The Impossible Gentlemen, Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton, 08/10/2016.

The first date of their current UK/European tour saw The Impossible Gentlemen bringing their new five piece line up to a near sold out Arena Theatre. It was great to this delightful venue almost full again after a couple of poor attendances for recent Jazz@Wolverhampton events and the combination of a large and supportive audience allied to the superb playing and writing of a truly stellar band helped to create a truly memorable event, one of the best jazz nights at the Arena for quite some time. 

The event represented the climax of a ‘Jazz Day’ in the city which had seen the brass ensemble Perhaps Contraption conducting a workshop for young musicians at the Arena as well as playing an open air concert to curious shoppers in nearby Queen’s Square, the age range of the audience ranging from “nine months to ninety years”.

Vocalist Sara Colman also conducted a workshop and performed a concert in the Arena’s bar and studio area prior to the Impossible Gentlemen gig. 

I’ve written extensively about the history of The Impossible Gentlemen before so here are couple of paragraphs shamelessly cut and pasted from my recent review of the group’s third album “Let’s Get Deluxe” :

The remarkable story of The Impossible Gentlemen began back in 2010 when the the then unnamed Anglo-American quartet featuring UK musicians Gwilym Simcock (piano) and Mike Walker (guitar) plus the American rhythm team of Steve Swallow (electric bass) and Adam Nussbaum (drums) undertook a hugely successful British and European tour. Believing that this unlikely alliance would be no more than a glorious one-off I travelled to Swansea’s Taliesin Arts Centre to see the band and was hugely impressed not only with the quality of the playing but also the writing, the majority of it by Simcock and Walker. With the focus solely on original material this was no tired blowing on standards session or superstar jam, Simcock, Walker, Swallow and Nussbaum meant business.

At the end of the tour the four musicians went into engineer Curtis Schwartz’s studio in Sussex to record an album. Adopting the group name The Impossible Gentlemen the band’s eponymous début recording was a huge success, hailed by the critics and loved by the fans. Incredible as it seemed The Impossible Gentlemen became a semi-permanent working band, touring extensively and releasing a second highly acclaimed album, “Internationally Recognised Aliens”, in 2013. This album featured former Pat Metheny Group member Steve Rodby in the producer’s chair and he also played acoustic bass on a couple of pieces, holding down the groove while Swallow was given license to roam on his custom made five string electric bass.

“Let’s Get Deluxe”, released on the Basho record label in July 2016, represented a significant departure for the band. The departure of Swallow to concentrate on solo projects and work with his partner Carla Bley saw Rodby adopting the bassist’s role on a permanent basis. In addition to this the group added the services of Manchester based multi-reed player Iain Dixon to their ranks. Dixon, a long time friend and collaborator of Walker’s was used largely in a textural role as the group sought to broaden their instrumental palette, a process that also saw Simcock playing brass and tuned percussion as well as his customary keyboards.

The new album also saw a major change in the writing process with Simcock and Walker jointly composing all of the material as opposed to writing in their individual capacities as they had done previously. The material on “Let’s Get Deluxe” was constructed by the pair at a series of joint writing sessions and was then thoroughly ‘road tested’ on gigs by the four piece band prior to recording. One of the most distinctive aspects of TIG is that it’s the two Brits who are effectively the leaders, the band have played gigs with different rhythm players but one can’t imagine an Impossible Gents show taking place without both Simcock and Walker.

The bulk of the material played tonight on the group’s third visit to the Arena was from the “Let’s Get Deluxe” album but with Dixon now fully on board there were also exciting new arrangements of pieces sourced from the band’s first two recordings. It was also quickly apparent that Dixon’s role in the band has already expanded considerably as he contributed several solos on a variety of reed instruments as well as fulfilling his role as a colourist and texturalist, here utilising both the reeds and an additional keyboard. 

