Paul Edis, Steinway and keyboards; Mark Williams, Strat; Graeme Wilson, Tenor; Andy Champion, db; Adrian Tilbrook, drums.
There's an air of gentle late summer in Gillett Square as a bunch of kids play footy in the long early evening shadows - their mums and dads, chatting over Budvars and red wine in front of the imposing aqua-glass Vortex Jazz Bar. Upstairs, ACV are sound-checking - or are they - as we move our table to catch those precious setting rays and Hackney prepares itself for the northern invaders.
"So this is it", Andy announces, "our first time in London.....as a band I mean!" Welcome laughter as the band take off into their classic intro, A Line made by Walking, blowing out the table candles in the first 3 rows - announcing with a clarion call that ACV are gonna leave a mark on the 'cap-it-all' tonight.
Next in is the Champion beery reflection, New Peculiar, served up cool in a straight glass. Graeme's tenor savours each mouthful as Mark provides the 'zzing". Then Paul hits the heart of our musical taste buds with a solo on Steinway which brings a smile to someone in Village Vanguard heaven.
Never Ever - but the mood belies the title as the Strat takes off from the piano and bowed bass intro into cool cloud-clearance glide. Then Fail in Wood, with its early morning tip-toe intro, ends up taking the audience outside for a thorough aural workout and they love it.
If you feel the warmth, turn up the heat, with the "unspeakably filthy" titled Without Bones which takes off at a ripping 333+ bpm and, like painting the Forth Bridge, the solos splash Hammerite from one end of the room to the other before the first coat's dry!
Then it's time to thank the audience for their spirited applause, introduce the band and end on the classic 'outro', And You Do - a prayer, a pitched battle, a dusk lament and it's all over. At no time during his performance did Andy Champion play a bass ukulele made by Tom Johnson, but seriously, ACV left this sophisticated Vortex audience in no doubt that jazz from the north comes with a Force Eleven rating.
Photos.
George M
Cheers George, another fine report there. And a very big thanks for coming down to support us. Fancy joining us in Glasgow on Saturday?
ReplyDeleteEvery band should have a George!!!
George says,"You're welcome AC, but really it was the goat curry, plantains, rice and red beans at the Caribbean Cafe in the company of 2 beautiful ladies, that I came for ; they said I could see them again!"
ReplyDeleteHe also asked me to tell you that he can't make it to Glasgow as he's too busy writing parts for his new album - bird of the coal.
He also suspects that your comment, "Every band should have a George!!!" may give 'cats' the impression that you've been feeding him like a neighbour's old tom, ready for the inevitable wheelie-bin manoeuvre!"