A Matthew Forster Quartet gig is what could be described as 'occasional'. A debut performance at the 2023 Newcastle Jazz Festival, a sold out January Lit & Phil lunchtime concert and today, a lunchtime concert at the thriving Yamaha Music School in Blyth.
Forty five minutes, five numbers, it's a formula which appears to be taking root here in south east Northumberland. A good turn out, including two or three familiar jazz faces, the audience listened intently to bandleader Matthew Forster's compositions. A set list similar to January's concert, Forster once again demonstrated a distinct compositional sense, allied to a cast iron technique. Pianist Ben Lawrence's percussive opening to Mindful echoed across the quartet's performance: John Pope plucking, tapping and slapping his double bass, drummer Adam Stapleford utilising every part of his kit. Pope opened Cats in the Coffee in typical JP style - inventive, percussive, ceding to Forster's robust tenor.
To close the three quarters of an hour allotted to the Matthew Forster Quartet, All Bets Are Off featured some great playing all round, in and out of swing time, Stapleford taking it home. Keep an eye on the listings for further jazz concerts at Yamaha Music School, Blyth. Russell
Set list: Mindful; Black Shiraz; Cats in the Coffee; Hoping for Déjà Vu; All Bets Are Off.
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