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(Screenshot by Russell) |
Alec Harper (tenor sax); Nick
Costley-White (guitar); Will Barry (piano); Will Sach (double bass); Jas Kayser
(drums)
Michael Brecker's mid-nineties album Tales from
the Hudson featuring some heavyweight sidemen, including Pat Metheny* and
Dave Holland, put Kansas Smitty's regular tenor man Alec Harper firmly in the
spotlight.
As is Osei Mensa's wont, KSTV's presenter
had a bit of a preamble with this evening's principal, Harper. Osei wondered
about Brecker's influence on other saxophonists. Harper suggested any horn
player after Brecker couldn't be other than influenced in some way or another
by the multi-Grammy award-winning American who died at in 2007 at the age of
57.
Aiding and abetting Harper was an ace band (when isn't it at Kansas
Smitty's?); Nick Costley-White a match for Mr P Metheny, Wills Barry (Joey
Calderazzo) and Sach (Dave Holland), and the excellent Jas Kayser taking on the
role of Jack DeJohnette.
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(Screenshot by Ken Drew) |
Smitty's online guitar fans couldn't have been
other than impressed with Nick Costley-White playing Metheny, a great player is
NCW, as he ably demonstrated on the American guitar hero's Song for
Bilbao. Will Sach's fine bass solo introduced African Skies,
Harper and band picking up on the groove with our Brecker man shooting for the
stars. Phew! Stepping back from the mic, Will Barry countered with a blinding
solo of his own, the group sound decaying into silence. Superb!
Brecker's Naked
Soul temporarily took it down before this ace band went out on
Brecker's startling blues Cabin Fever |
(Collage by Ken Drew) |
. The furious tempo pushed all
five musicians to breaking point - Barry soloing like a demon, Sach swinging,
Kayser riding on a cymbal, Harper barging in to make it a tenor sax-drums
fist-fight, Sach back in the game throwing punches, Barry comping, Harper all
guns blazing, eventually pausing for breath, leaving it to NCW to maintain the
momentum until Jas K's obligatory (marvellous) solo. Another winner from Kansas
Smitty's! * Tomorrow night's live stream from Ronnie
Scott's presents the music of Pat Metheny, log on at eight for Big Band
Metheny.
Russell
Slings and Arrows; Midnight Voyage; Song
for Bilbao; Beau Rivage; African Skies; Naked
Soul; Cabin Fever
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