Andrea Vicari (piano/voice); Andy Champion (bass); Russ Morgan (drums) + Zoë Gilby (vocals).
(Review by Lance).
Having read Jerry's review of Andrea Vicari's sold out gig at the Lit and Phil on Friday I fully expected the upper room of the Prohibition Bar to be equally well-attended for not only was it the same trio but there was also the added attraction of the much-admired songstress Zoë Gilby. For whatever reason, the hordes failed to turn out which was their loss. If I'd realised it was going to be this good I'd have been at the other 3 gigs in the region (apart from the Lit and Phil the trio were down south in Darlo and across the border in Eyemouth).
My last self-delegated assignment had been to review a CD by the KinoTrio (see previous post) and Vicari and her recently acquired cohorts lost nothing by comparision in fact although the two pianists (Vicari and Bruno Heinen) had certain similarities Vicari swung harder without losing today's presence. It was a sheer delight to witness the co-ordination between the three during the beginnings and endings.
The pianist composed the two openers; Get Busy Living and Jagged Stacks - the latter inspired by a Scottish seascape full of breakers on the shore and waves beating against the rocks - evocative images.
Time for Zoë to join the party with Little Dancer by that well-known songwriting team Harrell & Gilby. Midnight Bell, Zoë's take on a Patrick Hamilton story, followed. Every time she sings it, afterwards, I take the Hamilton trilogy Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky down off the shelf and re-read. It's that good a book and Midnight Bell is that good a song and a story.
A blistering Straight No Chaser had Zoë scatting and singing at twice the speed of light, Andrea may not have been playing the Lit & Phil's grand but what she played on the smaller keyboard certainly was grand. Andy and Russ hung on to their shirt tails before stealing the show with a brush v bass interlude of fours.
Phew!
The set finished with an original by Andrea called, I think, In Equations taken from a book she created based on rhythm related to scientific formula and which she uses in her role as an educator.
Time to re-charge before we were off again. A wordless vocal from Andrea on Base My Life; Waters of Mars and then more Monk on Well You Needn't that had an amazing couple of stride choruses. My fellow BSH reviewer, Russell, was over in Keswick listening to Keith Nichols so I'll just say that if this had been a Harlem rent party Keith would have known he'd been in a fight had Andrea taken him on stride for stride! Russ also did some ass-kicking on this one.
Zoë returned for Do Nothing Till You Hear From me; Angel Eyes and more Tom Harrell with Angela. Everyone went for it, Zoë managing to substitute Andrea for Angela at one point. It was frenetic, orgasmic, mindblowing stuff and yet, although I was tinged with regret for those that missed it I now feel so superior - Na-Na-Na-Na-Na!
Lance.
1 comment :
Excellent review of an excellent concert Lance. So good I caught it twice!
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