Tony Kofi Saxes,
Byron Wallen Trumpet,
Alex Webb Piano,
Andrew Cleyndert Bass,
Alfonso Vitale Drums
“Tony Kofi’s full-bodied sound, clear articulation and committed attack carry the immediacy and impact of the established masters of the jazz saxophone…his improvisations…..tell stories and have emotional purpose”Financial Times;
“There is so much respect in jazz circles for Tony Kofi” Jazzwise; “Wallen proved himself as engaging a showman as he is brilliant trumpeter, composer and bandleader” Jazz Views
What a wonderful way to start off Fleece Jazz after a year and a half of no live jazz. And independently of that, this gig was a cracker!
I was so enthralled that I forgot I was supposed to take notes. I can say that Cannonball would have been very pleased. What they did was paint a picture of the depth of the man as well as the music he played and wrote. And of course, the musicianship was superb.
One way of judging a band is to see if they listen to each other. Last night the listening was palpable. It was the first gig in quite a while for them too, though you would never know it. The first set was really great. The second set was special: more free, more fun.
In the narrative, Tony paid tribute to Michael Burgess, who died last year. It was very nice of him to do so. They had known each other for 20 years.
And after a wonderful evening last night, we look forward to the apotheosis of the piano trio, with David Newton backed by Steve Brown on drums and Adam King on Bass
Take care,
Dave