Paul Edis (piano)
(Review by Jerry)
I
have always found it difficult reviewing gigs involving my son and have usually
sought to deflect accusations of bias by ensuring that most of my comments
focus on other performers in the band or at the microphone. A solo concert
affords no hiding place! However, consanguinity should be no barrier to plain
speaking so here’s a fact: that I am biased does not mean that Paul is not
brilliant. He is: the gig was and the double CD will be! (I have still not
heard it all on disc and look forward to seeing it reviewed by impartial listeners on this blog and
elsewhere). Paul, being (in the words of another audience member) “so
self-effacing”, will probably be mortified by the foregoing parental effusion
but no matter – all three of our children are familiar with the old saying:
“You can choose your friends but….”
The
concert was well attended (30 – 40 people) and quickly took on an intimate,
almost party-like atmosphere as Paul’s introductions , delivered without
microphone, developed into chats with the audience. Two sets covered 20 tunes
in all – 6 from the first CD, Not Like Me (till now available only
as downloads), 11 from the new CD, Just Like Me and 3 that Paul announced
as “off-piste”. These last required no apology consisting as they did of
Jobim’s One Note Samba (played as an encore), a beautiful version of
Gershwin’s Someone to Watch Over Me and Paul’s frantic, funny anthem to
ADHD, Distraction(dedicated to the i-phone generation)!
Beautiful,
funny, dexterous and sensitive are the adjectives cropping up most in my notes
and, in a way, summing up both the compositions selected and the manner in
which they were performed. Bring Me Sunshine (here dedicated to
two family members who loved this version), Distraction and My
Favourite Things all demonstrated amazing dexterity and raised smiles
of recognition all round. Coltrane’s Giant Steps, played “slowly”
(really???) and in the manner of “Art Tatum on a very, very bad day” drew
whoops of appreciation having incorporated stride and several other styles I am
unable to name before finishing with an outrageous glissando. “I never said it
would be tasteful”, said Paul.
A
new tune to me was Nostaloptimist – a coinage for someone who is simultaneously
nostalgic and optimistic. As a Sunderland fan, I AM such a person (1937, 1973
and Premiership Champions 2016/7!) and enjoyed this suitably light, jolly tune
with hints of Secret Love and all sorts of echoes of TV themes from the 60’s
onwards.
For
“beautiful” and “sensitive” there was the Gershwin and the Monk (Round
Midnight) and two originals, For Kathleen and Sunset.
This last was introduced (self-effacingly?) as a “kind of ballad”. That both
were “tasteful” goes without saying. Greensleeves and Country
Gardens were both tasteful and dexterous and along with Cerebral
(with references to Bach) and Vince (with references to Wagner)
illustrate an eagerness to embrace all musical genres – if it’s good music,
it’ll make good jazz!
As
a last word on the dexterity of performance, it was noticeable that about two
thirds of the audience chose to sit at the far end of the room where there are
good sight-lines to the keyboard and the performer’s hands. Says it all,
really.
There
are 24 tunes on the double CD which is attractively packaged with design input,
as always, from Paul’s “wonderful wife”, Kate. Both discs were recorded at the
Lit & Phil with Adam Sinclair overseeing production – so the quality is
assured. A snip at £10 but don’t take my word for it – check it out yourselves!
Jerry (Edis)
1 comment :
amazing talent wish we could come over more often!!!
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