Raymond MacDonald (alto & soprano
saxophones); Jer Reid (guitar)
Massimo Pupillo (bass & electronics); Tony Buck (drums & electronics).
(Review by Steve H)
The Saturday night
gig of the Newcastle Jazz and Improvised Festival is normally the most
challenging and this year’s offering kept to the formula. Three very different
styles of international improvised music meant the evening was fresh throughout
and made sure the audience were always kept on their musical toes.
First up were two
musicians who play together in the Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra. Ray
Macdonald is a welcome and frequent visitor to Tyneside however this
was the first time I had come across guitarist Jer Reid. The duo
got into their stride straight away Reid has an almost
guttural thrash metal style but thus juxtaposed splendidly with Macdonald’s strident
and lyrical saxophone. Some of the harmonies the pair seemed to achieve were
miraculous and there was such a Scottish feel to the proceedings that I thought
I could hear the sounds of the bagpipes. A good solid start to the evening.
Massimo Pupillo is the bass player with thrash jazz outfit Zu and Tony Buck is the drummer with cult improv Aussie band The Necks so when they get together as is there want who knows what might occur. The answer on Saturday was a crash, bang, wallop helping of improvised electronic music which had both non-believers and believers united in their enjoyment of what they had just experienced. To quote my friend Gill who doesn’t normally like this kind of thing ‘it was like being drawn into hell’ before adding ‘but in a good way’. Over the top of eclectic electronic chicanery the duo augment the maelstrom with Pupillo’s bass and Buck’s drums. One is taken on a magic groove carpet to hitherto unknown musical lands - a textured soundscape of menace and joy.
Ways: Brodie West (saxophone); Evan Cartwright
(drums); Achim Kaufmann (piano)
Ways are a Toronto based duo and for this performance they were joined
by German pianist Achim Kaufmann thus making this gig a
world premiere. Apparently the guys had only met each other the night before so
maybe it was no surprise when things got off to a slow start. Once things got
going it became very enjoyable as the trio began to dovetail effortlessly. All
three players were technically superb and I particularly enjoyed the
effect Kaufman produced when plucking at the strings of the
grand piano. West began to really crank up the saxophone
whilst Cartwright held things together with his steady and
thoughtful drumming. A fine end to a marvellously diverse evening
Steve H.
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