Ben Gilbert (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); John Bradford
(drums)
On a sweltering summer's afternoon Ben Gilbert opened his piano trio concert with Jimmy Van Heusen's It Could Happen to You. In the scratch company of bassist Mick Shoulder and drummer John Bradford the one hour set would comprise of wholly familiar material with the exception of one song written by a noted Argentine composer.
Seated at his Nord 3 keyboard, head bowed, Gilbert did more than simply play the melody, opting to take it for a walk. Bird's Au Privave upped the tempo, all three musicians on the ball. Stella by Starlight we've heard countless times, it was good to hear Leeds-based Gilbert exploring the melody in other than perfunctory fashion. What's more, Shoulder and Bradford offered finely-tuned support along the way.
Composer Ariel Ramirez isn't widely recognised, at least not in these here BSH pages. However, glancing at the pianist-composer's career, it's clear Ramirez, who died in 2010, was a big cheese in Latin American song-writing circles. Gilbert informed the Laurel Cafe audience that his new Leeds-based trio * is currently delving into the Latin jazz repertoire. And so we were introduced to the music of A. Ramirez. A composer who should be heard more widely, Gilbert is on the case.
Acknowledging that it isn't the usual practice to go out on a ballad, here at Bishop Auckland Town Hall, the Ben Gilbert Trio did just that, playing a leisurely I'm Old Fashioned.
* Ben Gilbert's new trio can be heard at next weekend's Newcastle Jazz Festival. Russell
Set list: It Could Happen to You; Au Privave; No More Blues; Stella by Starlight; If I Were a Bell; Alfonsina y el Mar; Shall We Dance; I'm Old Fashioned.
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