Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music 2022: Skylla + Pete Wareham, Ruth Goller, Will Glaser @ Bobiks,The Punch Bowl, Jesmond - Sept. 25

(© Ken Drew)

Skylla - Ruth Goller(bass, vocals); Lauren Kinsella, Alice Grant (vocals).

Pete Wareham (sax, flute, electronics); Ruth Goller(bass, vocals); Will Glaser (drums)

The festival's second night at Bobiks was a very serious affair. Deeply heavy improvised music with little or no chat from anyone on stage. However, since this was The Guardians of the Underworld maybe it was time for acute listening rather than two way communication.

(© Ken Drew)

The evening began with Ruth Goller’s Skylla - the title of her first solo album. The name Skylla is referenced  from the Scylla a mythical 6 headed female sea monster which guards  a narrow strait with fellow monster Charybdis hence the expression ‘between Scylla and Charybdis’ means ‘the lesser of two evils’ or  ‘between a banjo and a sousaphone’ for  this festival’s attendees.

For the live tour, singers Lauren Kinsella and Alice Grant are added to group which assumes the album's  Skylla name .  The trio entered stage all in black sporting paper animal head masks creating an atmospheric vibe.

The music was haunting and  spiritual. I detected folk, choral, jazz and  Bulgarian throat influences. Goller is one of Europe’s  leading improvising bass players so it was no surprise that her bass was providing an excellent canvas from which all 3 singers were able to improvise both in harmony and as soloists.  A moving and rewarding experience for those present'

(© Ken Drew)

Goller returned  with the second band of the evening who sadly were not called Charybdis but went under the name of their 3 constituents. A rollercoaster of a set followed from loud cataclysmic driving music to gentle subtle flute playing. The constant use of electronic trickery was a feature of this set and there was plenty of loop the loop. Glaser’s drumming was powerful and relentless at times. Goller carried on from where she left off with strident bass lines and some gentle vocals. Wareham was a maelstrom of activity: spoken word, flute, electronics and of course saxophone which  on several occasions he inserted the microphone into the bell of the sax.

After a pulsating set full of intrigue and power with enough nuance to keep the listener constantly enthralled and entertained it came to a close. I resisted the  temptation to ask for ‘One more tune’. Steve H