Let us start with words from Steve Jordan, who supplied the setlist:

“As Elvin Jones said: ‘If you want to know who John Coltrane was, you have to know A Love Supreme.’

So all respect to the genius who was John Coltrane but also to the musicians who performed it on Wednesday evening at Fleece Jazz. They did it full justice and more and not a sheet of music in sight!

No sign of nerves but of intense respect for the wonder and beauty of the magnificent jazz suite that is A Love Supreme.  For 35 minutes, they took us to a higher level and transported us away.”

Steve said that the band was not reading a note for the suite. What they were reading were the projections of Coltrane’s words in his own hand as they rolled up the screen, and playing the music to the words. I talk about musicians listening: but the intensity with which they listened for the suite was palpable: we felt it. They looked drained when the suite concluded. What a special happening at the club, not to be forgotten.

Josh Kemp (of course on tenor sax) had produced an excellent programme for us. He was beautifully supported by Gareth Williams on piano, Dave Manington on bass and Tristan Maillot on drums. It was particularly nice to see Gareth and Tristan after far too long. 

The first set was music that Coltrane would have played, and three songs by Josh. I particularly liked “Effervescence”,  which Kemp wrote for his dad. Its 5/4 up-tempo rhythm gave one a good impression of his father’s personality. I have a private recording of his “The Angel of the North” from the last time Josh was here. I love the tune, and found my self silently singing the melody.

The second set was mostly “A Love Supreme”, followed by two happy numbers to break the intensity of the suite. It  was a great programme, but the suite will stand in the memory.

A word about the projections. I thought that they would take the attention away from the music. I was wrong. They were essential for the suite, and were integral to the fourth section. In the first section they were nice, each connected in some way to the tune being played. In Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” there were some steps in the projections.

On the 8th of November, the powerful young saxophonist Trish Clowes will be with us. She is supported by Ross Stanley on piano, Chris Montague on Guitar and Joel Barford on drums. This is a top class group. They will be presenting music from Trish’s highly acclaimed project “My Iris”. It will be a great one.

Take care,

Dave

JOSH KEMP QUARTET: JOHN COLTRANE – A LOVE SUPREME

SETLIST, FLEECE JAZZ 25/10/23

1. Happenstance (Josh Kemp)
2. Effervescence (Josh Kemp)
3. Giant Steps (John Coltrane)
4. It’s Easy To Remember, But So Hard To Forget (John Coltrane)
5. The Angel of the North (Josh Kemp)
6. My Shining Hour (Harold Arlen/Johnny Mercer)

*          *          *           *         *        *        *

7. A Love Supreme (John Coltrane):

Part 1: Acknowledgement

Part II: Resolution

Part III: Pursuance

Part IV: Psalm

8. You Go To My Head (J. Fred Coots/Haven Gillespie)

        ENCORE: Mach 6 (Josh Kemp)

What, no Drums? The four instumruments had much more clarity and presence than with a drummer. Even with the individual presence, the group sounded together. That is interesting considering that the piano and guitar have roughly the same pitch range and fought each other as sometimes happens: it can be a sound guy’s nightmare to provide them with clarity.

It was really great to see and hear Andrew Cleyndert lead the group on bass. His pianist was Mark Edwards, Martin Shaw played Flugel throughout, with the trumpet firmly on its stand. Colin Oxley is a favourite guitarist. This band has been around for a decade now, and though Mark was an early deputy, they listened hard and had great unity. 

Colin had some great solos, but I was interested in his accompaniment. Rhythm guitar is one of those things that you don’t notice until it goes away, and then you really miss it. Colin kept it at just the right level. If you chose to focus on him accompanying, his choice of chord seemed to be controlled by his listening to the soloist. A piano, which is a percussive instrument, seems more forward in accompaniment.

Mark is a superb pianist. He hasn’t been with us since he was with Ben Castle back in the Fleece pub. Mark uses the whole piano, even using the soft pedal to change the piano’s timbre. He is man of power, like McCoy Tyner. His accompaniment was excellent.

I have loved Martin’s work for many years. Chatting, he described himself as just a guy who plays for other guys. He didn’t mention that he was also continuously on call for that, and that he does session work with all that demands. Wednesday was flugel playing at its best, leaving the trumpet and Harmon mute lonely on the floor.

And our leader? Andrew’s essentials (pitch, technique, solid beat) are perfect, of course. But it is wonderful to hear the result of his musical thinking, which demands things like top range to bottom range twice in an up-beat bar. He put together, it seems on the fly, an excellent programme (see Steves set list below) with lots of variation of tempo and feel. There was a lot of music from a range of latin vibes. Everything had a common feel as being from this band at this time. 

It was a very enjoyable gig. 

You need to know about a special gig coming up on Wednesday 25 October. Josh Kemp is giving us an evening of the “Love Supreme” side of John Coltrane. He is bringing Gareth Williams on piano, Dave Manington on bass and Tristan Maillot on drums, and some remarkable visuals. I hope to see you there.

