Paul Edis: ICMuS LIVE Concert at Home - May 28

Paul Edis (piano)

As the Covid-19 lockdown was imposed in March it brought an abrupt halt to Newcastle University's LIVE in King's Hall public concert series. Now, albeit at a digital distance, the International Centre for Music Studies' Thursday lunchtime series has resumed. Last week Jane Nossek (violin) and Gabriel Waite (cello) played classical pieces and today it was the turn of pianist Paul Edis to entertain for half an hour or so. 

LIVE in King's Hall is the corporate branding and the musicians perform live in front of an audience of students and members of the public. In this instance Paul Edis performed from the safety of his London home and, indeed, the performance was recorded some days ago. The enhanced audio-visual production values were, no doubt, down to the resources available to ICMuS staff. And so we got an on-screen countdown accompanied by a questionable ambient/elevator muzak soundtrack...5...4...3...2...1. Thankfully the elevator reached its destination in double quick time and, as the metaphorical doors opened, there was Dr Edis waiting for us. 

Two Edis compositions opened the programme; Montage followed by Just Like Me (sounding just like Paul Edis). Brooks Bowman's East of the Sun (and West of the Moon) is a nice tune and it was nicely played, as one would expect from our exiled northerner. Eastern (comp. P. Edis) from the composer's acclaimed Mr Hipster sextet album offered further evidence of a real compositional talent - perhaps another sextet recording session will happen one day. This afternoon's performer revealed that Miles Davis' Blue in Green was one of the tunes that go him into jazz. As a pianist Edis was struck by Bill Evans' contribution and, not for the first time, speculated that the composition was as much Evans' as Davis'. Typical pianist, taking the side of fellow pianist Evans! Time for a waltz, a Disney waltz at that. Frank Churchill's Someday My Prince Will Come - Davis, Evans and many others have recorded the number - is a timeless composition and Edis plays/played it as well as anyone. To close the half hour set Our Man in London went out on (without his usual TS Monk sparring partner Graeme Wilson) Trinkle, Tinkle. Excellent. More tomorrow (Friday 29) from Paul Edis live on YouTube at one o'clock.     

Russell