(Review by Minnie Fraser/Photo courtesy of Steve Horowitz/Gavin).
The band arrived in good time despite the weather -
apparently there was no snow in Glasgow. This was the last date of their UK
tour which had seen them travel the length of the country from Aberdeen to
Poole in Dorset. Sadly, a number of those who had been planning to attend were
prevented by a heavy fall of snow. However, the audience who did make it were
very appreciative.
Euan Burton, who played his amazing fold away double bass brilliantly, has assembled an excellent quartet. Tom Gibbs, seen recently with Brian Molley at the Globe, exemplary on piano, Adam Jackson, sublime on alto sax and Alyn Cosker provided precocious percussion at the kit.
Two sets of original music made all the more enjoyable by Euan's explanations of their meaning or what they were meant to evoke.
Euan Burton, who played his amazing fold away double bass brilliantly, has assembled an excellent quartet. Tom Gibbs, seen recently with Brian Molley at the Globe, exemplary on piano, Adam Jackson, sublime on alto sax and Alyn Cosker provided precocious percussion at the kit.
Two sets of original music made all the more enjoyable by Euan's explanations of their meaning or what they were meant to evoke.
The
Implication, a name greatly simplified after a reviewer had said the tune
had the worst title they had ever heard of! Well, we don't have mean reviewers
like that here, especially as we would like to welcome these guys back again
sometime! Who cares about the name anyway when the music is so
amazing! Cosker's drumming was incredibly skilful - using sticks,
brushes, mallets and occasionally bare hands - producing a great variety of
sound ranging from driving rhythms that dominated down to gentle stroking of
snare and closed hi-hat in the quieter moments.
Jackson was exceptional on alto sax, displaying an incredible
range of musical gymnastics, from smooth tuneful and gentle, to soaring runs
and occasional staccato. Gibbs gave wonderful accompaniment on the piano, but
his solos were well worth waiting for. Burton's excellent double bass
underpinned all the music, but he really came into his own when soloing
although he wasn't greedy in that respect despite having composer's prerogative.
The variety in Burton's compositions gave us a very
entertaining evening. Six was a good
example of variety in a single piece (this tune is called "six"
because it is the sixth track on Burton's album "Occurrences").
This was introduced as a piece about being dumped and veering from angry hate
to sad heartbreak. The moods in the piece were clearly identifiable in loud and
dissonant anger resolving into tuneful contemplative quietness with mournful
sax and piano accompanied by gentle bass and very quiet brushing on the drums.
Earlier in the set we were treated to Any Given Sunday a title inspired by the amount of good live music
available on a Sunday in Glasgow. Burton then admitted that it was only the
title that was this inspired and the music had nothing to do with that!
We soon forgave him when he said he would rename it Any Given Saturday and dedicated it to Jazz Coop at The Globe!
The Quartet finished the evening with South to evoke a place with a warm climate. This piece started off
with a lovely bass and drums duet with Cosker making the most of his toms and
cross-sticks. The piano and sax joined in tunefully with smooth melodies
interspersed with staccato play/pause. This built up to a crescendo leading to
an excellent drum solo using the whole kit where Cosker's sticks were a blur! Well-deserved
applause finished the evening. CDs were in sale at the end and Burton said
"Christmas is coming, what better present is there than a cd of
progressive jazz by someone you have never heard of?"
Well you have heard of him now!
Well you have heard of him now!
Minnie.
2 comments :
Thanks Minnie, as one one of the 'weather wimps' please explain the 'fold away double bass.'
I have never seen one before - he loosened the strings, slid something and disconnected the neck which was then stowed inside the body through a section of the back which lifts out. The leg at the bottom also went inside. He said it was the only way they could get everything into one car - which is important for all their travelling!
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