THE ANDREW CLEYNDERT QUARTET: “ECLECTRICITY” 

SETLIST, FLEECE JAZZ 11/2023

1. Two Little Pearls (Oscar Pettiford)/Unrequited (Brad Mehldau) 
2. One Hundred Ways (Kathy Wakefield)
3. Valse Triste (Jean Sibelius) also adapted by Wayne Shorter on The Soothsayer
4. So Tender (Keith Jarrett)
5. A Felicidade (Antonio Carlos Jobim)
6. Secret Love (Sammy Fain/Paul Francis Webster)

*          *          *           *         *        *        *

7. Você Que Não Vem (Toninho Horta) 
8. Ojoe de Rojo (Cedar Walton)
9. Answer Me (Gerhard Winkler)/ Dexter’s Tune (Randy Newman). ‘Answer Me’ was originally titled Mutterlein with German lyrics. Contemporary recordings with English lyrics by Frankie Laine and David Whitfield topped the singles chart in 1953. ‘Dexter’s Tune’ was from the film ‘Awakenings’.
10. Song of the Sabia (Antonio Carlos Jobim) arranged by Cedar Walton
11. Hamp’s Blues (Hampton Hawes)
12. Come Dance With Me (Eddie Harris) 
13. ENCORE: Danny Boy (Trad.)

 

As well as doing the setlist below, Steve Jordan has made the following comment about the gig: “Jo Harrop was a great hit with the audience, myself included, with her seductive phrasing and warm delivery – one of the very best jazz vocalists that I have ever heard.  Of course, this was all complimented superbly  by the other musicians especially Paul Edis’s extraordinary pianism and Nigel Price’s mellifluous guitar-playing.  A special mention also to Simon Thorpe who never disappoints.”

I agree.

One of the trials of doing publicity is hunting for information about people. it helps if you have the right name. We were given Peter Adams for the drummer, could find nothing. His name is Peter Adam Hill, and there is lots out there. So there should be. Peter played the room beautifully – he is an honest listening musician and I would like to see him back again . He made Nigel grin trading riffs. Apologies, Peter, about the misnaming.

I should also add that Simon was a very last minute dep, That is still magic to me. I was expecting a difficult sound check. It took, as part of their rehearsal, about 5 minutes. Nobody commented on the sound. I got it right. There is a trick to this: make your ears do their research before the gig. In this case it was a real pleasure.

Highlights? To start, the programme design. It was varied in tempo and mood, and showed off Jo’s range of tone and sensibility. The contrast between “Ain’t Got Nothing but the Blues”, which had a lovely growl to it, the sweetness of “Our Love is Here To Stay”, and the up-beat “Secret Love” showed off that range. Jo is a great lyricist. Her collaborations with Paul, Hannah Vasanth and Natalie Williams were most enjoyable. 

During the rehearsal, Nigel took a moment to introduce the other instrumentalists to “Four On Six”, which they played at the start of the second set. “Brilliant” said the chap sitting next to the sound check. Indeed it was.  Their accompaniment was great, and Jo gave the lads lots of room to blow all through the evening.  She had one tune with just Paul, and one with just Nigel. You do that and you have nowhere to hide, In fact, those tunes were stunning collaborations.

Our next gig is on the 11th of October, and what a crew! Andrew Cleyndert leads on bass,  Mark Edwards on piano, Martin Shaw on trumpet and flugelhorn and Colin Oxley on guitar. it will be a feast for their and our soul.

Take care, 

Dave

JO HARROP QT PLUS NIGEL PRICE 

SETLIST, FLEECE JAZZ 27/09/23

1. How Deep Is the Ocean? (Irving Berlin) Performed as an instrumental before Jo Harrop joined the band

2. Easy To Love (Cole Porter)
3. Short Story (Paul Edis/Kate Edis)
4. Time After Time (Jule Styne/Sammy Cahn)
5. Ain’t Got Nothing But The Blues (Duke Ellington)
6. Our Love Is Here To Stay (Gershwin)
7. You’ll Never Be Lonely in Soho (Edis/Harrop)
8. Charade (Henry Mancini) from the film of the same name
9. No Moon At All (Red Evans/David Mann)

*          *          *           *         *       *        *

10. Four On Six (Wes Montgomery) Performed as an instrumental before Jo Harrop, once again, joined the band
11. Red Mary Janes and A Brand New Hat (Jo Harrop, Hannah Vasanth, Natalie Williams)
12. If Ever I Would Leave You (Lerner/Loewe)
13. East Of The Sun, West Of The Moon (Brooks Bowman)
14. The Heart Wants What The Heart Wants (Jo Harrop, Hannah Vasanth)
15. Early Autumn (Woody Herman) 
16. Secret Love (Sammy Fain/Paul Francis Webster) – as sung by Doris Day in the film, Calamity Jane
17. Only Spring Will Decide (Paul Edis/Jo Harrop)
18. On The Street Where You Live (Lerner/Loewe)
19. Fine and Mellow (Billie Holiday)
20. ENCORE: It’s That Old Devil Moon (Burton Lane/E.Y. Harburg)

 

Thoughts on Loz Speyer’s “Time Zone”, 13 September 2023

The earlier writeup for this gig made me expect something different and original, and I was not disappointed (you can see that writeup here). Loz Speyer gave us a programme which varied from fun to profound. He writes with freedom in the chording and time signatures, and uses a wide variety of rhythms. The rhythms came mostly from the Cuban tradition, where Loz spent some of his life.

