Don Forbes (tpt); Paul Gowland (alt); John Rowland (ten); Peter Gilligan (pno); Paul Grainger (bs); David Francis (dms). + John Pope (bs); Peter Ninnim (dms).
(Review by Lance)
Opening with One by One it soon became apparent that the "Safe Sextet" were playing anything but safe going for the jugular right from the start. The front line fire, well stoked by the power drive of Gilligan, Grainger and dep drummer Francis, became an inferno when they took Horace Silver's amusing classic Quicksilver even quicker. Previously the calypso rhythm of McCoy Tyner's Island Birdie had proved infectious - man I was almost in Trinidad!
Strangely, this is a sitting down band with only John Rowland standing up for some gutsy tenor solos. Sitting or standing Paul Gowland does the business and leader Forbes' trumpet licks are well versed in the hard bop idiom. On keys Pete Gilligan kept the flame burning and, along with Francis and Grainger, they were a match made in Birdland.
Indeed, had this been 1952, Blue Note would have snapped them up.
After the break, John Pope and Peter Ninnim sat in at a Moments Notice - to quote the first tune. Other numbers included the Emcee Five's The One That Got Away; Come Rain or Come Shine and Soon. Mike Papapavlou looked in to say farewell to the many friends he's made (Mike sends his apologies to Russell for not making it to the Chilli owing to family commitments). Mike didn't play but it was good to see him and to wish him well in New York.
A splendid evening
A splendid evening
Lance
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