’ve seen this music performed in a pub (Dempsey’s in Cardiff) and an arts centre (The Edge, Much Wenlock) and now it was the turn of a cathedral. I have to admit that it was something of a culture shock to see streetwise, chain smoking ex pat New Yorker Gene Calderazzo performing in a church but that’s Brecon Jazz for you.

As ever the performers were introduced by the Dean of the Cathedral, this time sporting “a new waistcoat but an old hat”. Siegel began on clarinet duetting briefly with Noble as the pianist delved into his instrument’s innards. When Calderazzo entered the proceedings Siegel reached for his tenor and delivered a lengthy and powerful solo, if pushed I’m sure Julian would probably describe the tenor as his main instrument and his playing of it was hugely impressive here. The saxophonist was followed by Noble, an inventive and highly distinctive piano soloist with a percussive style that sounds as if it may be derived from Thelonious Monk or Dave Brubeck but is now very much his own. Initially the piano sound was little clanky and distorted but the sound engineers gradually sorted it out over the course of the set. This opening piece wasn’t announced but I’d wager that it was “Six Four”, also the opener on the quartet’s latest album.

The ballad “Heartsong” saw Siegel returning to the clarinet and duetting superbly with Noble on the
intro before further solos from Noble at the piano and Hayhurst on the bass. When introducing the band Siegel made great play of the fact that Hayhurst and Calderazzo have recently been acting as the rhythm section for the great American saxophonist Pharaoh Sanders on the latter’s European jaunts.

“One For J.T.” was dedicated to the great British pianist John Taylor who had played in this space two years earlier with the Anglo-Norwegian chamber jazz group Meadow. Siegel’s tune was in no way a pastiche of Taylor’s classically influenced style, instead it unleashed a boppish, helter skelter theme with Siegel taking the first solo in garrulous style on tenor. Noble’s extended solo piano break mid tune was powerfully percussive, his avant garde stylings owing more to Cecil Taylor than John.
It might not have sounded like you’d expect a John Taylor tribute to sound but it was a hugely enjoyable tour de force all the same.

The more reflective “Lifeline” saw Noble switching to synthesiser and occasionally doubling up on piano for a spacey, sometimes brooding dialogue between his keyboards and Siegel’s bass clarinet.

Siegel isn’t always the greatest one for tune announcements but the quartet’s next piece with its fiendishly tricky head delivered some of the quartet’s most fervent soloing with Siegel leading the way on tenor before stepping back to let Noble take over. The pianist was in quite inspired form urged on by the propulsive bass of Hayhurst and Calderazzo’s fizzing cymbal work. The leader gazed on, clearly admiring the efforts of his colleagues and sometimes clapping along in encouragement. Finally he picked up his tenor again for a thrilling set of exchanges with the fiery Calderazzo. I’m almost certain that this was their version of American pianist Cedar Walton’s “Fantasy in D” which also appears on the “Urban Theme Park” album.

It was encouraging to see a couple of newer pieces included in the set. For all his talents Siegel has been criminally under recorded over the years with a decade long gap between “Urban Theme Park” and its predecessor “Close Up”. Even the mighty Partisans have released a mere four albums in their fifteen year plus existence but every one has been of the highest quality. Let’s hope a second album by this quartet becomes a reality before too long.

“Grow Your Hair” represented the first of a brace of new tunes, its clipped, odd meter rhythms giving it a cerebrally funky air as Siegel led the way on tenor followed by Noble at the piano and Hayhurst at the bass, the latter revealing himself to be a highly inventive and melodic bass soloist.

The second new piece was “Full Circle” which segued into the lengthy mini suite “Game Of Cards”, the centre piece of the “Urban Theme Park” album. Here Siegel picked up his soprano for the only time guiding his band mates through the roller coaster stylistic and dynamic changes. His soloing on “Full Circle” had something of John Coltrane’s spirituality about it as he probed deeply above the sound of Noble’s rippling piano arpeggios and Calderazzo’s rolling toms. On “Game Of Cards” his playing was equally serpentine with Hayhurst and Noble also making significant solo contributions.

Siegel can always be relied upon to deliver, particularly in the company of such accomplished musicians as Noble, Hayhurst and Calderazzo. I may have seen the majority of this music performed before but it’s not something that I’m likely to grow tired of. This was an excellent start to the second day of the festival with Siegel and his colleagues earning an excellent reception from a sizeable Cathedral audience. 

RWCMD @ BRECON FESTIVAL 2013

The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama based in Cardiff has formed close links with Brecon Jazz Festival over the years. Its annual showcase has become part of the festival calendar and this year’s presentation featuring senior students was one of the best events that the College has staged here. 