“Lost at Sea” was a memorial for the dead from boat crossings around the world. It was very affecting. There were shocks of pitch, chording and volume changes that got to you. The quiet but dissonant quiet periods and the heavier sections were evocative of what the boats were facing.

Loz wanted us to get up and dance for one number. Our audience? Perhaps not. The last number, “Dalston Carnival” almost did it: it was joyous. Friedrich Nietzsche’s comment, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” transports into Cuban as “What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Fat”, another joyous song. 

What a fascinating use of time signatures, Loz has. There was lots of 4/4 and a bit of 3/4, but 11/16 takes a chorus to get into. But then is just felt right in the song. There were a couple of 10/8 (or 2*5/4?) tunes as well.

The excellent crew were Loz on trumpet and flugel, Martin Hathaway on sax and bass clarinet, Chris Allard  on guitar, Dave Manington on bass, Satin Singh on congas and Anmol Mohara on drums. If I had to pick up one thing from the excellent work of them all, I would choose Anmol  and Satin who had a couple of trading 4s and 2s which were delightful.

Thanks to Miles’ daughter for the set list, setting and rolling cables, helping with everything else, and suffering listening to my anecdotes.

On Wednesday 27 September, the wonderful Jo Harrop will be leading a tribute to great voices in jazz. If you have not heard her before, you have been missing a fine and flexible singer with a deep musical understanding of the songs. Her normal quartet has Paul Edie on piano, Jihad Darwish on bass and Peter Adams on drums, but for us she has added our good friend and amazing guitarist, Nigel Price. Don’t miss it.

Setlist for Loz Speyer’s “Time Zone” – 13 September 2023

All songs by Loz Speyer.

1. Stratosphere

2. Now is Always Different

3. Mood Swings

4. What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Fat

5. Guannapacharignero (I think)

……………..

6. Checkpoint Charlie

7. Bilingual

8. Lost at Sea

9. Crossing the Line

10. Dalston Carnival

The pandemic was extremely hard on artists of all kinds: theatre, on and off the stage, for example. It was very difficult for musicians, but many of them found good ways to use the time. One of the best of these was the genesis and work that produced Five-Way Split. Quentin Collins (trumpet and flugel), Vasilis Xenopoulos (tenor sax), Rob Barron (piano), Máyás Hofecker (double bass) and Matt Home (drums) created the band. They wrote music for it, recorded it, and over time produced an excellent CD of  their own tunes, and some standards. 

They  played for us last Wednesday. What a delight not to see music stands! In fact, Rob wanted the piano front off, and asked for the music stand that sits on the open piano. He looked at it for a minute, and realized that they knew the music, so the stand was put away. What was magical was the combination of great unity and precision of the five coupled with the freedom to improvise in such a lyrical way.

The standard of writing was very high throughout the gig. The first number, Vasilis’s tribute to Wayne Shorter, “Out of Waynes Bag”,  brought us into the heart of the band’s music. 

Arranging is a subtle art, and the band is very good at it. Solos flowed out of the heads beautifully. Quentin’s solo with the Harmon mute in “All The Way” was a highlight for me, but every solo shone. I like to listen to the accompaniments to solos, and these were very good, lots of careful listening. But the solos grabbed my attention pretty well totally.

Thanks to Steve Jordan for producing the setlist below. He agreed, a great gig, thank you , guys,

The next gig is on Wednesday, 13 September. Loz Speyer’s “Time Zone” will have us travel with Cuban music around the world. It will be grand, don’t miss it.

Take care,

Dave

FIVE-WAY SPLIT

SETLIST, FLEECE JAZZ 23/08/23

1. Out of Wayne’s Bag (Xenopoulos)
2. Lingua Franca (Barron) 
3. Mr Birthday Waltz (Collins)
4. Asymphonatic (Collins)
5. Evidently (Barron)

*          *          *           *         *        *        *

6. All The Way (Jimmy Van Heusen/Sam Cahn) – a song made famous by Frank Sinatra in 1957 which was introduced in the film The Joker Is Wild.  This arrangement was by Rob Barron.
7. Sunday in New York (Peter Nero and Carroll Coates ) – a song written for the 1963 movie of the same name. It was sung by Mel Tormé in the film which starred Jane Fonda.
8. San Sebastian (Xenopoulos) – named after the city in the Basque region of Spain
9. Theme For Ernie (Fred Lacey) – covered by John Coltrane amongst others
10. Encounter (Mike LeDonne) – based on the chord changes of Love for Sale
11. ENCORE: Bittersweet (Sam Jones)