Peter Gilligan (pno); Paul Grainger (bs); Paul Wight (dms) + Ian Forbes (dms); Paul Gowland (alt); Kath Jobes (vcl).(Review by Lance.)
The World Cup has a lot to answer for - not least the effect on jazz clubs. Who, with all of their wits about them, can sit watching two foreign teams kicking a ball around when they could be at the Jazz Café Jam or any of the other jazz gigs around the world that are being steamrollered into submission by the "Beautiful game"?
Still, those of us who opted for the jazz weren't disappointed and indeed it was almost a musical World Cup as the PG3 spent Autumn in New York, A Foggy Day in London Town, Bounced with Bud into Dear Old Stockholm, Norwegian Wood kept us in Scandinavia plus A Night in Tunisia and a visit to Scarborough Fair was also contemplated. These latter two pieces didn't materialise on my watch (Metro Station upheavals etc. meant an early bath for me) but may have occurred later.
Needless to say the PG3 were on form playing easy, laid back swing including The Song is You with double bass to the fore as indeed it was on All Blues - was this Paul Grainger or Paul Chambers?
Sitters in were sitting in at home tonight with the notable exceptions of Ian Forbes - as ever full of fun and fast fours - Paul Gowland, firing a vintage 35M Conn under slung alto on All The Things You Are and I'll Remember April and Kath Jobes chanting Imagination and Autumn Leaves.
Next week it's a Schmazz gig featuring guitar duo Mike Walker and Stuart McCallum with a support set by Paul Taylor.
Lance.
2 comments :
The way to go about getting more people into jazz, especially live jazz, is to make it more inclusive.
I don't think the way to do so is to suggest that those choosing to watch the football don't have their wits about them. In Leeds, theres a couple of places were they had the football on during the last world cup but mute, and encouraged people to come in and play music based on what they were watching on the big screen.
If people just sit and complain about jazz (and not only jazz, by the way) being steam rollered into submission, the way to preserve it is to adapt, not to close ranks to the exclusion of all else.
Dear Anonymous of Leeds - I don't quite see that musicians playing to what they see on a muted screen of the world cup is going to appeal to either jazz people or football people. If I choose to watch a football match I don't want some guy blowing tenor sax in my ear. Likewise, I want the musicians I've come to hear to be inspired by Ellington, Cole Porter, Pat Metheny, Chick Corea or each other, not Wayne Rooney!
Mind you, this recent world cup would, if we'd been doing it "Leeds way", have produced some of the most heart rending blues we've ever heard - and over a samba beat!
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