Followed by Thirteen @ Jazz Café. February 25

Henrik Jensen (double bass), Esben Tjalve (piano) & Pete Ibbetson (drums)

(Review by Russell)

After some thirteen years at the Cluny, Schmazz has relocated to a city centre venue. The monthly session was the brainchild of the late Keith Morris, the remit admirably simple – offer musicians (many of them in the ‘emerging’ category), a platform to perform original material. Down the years this has largely been the way of it. The occasional standard sneaked in (invariably reworked) and a handful of gigs took place away from the promoters’ Ouseburn base. The Jazz Café is the new home to Schmazz. Ideally situated near Central Station (rail and Metro) and with any number of bus services operating in the vicinity. Would the Schmazz regulars follow, give up on the old place and embrace the new (the recently re-opened and impressively refurbished ‘Caff’)? They did.

The old crowd and a few new faces filled the Pink Lane venue to hear Followed by Thirteen. The trio, led by Danish bassist Henrik Jensen, played material, much of it from their 2013 CD Qualia, in a conventional straight ahead format (the music of a piano trio led by an accomplished bassist). Esben Tjalve occupied the piano stool and British drummer Pete Ibbetson sat at the back in an under-the-stairs recess. A regular working unit, Followed by Thirteen (Jensen is dogged by bad luck – think black cat, unlucky number 13 etc) won over the audience in no time with Jensen’s swinging tunes. Dog of the Day (Jensen’s canine companion the inspiration) swung like a good old fashioned swinger. Tjalve’s piano playing referenced Monk, Ellington and to some ears, Stan Tracey. Indeed Tracey’s longtime bass player, Andy Cleyndert would surely recognise Jensen’s in the pocket, swinging pulse. Post Office franked the trio’s old school credentials and it was all original material! One or two ballads (The Mildenhall Museum a highlight) ensured a varied programme across two sets. Jensen enquired of the audience if they were familiar with the term ‘hep cat’? Little more than a murmur from the not so ‘hep’ crowd (they were after all a Schmazz crowd!). Undeterred, the trio played Hep Hep. Drummer Pete Ibbetson impressed with brushes or sticks, the musicians clearly enjoyed working together and the audience demanded (and won) an encore. So, in short, a great start to Schmazz at the Jazz Café.     

Russell.