At a packed Guildhall the students rose to the occasion playing in a variety of ensembles under the guidance of student conductors James Clark and Daniel Smith and guest conductors Huw Warren and Iain Ballamy, both visiting tutors at the College. The concert was compered by Paula Gardiner, head of Jazz at RWCMD.

I’d seen a number of these young musicians perform before at the RWCMD Big Band’s annual visits to Black Mountain Jazz in Abergavenny. However as enjoyable as those occasions were this was to be even better with the young musicians tackling some tricky charts featuring both jazz standards and original material, some of it written by the students themselves.

The first ensemble was led by young pianist (and sometime accordionist) James Clark, a sixteen piece big band who had dubbed themselves The Lonely Hearts Rugby Club. Under the baton of guest conductor Huw Warren they delivered two superb performances of Warren’s pieces “Romila”, dating from 1990 and “Whistling Rufus” from Warren’s 1997 album ” A Barrel Organ Far From Home” (Babel Records).

The first of these grew from a free form opening dominated by the drums and percussion of Lloyd Haines and Rod Oughton into a groove driven piece propelled by electric bass and featuring Loose Tubes style horns with features for twin alto saxes and trumpet. “Whistling Rufus” was similarly rousing and joyous with Clark soloing fluently at the piano either side of features for alto and tenor saxophone.

Next up was a “tentet” directed by young baritone saxophonist Daniel Smith playing arrangements by trumpeter Steve Waterman, a tutor at the College but not able to be present today. This grouping featuring four reeds, two trumpets,euphonium, piano, bass and drums first tackled Tadd Dameron’s “Ladybird” with solos for piano and tenor sax and a series of drum breaks from Oughton.
Appropriately a richly textured arrangement of Gerry Mulligan’s “Night Lights” featured Smith himself on baritone with further solos from piano, electric bass and trumpet. 

Iain Ballamy both conducted and played tenor sax with the third ensemble featuring himself as a soloist on “One For Gary”, a dedication to a now departed seller of organic vegetables at London’s Borough market. A typically quirky Ballamy theme was introduced by Clark at the piano and the piece also included a feature for drummer Lloyd Haines. 

Ballamy’s “What’s In A Name?” was closer to straight ahead jazz and featured the alto sax of Glen Manby, a mature student at the College who has been leading his own groups in the South Wales area for more than twenty years and was once a member of cult Cardiff band and Brecon favourites The Root Doctors. Other solos came from Teddy Smith on trumpet, Ballamy on tenor and guest trombonist Ian Perry, a last minute dep drawn from the ranks of the popular South Wales based community band Wonderbrass.

Perry also featured with the returning Lonely Hearts Rugby Club who rounded off the afternoon by playing three tunes under the directorship of pianist James Clark. The first was a Hermeto Pascoal tune that demonstrated the ensemble’s command of Latin rhythms with solos coming from trumpeters Teddy Smith and Gideon Brookes, the latter heavily vocalised with Brookes using the plunger mute to create a “wah wah” effect.

Clark’s own “Ecnuob” (“Bounce” backwards) was a remarkably mature piece of large ensemble writing combining joyous and frequently dazzling ensemble passages with interludes of squalling dissonance. A notable soloist was Daniel Smith who had now switched to alto. “Thank you,Daniel” chorused his band mates at the conclusion of his solo, another neat Loose Tubes like touch, the spirit of the much missed Tubes was very much present in many of the arrangements and was, of course, represented in person by the presence of Mr Ballamy. 

Finally we were treated to an celebratory version of a Dudu Pukwana tune, the joyful Township sounds bringing back memories of Pukwana playing with his group Zila at the Market Hall more years ago than I care to remember.  Even your correspondent was up and dancing. No room for that today but the music was still great with Alex Haines, Lloyd’s twin, excelling on guitar alongside Perry’s fruity trombone and the tenor sax of Bryn Davies.

This was a hugely enjoyable event and even I was surprised by just how good the playing was. It would appear that the future of jazz in Wales and beyond is in good hands if the standard of these young musicians is anything to go by. With so many different permutations it’s perhaps not surprising that some tune titles and names got lost in translation so apologies to anyone I haven’t mentioned. A few names I did catch were Joe Atkin Reeve (sax and flute), Jess Bullen (soprano sax), Rod Griffin (tenor sax) and Jon Reynolds (euphonium and percussion).  But well done everybody and if anyone can supply a full list of personnel I’ll happily add it to this posting. Thanks.

