TRYPL, Music Spoken Here, The Marr’s Bar, Worcester, 09/01/2025

Paul Booth – tenor & soprano saxophones, percussion Trevor Mires – trombone,  percussion, Sid Gauld – trumpet & flugelhorn, percussion, John Crawford – keyboard, Mirko Scarcia – acoustic & electric bass,  Davide Giovaninni – drums, percussion Andres Ticino – congas, percussion

Music Spoken Here’s 2025 programme got off to a brilliant start with the visit of TRYPL, an all star septet co-led by saxophonist Paul Booth and trombonist Trevor Mires. The band name is an acronym derived from the forenames of these two, plus trumpeter Ryan Quigley, who was unable to make tonight’s performance but who was brilliantly replaced by ‘super sub’ Sid Gauld, who I first remember seeing playing with Django Bates’ Delightful Precipice ensemble some thirty odd years ago!

Gauld wasn’t the only ‘dep’ to have been drafted in for the evening. Pianist John Crawford stepped in for the advertised Will Barry, while bassist Mirko Scarcia was a last minute replacement for the unwell Davide Mantovani. The drum and percussion team of Davide Giovaninni and Andres Ticino remained unchanged. The various line up changes didn’t affect the quality of the music, all of these players are vastly experienced session musicians and highly proficient sight readers and given how busy all of these guys are one suspects that the TRYPL live line up is pretty flexible anyway.

As the instrumental configuration might suggest TRYPL’s sound is strongly influenced by the music of Latin America and the majority of it is upbeat and energetic. A different version of the band, fronted by its three writers, Booth, Mires and Quigley released its eponymous debut album on the Ubuntu record label in 2021 and this recording is reviewed here;
https://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/trypl-trypl

At the time I remarked;
“There is much joy and energy in these effervescent and vivacious performances, but this is not just ‘party’ music, there is a high level of musical sophistication too”, and I also commented “one suspects that this septet would also be a thrilling and dynamic live prospect”.

Both these observations were proved to be true by tonight’s superb performance which attracted one of the largest MSH audiences to date, a very impressive turn out on a very cold January night. There was a real air of anticipation in the room prior to the show and a genuine buzz of excitement while it was taking place. Afterwards everybody was filled with a warm inner glow as they exited into the freezing Worcestershire night.

Interestingly 2024 had got off to a similar start, the first gig of the year having seen the similarly stellar FNUK sextet draw a similarly large crowd. Review here;
https://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/fnuk-music-spoken-here-the-marrs-bar-worcester-11-01-2024

There had also been a similarly sizeable turnout in November 2023 for the visit of Hoop, another stellar septet of A-list session musicians led by Booth, this line up also featuring Quigley, who, ironically had been drafted in as a ‘dep’. My review of this brilliant performance can be found here;
https://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/secret-sessions-hoop-music-spoken-here-the-marrs-bar-worcester-30-11-2023

Turning now to tonight’s performance, which contained a mix of material sourced from TRYPL’s debut album and from their eagerly awaited, as yet to be titled, follow up, which is due for release in May 2025.

Introduced by Giovannini at the drums and with Crawford’s piano prominent in the early stages, and effectively taking the first solo the new tune “Nao ha tempo para agora”, ironically written by the absent Ryan Quigley, got things off to a rousing start. The three horns entered the proceedings comparatively late but added a real punch to the arrangement, with Booth soloing on tenor in powerful and authoritative fashion. He was followed by Mires, who exhibited a similar fluency, as did Gauld, who slotted into the line up seamlessly and whose playing was hugely impressive throughout. An ensemble passage featuring the horns working in unison then led into a closing drum and percussion workout from Giovannini and Ticino. What an exhilarating and invigorating start.

