Ross Stanley @ Ronnie's livestreaming a tribute to Michael Brecker w. Time is of the Essence - March 22

(Screenshot by Lance)

Ross Stanley (Hammond); Paul Booth (tenor sax); Chris Allard (guitar); Andrew  Bain (drums).

I doubt if I will ever hear so much fantastic tenor playing again in my life as I've heard over the past week. Riley Stone-Lonergan, Xhosa Cole, Mornington Lockett, Alec Harper and  Will Howard who, last night at the Globe, did enough to suggest that the others may soon be looking over their shoulders.

(screenshot by Lance)

One tenor player who isn't looking over his shoulder is Paul Booth. In tonight's tribute to the late Michael Brecker he absolutely smashed it! This lifted him up to the level of Brecker himself. If we lived in a Doc Who world it could have been Michael paying tribute to Paul!

To put it simply, I've never heard him play better. The solos were logical, the extremes were the norm. This is the level for any aspiring sax player to aim for and, even if you only get half-way there you're still going to be better than most.

(Screenshot by Lance)

Another who set down a bench mark was Stanley - I've never heard him sounding so good. 

Allard and Bain? Brecker would have booked them - need I say more?!

The material was drawn from Brecker's album, Time is of the Essence and each track was accorded spiritual acknowledgment whilst, at the same time, without loss of individuality.

(Collage by Ken Drew)

One of the SCP (side column pundits) remarked that this was the best lockdown livestream from Ronnie's yet and, although I haven't seen all of them, I'd be hard pushed to disagree!

Here's what I heard: Arc of the Pendulum; Sound Off; Half Past Late; Timeline (!!!!!*); The Morning of the Night (sensuous ballad playing); Renaissance (Paul took no prisoners on this one!); Doctor Slate; As I Am (a mournful ballad with a hint - only a hint - of Mingus and Goodbye Pork Pie Hat); Outrance (drum intro, wild, wild solos then, just before I left  to lie down in a darkened room to recover from this musical milestone, Stanley announced a recently discovered track ...) 

Lunations. Maybe it should have been hallucinations as, by this time I was as high as kite and I'd only had two glasses of wine!

This is one band that has to record an album, get out on the road and spread the gospel according to St. Michael and I mean MB not M&S!

Lance

* !!!! = Fantastic!