Steve
Glendinning (guitar); Chris Jelly (vibes); Mike Clarke (bass); Mark Robertson
(drums)
(Review
by Ann Alex)
The Jazz Coop gigs are
definitely on the up if last night was anything to go by, both musically and in
the size of the audiences. Thirty two
paying customers on a cold January night isn’t half bad, and a quartet playing
jazz/fusion music, with the sound of the vibes to add something a bit unusual
and interesting. In fact on seeing the bass player I thought for a moment that
I was listening to French jazz – Mike
Clarke was bearded, bespectacled and wearing a black beret, looking every inch
as if he should be playing on the left bank of the Seine.
As many readers will
know, fusion was what happened to jazz in the 1960’s, when jazz gained
influences from rock, pop and funk, with tunes from the likes of Miles Davis
and Herbie Hancock added to the mix. In
fact Steve began with a beautiful guitar solo September 15th, as a tribute to the great Bill Evans,
and also in remembrance of Keith Crombie of the original Jazz Cafe. Then came les
tout ensemble with Question and
Answer, the sound of the vibes coming into its own, sweet, flowing, and
precise. The whole set was very
accessible yet the music is complex and interesting, with solos well
integrated. Other tunes played were Imagination, not the song but an
original composition from Steve and Chris; the wonderfully-named Saga Of Harrison Crabfeathers with solos
from bass and guitar. The first half was
rounded off with Big Schlepp, which
was a big tune with strong rocky guitar.
The longer 2nd
half began with an original from Chris, a piece full of tuneful echoes on the
vibes, ending with a whoooo from guitar. Chic Corea’s La Fiesta followed, then came a complete change with a serene G Minor Blues; then a ballad Hermitage; a tune called Red Clay; Emile Richards Yo Yaz; and another Steve and Chris
original. Beautiful Love gave us some
skilled light brushwork on the drums: the final tune was supposed to be the
theme from Black Opheus, with lively
Latin improvisation from Steve, but then an encore was demanded, which turned
out to be a boppy version of Mr PC, which
included solos all round and 4’s with the drums.
Well done lads!
Ann
Alex
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