The first set commenced with the title track of the new album as Simcock, Rodby and Walker shared the melody line underpinned by Nussbaum’s brushed drum grooves and with Dixon providing additional depth and colour utilising both bass clarinet and keyboards. Solos came from Simcock on piano and Walker on soaring electric guitar with Nussbaum changing to sticks to add some ferociously propulsive and dynamic drumming.

The band dipped into their back catalogue for a performance of Simcock’s “You Won’t Be Around To See It” from their eponymous début. The piece is a clever subversion of the jazz standard “You Won’t Be Around To See It” but with its quirky stop/start melody and subtly funky grooves it represents more than a mere ‘contrafact’. This new quintet arrangement saw Dixon taking the first solo on soprano sax and immediately marking out his territory within the context of this band. Walker’s blistering guitar solo would have given John Scofield a run for his money and the guitarist’s playful and spirited exchanges with Simcock’s piano were also a delight.

Bringing things up to date was “It Could Have Been A Simple Goodbye” from the new album, a piece that the joint composers have dedicated to the memory of the late, great pianist and composer John Taylor who passed away suddenly in 2015. The tune was introduced by a passage of solo piano before opening up to develop and expand upon the beautiful melody. Walker’s stratospheric guitar solo was sometimes reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour.

Also from the recent album came “Dog Time”, a composition that I suspect to be primarily Walker’s work. This was introduced by a passage of solo guitar that included some appropriately dog like noises as Walker struck and scratched at the strings. Later we heard a rather more conventional guitar feature as the consistently inventive Walker stretched out on a blues inflected solo that again brought Scofield to mind.

The first half closed with a barnstorming version of Simcock’s “Barber Blues” from the Gents’ second album. Based on the compositional methods of Samuel Barber Simcock has described the piece as combining “a rhythmic left hand ostinato and a forceful angular melody” with other elements to create a sixteen bar blues. Certainly the piece began with a passage of left hand solo piano but I soon forgot about the technical niceties as the piece came to form the framework for a series of dazzling solos the members of the band with Rodby shining first on his distinctive cello like bass. Dixon followed on bass clarinet and was succeeded by Walker who was propelled by Nussbaum’s solid, hard driving backbeat. Walker and Simcock then impressed again with a further series of imaginative guitar and piano exchanges, the whole thing climaxed by a volcanic Nussbaum drum feature. The cumulative effect of all this was to send a delighted audience smiling into the break. 

The second half kicked off with “Terrace Legend”, another piece from the new album and a tune dedicated to Neil Baldwin, the characterful kit man of Simcock’s beloved Stoke City who was immortalised in the film “Marvellous” by actor Toby Jones. Walker’s searing guitar solo and Nussbaum’s dynamic drumming quickly got the audience back on side prior to a more impressionistic passage of solo piano mid tune. But Simcock was soon to be seen raising the energy levels himself with a piano solo that quickly gathered a leaping, vaulting momentum with the keyboardist periodically doubling on synth.

With its lyrical folk inspired melodicism “Speak To Me Of Home” closes the “Let’s Get Deluxe” album. On record it’s the only piece to actually feature Dixon as a soloist and he impressed here on slightly plaintive soprano sax as he shared the solos alongside Simcock’s flowingly lyrical piano and Rodby’s delightfully melodic bass cameo.

From the group’s second album the Simcock/Walker composed “Heute Loiter” marked a return to harder, funkier territory with Rodby and Nussbaum’s solid if odd meter grooves providing the necessary fuel for a scorching rock influenced solo from the excellent Walker.

Also from the second album Simcock’s “Just To See You” was very different but equally enjoyable. Simcock grew up loving the music of Pat Metheny and recently returned from a world tour as a member of Metheny’s quartet playing alongside bassist Linda Oh and Metheny’s long term drummer of choice Antonio Sanchez. This must have been a dream come true for Simcock on his most high profile musical assignment to date. The composer has modestly described this piece as “ a gentle little tune” but it has a beautiful melody worthy of Metheny himself with Simcock’s flowingly lyrical piano featuring prominently in the arrangement.

