Ferg Kilsby (trumpet); Josh Mitchell-Rayner (keyboards); Stan Woodward (bass); King David Ike-Elechi (drums)
There's no stopping these boys, gigs in the diary, a supportive following, and, if enthusiasm is half the battle, Knats are well on their way. The Globe hosted another large gathering, twenty four hours on from the full house there to hear the Tracey dynasty revisit Under Milk Wood. A rainy night on Railway Street didn't deter the hardy, Newcastle Jazz Co-op must be doing something right! Seated front row, left of centre, a bottle of Hobgoblin Ruby, let's go!
Seat belt on, Knats don't do restraint. Whatever the number, it's all guns blazing propelled by the powerhouse drumming of King David Ike-Elechi. Bassist Stan Woodward knows his way around the fret (fretless) board and during the course of the evening chalked up several laps of it. The other half of the quartet - pianist Josh Mitchell-Rayner and trumpeter Ferg Kilsby - showed an element of restraint. A fast and furious take on Milestones would have left some nonplussed, perhaps Miles himself would have approved!
Original compositions were interspersed with numbers from the modern end of the jazz spectrum. Idris Muhammad's Peace of Mind nestled alongside Modus Operandi, Knats' upcoming new release, no doubt it'll be available on Bandcamp or some other platform. The latter was given the Knats' treatment, ie an energetic workout. Ah, yes, 'workout', it's likely that King David works out. As the Knats guys develop, perhaps going their separate (music school) ways, it'll be interesting to see if they add 'restraint' to their already impressive arsenal. Whatever happens, let's not deny them the sheer fun of doing their 'thing'.
Two sets of original material (all four musicians are composing for the band) plus some standards (Monks Evidence, Donald Byrd's Stepping into Tomorrow), the second set found Kilsby taking it to Woodward and Ike-Elechi, choosing to fight fire with fire, the young gun using the pedal effects at his feet. If you can't beat 'em...
More gigs are in the book, check 'em out. Russell
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