(Review by Patrick Hadfield/photo courtesy of Michael Lamb)This concert was a treat on so many levels. I'm a sucker for a big band, and this one, made up of musicians on the Whirlwind Recordings label, was a special delight.
Lead by Canadian
sisters Ingrid and Christine Jensen,much of the
music was featured on their recent Whirlwind album, "Infinitude",
arranged for the big band by Christine, as well as compositions by Kenny Wheeler,
saxophonist Josephine Davies, and Carla Bley. The arrangements were
full of rich textures and brought to mind the work of Maria Schneider. There
were moments of quiet space as well as sonorous depth. Ingrid and
Christine took turns in directing the orchestra.
The sisters more or
less took turns soloing - it was very much their show. But the orchestra was full of soloists too, each of them bandleaders in their own right. The
wealth of talent in the band meant some voices were heard less than I'd have
hoped for but they could have played for hours and I'd still have wanted more.
Several members of the band
had to wait for the last number of the second set, Christine's composition
and arrangement, Wink, a fast number which let the soloists
soar. Rory Ingham led with a lively trombone solo, and
then Tori Freestone took the reins with a fast, passionate
tenor solo. Excellent contributions followed from Andre Canniere on trumpet and Jacob Cooper on trombone, and then Ryan Quigley's trumpet took things
higher and higher as the band roared behind him.
They came back for an encore,
a soft, gentle arrangement by Christine of Carla Bley's Once which brought us gently back down to earth. Whirlwind's supremo, Mike Janisch, who was playing bass, has created a label full of exciting musicians;
building a big band around them made for an exciting evening. I hope it's not a
one-off, and we get another chance to hear them.
Patrick H
Trumpets and Flugelhorns: Nick Smart; Ryan Quigley; Andre Canniere
Trombones: Rory Ingham; Jacob Cooper; Richard Henry (bass trombone) Saxophones: Tori Freestone - tenor sax; Josephine Davies - tenor sax and clarinet; Rachael Cohen - alto sax and clarinet; Alex Garnett - baritone sax
Rhythm Section: Alcyona Mick - piano; Dave Preston - guitars; Michael Janisch - double bass; Klemens Marktl - drums
No comments :
Post a Comment