Steve Glendinning, Mark Williams (gtrs)(Review by Lance/photo by Mike Tilley.).
The Jazz Café was crowded - and why shouldn't it be? Two of the best jazz guitarists performing in tandem was something to look forward to.
They didn't disappoint!
Kicking off with Straight No Chaser, it quickly became obvious that there'd be no coasting tonight and no falling from grace although the second tune was indeed Steve Swallow's Falling Grace- reflective, melancholy, even dreamlike.
Hermitage, by Pat Metheny and a couple of standards - Smoke Gets in Your Eyes and My Favourite Things - made for a satisfying first set.
Plenty musicians in the audience. Good to see them supporting each other.
The second set opened with a bouncy number, followed by a probing, explorative, piece then a swingy tune that had both guitarists simultaneously improvising - it was akin to a jazz fugue.
My One and Only Love was simply beautiful. This may have been the tune that a lady nearby described to me as "Like sinking into a bed of warm satin". Well it's been a while, if ever, since I sank into a bed of warm satin but the analogy was apt!
Difficult to make comparisions - on some numbers Mark had the edge and on others Steve got the nod. But this wasn't about two tenor players slugging it out in a back alley this was two musicians of taste combining to create musical magic rather than mayhem.
Let's hope this is repeated and not just a one off.
Lance.
1 comment :
love that expression, perfect for one of my all time faves, especially the middle eight!
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