The brilliant young multi instrumentalist Jim Hart has quickly become an important figure on the UK jazz scene. Highly competent on vibes, drums and piano it is for his talent at the vibraphone that he is probably best known and he is to be found deploying his skills in a wide variety of contexts. Hart manages to combine a questing and experimental spirit with a love and knowledge of the jazz tradition and in his own band Gemini he combines these two facets of his musical personality brilliantly.

I first saw Hart play when Gemini performed on the Barbican Free Stage back in 2007 as support for Gary Burton and Chick Corea. I was impressed both by this and by the group’s début album “Emergence” and have since seen Hart make dazzling performances as part of pianist Ivo Neame’s quartet and bassist Michael Janisch’s quintet; indeed it was ironic that another Janisch group, The Transatlantic Collective should have played this venue only the previous evening.

Hart and Gemini played in Cardiff as part of a tour promoting their second album “Narrada”, a record reviewed elsewhere on this site. “Narrada” is a considerable step forward from their very good début album and the bulk of tonight’s programme was drawn from it along with a couple of newer tunes and an excellent version of Wayne Shorter’s “Infant Eyes”.

Joining Hart were the “Narrada” album personnel with fellow multi instrumentalist and Loop Collective member Ivo Neame appearing here on alto sax (he is better known as a pianist) together with Jasper Hoiby on bass and Dave Smith at the drums. Both members of the rhythm team form part of the Loop Collective and both lead their own groups,Phronesis (featuring Neame on piano) and Outhouse respectively. Loop is a hothouse of creative talent, if occasionally a little incestuous.

Hart is insistent that he chose the Gemini name (as opposed to the Jim Hart Quartet- something he reserves for more standards orientated line ups) to emphasise that this is a band with a strong group identity and one that is heavy on group interaction. Ironically such is the quality of the ensemble playing that in many ways Hart’s brilliance sometimes stands out less in his own band than it does on his many sideman gigs.

Gemini’s music bears this out combining elements of bebop with more complex and contemporary rhythmic ideas to create a densely knit music of interlocking rhythmic patterns, knotty, boppish themes, mind boggling time signatures and bravura soloing. It’s tricky stuff but never “difficult”, grounded in the bop tradition but surreptitiously pushing the envelope. For all the complexity Hart and his chums have a ball playing this stuff and the audience can’t help but be drawn in, frequently dazzled by the players’ extraordinary and audacious musical skills and by the sheer variety of ideas on offer. “Serious fun” indeed.

The group opened up with a track from their new album in the form of “Crunchy Country”, Hart’s tribute to one of his musical heroes the great American guitarist Bill Frisell. The piece has something of Frisell’s engaging quirkiness about it and featured Hart using a bow on his instrument in the style of Claudia Quintet’s Mat Moran. Hart features himself fairly extensively on marimba on the new album but restricted himself to the vibes at Cardiff. Neame played an electronically hooked saxophone, sometimes judiciously manipulating his sound through an effects unit and occasionally   deploying a cross channel effect. This was an attention grabbing opener, complex but compelling and highly rhythmic courtesy of Hart’s vibes and Smith’s power house drumming.

The following “Colette”, a dedication to Hart’s girlfriend and also drawn from the new album was less frenetic but still contained a dazzling solo from Hart utilising the four mallet technique pioneered by Gary Burton. Hart is an enormously gifted player making the complicated look easy. I never cease to be amazed by four mallet vibists-I just sit there thinking “how the hell do they do that?”, and unlike drummers they never seem to drop a stick. Incredible.

The as yet unrecorded “Rift” was similarly awe inspiring with it’s odd meter grooves behind Neame’s repeated sax phrase. Neame was clearly enjoying himself hugely, relieved of band leader duties and being free to just blow. Having opened the piece in conjunction with Hoiby Neame later followed Hart’s solo by indulging in a breath taking dialogue with drummer Smith.

From the album “Last Of The Leaves”, an appropriate title given the time of year, was more impressionistic and featured a lyrical, resonant solo from Hoiby on double bass. Hart’s shimmering vibes made a good contrast from the more metallic attack he utilises on his up tempo tunes and Neame’s breathy alto caught the mood perfectly too. Smith, normally a most forceful player was restrained and suitably atmospheric deploying cymbals and shakers. 

The epic “Narrada” closed the first set. Named after an ancient settlement on Bodmin Moor in Hart’s home county of Cornwall this is the lengthiest piece on the album. Essentially a two part composition the lyrical mood was maintained for a tranquil opening passage featuring Hart’s vibes with sensitive accompaniment from Hoiby (including a short solo) and Smith. When the latter’s drum groove kicked in at around the two minute mark the piece changed character and really took off with both Neame and Hart delivering fiery solos.

Following a well earned break the band opened their second set with another new tune “Lunar Eclipse” opened by Smith’s inventive solo drum intro. Smith really powers the band, slamming out fiendishly complicated drum pattern with ease and freeing Hart up as both colourist and soloist. Hoiby’s huge bass sound also helps enormously in this process and the bassist is also a clever and dexterous soloist. “Lunar Eclipse” was also notable for some stunning unison passages and a high standard of group interaction.

Another new tune “Midnight Express” saw Neame picking up the clarinet following Hart’s solo vibes intro. The new instrument added another colour to the band’s sonic palette with Neame eventually switching back to alto for his solo. 

Sourced from the album the boppish “Deviation” was a real helter skelter ride featuring solos from all four members of the group with Hoiby leading off before handing over to Neame who blew some impassioned alto. Hart’s mallets were a blur as he attacked the vibes in spectacular fashion before Smith finished things off with an explosive drum feature.

After this a lovely version of Wayne Shorter’s “Infant Eyes” was a welcome pause for breath. Hart introduced the tune on solo vibes before Neame stated the theme on alto and took the first solo. Hoiby’s engrossing bass feature exploited the higher reaches of the instrument’s range and Hart’s vibes brought the piece full circle.

To finish the evening another new piece with the amusing title “Let The Pig Out” (well I thought it was funny) marked a return to the hectic bebop inspired approach with solos all round and another major feature for the dynamic Smith. Those of us in a small but appreciative audience hollered and stamped for more but it was not to be. Certainly the attendance was poor after that the previous night but competition with the football being screened downstairs may not have helped. Those of us that saw this show were richly entertained and came away with the right result.

Gemini are still touring this exciting and exhilarating music and deserve your support. See http://www.jimhart.co.uk
http://www.myspace.com/hartjj
or http://www.loopcollective.org for more details.

Check out http://www.jazzatdempseys.org.uk or www.myspace.com/dempseysjazz for more dates at this venue.

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