Pete Oxley’s Flight of Hand, 2nd November 2022– by Steve Jordan

It seems so long ago that Pete Oxley last brought his splendid collection of guitars to Fleece Jazz.  It was, in fact, March 2020 with the Oxley-Meier Guitar Project and then the week after that we went into lockdown and live jazz at the Fleece was off-limits for a whole 18 months.  It was so good to have him back this Wednesday with an amazing band of musicians.

The combination of guitar and piano can be too much like a sandwich with a filling of breadcrumbs: two chordal instruments competing for clarity of sound; it should surely be either/or.  Then you hear the warm, mellifluous guitar sound of Pete Oxley and the majestic pianism of David Gordon complementing one another so well rather than creating an aural soup.  We were, indeed, blessed by the combined sound of both musicians plus two more in the guise of Oli Hayhurst on double bass and Tom Hooper on drums, of which more later.

Pete’s guitar sound is very reminiscent of the world-famous jazz guitarist, Pat Metheny, so it was fitting to open with It’s Just Talk from 1987.  That euphoric sense of harmony and lyricism from Pete’s guitar and the dazzling technical skill of David Gordon on piano washed over the audience and instantly created a warm atmosphere.  After introductions and pleasantries from the ever-personable Pete, adorned in floral jacket and shirt, we are into his very own The Gift, a classic Oxley composition from the Oxley-Meier Guitar Project.  This introspective and thoughtful number is enhanced by the shuffle of the rhythm section, with David Gordon adding a plaintive backing on melodica.  Gordon’s English Isobars is an enchanting, though somewhat dark ballad, with Tom Hooper’s delicacy of playing complementing Pete’s guitar and Oli Hayhurst’s strong, nimble fingers busily working their magic over the fret of the double bass.  Tom Hooper was “depping” for Paul Cavaciuti, who is currently laid low with bronchitis; Tom stepped in at the last minute, although it certainly didn’t show in the versatility and inventiveness of his performance.  He was restrained and respectful when it was needed, but his exuberance and technical skill were a wonder on many a number throughout both sets.  We’d like Tom back soon and wish Paul well.  Before the next number, Pete quizzed the audience on their knowledge of the German ECM label, famed for its high production values which create a spacious and crystal-clear sound. No one could identify the guitar and piano-playing composer of the next number, although I suspect many of us will be seeking out the textured jazz recordings of Ralph Towner and his group, Oregon.  Pete’s Mercurial Views, written for the next Oxley-Meier album was inspired by the shimmering surface of a lake in the absence of tempestuous weather on the coast of Lyme Regis.  Once again, David Gordon adds the wistful accordion-like sound of the melodica to the beautiful, free-flowing melodicism of his pianism and the lyricism of Pete’s guitar.  The first set concludes with the wild post-bop jig, The Alchemist and The Cat Flap, showcasing the technical skills of each member of the band as they anticipate one another’s moves.

The second set opens with Greenland, which builds in tempo and once again gives the pianist an opportunity to demonstrate his chops, a real display of pyrotechnics that has him eventually standing to play the keys.  The tempo comes right down for the beautiful jazz standard and ballad, Estate, (pronounced E – Star – Tay, the Italian for Summer) made famous in the Bossa Nova version recorded by Joao Gilberto but here interpreted through Pete’s delicate guitar-playing.  The gasps and hoots of appreciation from the audience say it all.  From Italy, we move to Brazil and that other multi-instrumentalist, Egberto Gismonti, with Loro.  The rhythm from Tom on percussion and Oli on bass takes us to South America, a welcome relief from a blustery, rainy night in November and Tom Hooper’s face is full of joy as he is transported by the music.  It seems logical to continue with a Spanish-flavoured tune, Armando’s Rumba by Chick Corea. The choice of music and the energy and technical skills of the rhythm section support Pete’s signature sound in melding harmony with influences from the Americas and Europe.  There is no doubt that this band is a partnership and David Gordon’s September Song reminds us of the wealth of talent that is present before us.  We come to the (officially) last number, The Surging Waves, another new Oxley composition inspired by his imagination of the weather conditions he had hoped for in Lyme Regis.  Think of the scene from The French Lieutenant’s Woman where Sarah Woodruff stands on the Cobb, looking out to sea, as the waves surge and crash against the harbour.  Now translate that into jazz and you have some idea of what we heard.

