Zoe Gilby (voice) & Andy Champion (double
bass); Paul Edis (keyboards).
(Review by
Russell/Photos courtesy of Ken Drew)
The first day of June, a warm
summer’s evening and a good turn out at the Bridge Hotel. Splinter @ the Bridge
hosts Zoe Gilby and Andy Champion were looking at a blank date in the schedule
with the late cancellation of the proposed gig, so, the obvious answer was to
ask themselves if they were available do a voice and bass set (they were) and
if a half-decent piano player could be found to play a solo set it would be
problem solved. After a second’s thought Paul Edis was the obvious choice (and
he was available at a reasonable fee!).
The Gilby-Champion partnership took
familiar and not so familiar material and reworked it in the pared-down duo
format. It freed Gilby to explore her vocal range, improvising on a lyric. The
opening number – Pink Floyd’s Money –
illustrated the range and dexterity of the voice and Andy Champion’s imperious
technique as double bassist. The Joni Mitchell take on Mingus’ Goodbye Pork Pie Hat found favour with
Gilby, the melody intact. Kate Bush’s Kashka
From Baghdad, perhaps not obvious material at a jazz gig, worked, as did
two standards from the repertoire – Nice
Work If You Can Get It and Well, You
Needn’t – the latter featuring arco bass from Champion. 
Earlier Edis played solo. A set
of original compositions (some available as a down load at www.pauledis.co.uk) and one or two
standards held the attention of the Splinter audience. The self-deprecating
Edis made light of From Nothing to
Nowhere and Not Like Me, two
tunes many a piano player would love to have written and performed. A
Messiaen-inspired piece (a composition given the seal of approval in the
cloistered environs of academe, so said Edis!), some Monk (inclusion
compulsory!) and My Favourite Things
made this all too short set a joy for lovers of jazz piano (the room seemingly
full of them!). Giant Steps and New Distraction (Edis’ musings on the
distracting iPadiPhoneiWant generation) hit the bulls-eye as subtle left hand
stride patterns surfaced mid-Coltrane and mid-Edis. An element of levity rarely
goes amiss and Bring Me Sunshine
brought a smile to the faces of those present.
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