L’Entente Chordiale @ The Lit & Phil. May 9.

Tweedle-Dee: Robert Finker (tenor saxophone & clarinet), Alex Bonney

(trumpet & electronics), Fidel Fourneyron (trombone), Kit Downes (keyboards),

Julien Desprez (guitar), Dave Kane (double bass) & Yann Joussein (drums)

Spelk: Chris Sharkey (guitar), Andy Champion (electric bass) & Adrian

Tilbrook (drums).
(Review by Russell).

Recession? What recession? Jazz North East’s latest venture – a two day Anglo French mini festival – went ahead despite the decimation of Arts Council funded activities.

Day one began with an all too rare appearance of Spelk. The trio improvise the memorised, so to speak. An agreed framework is in place and off they go. Guitarist Chris Sharkey works similarly with Trio VD and it is fascinating to hear a piece evolve from a standing start. Bassist Andy Champion plays it electric with this

outfit and puts on his mean ‘n’ moody, in-the-zone face. Pulsating groove after pulsating groove rattled from Champion’s Rickenbacker. Adrian Tilbrook bolts add-ons to his kit when this trio gets together and he made full use of the additional hardware. Sharkey always comes up with something different and this performance was no exception; constantly seeking a new sound, a riff, hammered patterns, pedals on and off. In full

flight – and at times they were up there flying with the albatross – Spelk is one exhilarating experience.
Members of the Coax and Loop Collectives joined forces to form the septet Tweedle-Dee. Musicians from the Paris based Coax Collective played a gig with their London counterparts (Loop Collective) at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival and made the journey north to do it all again at the Lit & Phil Library in Newcastle. As the band prepared to go on stage other Coax members were being met at Newcastle International Airport (their participation will occur on day two of the event).

Thanks to Jazz North East’s international links most of the musicians in Tweedle-Dee were no strangers to Tyneside. Pianist Kit Downes had performed in the room with his quintet a matter of a few weeks earlier and on this festival appearance he worked with Robert Fincker (reeds), bassist Dave Kane and Alex Bonney

(trumpet) together with their French cohorts Fidel Fourneyron (trombone), Yann Joussein (drums) and Julien Desprez (guitar). Last year guitarist Desprez appeared with Q at Gateshead’s Central Bar and the band made such an impression that his return was an eagerly awaited occasion. This second visit saw him play much more guitar.

The band deployed subtle electronic interventions to produce wonderful tonal colours across the horns surfing the hypnotic wave-effect created by bassist Dave Kane and the super-cool Yann Joussein (drums). Desprez rarely cut loose (in keeping with the collective restraint shown by all) and ‘bone man Fourneyron’s occasional Valente-like blasts were similarly restrained (‘Valente’ and ‘restrained’ - an oxymoron?). So, the music on day one was of the highest order. Day two promises more of the same. Three highlights are likely to be generated by the men behind the drum kit. If ACV play Without Bones then take it from me that Adrian Tilbrook’s drumming will set the bar at Olympian heights. Yann Joussein could well match him (he plays a solo set) and Sylvain Darrifourcq (Q’s master percussionist) could well snatch the gold medal.

Russell