Hi-hats and Hot-rods. Paul Edis Trio + Chris Hibbard at the Cherry Tree.

Chris Hibbard (tmb), Paul Edis (pno), Mick Shoulder (bs), Adam Sinclair (dms).

Tonight I would like to right two wrongs: I never say enough about the drums and, on my last Cherry Tree visit I didn’t say enough about the food.

The food, as ever, was delicious and with, as ever, a few surprise choices of ingredients such as coley (which I eat a lot of in France, but am not aware of seeing on a menu in this country before) and, for starters, sweetbreads (which I haven’t eaten for at least 40 years!) This diversity was matched in the accompaniments for various dishes – chorizo, broad beans, tiny cherry tomatoes, Asian slaw, which gave delightful contrasts of taste and colourful presentation as well. But it was my dessert which sticks in mind, and in my teeth, too, in a good sort of way: chocolate crème brulée, with a thick, brittle toffee-ey top which took me straight back to childhood and toffee-apples. It came with a cherry “ financier” (I think that was the nomenclature) and, to misquote W.C Fields, “I love financiers and CAN eat a whole one”. On top of the luscious brulée the financier was a bonus!

We sat at “the drum table”, right at the front and next to the drums so I embraced the opportunity to pay close attention and then picked Adam’s brains at the end for a bit of tuition in basic terminology. I have admitted before that I am a jazz novice, but I am trying to remedy that and can now correctly identify sticks (Adam gave it some stick on I’m Old-Fashioned), brushes (which swept us through much of the set-list), hot-rods (spotted on Black Orpheus) and mallets (which caressed the cymbals at the end of a couple of numbers). As if these implements were not enough, Adam also played with his hands, tom-tom style on Mag’s Groove (Should this be Bag's Groove or is it a Paul original paraphrasing the Milt Jackson number? - Lance.) and surprised even my untrained eye by playing on the underside of the hi-hat in the closing number, Speak Low. The nearest radiator was ten feet away otherwise, I am convinced, that would have come into use as well! It was an insight into how vital a good drummer is to any jazz ensemble and a chance to see, in close-up, how good a drummer Adam is.

I am now in deep water again with tonight’s guest – Chris Hibbard – who was excellent throughout, but how to describe? I Love You, was fruity; Black Orpheus was mellow and full of restrained passion; Here's That Rainy Day was a different (brass band?) mellow while Being with You was so brazen that Paul apologised for the non-arrival of the stripper! I may not yet have mastered trombone-speak, but Chris Hibbard really can make it talk as he demonstrated perfectly on a rocking Secret Love and a soulful rendering of my favourite, Cry Me a River. When it comes to making a slide mimic human speech, I’ve never enjoyed anything as much since the “Clangers”! As an added bonus we also had the “dodge the waiter” game where Chris, with commendable gymnastic ability, succeeded in ensuring that his slide went above, or below (depending on their stature) the trays of the waiters navigating the almost non-existent gap betwixt stage and tables! Not one dish was lost in the making of this programme! (click here for photo).

Apologies to Paul and Mick – also both excellent – but I’ve used up my quota of words on the sticking and sliding and gourmandising. Another fine evening.

Photos.

Jerry E.