Composed by Mires “Avarice”, a second new tune scheduled to appear on the forthcoming album, saw Booth switching to soprano and Scarcia to electric bass. Enlivened by a catchy melodic hook featuring the three horns this piece incorporated solos from Crawford on piano and Mires on trombone. Crawford is a master of Latin and other ‘world jazz’ piano styles and is a composer and bandleader in his own right. I have previously reviewed his solo recordings and also enjoyed his live performances with a variety of acts, including the band -isq, featuring vocalist Irene Serra, and various groups led by cellist Shirley Smart. In many ways he’s an ideal fit for TRYPL and represented the perfect ‘dep’ for this evening’s show.

The band dipped into the repertoire from their first album with the Mires composition “Here We Go”, which is actually the closing track. Combining jazz harmonies with authentic Latin rhythms this was introduced by piano, electric bass and the colourful interplay of Giovannini’s kit drums and Ticino’s congas. At various times during the set the already vibrant rhythms generated by these two were further augmented by a variety of small percussive items wielded by the three horn players, with Gauld particularly active in this regard. The instruments included maracas and other shakers, scrapers, cowbell and vibraslap.
Horn enlivened riffs added extra impetus to this piece, with Crawford, also a highly rhythmic player,  taking a percussive piano solo that offered further evidence of his mastery of the Latin idiom. He was followed by Mires with an earthy and rousing trombone solo.

There was a brief pause for breath with the ballad “Paseo del Amor”, another new tune scheduled for release on the forthcoming album. This featured a concise solo from Gauld on flugel horn and a dexterous, fleet fingered excursion from the excellent Scarcia on double bass.

The first set concluded with another dip into the repertoire from the first album and the Booth composition “El Viaje El Sur”, a title translating as translating as “the voyage, or journey, to the South”, so perhaps it was appropriate that Trevor introduced it in his proud South London (Bexleyheath) accent, only to be corrected by Paul, speaking fluent Geordie! This was ushered in by a combination of horns and percussion, with Crawford delivering an authentically Cuban style piano solo followed by a further drum and percussion workout. The horns were represented by solos from Mires on trombone and Booth on tenor, the composer’s solo a powerful outing that sometimes reminded me of the playing of the late, great Michael Brecker. Finally Giovannini and Ticino closed out an excellent first half by resuming their drum and percussion battle.

Set two began with the septet continuing to mine the rich seam of their first album with the Quigley tune “Pasado Olividado”. The full septet’s combination of punchy horn lines and bubbling Latin rhythms quickly raised the temperature on this chilliest of nights, with Scarcia on electric bass. Gauld took the first solo on trumpet, followed by Mires on trombone and Crawford at the piano. This vibrant and colourful opener concluded with another drum / percussion two hander from Giovannini and Ticino.

The only cover of the evening was the ballad “Tres Palabras” (translating as “Three Words”), written by the Cuban songwriter Osvaldo Farres (1903-85). The tune was brought to the group by Booth and it represents the only outside item on the band’s debut album. Booth has said of this piece;
“This song was first introduced to me in my teens when I started to play with many of the London salsa and Latin jazz groups that were around in that 90’s boom. Its beauty and delicate nature was always welcomed by the musicians in contrast to the general pace of those high energy gigs. With this album we all felt that it would serve the same purpose”.
Tonight’s exquisite performance was ushered in by a passage of unaccompanied tenor sax, with Booth joined in duet by Crawford at the piano. Double bass and brushed drums were then added, with Scarcia contributing a melodic double bass solo alongside mellow horn solos from Mires on trombone and Gauld on flugel as the piece fulfilled its function in just the way that Booth had intended.

Quigley’s new composition “Trypl Sec” raised the energy levels once more – even before a note had been played. “Triple Sex?!” enquired one cheeky young lady in the crowd, to general audience hilarity. The tune’s vibrant Salsa rhythms helped to fuel authentically Afro-Cuban style solos from Crawford on piano and Gauld on trumpet.

