Bireli Lagréne (gtr); Franck Wolf (ten/sop); Jean Marc Robin (dms); Jean-Yves Jung (Hammond).-----
Kevin Mackenzie (gtr); Dave Milligan (pno).
(Review by Lance.)
I proclaimed to all who would listen that this would be the concert of the Festival and, to date, I have yet to be proven wrong. It was simply fantastic with Lagréne the icing on a cake that included many fine guitarists such as James Birkett with Djangologie, Mark Williams, with ACV, Bradley Johnston (pictured) with Jambone and Kevin Mackenzie of whom more later.
I'm grateful to Bradley for retrieving the set list as, apart from the divine version of There is no Greater Love, I wasn't familiar with the other pieces.
Lagréne first saw the jazz light of day as an 8 year old prodigy playing the music of Django Reinhardt however, these days, he has moved into more modern hard bop areas. Whatever the genre, the 47 year old Frenchman executes it faultlessly. Superb.
Apart from the leader, his 3 confrères were equally outstanding with drummer Robin driving them along powerfully, Wolf a tower of strength on tenor and soprano playing some amazing angular phrases and Jung on Hammond filling the ensemble out to almost big band proportions although I felt that, solo-wise, he could perhaps have given it a bit more "welly". His bass-lines were impeccable.
Come back soon - all four!
Kevin Mackenzie and Dave Milligan had earlier played a duo set in the cavernous expanse of the Concourse but, to be truthful, the sound and the subtlety became lost amidst the chatter, the clatter of knives and forks, the clinking of glasses (guilty) and the general hustle and bustle of people to-ing and fro-ing.
Tonight, however, within the more intimate confines of Hall Two, the duo were much more at home delighting an appreciative audience who occupied all 3 tiers.
Milligan, depping for Steve Hamilton, we knew from his work on Mike Maran's Chet Baker play A Funny Valentine and Mackenzie from a still remembered gig at The Cluny a few years back. I recall Roly Veitch raving over his playing at the time.
The pair worked well together creating lots of interplay between the two instruments each pursuing his own lines yet, at the same time, complementing the other.
One of Mackenzie's compositions, dedicated to his son, had the brilliantly alliterative title of Finlay Finally Finds his Feet! The perfect aperitif for the main course.
Lance.
PS: The photo of Bradley (left) and Bireli was poached by me from Facebook - hope you don't mind guys.
1 comment :
Northern Spirits with Lighthouse Trio was fantastic in an underfilled Hall 1 - a real shame these 2 gigs clashed.
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