The band were very generous and did not protest when the audience called for an encore, despite the lateness of the hour and the foul weather outside.  They played a very old (did Pete say 14^th century?) tune from Mexico called Cortegaca (I think) which had the tempo of a Bossa Nova.  

We genuinely felt privileged to have these four hugely talented musicians play at our club with such passion and delicacy and send us home feeling so much happier.

SETLIST 

1. It’s Just Talk (Pat Metheny) from the album Still Life (Talking).

2. The Gift  (Pete Oxley) from the Oxley-Meier album The Alluring Ascent.

3. English Isobars (David Gordon) from the David Gordon Trio album, Angel Feet.

4. Aeolus (Ralph Towner)

5. Mercurial Views (Pete Oxley) yet to be released.

6. The Alchemist and The Cat Flap (David Gordon) from the David Gordon Trio album, Angel Feet.

*          *          *           *         *        *        *

7. Greenland (David Gordon) from the David Gordon Trio album, Second Language.   

8. Estate (Bruno Martino)

9. Loro (Egberto Gismonti)

10. Armando’s Rumba (Chick Corea) from his album, My Spanish Heart.

11. September Moon (David Gordon) from the David Gordon Trio album, Second Language.   

12. The Surging Waves (Pete Oxley) not yet released.

     ENCORE: Cortegaca (Trad.)

There is a rule. If the band is having a good time, the audience will be having a good time. We had a great time, we did.  Vasilis, Ross, Simon and Steve were eager to get back to music they had not played for some time. Their eagerness was increased by a wait for three of them on the cursed A12, but they were all daisy fresh and ready to rock.

They made us happy right away with Gordon’s “Evergreenish”.  We got our first taste of wonderful musicianship from all four, and the intense listening among them was very visible to us. 

We were treated to lots of styles. For example, the first set ended with Gordon’s “Society Red”, which was done as a funky tune. As an aside, I have always wondered about the current use of the word “funk”, as as far as I can find out, it originally described the smell of a New Orleans bordello. Anyway, the tune was great fun. 

We had some beautiful ballads. Donald Byrd’s “Tanya” in the second set was one example, Vasilis’s tone was just right. Our Steve Jordan has a comment on it in his set list below.

Ross would be a treat to a deaf person. His whole body moves with the music whether soloing or as an accompanist. He is one of two musicians able to use all three pedals – soft, sustenuto and sustain – to great effect. His superb musicianship was unhampered by a piano string breaking in the second half, causing havoc to Bb two octaves above middle C. 

Steve and Simon were grinning from ear to ear during many of the tunes, as their colleagues produced new riffs and quotes. Both of them have “big ears” which helps; that is to say they listen like crazy.

That’s enough. Really great gig. Another to follow in less than a week’s time, with Pete Oxley’s “Flight of Hand”. It will be a gas. Do join us.

Take care,

Dave

DEXTERITY: THE MUSIC OF DEXTER GORDON by VASILIS XENOPOULOS QUARTET  SETLIST, FLEECE JAZZ, 26/10/22

Vasilis Xenopoulis, Tenor Sax; Ross Stanley, Piano; Simon Thorpe, Bass; Steve Brown, Drums.

1. Evergreenish (Dexter Gordon) from the 1970 album, The Jumpin’ Blues
2. Hanky Panky (Dexter Gordon) from album Clubhouse
3. Soy Califa (Dexter Gordon) from album A Swingin’ Affair. Exuberant vocal at beginning from Simon Thorpe.
4. I’m A Fool To Want You (Joel Herron/Frank Sinatra/Jack Wolf) from album Clubhouse.  Also covered by Billie Holliday
5. Society Red from 1961 album Doin’ Alright (Dexter Gordon). Certainly has a funky groove, yet funk wasn’t heard until the mid ‘60s when James Brown created Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag

