The Impossible Gentlemen, Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton, 31/01/2015.

Back in 2010 I travelled to Swansea’s Taliesin Arts Centre to see what looked likely to be a one off collaboration between the British musicians Mike Walker (guitar) and Gwilym Simcock (piano) with the stellar American rhythm section of Steve Swallow (electric bass) and Adam Nussbaum (drums). It was a superb group performance and such was the success of that inaugural tour that the foursome immediately went into the studio and recorded an album for Basho Records which was released in 2011 under the band name The Impossible Gentlemen to universally ecstatic reviews.

Originally the brainchild of Manchester based Walker there was clearly a great chemistry and rapport between these four unlikely band mates and The Impossible Gentlemen has developed into something of an institution that has toured extensively in the UK. I calculated that tonight was the sixth time that I’d seen them (twice in Swansea, twice in Wolverhampton, once in Much Wenlock and once at Brecon Jazz Festival) but this a band that you can return to, one that delivers every time.

2013 saw the release of a second TIG album, “Internationally Recognised Aliens”, which again won the plaudits of the critics and consolidated upon the success of the début. “Aliens” featured former Pat Metheny Group bassist Steve Rodby in the producer’s chair and his acoustic bass also supplemented the distinctive sound of Swallow’s electric on a couple of tracks.

With Swallow busy on other projects he has since been replaced in the band by Rodby who has played bass on the last three occasions that I’ve seen the band. Tonight Rodby was deploying a distinctive cello like bass, his new toy complemented by Simcock’s ever expanding keyboard set up as the group continue to forge an increasingly effective synthesis of electric and acoustic sounds. For want of a better term the music they play is a kind of “intelligent fusion” that draws on the members’ collective jazz, rock, blues and classical influences.

Unusually for an Anglo-American band it’s the two Brits who are effectively the leaders. The bulk of their material comes from the fertile minds of Simcock and Walker who are now co-writing specifically for the group rather than bringing in pre- existing tunes as happened on the début album. Prior to this current tour the pair threw themselves into a concentrated burst of creativity coming up with a whole raft of new TIG material composed specifically for this line up. As a result ALL of the material we heard tonight was freshly minted -  there were no “greatest hits” to help keep the fans happy but such was the quality of the new stuff that nobody seemed to mind and the sell out crowd gave the group a tremendous reception.  The band will be going into the studio between gigs to record the new tunes for a third Impossible Gentlemen album which will be released on Basho Records in 2016, on tonight’s evidence it will be very eagerly awaited. Once again the recording venue will be engineer Curtis Schwartz’s studio in Sussex, also “home” to the first two TIG albums.

And so to the music, with the Gents sounding excellent over the Arena’s brand new PA system and with any minor glitches efficiently dealt with by long serving house engineer Peter Maxwell-Dickson. “Hold Out For The Sun”, opened the proceedings, an excellent example of the group’s gift for combining a strong sense of melody with a high degree of musical sophistication. Introduced by Walker’s solo guitar the piece developed to embrace intertwining guitar and piano lines, yet with Walker and Simcock never getting in one another’s way. Simcock doubled on grand piano and no less than two Nord electric keyboards, one for organ sounds, the other for synth and electric piano.
Solos here came from Simcock with an expansive excursion on acoustic piano, Rodby on that new bass and Walker on guitar. Nussbaum provided intelligent support with both brushes and sticks.

“Speak To Me Of Home” began with rapidly strummed guitar which morphed into a shuffling groove propelled by Rodby and Nussbaum which triggered sparkling solos from Simcock on piano and Walker on guitar before Nussbaum rounded things off with a flamboyant drum feature. There was definitely a hint of the music of Rodby’s old boss Pat Metheny in the melody here and apparently Pat showed up at TIG’s London gig at the Pizza Express, dropping in to say hi on his way back to the US from the star studded Eberhard Weber tribute concert in Stuttgart. Metheny has always been an obvious influence on TIG’s music and there are many similarities but Simcock and his colleagues have established a strong group identity of their own.

Part of that identity is a shared and easy humour that crosses generations, cultures and continents. The group’s love of word play was summed up by the trading of ideas for “fifty ways to leave your dog” in the wake of Walker’s announcement of the tune “Dog Time”. The twisted blues sounds of Walker’s guitar combined with Simcock’s eerie synth and organ textures as Rodby and Nussbaum laid down odd meter but cerebrally funky grooves, the whole thing delivering an unsettling, slightly sinister effect.

