Andy Champion (double bass), Alex Leathard (trombone), Graeme Wilson (tenor & alto saxophones), Paul Edis (piano) & Adrian Tilbrook (drums) + Zoe Gilby (vocals)In January Splinter at the Bridge offered Noel Dennis the chance to play the music of Miles Davis. The initiative was rewarded with a good turn-out on a bitterly cold night. Fast forward to early summer and another good crowd gathered to hear the music of Charles Mingus.
Andy Champion picked a few familiar Mingus tunes and asked a few of his musician friends to play them. Better Git It in Your Soul and Pithecanthropus Erectus were given the perfect treatment; Alex Leathard (trombone) and reeds virtuoso Graeme Wilson pitched their solos just right, the rhythm section cooked and on cue the ensemble roared (Mingus-like). The spirit of Mingus and his sidemen – Dannie Richmond, Booker Ervin, Jimmy Knepper, Horace Parlan et al – was in the air throughout two most enjoyable sets.
The mocking rage of Fables of Faubus and the beauty of Orange Was the Color of Her Dress, Then Blue Silk sketched a portrait of Mingus; the colossal angry presence, the prolific composer, the performer, the man. Was this an exercise in nostalgia? Not at all. This was great music played by some great musicians. Oh, yes - we did get a bit of nostalgia – Nostalgia in Times Square. Oh, Yeah!
Russell
2 comments :
A brilliant night Russell and certainly my English gig of the year so far. My old cycling/Windows Music Shop buddy Andy, thought it was the best gig he'd been to in the last 100 years!
As I left for the number 27 I think I detected the delectable tones of Zoe doing Goodbye Pork Pie Hat - I was tempted to make it Goodbye 27 bus but sanity prevailed and, as it is on her YouTube page, I caught the bus and then caught up with Ms Gilby which was Champion.
Without a doubt, the best gig I have been to for a long time.
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