PHRONESIS

At Theatr Brycheiniog Phronesis managed to turn a minor disaster into a major triumph.
The Anglo-Scandivian trio led by Danish bassist Jasper Hoiby and featuring English pianist Ivo Neame and Swedish drummer Anton Eger has been one of the big jazz success stories of recent years, a group that has steadily grown its audience without in any way compromising its music.

I’m pleased to report that The Jazzmann has been on board almost since the beginning, my 2007 review of the trio’s d?but album “Organic Warfare” now seems remarkably prescient. Much of the group’s reputation has stemmed from the excellence of their exciting live performances and indeed it was their third album “Alive” , recorded in concert at The Forge in Camden in 2010, that really broke the band both in the UK and abroad. Phronesis are among a handful of contemporary European acts to have made something of a mark in the USA.

I’ve been fortunate enough to see Phronesis live on a number of occasions but today was a bit special as the group were presenting a whole raft of new material which is scheduled to be recorded for their second live album (and fifth overall) at a performance in the round at the Cockpit Theatre, Marylebone, London over the course of two evenings (16th and 17th November 2013) during London Jazz Festival. The quality of the new tunes suggests that this might just be the best Phronesis album yet.

However things did not immediately go well. During the first number Eger contrived to knock one of his floor toms off the drum riser, the drum crashing to the floor of the stage and scattering sticks, brushes and mallets everywhere. Unperturbed the band played on, Hoiby motioning to Neame to take an unscheduled solo as a technician scuttled onto the stage and restored the drum to its rightful position. He forgot to pick up the sticks though and Eger had to gather them up in the break between tunes.

Such an incident might have unsettled some bands but not these guys. If anything it galvanised them for this was a performance of remarkable power and invention. Driven by Hoiby’s huge bass sound they were clearly “up for it” and played with an extraordinary level of conviction.

As well as being the propulsive engine room of the band Hoiby is also an astonishingly fluent bass soloist, his extended features notable not only for remarkable levels of imagination and technical expertise but also an extraordinary degree of physical resourcefulness. The level of intensity Hoiby brings to his playing is hard work but it’s a task he seems to relish. Phronesis always seem to be having great fun, delighting in the musical dare, always spurring one another on to new heights. There’s a sense of joyousness and a profound and justified self confidence that seems to communicate itself to audiences.

The irrepressible Eger is a remarkable drummer, busy but sensitive and restlessly inventive. In a highly interactive group he’s often the focus as his sticks chatter around the rims and his imaginative use of cymbals and small percussive devices add multiple levels of detail to his drumming. Using a variety of sticks, brushes and mallets and changing these with remarkable alacrity he’s a musician who is just bursting with ideas and who takes an almost child like delight in his playing.

Next to these two extroverts Neame cuts a more thoughtful figure but he remains the harmonic glue that holds this group together. A hugely gifted player he’s improved immeasurably over the course of the last five years and is now one of the most in demand pianists in the UK and beyond. Phronesis offers him the chance to really stretch out and let his hair down and besides his role as the harmonic centre of the group he’s also a highly fluent and imaginative soloist.

In my review of “Organic Warfare” I spoke of Hoiby’s flair for melody being matched by his way with a groove. These are qualities that have combined to make his group hugely successful and on the evidence of today’s performance both are still fully intact. These new tunes exhibited all the trio’s strengths and all of them sounded absolutely terrific. Most combined melodic accessibility with complex rhythmic patterns and a strong sense of groove but one thing that was notable was Hoiby’s more frequent use of the bow, something which added an extra layer of emotional depth to the music. 

Alongside the typically powerful groove driven tunes we also heard gentler, ballad like pieces such as “Life To Everything” and “Fraternal” with Eger sticking to brushes and with Hoiby’s solos combining airy lyricism with deep resonance.

“Herne Hill”, dedicated to the group’s manager, “Behind Bars”, a musical reference, and “Fly On The Floor” represented more conventional Phronesis fare and were introduced by Hoiby in his endearingly rambling announcing style that sometimes sends up his command of English.

Despite that early mishap the trio quickly reeled the crowd in with the sheer skill and daring of their playing. The grooves and hooks were little short of hypnotic and at the end the crowd at a packed Theatr Brycheiniog rose as one to give them the first standing ovation of the weekend. The trio were even allowed the luxury of an encore, dipping into the repertoire of their most recent album “Walking Dark” to perform “Suede Trees”, Eger’s restless polyrhythmic flow spurring his colleagues to fresh heights before he crowned his performance with a closing drum feature.

