Frank Harrison, Mark Hodgson, Laura Jurd,  Corrie Dick
at Frank and Mark’s, Iffley Village Church |Hall, Oxford
15 October 2024

Frank Harrison – piano, Mark Hodgson – bass, Laura Jurd – trumpet, Corrie Dick - drums

Leading lights of the contemporary jazz scene trumpeter, composer and synthesiser player Laura Jurd and drummer Corrie Dick were this months very welcome guests at Frank and Mark’s.

The once a month session is the brainchild of pianist Frank Harrison and bassist Mark Hodgson.

Harrison has performed with many leading jazz names e.g. Gilad Atzmon, Bobby Wellins, Iain Ballamy, Alan Barnes, Tommaso Starace, Georgia Mancio, Norma Winstone, Brigitte Beraha, Louis Stewart, Norman Watt-Roy and Asaf Sirkis and released four albums with his own trio.

Double bassist Mark Hodgson’s c.v includes performing with Randy Brecker, Pharaoh Sanders, Terrell Stafford, Bruce Barth, Julian Joseph, Cleveland Watkiss, Damon Brown, Ed Jones, Dylan Howe, Bill Bruford and Mark Murphy and he has recently released a solo album titled “Butterfly Effect”.

They started Frank and Mark’s in January 2023 in order to invite people who they wanted to play with to join them on stage in what’s an intimate venue, capacity 70 -80. Their initiative has been very successful in enticing many leading lights of the UK jazz scene e.g. Norma Winstone, Mark Lockheart, to Iffley and creating the opportunity to see and hear these ‘stars’ close up. It’s no surprise their monthly events regularly sell out.

Tonight with Laura Jurd and Corrie Dick is no exception. They’re half of the much praised quartet Dinosaur who have released three albums and were nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2017. Jurd and Dick have also released albums in their own names, in Jurd’s case four of them.

It’s the umpteenth time these two have played together,, Jurd says “it’s the 1027th”. It’s the first time though that they’ve played with Frank Harrison and Mark Hodgson. Perhaps that’s why there are no Dinosaur originals in tonight’s set which consists of Great American Songbook standards and compositions by jazz legends – Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis.

Tonight then is all about making old tunes sound fresh, something that the foursome do consistently stylishly. They start as a trio of Frank, Mark and guest drummer Corrie Dick playing ‘Softly as in a Morning Sunrise’ with the aim Frank says “to ease ourselves in.” There’s not that much easing in and by the end of the number the playing has got pretty intense.

Jurd on trumpet then joins them. It’s a marvel how quickly the one -off group gel. Corrie Dick drives the music onwards with his propulsive yet sensitive multi-layered drumming. His drums add autumnal thunder to ‘Autumn Leaves’. Mark Hodgson complements him in the engine room, and his way with playing walking bass riffs is impressive.

Laura Jurd and Frank Harrison share the main soloing duties. Both are highly talented at composing in the moment. Often Jurd’s trumpet is simultaneously fragmented and lyrical, the notes hanging together like a string of pearls. Her playing over a shimmering version of the ballad “Stella by Starlight” is just gorgeous and a strong candidate for highlight of the night.

Harrison keeps our attention by taking the tunes in unfamiliar directions. Occasionally he nudges us momentarily towards the dark side, as when underpinning Jurd’s lead solo for ‘What Is This Thing Called Love’, perhaps suggesting not all is well under the surface. But he and the others always find their way back to the sunny side of the street.

The group’s finale is a Miles Davis classic from 1959, ‘So What’ which features a middle eight that sounds as newly minted as much else of what they’ve played. It tops off what’s been an engrossing and a feel good evening.

For more on Frank Harrison and Mark Hodgson see http://www.frankandmarks.com

For Laura Jurd see http://www.laurajurd.com

For Corrie Dick see http://www.corrie-dicksquarespace.com

For Dinosaur see http://www.editionrecords.com/artists/dinosaur

COLIN MAY