(Review by Steve T)
With a confession from number one wife, where in
the car she'd hidden my phone, time to put my photo-taking skills to the test -
steady as a rock, that's the hand I shoot with - and it fell to this fringe
venue to salvage a potentially disappointing day at the Cheltenham Jazz
Festival, not for the first time. The appearance of Snarky Puppy at Sage Gateshead three days later meant I didn't need to worry about a clash
in the schedule, but I'd probably have gone for this anyway; I really like her
first album - at least most of it - and on the strength of tonight, I'm hopeful
her follow-up, due for release this month, will be even better.
Cool, calm and collected she looks barely out of her teens, but was
in command of her septet of ladies on keys and percussion and chaps on kit,
bass guitar, bass clarinet and vibes.
Her music is a fusion of Jazz with Arabic sounds and a dollop of Bitches
Brew era Miles, courtesy her effects gadget as she switched between trumpet and
flugelhorn.
The musicianship was solid all round, always serving the music, in
stark contrast to the extravagance of the preceding sets by Chick Corea
and Chris Potter, and a welcome relief. The audience really got it too,
particularly the ladies, with beaming faces all around, and demanded an encore.
Natural charisma, cool, class and - at the risk of accusations of being
a sexist, misogynist dinosaur - beauty, the UK has another lady trumpet player
with a roving imagination, all set to push the envelope. Definitely
one to keep an ear on and I hope one of the North East promoters nab her
soon.
Steve T.
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