The Jazz At The Edge series continues to bring top quality musicians from London and beyond to rural Shropshire. Following last month’s superb concert by Finn Peters of the F-ire Collective the March slot was allocated to members of the similarly minded Loop Collective in the form of a quartet led by the pianist Ivo Neame.

Neame’s group did not disappoint and we were treated to another evening of excellent music. The Loop Collective is home to a number of experimental bands but Neame’s quartet chose to play things relatively straight. It was certainly a contrast to Peters’ eclecticism but none the worse for that. The quartet played a programme composed largely of Neame originals plus a smattering of bop standards including two compositions by Thelonious Monk, clearly a major influence on the young Neame.

The quartet were concluding a “mini-tour” which had also taken them to St. Ives (Cornwall) and Cardiff. Joining Neame in this frighteningly young looking quartet were the prodigiously gifted vibraphonist Jim Hart, Danish bassist Jasper Hoiby and drummer John Scott. Hart is a talented multi instrumentalist who also plays drums and piano and is in demand on all three instruments. From the vibes he leads his own band Gemini which includes the equally versatile Neame as an alto saxophonist. In the tight knit Loop scene Neame is also a member (as a pianist this time) of Phronesis, a trio led by Hoiby featuring the bassist’s excellent original compositions. Gemini’s “Emergence” and Phronesis’ “Organic Warfare” both appear on the fledgling Loop record label with a new Phronesis release “Green Delay” due out soon. See http://www.loopcollective.org

Neame’s quartet opened their account at Much Wenlock with Monk’s “Panonica” with Hart hitting the ground running with a dazzling solo that demonstrated his formidable four mallet technique. Pioneered by the great Gary Burton, who incidentally is still going as strong as ever, the use of two mallets in each hand allows vibraphonists to play chords in a similar way to a piano player, thus making a superficially cold instrument highly expressive. The high pitch of the vibes ensures that despite the similarities vibes and piano rarely get in each others way and in the right hands can complement each other superbly. The Gary Burton/Chick Corea duet is the supreme example but Hart and Neame offer an excellent home grown pairing, here sympathetically supported by Hoiby and Scott. Neame’s Monk influenced piano also made a strong showing on this opening number and there was also a fluent solo from the excellent Hoiby.

Hart also featured strongly on the first Neame original “Themey Theme” taking the first solo before being followed by the composer.

“Enigma” was appropriately titled, the closest to free playing we had heard so far and also containing some decidedly odd time signatures. Hoiby again featured as a powerful soloist accompanied by Scott’s hand drums, before Hart took over the soloists role. When he dropped out there was a lengthy excursion in piano trio mode with Neame’s dialogue with Scott particularly impressive.

“Caught In The Light Of Day” was described by Neame as a “vampires nightmare” and featured a sparkling piano solo from the composer before an abstract vibes led central section and a series of doomy left hand figures imparted a suitably spooky atmosphere to the piece. Light relief came in a series of false endings, the quartet deliberately deceiving the audience to comic effect.

The old Miles Davis/Sonny Clark warhorse “Sippin At Bell’s” closed the first half in energetic fashion. All the members of the quartet got to feature, lead off by Hart’s mercurial vibes and followed by Neame, the pianist again sparring with drummer Scott. Hoiby’s virtuoso bass solo included stunning high register effects and flamenco style strumming. Young drummer Scott clattered his way through a series of energetic breaks. This high energy work out brought the first set to a rousing close. Good stuff. 

The second half opened with “Birdbrain” which can currently be heard on Neame’s myspace page. See http://www.myspace.com/ivoneame

There were solos from both Neame and Hart plus a dialogue between the pair in Corea/Burton style as the rhythm section dropped out. 

“Passing Point” introduced the eerie sound of Hart’s bowed vibes, a technique I first saw deployed by Mat Moran of New York band The Claudia Quintet. Hoiby’s low register arco bass also featured before Neame and Hart delivered rather more conventional solos.

“Scarred Landscape” was the only one of tonight’s numbers to be taken from Neame’s 2007 trio album “Swirls And Eddies”, a Loop records release featuring bassist Phil Donkin and drummer George Hart. A good example of Neame’s restlessly inventive writing style it incorporated strong grooves, adventurous harmonies and a contrasting middle section for solo piano. Neame is due to record again later this year utilising tonight’s line up but with drummer James Maddren replacing Scott. Bearing in mind that much of tonight’s material should appear on the new album it should be well worth hearing.

The second of the two Monk pieces came next in the form of “In Walked Bud”. This solid gold classic provided the opportunity for each member of the quartet to solo in turn. (Neame, Hart, Hoiby,Scott).

The quartet finished with a segue of tunes beginning with the abstract ballad “Pear Shaped”. This featured Neame’s lyrical piano and also saw the return of Hart’s bowed vibes. These were also featured in the ominous bridge section alongside Hoiby’s rich, dark arco bass. Eventually the shuffling grooves of “Quixotic” emerged, the tune quickly becoming worthy of it’s title. Scott soloed at length before Neame and Hart traded phrases in an exhilarating final section. 

This was enthusiastically received by the audience who called them back for an encore in the form of “Lonnie’s Lament” which provided Hart and Neame one last chance to show their formidable skills. 

For many I suspect that Hart had stolen the show. The sheer bravado of his playing and his incredible technical skill was irresistible, plus the very nature of the vibes makes the good players appear visually arresting. Neame was more thoughtful, but no less skilled, essentially a middle of the keyboard man he’s an imaginative but not flamboyant soloist. His tricky themes suggest that he is also maturing as a writer, his tunes have plenty of interesting things going on. However as an interlocutor between tunes he could do with projecting himself a little more.

Hoiby’s work as anchor of the band was consistently excellent and his solos combined fluency and imagination with a high degree of technical ability. Drummer Scott played with a mix of economy, colour and judicious power in an imaginative display.

All in all then a memorable evening’s music from this highly talented young band. There were times when the theme/solos/theme format wore a little thin but the sheer excellence of the playing was more than enough to carry the day. 

Hart particularly, is a player who consistently astonishes. Look out for his impending new album on Alan Barnes’ Woodville label. “Words And Music” is an imaginative examination of a programme of standards plus two Hart originals by a quartet featuring Neame on piano, bassist Mick Coady and drummer Tristan Maillot. A full review will appear here shortly. 

In the meantime another great night at The Edge.

The next concert in the “Jazz Notes” series will be on April 26th when Norwegian trumpeter Mathias Eick becomes the latest ECM recording artist to visit The Edge. Full details at http://www.edgeartscentre.co.uk

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