Enescu re-Imagined @ The Sage.

Tony Malaby (saxophones); Ralph Alessi (trumpet); Lucian Ban (piano); Mat Maneri (viola); Albrecht Maurer (violin); Drew Gress (bass); Mark Ferber (drums); Badal Roy (tabla).

This Jazz North East/Sage promotion intrigued me. I knew nothing of the Romanian composer until this week and wondered how his works would morph into the jazz genre.If it was going to happen the above guys would make it but I had reservations...

Prior to the concert I reflected on life and the arts. There was an exhibition going on with lots of people and lots of paintings. The guests were drinking wine and eating nibbles but few seemed to be looking at the actual paintings - even fewer were listening to Charles Gordon who was playing some wonderful jazz piano - to me his notes painted a 1000 pictures.

Anyhow,,, back to Bucharest.

It took me a long time to get into the music although it did create a desire to hear the original material in classical form.

The players obviously had love and affection for the work of Enescu and, gradually, that feeling emerged..

The soloists were respectful of the melodies and didn't create too much anarchy and indeed, at times, a little more anarchy would have been welcome!. .

And guess what? I came away, respecting, admiring and wanting to know more about Enescu whom Yehudi Menuhin described as the composer of the next century!

Lance.