Dave Jones Trio

“Journeys”

(DJT Records DJT004)

South Walian pianist Dave Jones made a good impression in 2009 with his trio album “Impetus”, a collection of strong original compositions featuring the excellent rhythm pairing of the O’Connor brothers-Chris on bass and Mark on drums. The album garnered a good deal of critical acclaim, not least here on The Jazzmann, and the trio made a number of London appearances in support of a recording which enjoyed national distribution via Christine Allen’s Jazz Cds website. 

Still based in Port Talbot, Jones has returned with a new trio and an even more ambitious set of compositions. The new rhythm section comprises of the hugely talented young bassist Ashley John Long, a regular fixture on the South Wales scene and concurrently a member of the cult Cardiff band Heavy Quartet, and the equally youthful drummer Lloyd Haines, hitherto a new name to me but a worthy addition to the group.

This time round Jones has expanded his sonic palette by adding a number of guest artists to the roster. Lee Goodall adds his saxophone skills to four tracks as well as acting as recording engineer,  (the album was recorded to Goodall’s usual exacting standards at his Oakfield Studios in Newport)
and two of Wales’ other leading musicians trombonist Gareth Roberts and trumpeter Tomos Williams appear on two tracks each, forming a horn section with Goodall.

Jones has even included a string quartet on some of the arrangements utilising the services of the Cardiff based Mavron Quartet -Christiana Mavron & Katy Rowe on violins, Niamh Ferris on viola and Lucy O’Connor on cello. 

All these additional musical voices give “Journeys” a very different feel to its immediate predecessor. Much of the music was inspired by Jones’ visit to Washington D.C. during 2009 where he performed at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, an event that featured a variety of Welsh musicians including the groups Burum and Sild. The cover includes quotes written in response to the music by performance poet Clare Potter. 

The album actually begins with the only outside composition on the album, a relaxed and swinging trio version of Wayne Shorter’s “Black Nile” with features for both Long and Haines. It’s well played, but fairly conventional and it’s only when Jones begins to feature his own music that the album really takes off.

Jones’ own “Nathan’s Bar” adds the horn section of Goodall, Williams and Roberts on a colourful, blues drenched arrangement with Williams’ smoky, after hours muted trumpet a particular delight.
The always excellent Roberts maintains the atmosphere with his trombone feature before handing the baton on to Goodall. All three horn players offer telling, pithy contributions here, sympathetically and swingingly backed by the rest of the trio. The piece as a whole is an excellent demonstration of Jones’ writing and arranging skills.

“Hey DC” was written the day after Jones returned to Wales from Washington and is a vivid celebration of his trip. This trio performance has something of the joyousness of early Keith Jarrett with Jones’s attractive melody tapping into Jarrett’s jazz meets country meets gospel vibe. Lovely.

“Funky Thing” is as breezy and playful as its title suggests with Goodall’s sax grooving over the trio’s crisp and insistent backing. Jones drops out leaving the group in sax trio mode before returning to solo in exuberant, percussive fashion.

The title track changes the mood again by adding the strings of the Mavron Quartet. Their smoothly rounded tones accentuate the lyricism of yet another gorgeous Jones melody yet do so in a way that avoids the saccharine tendencies of so many string arrangements. Long’s soloing abilities are also heard at their best here, a combination of strength, agility, lyricism and resonance. Jones own solo is expansive and almost rhapsodic, exuding romanticism in the best sense of the word.

It’s all change for “Creative Petrol”, a funky, bluesy excursion that could come direct from the vintage Blue Note catalogue. Goodall’s tough yet tender tenor is prominent alongside the leader’s funky, angular piano with the whole thing propelled by Long’s insistent bass groove and Haines’ crisply energetic drumming. It’s good unpretentious fun played with an infectious sense of joie de vivre.

“Barry Island” may be named after a South Wales landmark but its joyousness is rooted in the township jive of South Africa and features exuberant solos from Roberts on trombone, Williams on open horn trumpet and Goodall on throaty tenor sax. A celebratory air pervades throughout on another classy composition and arrangement.

The closing “Do Your Own Thing” is introduced by a brief fanfare of strings from the Mavron Quartet, the almost folk feel harking back perhaps to the Washington trip. Long’s insistent bass pulse then takes over as the trio dive off into something far more earthy, percussive and more obviously jazz influenced. There’s another virtuoso solo from Long and something of a feature for Haines above Jones’ insistent piano figures as the track plays out. Haines is excellent throughout, his playing neatly detailed and combining just the right blend of propulsion and subtlety. Jones himself excels throughout the recording- swinging, funky and lyrical by turns and once again demonstrating what a fine all round pianist he is. His writing maintains the high standards established on “Impetus” and his imaginative use of additional musical elements adds hugely to the colour, texture and flavour of the album as a whole. All the guest performers make significant contributions and Goodall’s engineering and production skills once again serve Jones’ compositions well.

Dave Jones has made another album to be proud of and once again deserves to attract the attention of the national jazz audience.

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