Cheltenham Jazz Festival: Fascinada @ Parabola Arts Centre - May 1

Iain Ballamy (sax), Rob Luft (guitar), Huw Warren (piano), Conor Chaplin (bass guitar), Will Glaser (drums).

I didn’t initially realise I’d seen Ballamy and Warren in Quercus at Sage Gateshead a number of years ago. Quercus were a trio I’ve seen described as jazz-ish, though I tend to refer to them as a kind of folk-jazz hybrid, with celebrated singer June Tabor ensuring everybody goes home miserable, which folky types will confirm is no bad thing. I’d also seen Ballamy earlier that day in the Electric Ladyland Big Band.

 

An update on Rob Luft was also part of the motivation for my return to Cheltenham and he was back an hour after his impressive contribution to Laura Jurd’s set.

 

Ballamy and Warren came out first and dazzled with a duo piece before the rest of the band joined them.       

 

The motivation for the band - given the name Fascinada – is a shared love of Brazilian music, and Ballamy gave us the names of musicians and song titles in Portuguese I’m making no attempt to replicate here. Nor were they attempting to make what he described as ‘authentic’ Brazilian music but was a personal tribute. He confessed his titling of pieces was uninspired and revealed after his first piece he’d called it Absolute Beginners, but you wouldn’t think it from their playing and from the joy in the music.

 

This continued through Portoscino, featuring a stunning solo from Mr Luft, his almost unbelievable clean, precise technique blowing ‘impressive’ through the hole he tore off the roof, followed by some inventive comping behind a splendid piano solo, Glaser also rising to the occasion at the drumkit.

 

Huw Warren’s composition This and That followed with a lush piano intro, joined by guitar then the band, sax and guitar playing in unison. Piano upped the ante and it kicked in. A tremendous sax solo and Luft was out but the rest were swinging. Another guitar solo and Luft raised his game once more.

Incredible musicianship all around and things were definitely getting better and it’s always  a sign of a good festival when you have to leave early to get to the next gig, and the next one was a big one and would be considered an odd one at most jazz festivals. Steve T