Matt MacKellar's festive flying visit home is nearing its end, however, thanks to Newcastle Jazz Co-op, the final year Stateside music student took the opportunity this week to play a trio gig with friends Ben Lawrence and Andy Champion. The Globe on Railway Street drew a good sized audience there to hear drummer Matt play a set of, well, jazz-funk, soul jazz, jazz with soul, jazz with an edge etc.
From the down beat the 'edge' was razor sharp. A set list encompassing numbers by Robert Glasper, H.E.R., Miles Davis, Stevie Wonder, Seam Martin (Snarky Puppy) and one B. Lawrence (Lost Painting) couldn't have been better if they - the trio - tried. These guys are so good, they made it look so easy. Mere mortals - the audience - assumed they were trying! Glasper's Yes, I'm Country set the standard, and what a standard! A stand out feature of Matt's performance was his use of the bass drum, kicking, no, slamming it in with absolute precision, in sync with the ride cymbal. As our American cousins might say...awesome!
As a recent mathematics graduate Ben Lawrence couldn't have had much free time to practice/play music, perhaps he's a natural. During the evening Lawrence chose to mostly play keyboards, the Jazz Co-op's piano utilised sparingly. Dazzling playing, matched by MacKellar and the senior man of the trio, Andy Champion, it was evident mutual trust in one another's abilities rippled across the stage. H.E.R.'s Going, Stevie Wonder's Overjoyed, Miles Davis' Nardis, Rod Templeton's The Lady in My Life (Michael Jackson), we were treated to two varied sets, the one constant of the evening being the brilliant musicianship on show.
Matt MacKellar's time at Berklee has afforded the Tynesider amazing opportunities - studying with tutors such as the great, late Ralph Peterson Jr to a recent mentor, Billy Kilson. No question, MM has developed so much during his time in Boston, it's an education for a Tyneside audience to hear him play, as he did this evening at the Globe, with total authority. Russell
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