“Let’s Get Deluxe” is another tune that is likely to become an audience favourite with its loose limbed grooves and ebullient solos, the first from Simcock on acoustic piano. The keyboard wizard then provided the synthesised backwash for Walker’s solo before the pair coalesced, doubling up on the melody line as the tune finished with a flourish.

The influence of British classical composers such as Vaughan Williams, Delius, Britten and Elgar was acknowledged by Simcock prior to the charming “Miniature”, a well timed pause for breath before the jokily titled “A Fedora For Dora” closed the first set, its jaunty theme and exuberant piano and guitar solos balanced by a more reflective duo episode between Simcock and Walker mid tune. Nussbaum, an energetic and often humorous presence behind the kit rounded things off with an effervescent drum feature. A great first set.

Cultural differences were celebrated at the start of the second half with “Terrace Legend”, dedicated to Neil Baldwin, the characterful kit man of Simcock’s beloved Stoke City immortalised in the film “Marvellous” by actor Toby Jones. Based around an insistent groove this was a tour de force for Simcock on both electric and acoustic keyboards with Walker also cutting loose with another powerful solo.

The ballad “It Could Have Been A Simple Goodbye” demonstrated a softer side of the group’s playing with its lyrical unaccompanied piano introduction and subsequent solo and delightfully melodic guitar and piano exchanges, sympathetically supported by Nussbaum’s brushed drums.

The next piece was unannounced but quickly stepped up the energy levels once more thanks to Rodby’s fast bass walk and Nussbaum’s bustling drum grooves as Simcock and Walker once more doubled up on the melody line. Walker’s rock influenced guitar solo and his subsequent heated exchanges with Nussbaum’s drums represented an exciting set piece.

The drummer announced his own “In Sight, In Flight”, declaring it to be a “search for peace”. Nussbaum can write straightforward tunes like the popular “Sure Would Baby” from the group’s first album but his compositions can also be unexpectedly tender and reflective; witness the yet unrecorded ballad “We Three” at the group’s previous Wolverhampton show, plus this current offering. The fragile beauty of the bass/guitar/brushed drum intro was later combined with Simcock’s plaintive melodica to give a folky, old time feel to the music.

This song like quality was carried on into the next (unannounced) piece, a more joyous affair featuring solos from Simcock on piano, Walker on guitar and Rodby at the bass.

Finally we heard “Propane Jane” which deceived with a lyrical guitar/piano intro before Rodby struck a powerful bass groove augmented by Nussbaum’s military style snare tattoos, this proving to be the jumping off point for some pretty wigged out solos from Simcock and Walker with Simcock putting his new keyboard technology to good use with a fascinating mix of electric sounds. Later it was the turn of Walker to crank up the volume, cutting through Simcock’s funky Rhodes sounds and synth and organ drones. Lashed on by Nussbaum’s hard hitting drum grooves the guitarist’s high octane solo ended a superb evening of music making on a kinetic high. The four Impossible Gentlemen returned to the stage for a final bow but there was to be no encore, not even from the back catalogue.

It had been a triumphant return to Wolverhampton for The Impossible Gentlemen and the quality of the new material plus the skill of the playing will ensure that their third album, presumably with Rodby in the bass chair, will be very keenly anticipated. TIG’s flair for melody allied to their flawless musicianship allows them to present sophisticated and sometimes complex musical ideas in a way that is readily accessible to audiences, including adventurous rock listeners, but without any hint of compromise in their artistic approach. The on stage banter and the obvious delight they take in the playing of their music also adds greatly to their appeal.

However there was a touch of sadness attached to the evening. Among those Simcock thanked from the stage was the Arena’s Development Officer Alison Vermee who will be leaving to take up a post with the Arts Council England at their Birmingham office. Alison established hugely successful jazz programmes firstly at The Edge in Much Wenlock and later at The Arena. It is hoped that she will continue assist the Arena in an advisory/consultant capacity, particularly with regard to programming. Prior to her departure she ensured that funding for the Jazz @ Wolverhampton initiative will continue until at least 2018 meaning that jazz fans in the Midlands will be able to continue to enjoy top class contemporary jazz at The Arena for many years to come. Alison regards this as her greatest achievement to date.
All at The Jazzmann thank for her efforts at both The Edge and The Arena and wish her well in her new position in Birmingham. It was a bitter-sweet moment when she introduced a band at The Arena for possibly the last time.