Slowlight Quartet

“Live at Manchester Jazz Festival”

(Jazz Sound Records JSR002)

This live recording is part of a batch of recent releases by the Jazz Sound record label based in the North East of England.

Slowlight Quartet are a young band based in the North East whose brand of contemporary melodic jazz has evoked comparisons with Portico Quartet, E.S.T., the Neil Cowley Trio and the Cinematic Orchestra. They released their début EP “In Flight” in May 2014 (reviewed elsewhere on the Jazzmann) and have toured as part of Jazz North’s “Northern Line” touring scheme as well as appearing at the Manchester, Gateshead and Lancaster Jazz Festivals. The quartet have also supported Cinema Orchestra guitarist Stuart McCallum at a number of his solo shows.

This concert set was recorded in July 2014 at that year’s Manchester Jazz Festival. The personnel is the same as on the EP with Paul Loraine on keyboards joined by Tom Quilliam on saxophones, Ian ‘Dodge’ Paterson on bass and Jonathan Marriott at the drums. Loraine composed six of the album’s seven pieces with the other coming from the pen of Quilliam. A number of the tunes also appear on the group’s EP but sound substantially different in the live environment as the group expand upon, and improvise around, the strongly melodic themes.

The performance begins with Loraine’s “Walking Spanish”, the piece which closes the group’s EP. Here it acts as a kind of prelude, a delightfully melodic fragment of chamber jazz featuring Quilliam’s halting tenor, Loraine’s lyrical piano and Marriott’s gently brushed drums.
There’s a sudden change of style and pace as the band segue into Quilliam’s “This Time” with its powerful rhythms and robust tenor sax soloing. Loraine is an important rhythmic component with some forceful left hand comping complementing the propulsive energy supplied by Paterson and Marriott. Taken together these two pieces, highlighting the contrasting writing styles of Loraine and Quilliam, get the album off to a great start.

Next we hear “In Flight”, Loraine’s title track from the quartet’s début EP. Here the focus is very much on melody and atmosphere with the composer’s gently rippling piano arpeggios setting the mood for the piece. Quilliam develops the theme gradually and organically on tenor sax, his sound sometimes reminiscent of that of Portico’s Jack Wyllie in terms of both tone and melodic focus. Loraine’s writing also recalls the style of early Portico as the music subtly builds in layers, with Paterson and Marriott also making substantial contributions, eventually leading to Quilliam’s soaring sax taking flight towards the end of the tune.

“Shifting Ground” is another piece sourced from the quartet’s EP. Ushered in by Paterson’s unaccompanied bass the theme is developed by Quilliam’s tenor over the undulating, vaguely Latin-esque grooves of his bandmates. More dynamic than the recorded version this take on the tune includes some brightly detailed and powerful drumming from Marriott alongside Quilliam’s rasping tenor sax.

The new tune “Ted’s March” is somewhat gentler than the title might suggest despite it being underpinned by the chatter of Marriott’s snare. Loraine’s piano is at the heart of the piece and after Quilliam develops the lilting theme on tenor the composer allows himself to stretch out with a thoughtful but expansive solo which is warmly received by the MJF crowd.

“If These Walls Had Ears” is another new tune and begins with Loraine’s solo piano ruminations, the composer finally settling on the motif that forms the basis for the piece. Quilliam’s assertive tenor takes up the theme and he later solos at length, stretching out joyously over the buoyant and colourful rhythms generated by his colleagues.

“Peregrine” first appeared on the “In Flight” EP and begins here with Marriott’s gently atmospheric mallet rumbles allied to Quilliam’s pensive tenor sax. In typical Slowlight style the tune unfolds gradually, adding layers of dynamism as the music progresses before gently falling away to facilitate lyrical, melodic solos from Loraine and Paterson in the middle of the piece, both accompanied by Marriott’s delicate brushwork. The group up the energy levels again towards the end to close with Quilliam’s powerful tenor solo.

“Live at Manchester Festival” represents another impressive outing from Slowlight Quartet. The playing by all four musicians is excellent throughout and the quality of the writing, particularly from Loraine, also impresses. The pianist writes strong melodic themes which audiences find easy to relate to, but he also packs his tunes with plenty of interesting contrasts and details which help to ensure that the material stands up to repeated listening. OK, some of the tunes follow very similar patterns and narrative arcs but Loraine and the group always treat them in interesting ways and ensure that they never sound overly formulaic.

Loraine’s keyboards are at the heart of the group’s music with the compositions often developing from a specific piano motif but it’s Quilliam who is the group’s most frequently featured soloist. He’s the perfect foil for Loraine, his robust but tenor playing soloing contrasting well with the pianist’s more thoughtful and considered approach. Paterson and Marriott also make important contributions, combining well with Loraine while keeping the grooves nice and tight and adding welcome splashes of colour and texture.

On the evidence of this recording Slowlight Quartet are developing an increasingly distinctive band sound and the reaction of the Manchester audience confirms the impression that they must constitute a highly effective, exciting and enjoyable live act. Should they get the opportunity to venture further South for live performances I’d be very interested in going along to see them.   

     

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