Also by Quigley “It’s Coffee Time” was introduced by a solo feature from conguero Ticino, his percolating rhythms later combining with Scarcia’s double bass groove to inspire solos from Booth on tenor, Mires on trombone, Gauld on trumpet and Crawford at the piano, actually a Roland FP-4 keyboard on an acoustic piano setting. It’s probably fair to say that after this everybody in the house, both on stage and in the audience, was ‘full of beans’.

The performance concluded with the new Mires composition “Palinka”, a second tune to be named after an alcoholic drink, in this case the Hungarian spirit Palinka. For the first time the band encouraged a little audience participation with the crowd encouraged to shout out the tune title when prompted at various moments – well it made a nice change from “Tequila!”. A combination of infectious horn riffs and electric bass grooves prompted high octane solos from pianist Crawford and trumpeter Gauld, plus a closing drum and percussion feature.

An ecstatic audience reaction from a large and enthusiastic crowd helped to ensure that an encore was inevitable, with the band reaching back to their first album for the Mires composition “Nodge”. This was genuine salsa tune, introduced by a combination of drums, percussion and horns and featuring a dazzling high register trumpet solo from Gauld that owed something to Cuban trumpet masters such as Arturo Sandoval. Crawford’s exuberant,  ultra-percussive piano solo almost crossed the line into something resembling Keith Tippett style free jazz territory. Composer Mires followed on trombone and this vibrantly rhythmic piece concluded, almost inevitably, with a final drums and percussion workout.

What a terrific way to kick off the 2025 Music Spoken Here programme at The Marr’s Bar. The music was brilliant and it was also great to see so many people there, especially as there were many new faces, including a good number of younger people.

Let’s just hope that the excellence of tonight’s show will encourage them all to come back. MSH needs these kind of audience numbers – and more – if it is to survive. We need these kinds of numbers for EVERY gig, and of course bigger audiences also inspire the musicians to give of their best, helping to turn each gig into a genuine EVENT.

MSH presents a unique style of jazz that just isn’t found at other local jazz clubs where the focus is more on mainstream Great American Songbook / bebop / hard bop material, rather than genuinely original music, particularly at the fusion end of the jazz spectrum.

MSH really is a unique jazz resource for Worcester and the wider West Midlands as a whole. I implore everybody who was here tonight to come down to these events on a regular basis. Promoter Dave Fuller is creating something special at The Marr’s Bar and it really is a case of “USE IT OR LOSE IT”.

Finally my thanks to Paul Booth and Trevor Mires for speaking with me at the interval and after the show and to Trevor for emailing me a copy of the set list and of the personnel following the numerous line up changes. Also a shout out to all the deps, and particularly Sid Gauld, for filling in so seamlessly and impressively.

IAN MANN

Dave Fuller of Music Spoken Here has written his own review of the gig which has been published in the weekly MSH newsletter and will also appear in the Worcester based music and listings magazine SLAP! (Supporting Local Artists and Performers).

TRYPL turn up the heat!

On the coldest night of the new year and with the nasty winter bugs that are doing the rounds at the moment, I wasn’t sure what sort of crowd we’d get last Thursday. The day before the gig, bassist Davide Mantovani had to drop out due to illness and even our sound engineer Willis was struck down at the eleventh hour, but it all came good and the seven-piece TRYPL saw The Marr’s Bar packed for cracking night of hot Latin jazz to start 2025 on high note!

It is inevitable when working with bands of in-demand musicians that, on occasions, advertised lineups, particularly where larger bands are involved, will change on the night for various reasons. Some of you may recall that Paul Booth’s HOOP band was rescheduled in 2023 due to Paul landing a TV show tour. For the same reason he was dep’d when Tristan Banks’ Quartet played that year, at first by Tom Barford, who was then taken ill and replaced last-minute by the exceptional Tom Smith, who filled in astoundingly on both sax and flute, sight-reading most of the music which he’d seen for the first time that day! When HOOP played in November, Ryan Quigley stepped in for Tom Walsh on trumpet, learning the set on the way down from a studio session in Sheffield earlier that day. It is a testament to the high standard of musicians that we are so lucky to be able to enjoy here in Worcester.