From an inauspicious start Phronesis had delivered the gig of the day, if not the entire festival. On the evidence of this performance the forthcoming album might just be their best yet.

LAURENCE COTTLE TRIO

This event at the Castle Hotel was subtitled “featuring Mornington Lockett and Ian Thomas”, an indication perhaps of the spirit of interaction and the feeling that like Phronesis, albeit in a very different way, this was a trio of equals.

Swansea born but now London based Cottle is arguably the UK jazz scene’s leading electric bass specialist, a fluent, fluid effortlessly funky player capable of playing across a variety of jazz styles. He’s worked with everybody from Bill Bruford to Pee Wee Ellis and had released three albums under his own name.

This good natured set found him jamming on a variety of jazz and bebop standards in the company of tenor saxophonist Mornington Lockett and drummer Ian Thomas, the latter also Welsh born and a veteran of the rock and pop session scene having toured and recorded with a string of household names ? Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Elton John etc. However Thomas has a long association with Cottle and loves nothing more than returning to his jazz roots, he certainly seemed to be enjoying himself here. The same applied to Lockett who seemed to relish the freedom afforded to him in a piano-less line up. I’ve witnessed Lockett perform several times over the years, usually with local pick up rhythm sections but I’ve never seen him solo as fluently and imaginatively as here,  something to do with the quality of the company he was keeping I suspect.

The trio commenced with their unique take on the standard “Everything I Love”, radically re-harmonised and given the alternative title “Live And Give Theory”, an anagram created by saxophonist Mark Lockheart, an inveterate crossworder with a profound love of wordplay. Cottle was playing a five string electric bass on which he deployed a guitar like tone, probably inspired by Steve Swallow, his solos incorporating full chording and with the bassist making extensive use of his thumb to provide added rhythmic variation. Lockett made a towering contribution on tenor as man mountain Thomas steered the music in a funkier direction before rounding off the tune with a series of sparky drum breaks.

A similarly imaginative arrangement of “Ricardo Bossa Nova” saw Thomas’ relentless rhythmic flow fuelling magnificent solos from Lockett and Cottle, the latter’s dizzying melodic variations transcending what should be possible with five strings and double the amount of fingers.

Next the trio took a diversion into more obvious funk territory on an unannounced item with a real urban funk feel. Cottle and Thomas began the piece with an extended bass and drum jam before Lockett weighed in on honking, foghorn like tenor before a brutal closing salvo from Thomas at the drums. It wasn’t subtle but it was very exciting.

The trio’s take on Hoagy Carmichael’s “Skylark” showed that they could be sensitive too although it was a shame that Cottle’s supremely melodic solo bass intro and subsequent duet with Lockett were accompanied by the sound of clattering crockery from the hotel’s kitchens. With Thomas deploying brushes the trio seemed undeterred and the piece closed with a lovely solo tenor sax cadenza.

A medley of bebop tunes signalled another change in direction with the trio expertly navigating the tricky twists and turns of Michel Petrucciani’s “My Bebop Tune”, John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” and Charlie Parker’s “Donna Lee”.

Announcing Pat Metheny’s “Question and Answer” Cottle recalled the visit of the great American guitarist to Brecon in 1992 when Metheny played in the Market Hall with a trio featuring bassist Dave Holland and drummer Roy Haynes. Thomas channelled the spirit of the latter with a solo drum intro and later extended feature and the expansive solos of Cottle and Lockett were pretty impressive too as the trio fairly tore into this modern day classic.

The trio finished off with a segue combining two of the most famous compositions in the world of jazz. The ballad “Body And Soul” featured exquisite dialogue between Cottle and Lockett underscored by Thomas’ brushed grooves. Lockett’s solo sax cadenza then formed the link into Duke Ellington’s “Caravan” this being given an inventive funk treatment with some thrillingly rapid interchanges between Lockett and Thomas. 

Summoned back for a well deserved encore the trio delivered an irresistible amalgam of bebop, blues and funk within the course of a single tune as Cottle produced his most Jaco-like playing of the evening. Great stuff.

Although this set didn’t offer anything stunningly original it was still a hugely enjoyable way to round off an excellent day’s music with all three musicians in terrific form and clearly enjoying what they were doing. Like the other events it was also very well attended, further evidence that Brecon Jazz is definitely on the up again.

Ian’s star ratings;

Julian Siegel ? 4 Stars

RWCMD- 3.5 Stars

Phronesis ? 4.5 Stars

Laurence Cottle ? 3.5 Stars

 

 

 

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