Trombonist Gareth Roberts is something of a Jazzmann favourite. “Attack Of The Killer Penguins”, the quintet’s excellent 2006 debut is reviewed elsewhere on this site. Behind the jokey title there is some seriously talented writing and musicianship. Roberts may like to inject a sense of humour into his music but this is positively refreshing and the quintet have built a considerable reputation for their excellent live work.

A well attended hometown gig saw Roberts produce two enjoyable sets of originals, mixing “Penguins” tunes with newer as yet unrecorded material. He was joined in the front line by Gethin Liddington on trumpet and a rather distinctive four valved flugel horn. Paul Jones was outstanding on piano and the O’Connor brothers, Chris (bass) and Mark (drums) were a formidable rhyhthm pairing. Liddington has now been with the band for over a year having replaced saxophonist Marcin Wright who appears on the album.

The new material has been written with Liddington in mind and the group hope to record a new album in early 2009. The new tunes featured tonight covered a broad range of styles from the infectious “Shaky Leg Syndrome” to the ballad “Searching” (English translation).

From “Penguins” came the enervating “Mop Dancing” and the 5/4 “Going Nowhere Fast” plus the haunting “A Tribute To An Axed Piano”, a beautiful tune hiding behind a facetious title.           

Roberts likes to incorporate jazz arrangements of traditional Welsh folk tunes into his repertoire and tonight featured a fresh arrangement of “The Mother In Law’s Complaint”. However it was a rollicking “Wrth Fynd Efo Deio I Dywyn” (from “Penguins”) that really brought the house down as the band closed the second set. They were called back for an encore, the only outside tune of the night ,Abdullah Ibrahim’s “Mandela”.

Now I’ll admit that I’ve never been a big fan of the trombone but I love Roberts’ playing. Nimble and inventive he seems to bring out the best in the instrument, from gutbucket slides and rasps on the up tempo material to a surprising tenderness on ballads. He makes good use of the mute to expand his sound and plays with great physical resourcefulness plus a sense of humour to augment all that technique. He’s a capable writer too, taking his inspiration from the great Charles Mingus.

Liddington is an excellent foil with a similarly expressive range from brassy trumpet to velvety flugel. When the two brass men link up their unison lines are uplifting but there are also examples of intriguing counterpoint with the two horns playing off each other.

Paul Jones is a superb pianist and contributed several dazzling, almost scene stealing solos as well as performing superbly as an accompanist. It was good to hear him exclusively on acoustic piano after recent sightings on electric keyboards with the Jones O’Connor group. The swing and drive of the O’Connors also added greatly to an enjoyable night’s music. Both enjoyed short solo features over the course of the evening.

These are exciting times for Roberts and his colleagues as they seek to accrue a following outside their homeland. The Roberts Quintet have benefited from a place on the “Promoter’s Choice” programme which has seen them play many of the UK’s leading jazz festivals with Scarborough and Teignmouth still to come. In early 2009 they will undertake a national tour under the Jazz Services touring scheme. See http://www.garethtrombone.co.uk for further details.

In the meantime the Jones O’Connor Group, three quarters of whom were here tonight also undertake a national tour showcasing their quirky and intelligent brand of fusion. The itinerary takes in two appearances at the London Jazz Festival. See http://www.jonesoconnorgroup.co.uk for full details.

You can also read a review of their excellent album “A Crow For Every Crow” on this site, plus an account of their performance at the 2008 HSBC Brecon Jazz Festival.

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