Paul Edis Sextet @ Soho Pizza Express - Dec. 5

Paul Edis (MD, piano); Freddie Gavita (trumpet); Vasilis Xenopoulos (tenor sax, flute); Rory Ingham (trombone); Adam King (double bass); Joel Barford (drums)

Relocating from the north east of England to London in the early part of 2020, the little matter of a pandemic stopped Paul Edis in his tracks. Not that our man was left twiddling his thumbs, on the contrary, weekly online lockdown gigs maintained a connection with his audience and he continued to compose new material. Fast forward to a Monday evening in December 2022 and the Soho Dean Street Pizza Express was all but full. And little wonder, we were there for the long-delayed debut performance of the Paul Edis Sextet.

An earlier incarnation of the sextet boasted some of the very best musicians from 'up north', Edis' London based ensemble comprises six (Edis being one) of the very best, and most in demand, musicians in the capital city. The Timothys maintained Edis' 'up north' connection (family in-laws). Some of us were familiar with the number, most were hearing it for the first time. Who knows how much rehearsal time these guys had but all hit the ground running - Freddie Gavita stepped up, followed by Rory Ingham and Edis himself before Joel Barford demonstrated why he is one of the 'go-to' drummers. An excellent, confident start. What's more, the audience liked it!

Edis' old mate Vasilis Xenopoulos nailed a tremendous tenor sax solo on Mr Hipster (check out the Mr Hipster 'up north' sextet album), VX never fails to deliver. The first set served to reprise tried and tested material, the London guys getting their heads around the charts which included Eastern, Missing You (Edis' personal note to Kate) and a storming set closer, Blues for Dad. Scribbled notes read: Edis...wow!, Adam King...yeah! Barford! Yes, it was a canny first set, alright!

A quick 'hello' to Paul and Vasilis, another bottle of Fuller's Honeydew, and we were ready to go again. 

Introducing a new band is one thing, unveiling a new suite of music is something else altogether. The Covid Suite (it could/should be a working title, there must be a better title - answers on a postcard!) would, explained Edis, be played in full without further commentary. Heavy stuff? Potentially. However, hearing the Paul Edis Sextet play the material proved to be a joy. Elements of Ellington, Blakey-esque sections, and, of course, the indelible stamp of composer Paul Edis. And so we heard: The New Normal, Perilous Dance, The Daily Briefing (remember them?!), Too Much to Take In (information overload courtesy of Whitty et al!) and The Vaccine. Marvellous ensemble work, top notch solos, a listening, receptive audience, let's call the evening a success! Here's an idea...how about taking it on the road? Russell