
(Review and individual pics are by Russell/group photo on the left is courtesy of Mike Tilley).

Drummer Matt, home on leave from Berklee, handled the announcements with no little confidence. Enlisting pianist Ben Lawrence, himself taking a break from undergraduate studies at Durham University, was a good move and securing the on-loan services of bass supremo Andy Champion proved to be a shrewd piece of business in the January jazz transfer window. Student medic Niffi Osiyemi traded stethoscope for retro-chic microphone to add a touch of neo-soul vocal pzazz.

In recent times Terence Blanchard has acquired a new, young fan base and here at the Black Swan the Matt MacKellar Band's contemporaries were into the E-Collective's Breathless. Jazz, hip-hop, the young ears were open to it all. Anchoring the whole thing was Andy Champion. if you're going to put together a band why not go for the best around? AC duly won mid-tune applause - not the done thing on this sort of gig - on Glasper's take on Moonchild's Every Part (for Linda).

Second set. Robert Glasper's Let it Ride hit new heights as Matt roared off into the distance at a killer lick. This is why we go to gigs - tremendous, simply tremendous! The US of A claims Glasper, Britain boasts Floetry. They may be no more - who knows? - but they did give us Say Yes. Matt knows his stuff and his audience. Two standards - Old Folks and Stella by Starlight (arr. R. Glasper, featuring Ben Lawrence, you'd hardly recognise it!) - either side of a J Dilla selection maintained the standard.
Russell
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