Paul Edis (piano); Vasilis Xenopoulos (tenor
sax); Adam King (bass); Matt Home (drums).
Three for two and one for four – not a
variant on Tea for Two, just the seating arrangements at HJC for this
estimable gig featuring A LIVE AUDIENCE! Only ten of ‘em, admittedly, but they
made lots of noise and visibly gave pleasure to the four musicians, Covid-starved
of the reaction which is such a vital part of any live music. Wish I could have
been there! Being a live-streamer was a bit like eavesdropping through the door
of Newcastle’s Side Café back in the day, envying the small but select band of
listeners who had managed to squeeze in! I could quote numerous comments posted
live by the online audience as evidence of their enjoyment but this single,
eloquent one will suffice: “Yeaaaaa!”
All but the bassist got to solo on the
catchy opening number, the Edis original, Whiskers. Did Vas quote If
I Were a Rich Man in his solo, or did I imagine it? Adam King, on bass, got
his chance to introduce himself on the Dexter Gordon swinger, Hanky Panky,
with the first of several fine solos during the all-too-short set.
A second Edis original, Snakes and
Ladders – the title track of his latest album – brought a quieter, gentler
mood with some vibrato sax and its “up and down” melodies (the composer’s
words, not mine). I think it’s more up than down: more ladders than snakes, as
it always strikes me as a distinctly happy tune. Cue for some lyrics, maybe?
The next tune, Joao Gilberto’s El Pato (the Duck!) does have lyrics
which I’d love to hear – especially the version with actual quacking involved!
All Latin, exotic rhythms from Matt Home’s infectious drum intro to the
perfectly timed snap ending. Great!
Vas, during lockdown(s), had to choose
between practising or watching Netflix! But he scribbled the odd tune too – and
one of them (if I heard it right) was For Heaven’s Sake. Nothing odd
about this smoky, atmospheric ballad which took me straight back to the 50’s
and moody black and white film scores. By way of contrast, Horace Silver’s Opus
de Funk was the up-tempo final number (aka the “pre-encore”!) which Paul
Edis promised us would be “a lot of fun”. It certainly was, despite the camera
freezing in mid-tune! This glitch was the only one of the night and if you have
watched many live-streams this weird year, you’ll know how technically
difficult they can be, so congrats and much thanks to Matt (?) who did all the
video and sound for HJC and allowed all us absent friends to join in the fun.
And then it was Just in Time (and,
sadly, just out of time). Oh for a second set……!
Bebop readers, please note: at the time of
writing (Sunday 11.30am) the live stream still works, so if you missed it, you
know what to do!
Link
Jerry
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