(Review by Lance)
The North East 4, not to be confused with the Birmingham 6, exploded at the Star Inn tonight. This is a new band of four good men and true who played an interesting mix of originals and standards - composed I guess by six string bass guitarist Truscott who wrote the originals and they were original! Standards were Stomping at the Savoy (re-titled Savoy Cabbage and Chick Corea's Spain.)
The opener was loud - I mean Arena volume loud - in the bar of the Star Inn! However, the decibels dropped for the numbers that followed and were at a more acceptable volume as musicians and listeners adjusted to the acoustics. The pieces were quirky with some strange intervals - rather like an Ellington/Strayhorn opus inspired by a trip to the far east.
To quote pianist Law, they don't go where you expect them to go!" The 'Sound of Surprise' is ever with us.
The genre? Jazz Rock, New (ish) Wave, Hard Bop, Brubeckian time signatures (7/4), soulful ballads...
Paul Gowland is on a roll these days, the ideas flow so (seemingly) effortlessly from the tenor sax - man and machine are as one.
Alan Law, addressed Alan Glenn as did, according to legend, Fats refer to Tatum. "God is in the house tonight."
God was indeed in the house but, on tonight's performance, Alan Law will surely soon graduate to deity status himself.
Truscott proved that he is much more than a bassist - his compositions and his arrangements were intriguing. Paul Wight impressed throughout - his solos, including a 7/4 blast, kept things kicking. NE4 is a welcome addition to the modern scene.
Afterwards, Lindsay Hannon sang My Funny Valentine, Andria, I Got Rhythm and Where or When followed by another of Lindsay's proteges - David - who did Autumn Leaves and All or Nothing at All.
Another good night - all we need are a few more jazzers to get their ass down here to keep it going.
Photos.
Photos.
Lance.
PS: Next week Katie Trigger.
1 comment :
no one plays like alan glen
alan law x
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