Matt Roberts (trumpet), Matt
Anderson (tenor saxophone), Declan Forde (keyboards), Sam Vicary (double bass)
& Sam Gardner (drums)
(Review by Russell)
Matt Roberts Quintet pay tribute to the great…Lee Morgan. So said
the flyer around the Forum Music Centre. The bar was packed, the main hall
would soon be similarly crowded to welcome home trumpeter Matt Roberts. A
Darlington lad made good, Roberts served his apprenticeship in the ranks of the
County Durham
schools’ big bands, moved on to further his studies in Leeds, then London and here on home
turf he was to be given a hero’s welcome. His quintet boasted some familiar
names and faces from the Leeds scene - Matt’s frontline partner and namesake
tenor saxophonist Matt Anderson, the two Sams - Vicary (double bass) and
Gardner (drums) - and recent Leeds College of Music graduate, pianist Declan
Forde.
Roberts chose numbers from
classic Lee Morgan sides and one or two from the American’s work as a sideman. The
sound - balance and levels - couldn’t have been better and the quintet’s
collective cool admirable. Secure in technique, the pad worked on in the
woodshed, these guys were Johnny Cool (x5). The
Cooker, Tom Cat, Expoobident and The
Sidewinder were just some of Morgan’s celebrated recordings dipped into
during two fantastic sets.
The Johnny Cool feel, a blues
undercurrent and a cookin’ rhythm section - the two Sams swinging it all night
long - set it up for Matt and Matt. They took full advantage and traded superb
solos one after another. If you believe in a jazz heaven then this was surely
it. Lover Man stood out in a stand
out first set (Roberts’ teased-notes intro hitching a ride on Vicary’s walking
bass line) with considered solo piano from the prodigiously talented Forde. Moment’s Notice from Coltrane’s Blue Train
registered as another highlight. Heaven, paradise, call it what you will, the
first set alone made the gig a runaway contender for this week’s Gig of the
Year!
An interval pint of White Boar Bitter, a slice of cake (all
proceeds to the tour fund for July’s trip to Belgium by the County Durham Youth
Big Band and Little Big Band), a strip of raffle tickets, a natter with one or
two jazz nerds - sorry, aficionados - and it was time to resume our place in
the standing-room-only hall for the second set.
Tom Cat from the eponymous album reintroduced Matt (trumpet) then
Matt (tenor), Forde sketched Monk then took evasive action to get out of the
way of Gardner ’s
instantaneous rat-a-tat-tat rim shot response (touché!). Roberts threw down the
gauntlet opting to play Twice Around
(another from Tom Cat). The boys were
up for it. Cookin’ or what? Wow!!! Just
in Time from Expoobident took it
down featuring Harmon Roberts then yet more wonderful tenor from Anderson .
The full house demanded more. The
Forum Jazz Club has worked hard to win an audience. Roberts expressed his
thanks to all concerned; the organisers (the experienced tutors and the young
musicians on door duties, raffle ticket sales and sundry other tasks), the audience
and his friends sharing the stand with him. Sidewinder
wound it up. Heaven, I’m in (jazz) heaven…
Russell.
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