*          *          *           *         *        *        *

6. It’s You or No One (Sammy Cahn/Jule Styne) from the live album of the same name, recorded in 1964 at Jazzhus Montmartre in Copenhagen. DG lived in Denmark and often performed at the Montmartre
7. Tanya (Donald Byrd) from the 1964 album One Flight Up.  There was indeed a similarity to Coltrane’s style in this rendition, although DG was an influence on Coltrane rather than the other way round.
8. Montmartre (Dexter Gordon) from the album The Tower of Power.  Performed with a Latin Jazz tempo.  Did anyone else hear “Windmills of my Mind” in there?
9. Tivoli (Dexter Gordon) from the 1975 album More Than You Know.  A jazz waltz inspired by Tivoli gardens in Copenhagen.

    10. Second Balcony Jump (Billy Eckstine) from the 1962 album, Go!

     Encore: If You Could See Me Now (Tadd Dameron/ Carl Sigman) from the 1970 album, The Jumpin’ Blues

Antonio  Forcione gave us a most  masterful,  joyous and beautifully presented gig on solo guitar and in duo with a drummer who wasn’t there. in the second half, he played Mancini’s “The Cool Cat”, and asked us to imagine that a fine drummer was to his right. The drummer did the intro, then accompanied Antonio. The two traded 4s. At the end when Antonio gestured to his right, we all applauded the drummer. I was sure he was using brushes and Antoni agrees, sticks would be too loud for a solo guitarist.

Let’s amplify some of those adjectives:

Masterful: Antonio is a master of the complete instrument. He uses classical fingering, plectrum, hammering, harmonics, and a wide variety of percussion effects. At times he uses them altogether. 

Joyous: The music is amazing It doesn’t mean much if the performer can’t tell a story when he plays. Antonio has soul, and tells the stories.

Beautiful: Presentation is important. Antonio is fun to be  with as a performer in our small space. He chatted with us about his coming to London as a young man, stories about Mandela, McCartney and others. We so enjoyed the chat and fun, and he liked the attentive audience, a feature of our club.

Searching for highlights is like finding the best diamond in a pile of them, Antonio’s “Touch Wood” was the most visual and percussive song. He made sounds from every part of the guitar, covering all of a drum kit except for the cymbals. I bet he could do those if he wanted to .

His “African Dawn’ was a tribute to Mandela. This was a great example of storytelling with music. “Alhambra” gave us the profound effect of visiting that marvellous place. He brought back the visit Roberta and I made to Alhambra and the effect it had.

I loved his take on Brubeck’s 5/4 classic, “Take Five”, and on “Come Together”. “I Heard It On The Grapevine”, made famous by Marvin Gaye, is something of an anthem for Antonio.

It was a wonderful gig and we want him back, please.

On the 26th of October, we have Vasilis Xenopoulos  and Ross Stanley back, with Simsn Thorpe and Steve Brown. This superb quartet will be giving us the music of Dexter Gordon. Don’t miss it

Take care,

Dave

Brenda made a set list for me: Thank you. I hope I got the attributions right.

Tis a Joy – Antonio Forcione

Tarita – Antonio Forcione

African Dawn – Antonio Forcione

Take Five – Dave Brubeck

Touch Wood – Antonio Forcione

——————

Heartbeat – Antonio Forcione

Come Together – Lennon/McCartney

Message in a Bottle – Sting

The Cool Cat – Henry Mancini

Alhambra – Antonio Forcione

I Heard It Through The Grapevine – Whitfield/Strong

Quanta La Mera – Marti/Fernández

We had to wait a whole month for this gig. It was hugely worth it, a wonderful gig.  We had Joel Barford powerful on drums, Ross Stanley world class on the Hammond B3, Vasilis Xenopoulos on tenor and Nigel Price leading on guitar. They have been on tour for a while, so they are very tight together, but are still having a ton of fun with the music. It was mostly music by or loved by Wes Montgomery. So we had world class music played by stunning musicians having a great time.

The gig was called “Wes Re Imagined”. Nigel had orchestrated versions of the music in different vibes from the originals. He is a very good presenter, and told us all about his ideas for each song. So why, I ask myself, did I bloody not write it all down?