Tonight, three of the band were stand-ins, with Ryan replaced by Sid Gauld (who, along with Paul, had finished up 13 back-to-back sold-out shows at Ronnie Scott’s with Incognito the week before), John Crawford (who previously appeared at The Marr’s Bar in Tristan Banks’ Quartet) replacing the advertised Will Barry on keys, and Mirko Scarcia stepping in last minute on upright and electric bass.

Quite a queue had formed outside the Marr’s Bar - something we haven’t seen in a while, and once the doors opened, people began to file in to the sounds of Latin jazz from our resident DJ ‘Moore Fe Jazz’. By the time the first set started, half an hour later, it was standing room only!

There was to be no ‘easing in’ tonight, with the set launching into “Nao Ha Tempo Para Agora” with a scorching, up-beat introduction from John Crawford on his Roland digital piano. The horn section then came in together before each taking solos. Paul Booth took the first on tenor sax, followed by Trevor Mires on trombone and finally Sid Gauld dropping his first trumpet solo of the evening. The piece, which was written by Ryan Quigley and appears on their forthcoming second album, closed out with a feature from Davide Giovannini on drums, with some additional flourishes from Andres Ticino on percussion. While I’ve not been able to afford the incredible ten-piece Snowboy and The Latin Section yet, Davide and Sid join Neil Angilley (pianist in Steve Taylor’s Fusion Phew who appeared in May last year) in the roster of Latin Section players that have performed on this stage for us, and even Paul has dep’d in their lineup on several occasions.

“Avarice”, also from the forthcoming album, had Paul switch to soprano sax and bassist Mirko Scarcia, who had seen this music for the first time that day, swap the double bass for an orange Music Man Stingray electric bass.

Unfortunately, the absent Ryan Quigley held the stock of merch, so the band were only able to scrabble together three vinyl copies of their eponymous 2020 debut album, on which the next piece “Here We Go” appears. We were treated to another feature from John on piano and Trevor on trombone.

Things calmed down momentarily with the ballad “Paseo del Amor” from the forthcoming album that featured Sid on flugelhorn, Paul on soprano sax and Mirko, back on double bass for this one. The last piece in the first set was a return to the debut album with “El Viaje El Sur”, unashamedly introduced by Trevor with his “Bexley Heath pronunciation” before passing the mic to Paul, who wrote this glorious salsa tune, for the correct pronunciation. It also gave conguero Andres an opportunity to show us his chops, before a tenor solo from Paul and another drum feature from Davide.

The second set opened with “Pasado Olvidado” and “Tres Palabras”, the sixth and seventh track from the TRYPL album. The latter featured a sombre tenor sax solo, sparsely accompanied by John’s piano, with Davide coming in with brushed snare before Trevor took a delightfully moody trombone solo followed by another double bass solo from Mirko.

Composed by Ryan Quigley and named after an essential margarita ingredient, “Trypl Sec” was a laid back bossa nova from the forthcoming album, due out in May, that featured Sid on trumpet and John on piano. Sticking with the drinks theme and also from the forthcoming album, we were treated to the band’s first ever live performance of “Its Coffee Time”, which opened with a solo from Andres on congas.

The energy in the room was channelled for some audience participation in the final piece of the set - “Palinka”, inspired by the “unofficial National drink of Hungary”. The packed house weren’t going to let it lie there, and after rapturous applause the TRYPL powerhouse fired up again with an encore of “Nodge”, a piece that may have been more familiar to some as it was used in our promotion of this fantastic event.

It really was wonderful to see so many of you come through for this gig on such a cold night. Along with our many regulars, there were several groups of people there for the first time. I’m sure that most hadn’t heard of TRYPL before this event, and that will probably be the case with most of the bands we put on. One thing you can be sure of though is that we will continue to present the very best from the UK jazz, funk and fusion scene in little old Worcester, a city that’s “not really known for jazz”!

DAVE FULLER

 

 

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