Kate Williams Quartet featuring Gareth Lochrane. (Williams (pno); Lochrane (fl.); ? (bs); Tristan Maillot (dms).
Mating Call was title of Kate's original tune that opened the set launching Lochrane into an orbit of a million choruses! This was a mating call that worked and, like the original Pied Piper, the fans responded in hypnotic surrender and this was just his first solo! The composer too let her hair down proving she too had the chops for it. I didn't catch the name of the bassist who replaced Jeremy Brown but he was in there every bar of the way likewise drummer Maillot. While We're Young (Alec Wilder?) made for a pleasant change in what had so far been a Festival of mainly originals and all four (Lochrane on alto flute) treat it with respect in a probing, introspective and rather beautiful manner.
Alan Barnes joined in on alto for Cole Porter's All Through the Night and Lochrane switched to piccolo - he can swing that too!
The afternoon was looking good.
Mark Nightingale Quintet. (Nightingale (tmb); Nigel Hitchcock (alt); Graham Harvey (Rhodes); Lawrence Cottle (bs); Alyn Cosker (dms).
The trombonist described his new project as 'basically bebop played over different rhythms" which summed it up fairly accurately partiicularly Unlucky Foursome which was played in 13/8 time. Needless to say Cosker handled the unusual time signature with ease!
Hitchcock blew some paintstripping alto on Auto Eight Inch Clock which just happened to be an anagram of his name!
As for the leader what can be said other than he is a master of his instrument. The final Groove was as explosive as they come and appropriatly entitled unlike the second number - Closure!
Gilad Atzmon and the Orient House Ensemble. (Atzmon alt/sop); Frank Harrison (pno); Yaron Stavi (bs); Eddie Hick (dms).
Three outstanding alto players in a row! In a photo finish I don't know which one I'd bet on - it would be close.
One thing you can depend on with Gilad is a show whether it be music, comedy or a political rant and, needless to say we got all three. However, it was the music that shone through and captured the crowd. His seemingly effortless flights of fantasy the stuff that dreams are made of (well sax player's dreams!)
On piano Harrison proved equal to the task of keeping pace with the enigmatic leader and he soloed impressively Stavi and Hicks too were 100% solid but it was Gilad who captivated by his ability to incorporate tunes like Roll Out The Barrel, Mack The Knife and Salt Peanuts into his solo and retain credibilty!
The final Cherokee was the blast to end all blasts - Phew!
Lance.
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