Nigel Price-Vasilis Xenopoulos Quintet @ The Spice of Life, London - Mar. 6

Nigel Price (guitar); Vasilis Xenopoulos (tenor sax); Leon Greening (piano); Adam King (double bass); Richard Pite (drums)

On a flying visit to London (non-stop train, actually), the advertised Monday lunchtime concert at the Spice of Life featuring the Nigel Price-Vasilis Xenopoulos Quartet was too good an opportunity to pass up. Arriving at Cambridge Circus in good time, who should be standing at the lights, guitar case in hand, waiting to cross Shaftesbury Avenue? Mr. N. Price. It's all in the timing. As the lights were changing, a quick 'hello', let's go! 

The Spice of Life's basement space, with its half-decent piano, attracted a large crowd, little wonder given the calibre of musician(s) in the house. The advertised quartet became a quintet with the addition of one of the finest pianists on the British jazz scene, Leon Greening. On the stand at half past twelve were Price, Greening, Vasilis Xenopoulos (tenor sax), Adam King (double bass) and Jazz at the Spice of Life MC, Richard Pite (drums). Now that's what you call 'A-list'! Guitarist Price handled the introductions, the quintet opening with Jeannine. No matter how many times you've heard these guys, they're never less than superb. The 'frontline' - Price and Xenopoulos - dovetailed their solos, Price, single line runs, dizzying chordal passages, Xenopoulos the cast iron tenor player with an old school swagger.

The Touch of Your Lips, Trieste, choice material, five musicians at the top of their game. Price described Adam King as: the finest bass player...anywhere. On the evidence of this gig it would be difficult to argue. Pianist Leon Greening sat hunched over the keyboard, his back to the audience, knocking out some tremendous stuff. What a band! For All We Know heard Price in full flow. An early morning journey, the thick end of three hundred miles to London, it was well worth the effort. The first set concluded with Four (Miles Davis long-since credited as the composer), a great first set with more to come...

Second set. Being a guitarist, it hadn't escaped Nigel Price's notice that today (March 6th) marked the centenary of the birth of Wes Montgomery. During the interval the musicians agreed to devote the second set to the music of/associated with Montgomery. Excellent! From Montgomery's 1962 Full House LP, Price and co opened with the title track. Jazz guitar heaven! Gone with the Wind with Price's Joe Pass-like coda, it doesn't get any better. Road Song featured pianist Greening soloing as if for his life. Wow! Old Folks, the set's beautiful ballad, segued into Young at Heart, great stuff. Sadly, the two thirty finish was fast approaching. Price knows his stuff, and, to close, our man suggested a blues - Blues 'n' Boogie. Price, Xenopoulos, Greening, King, Pite and the spirit of Wes Montgomery. What a start to the day! Russell