 They began with an up-tempo “This Could Be the Start of Something Big”,  which got us right in the mood from the off. Jimmy Smith’s `’Mellow Mood” gave is a great view of what could be done on the B3. Who knew that Ross could play chords on the pedal board? What an amazing player. The first set ended with Montgomery’s “Leila”, beautiful.

And of course, it got even better in the second set. Watching the accompaniment during the solos was such a treat. They knew each other, and they listened hard. They each came out with riffs that made their colleagues grin.

Joel is a very young, very very talented player. His solos were pretty spectacular and powerful. In our small room, maybe he was a bit too powerful. 

If you were not there, I am sad for you. But you have a chance to hear one of the greats on 12 October, when Antonio Forcione will be with us. Don’t miss it. 

Take care,

Dave

Steve Jordan provided a set list.

1. This Could Be The Start of Something Big (Steve Allen)
2. Far Wes (John Leslie “Wes” Montgomery)
3. Mellow Mood (Jimmy Smith) subsequently recorded by Dr Lonnie Smith on the album, Spiral
4. Dreamsville (Henry Mancini)
5. Leila (John Leslie “Wes” Montgomery)

*          *          *           *         *        *        *

6. Wet and Dry (Nigel Price) part of the new melody is lifted from Ed Bickert’s solo on Come Rain or Come Shine by Arlen & Mercer
7. Jingles (John Leslie “Wes” Montgomery) played as a samba
8. So Do It! (John Leslie “Wes” Montgomery)
9. Movin’ Along (John Leslie “Wes” Montgomery
10. 10.Road Song (John Leslie “Wes” Montgomery)

Steve Jordon wrote these thoughts.

On Wednesday last, Zoe Schwarz brought her band, Blue Commotion, to Fleece Jazz. On guitar was Zoe’s long-standing musical partner and husband, Rob Koral.  On organ, we had the Fleece regular and audience favourite, Pete Whittaker and on drums the human powerhouse, Paul Robinson. 

Before the gig, the music playlist made by our sound tech, Gerry, was playing what I thought to be the growling, other-worldly voice of Howlin’ Wolf singing ‘Spoonful’. I was wrong – it turned out to be a cover version by an artist doing a remarkably close impression of the great man’s voice.  Thankfully, we didn’t get any such treatment of blues standards from Zoe and the band; no deferential, paint-by-numbers versions of classic numbers.  What we did get were unique interpretations of some blues standards mixed in with a wealth of impressive songs penned by Zoe and Rob,  delivered with a crossover of styles, often within individual songs.

The set began with Broken Heart Blues, a mid-tempo number featuring the fluid blues licks of Rob’s guitar, the warm organ grooves from Pete and the hard-driving beat of the drums from Paul. The tempo dropped to a sensual shuffling groove for the next number with Zoe stretching her vocal cords to deliver a throaty growl (think Janis Joplin and Maggie Bell).  Before the next song, Zoe explained that Rob was largely responsible for the music while she wrote the lyrics, but recently that division had become blurred.  So, no surprises then, that Rob had written My Handsome Man for Zoe to sing.  Peter Green’s I Need Your Love So Bad was the first cover and a good example of how there were to be no slavish attempts to copy the delivery of the original artist. This was a fine, tender interpretation from Zoe, replacing the wistful dread of Green’s voice with a more delicate yearning, the pain reflected in Rob’s keening guitar and Pete’s sensual organ breaks. Shades of the fragility and ache so characteristic of Billie Holliday’s voice are also heard from Zoe in I’ll Be Yours Tonight before the tempo picks up again with the rollicking Give Me The Key to Your Heart, driven by the drumming of Paul Robinson.  Rob Koral’s Heroes was a slow-burning, mournful blues ballad about missing a lover and beautifully executed by the whole band with each instrument bringing a pleading and yearning to the song’s story. The first set concluded with a famous blues standard: Willie Dixon’s I’m Ready, made famous by Muddy Waters, but here the tempo is faster, yet still with the defiance of the original.

