Live Review

Jure Pukl Slavic Soul Trio

Dempsey’s, Cardiff,02/09/2010

The presence of Wisconsin born, London based bassist Michael Janisch on any project is pretty much a guarantee of quality. Thus it was that I made a spur of the moment decision to visit Dempsey’s for the first time in several months to catch this set from the young Slovenian tenor saxophonist Jure Pukl and what he calls his Slavic Soul Trio. This turned out to be a truly international line up with Pukl and Janisch being joined by Austrian drummer Klemens Marktl.

Pukl and Marktl were new names to me but both are highly accomplished players. Marktl is a bandleader and composer in his own right and heads his own Free Spirit Quartet. In due course I’ll be looking at his group’s live album, recorded during a performance at the Porgy & Bess Club in Vienna. I’ll also be reviewing Pukl’s 2008 studio album “EARchitecture” which was recorded in New York with prominent American musicians including Janisch associate Jason Palmer (trumpet).
Indeed both Pukl and Marktl have lived, worked and studied in the USA, playing with a host of top musicians in the process. The abilities suggested by their impressive pedigrees soon became apparent in a set distinguished by a high level of group interaction and some superb playing from all three participants.

In some ways the “Slavic Soul Trio” tag is a bit of a misnomer. I was expecting folk melodies and perhaps an air of gentle whimsicality but Pukl’s compositions were more muscular and challenging than that, clearly influenced by his experiences in America. The spirit of both Colemans, Ornette and Steve, informed this music with the latter’s M-Base material an acknowledged source of inspiration. Janisch also told me that the “Live At The Vortex” double album by the Anglo/American trio of British saxophonist Julian Siegel and New York musicians Greg Cohen (bass) and Joey Baron (drums) had been a constant on the car CD player and had also had an effect on the way they approached Pukl’s music. 

Other dates on the trio’s extensive UK tour have found them collaborating with guest artists. Pianist Dave Cottle had appeared with them the previous night in Swansea with another pianist, Leon Greening lined up for other forthcoming dates. Janisch was particularly pleased with the London date which had featured guitarist Phil Robson and vocalist Christine Tobin, the singer improvising wordlessly on Pukl’s tricky themes. “She’s a heavy duty musician”, Janisch said, admiringly.

Tonight was the stripped down Slavic Soul Trio at their most raw. Initially I was disappointed that they hadn’t brought anybody along to play the Dempsey’s house piano but as I got more into the music I found that I didn’t miss it at all. The saxophone trio is a musical format without a safety net and it was fascinating and absorbing to see the trio’s three way creative process at work.   

The trio jumped straight in at the deep end with the tricky “Bizgo” from Pukl’s “EARchitecture” album. Janisch’s solo bass intro immediately established his strengths, a huge tone, a high degree of rhythmic sophistication and an amazing virtuosity as a soloist. In this pared down setting there were plenty of opportunities to hear him at his best. Although Pukl’s tune allowed plenty of scope for improvisation it still had a conventional structure at it’s heart with his saxophone entering to state the theme and take a solo, followed by Janisch and finally Marktl with a series of drum breaks.

The following “Sea Horse” had more of a song like construction and featured more lyrical, almost ballad like playing from the leader. The duet between Janisch and Marktl was excellent, the drummer using one stick and one soft head mallet in a delightfully delicate and detailed performance. Pukl’s tenor solo moved up and down the gears, gradually building in intensity before fading away as Janisch and Marktl dropped out. This passage of solo saxophone marked the bridge as the trio segued into the standard “Darn That Dream” with Pukl extemporising at length in restrained but thoroughly contemporary fashion, later followed by the always excellent Janisch. Unfortunately loud rock music from both the downstairs bar and the nightclub next door leached into the quieter moments which was distracting for us listeners although the band remained unruffled. It’s not usual for Dempsey’s to host jazz on Thursdays (Tuesday and Wednesday are the regular jazz nights) and on the evidence of this you could see and hear why.

Not that extraneous noise was a problem on the following “Bukah Waltz”. Pukl’s tune wasn’t the kind of courtly thing the title might suggest but a rip roaring tear up full impassioned tenor sax and Marktl’s fizzing ride cymbal. At one point Janisch dropped out paving the way for a dynamic sax/drum duet that drew the biggest cheer of the night thus far from an enthusiastic and encouragingly sizeable crowd. 

The trio contemplated concluding the first set on this high note but encouraged by the audience response decided to play one more tune before taking a break. Pukl’s “In Between” came with a tricky, Ornette like theme and was the vehicle for another excellent duet between Janisch and Marktl, one of many over the course of the evening. Here their playful bass and drum exchanges quickly earned the approval of the knowledgeable Dempsey’s crowd. 

If anything the second set was even better as the trio became more relaxed and confident with Pukl’s challenging compositions. “Digital Life” was full of difficult time signature shifts that owed something to Steve Coleman’s M-Base methodology. Besides Pukl’s own playing the highlight here was yet another engaging dialogue between Janisch and the always smiling Marktl.

Pukl’s “Scorpio Woman” offered something more of a regular groove with some soulful tenor from the leader. Not that Pukl stays in one place for long, he was soon stretching the melody, probing and teasing in the manner of the true improviser. Janisch and Marktl were with him every step of the way, once again teaming up to demonstrate their own considerable abilities.

Introduced by Janisch’s solo bass the slowly unfolding “Sequence” was centred around descending chord configurations and sequences. Pukl added slap tongue effects to the impressively broad range of sounds he produced from his instrument but the real highlight here was Marktl’s hand drum solo, a totally engrossing display of control and technique that somehow managed to be both moving ( a rarity for a drum solo, I think you’ll agree) and humorous.

“Helicopter” closed the set in an appropriately whirlwind fashion and featured bravura solos from all three musicians. Another great response saw promoter Brenda O’ Brien calling the trio back for a well deserved encore, a beautiful version of Billy Strayhorn’s “Isfahan” With Janisch’s bass solo and his subsequent duet with Pukl the highlights. 

A word of praise here for Dempsey’ s itself. The upstairs room has recently been redecorated with the work being undertaken by the Jazz at Dempsey’s promoters and friends. Brenda O’Brien made the new drapes which have helped to improve the acoustics and Cardiff Jazz society member Roger Warburton did much of the painting. This kind of grass roots enthusiasm is vital to UK jazz in these difficult economic times. Well done guys, I’m pleased tonight was such a success and it looks as if Dempsey’s is lined up for a very exciting Autumn season. Janisch will be returning with a couple of different line-ups which are sure to be worth seeing. Another highlight should be Mercury Music Prize nominees the Kit Downes Trio who will in fact be playing a quartet date with saxophonist George Crowley. Full listings for the next few months at Dempsey’s can be found in our news pages or see Jazz at Dempsey’s gig listings for Dempseys, Castle Street, Cardiff.
homepage.ntlworld.com/brenda.obrien1?

Other links;
http://www.jurepukl.com
http://www.klemensmarktl.com
http://www.michaeljanisch.com

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