Moving back to the current release “Propane Jane” began with a bass riff that threatened to morph into Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer” before shading off into a Celtic style melody sketched out on Simcock’s electric keyboard and underscored by Nussbaum’s martial drumming. Things then took a rockier, funkier turn with Walker’s high octane guitar roaring out of the blocks. Walker’s solo was followed by a bass feature from Rodby who enjoys far more solo space in this band than he ever did with the Metheny Group. Finally we enjoyed a dazzling keyboard solo from Simcock who mixed astonishingly lithe and agile one handed piano lines with an insistent organ drone. Stunning stuff.

The audience gave the group a tremendous reception, many of them getting to their feet to applaud the band. Rather surprisingly the house lights came up but the crowd weren’t prepared to let their jazz heroes depart so easily with many of them continuing to clap and holler as they demanded a deserved encore. Eventually the band re-appeared for a good natured romp through Nussbaum’s blues “Sure Would Baby”, a tune from the group’s début album. This was notable for a hard blowing tenor sax solo from Dixon and a gentler piano interlude from Simcock.

This rounded off the most successful night on the Jazz at the Arena programme for quite some time and it is to be hoped that audiences will return in their numbers when the series starts again in early 2017.

As for The Impossible Gentlemen this represented a triumphant start to the group’s current UK and European tour. Dixon has fitted in superbly and has added an extra dimension to what was already a very colourful group. Despite Nussbaum’s ongoing technical difficulties with his hi-hat (the drummer also seemed to be suffering from the effects of a cold and could occasionally be seen trying not to cough) the group breezed through the gig with their characteristic good humour . Simcock punctuated an otherwise solemn piano solo to inform Nussbaum “I’ve got the gaffa tape here” as the drummer surreptitiously struggled to repair the recalcitrant hi-hat. Simcock and Walker shared announcing duties with Nussbaum introducing his own tune and even Rodby and Dixon threw in some spirited asides. The obvious joy that the band members take in their music making and in each other’s company transmits itself to audiences and helps to make each of their shows an EVENT. I think I’ve seen the band eight times now in a variety of different line ups and have never once been bored, every performance is subtly different and there’s always something new. But it’s not just about the banter, the writing and playing is of the highest standard, sophisticated but accessible, intelligent and adventurous, but above all, fun. This is a group that takes its music seriously, but itself less so.

It’s a winning formula that has made them one of the most popular live acts on the circuit and you can catch them at; 

OCTOBER 2016

Wed 12
7.30pm
RNCM Manchester
Ropes by Mike Walker with Psappha Strings
tickets.www.rncm.ac.uk/single/selectSeating.aspx?p=11837

Thu 13
8.30pm
The Old Fire Station, Oxford
http://www.oldfirestation.org.uk/event/the-impossible-gentlemen/

Fri 14
8.00pm
Turner Sims, Southampton
http://www.turnersims.co.uk/events/the-impossible-gentlemen/

Sat 15
10.00pm
Karlsruhe DE
http://www.jazzclub.de/event/the-impossible-gentlemen-jazzfestival-2016/

Sun 16
Eremitage, Schwaz AT
http://www.eremitage.at

Tue 18
8.00pm
606 Club, Chelsea, London.
http://www.606club.co.uk

Wed 19
8.00pm
The Old Market, Brighton
theoldmarket.com/shows/the-impossible-gentlemen/

Fri 21
8.30pm
Singen DE
http://www.jazzclub-singen.de/2016/prg-det_2016-19.html

Sat 22
Cinema Arthouse, Osnabrueck, DE
http://www.cinema-arthouse.de

Wed 26
8.00pm
Studio 2, BR Radio, Munich DE
Concert will be broadcast on 04.11.2016 on the BR programme “Jazztime”)
http://www.br-klassik.de/programm/konzerte/ausstrahlung-700678.html

Thu 27
MANTOVA/Italy Conservatorio “Campiani“
http://www.conservatoriomantova.com

Fri 28
7.30pm
Wakefield Jazz Club
http://www.wakefieldjazz.org/impossible-gentlemen

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