The rocking blues of I Can’t Live Like That opened the second set, an autobiographical account of the advice given to Zoe as she grew up to become a blues singer.  She sings the story with feeling and, once again, one is struck by her expressiveness, both in her voice and in her body as she moves around the stage.  Brook Benton’s beautiful ballad I’ll Take Care of You brought the tempo down and the heart-breaking lyrics were delivered with feeling.  Once again, the tempo is increased to full-pelt, almost countrified rocking with People, quickly followed by the song inspired by the birth of their daughter, Pebble In My Pond.  It is a brave move to attempt to re-work a classic from the treasured Billie Holliday, given her unique voice with its manipulation of phrasing and tempo, but Fine and Mellow was a highlight of the evening, not least because Zoe’s delivery brought a different interpretation to the song, a more positive and less resigned approach.  Say It Isn’t So was a more up-tempo number, once again showcasing Rob’s deft work on guitar and Pete’s gorgeous organ breaks. The smoky ballad, Don’t Hold Back and the heartfelt, up-tempo Thank You brought the evening to a close, thanking the audience for “coming all this way”. THANK YOU! ZOE and ROB for coming all the way from Poole in Dorset to play at our club and, of course, to Paul and Pete who I believe are slightly more local. But it didn’t end there and we got our much desired encore with Willie Dixon’s scorching I Can’t Quit You Baby, an old favourite of Zoe’s from listening to Led Zeppelin.  And I couldn’t hear a trace of Robert Plant’s histrionics in her delivery! Not that I would have minded.

SETLIST

1. Broken Heart Blues (Koral/Schwarz)

2. If Only I Could Be With You (Koral/Schwarz)

3. My Handsome Man (Koral/Schwarz)

4. I Need Your Love So Bad (Peter Green)

5. I Wonder Who My Next Man Will Be (Koral/Schwarz)

6. I’ll Be Yours Tonight (Koral/Schwarz)

7. Give Me The Key To Your Heart (Koral/Schwarz)

8. Heroes (Koral/Hawker)

9. My Baby Told Me So (Koral/Schwarz)

10. 10.I’m Ready (Willie Dixon)

*          *          *           *         *        *        *

11. 11. I Can’t Live Like That (Koral/Schwarz)

12. 12. I’ll Take Care of You (Brook Benton)

13.   People  (Koral/Schwarz)

14.   Pebble in My Pond (Koral/Schwarz)

15.   Fine and Mellow (Billie Holliday)

16.   Sat It Isn’t So (Koral/Schwarz)

17.   Don’t Hold Back (Koral/Schwarz)

18.   Thank You (Koral/Schwarz)

      ENCORE: I Can’t Quit You Baby (Willie Dixon)

It is a rare thing for me to talk about a gig outside our own dear club, but this was something special.

It was quite a day for us. Drive to Snape and spend the afternoon with a recital of a dozen fine young opera singers and their superb accompanists. They had just finished a week of intense master classes at Snape, and were quite marvellous. We were particularly impressed with the quality of the pianists: their pianism and partnership were very strong.

Then a lovely dinner at the Plough and Sail, then rolling past the Kali at the Dome to the Maltings for the concert. The stage is set with the Steinway, a chair and four monster (but low level) blinders.

The first thing did was tell us a bit about himself. He travelled quite young from his home in Texas to work with masters at one of the great NYC schools of music. Eight bars in the first song, and it is clear that he is technically a master. Quickly after that it is clear that his heart and musicality are also masterful. It was a stunning evening.

When he said that he wrote music for The Martha Graham Company, some of his compositions came into even clearer focus. You could feel the movement in his playing.

He also is interested in making the instrument sing in different ways. He said he felt the lowest register was neglected. To correct this, he played a song derived from the sound of a Dominican barber shop in NYC. He stood, used the bottom two notes, while fingering the length of the strings making the most amazing, often beautiful sounds while never losing the rhythm of the area. He had the lighting engineer add a slow blackout which intensifyied the experience. It was one of those events where the applause was delayed while the audience caught their breath.

I wonder what he would make of the Bosendorfer with the extra 4 bass keys.

And he played an incredible blues for Chicago pianists.

Enough. Buy his records. It was a pity that it was far from a sell out evening.

Take care,

Dave