Paul Edis' Jazz Mass @ Hampstead Parish Church - May 8

Paul Edis (piano); Matt Anderson (tenor sax, soprano sax); Matyas Hofecker (double bass); Matt Home (drums) + Choir of Hampstead Parish Church (choir leader Geoffrey Weber)

Some time ago a Tyneside-based jazz fan commissioned Paul Edis to compose a 'Jazz Mass'. It is only now, out of lockdown, that composer/arranger/pianist Edis is able to share the work. This Sunday morning at Hampstead Parish Church, Edis, his quartet, and church choir gave a premiere performance of the piece. In addition to the congregation, the event was available to a wider online audience. 

After quite some time attempting to log on (typical of the streaming world) the service from west London was seemingly well under way. In truth, it was more 'mass' than 'jazz' with various church bods delivering lots of wordy stuff, the choir periodically piping up. The jazz - as played by Edis, Matt Anderson (reeds), bassist Matyas Hofecker and drummer Matt Home - seemed somewhat peripheral, the musicians sitting/standing for long periods with little or nothing to do. It didn't help matters that the audio was out of sync with the visuals (typical of the streaming world!). To end, Edis' quartet had the final word, or, more accurately, sounded the final notes.
Russell