Paul Edis (pno).
(Review
by Russell/"Montage" by Mike Tilley.)
Half an hour
before the advertised start one hardy soul kept pianist Paul Edis company. Jazz
Café staff, twiddling thumbs, said hello. Were hot cross buns a counter
attraction? Our monthly appointment with Dr Edis was beginning to look like a
select ‘audience with’ affair.
Oh, ye of little
faith! Minutes before the nine o’clock start Edis’ many disciples arrived, greeted
familiar faces and took a pew. Edis on tap water, his flock on something a
little stronger, the Good Friday recital commenced. Montage, My Favourite Things
and From Nothing to Nowhere. Three
tunes, two of them written by Edis, everyone listening (so, it is possible for
some to sit still for more than a millisecond!). Lord of the Dance (from an Appalachian religious community) and
Gershwin’s It Ain’t Necessarily So
offered piety and Big Apple hedonism in equal measure.
Chopin at the
Caff? With Paul Edis at the keyboard, anything is possible. Edis made the link
between Chopin, Bach and other composers from the classical world and the world
of jazz improvisation. An obvious link for some – JS Bach couldn’t have been
anything other than a brilliant improviser! Edis followed up with a world
premiere of Just Like Me (to be
viewed, perhaps, as a companion piece to Not
Like Me). The first set ended with a back-to-back reworking of English Country Garden and Greensleeves. Ostensibly tunes from
another world, Edis the jazz pianist made them work, the playing nothing less
than dazzling. Hints of stride strode throughout the set, more later.
A bottle of
Prince Bishop, a catch-up with the Caff community, one parishioner departed to
Vermont – a long way through the mean streets of the Toon – to sup at the feet
(rather a table) of the Goddess of the GASbook, Ruth Lambert. Second set. Yesterdays opened, Donna Lee followed. Bird à la stride! Brilliant! For Kathleen, to be recorded later in
the year, was heard on this Good Friday in the presence of the subject.
Fantastic. Another of Edis’ many compositions – Distraction – more than held the attention. Twists and turns, guess
which way next? Quite a tune. Nica’s Dream as a stride number and
similarly the fearsome Giant Steps
(‘Giant Steps, stride…’ said Edis) just about stole the show. Next month’s Edis
master class will see him reunited with bassist Mick Shoulder and drummer Adam
Sinclair. Don’t miss it.
Russell.
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