David Lyttle “Dark Tales” Quartet

Dempsey’s, Cardiff, 13/10/2010

The young Belfast based drummer and composer David Lyttle is a pivotal presence on the Irish jazz scene working extensively both in Northern Ireland and the Republic. He also has close links with the international jazz community and has brought many top musicians to play in Ireland. In short Lyttle is a “mover and shaker”, much in the manner of bassist Michael Janisch, Lyttle’s rhythm partner in the “Dark Tales” Quartet.

The “Dark Tales” project sees Lyttle presenting a series of his compositions inspired by the dark side of the writings of Charles Dickens, Robert Louis Stephenson and Edgar Allan Poe. The band he has recruited to bring these pieces to life also includes the gifted pianist Robert Mitchell and from Pennsylvania, USA, the saxophonist Tim Warfield, a heavyweight musician best known for his tenure with the Christian McBride Band. Lyttle has worked with all four musicians individually before, but tonight’s performance at a rather chilly Dempsey’s at the beginning of a UK and Ireland tour was the first time the “Dark Tales” Quartet had ever played together.

Understandably they were a little tentative on the opening “For C.D.”, a dedication to Charles Dickens, as they attuned both to each other and the acoustics of the room. Solos came from Warfield on tenor and Mitchell on piano who produced a series of stunning right hand clusters in an early demonstration of his prodigious technique. There were also features for the always excellent Janisch, his tone huge and supple and for the wiry Lyttle, a musician who plays with an intense sense of involvement.

Lyttle writes strong themes, what he describes as “short form melodies with plenty of space for improvisation”, and there was an immediate improvement on “The Signalman” a piece inspired by one of Dickens’ most memorable short stories. Mitchell’s advanced harmonic conception is perfectly suited to Lytlle’s music and he took the first solo on this atmospheric piece. Dickens’ tale is a ghost story and Lyttle’s eerie cymbal scrapings helped to establish a mood of foreboding prior to solos from the sharp suited Warfield on tenor, visibly growing in confidence, and from Janisch at the bass. The latter was given plenty of solo room during the course of the evening and in view of his formidable abilities rightly so.

Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” proved to be a particularly rich source of inspiration for the “Dark Tales” suite. As Lyttle explained to the audience the original story is far darker and unsettling than the sanitised BBC and Disney versions we’ve been presented with since would suggest. “Tiny Tim” was introduced by a passage of sparse solo piano from Mitchell, the pianist letting notes hang in the air as he made maximum use of silence and space. In effect this was the ballad number of the first set with Warfield on feathery soprano and with Lyttle quietly effective with the brushes. Solos came from Warfield and Mitchell with Janisch picking up his bow for the closing bars of this beautiful piece.

To close the first half Lyttle turned to the writings of Edgar Allan Poe as the inspiration for “The Raven”.This was essentially a two part composition with an eerie, atmospheric first section followed by a more urgent second half in which the fiery playing of the group reflected the inner turmoil felt by the protagonist of Poe’s disturbing tale. Janisch’s plucked bass began the piece (later he also deployed the bow) with Lyttle subsequently joining him, striking his drums and cymbals with his bare hands. Warfield’s soprano work here was substantially different, more biting and urgent and reflecting the influence of John Coltrane. His impassioned solo in the second half of the tune was his best of the night thus far.

The claustrophobic air continued at the start of the second set with “Letter From HJ”, inspired by the letter written by Henry Jekyll in Robert Louis Stephenson’s “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”. Despite being best known as a tenor player Warfield was still on soprano and featured as a soloist alongside Mitchell and Janisch. There was also a substantial feature for Lyttle, the drummer circumnavigating his kit as Warfield blew long but urgent saxophone phrases.

Edgar Allan Poe carried a deep seated fear of being buried alive. It’s a subject that he returns to obsessively in his writings. The image occurs in “The Cask Of Amontillado”, “The Fall Of The House Of Usher” and of course “The Premature Burial”, Lyttle’s source of inspiration for the tune “Much Too Soon”. Despite its grisly subject matter this turned out to be beautiful ballad with Warfield tender on tenor and Mitchell at his most lyrical on piano.

The mid point of the second set saw Lyttle, Warfield and Janisch leave the bandstand as Mitchell played a short solo piano piece. Mitchell is used to working in this format and is a highly accomplished solo performer with a formidable technique. His improvisations around themes from Lyttle’s suite were thoroughly absorbing both in terms of pianistic technique and emotional effect.

Lyttle returned to the subject of “A Christmas Carol” for the final two pieces. “Marley’s Ghost” began with Lyttle unaccompanied at the drum kit, his cymbal work suggesting the clank and rattle of Marley’s chains. The introduction of Janisch’s bass established a powerful groove that provided the backbone for powerful, unfettered solos from Warfield on soprano and Mitchell on piano,the whole thing ending with Janisch’s unaccompanied bass.

Appropriately Lyttle’s piece “The End Of It” closed the evening on a powerful note with Mitchell’s bravura solo probably his best of the night. Warfield also signed off in style on soprano and there was an explosive drum feature for Lyttle, again punctuated by Warfield’s saxophone motifs.

This was an impressive first performance from the quartet and their authority can only increase as the tour progresses. Lyttle’s strong thematic statements practically demand that this music be documented and it is planned to record the London show at Pizza Express with the view to releasing a “Dark Tales Live” album in 2011 on the leader’s own Lyte record label.

In the meantime catch Lyttle and his quartet if you can. The remaining dates at the time of writing are reproduced below;

OCTOBER 2010
Fri 15th: Pizza Express SOHO, London, 10pm, £10
Sat 16th: JJ Smyth’s, Dublin, 9pm, ?12
Sun 17th: Belfast Festival at Queens, 8pm, £10
Tues 19th: Sandinos, Derry, 9pm, £8
Wed 20th: Strule Arts Centre, Omagh, 8pm, £10
Thurs 21st: Roe Arts Centre, Limavady, 8pm, £10/£8
Fri 22nd: The Old Court Chapel, Downpatrick, 8pm, £10/£8

More details at http://www.davidlyttle.com

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