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| © Ken Drew |
What can be said about Mark Williams that hasn't already been said? The affable Irishman appears in many different settings, his guitar playing invariably a joy to behold. However, when the band sails under the banner of the Mark Williams Trio you know from an oft-quoted remark he made at a previous gig that you're not going to hear Autumn Leaves!
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| © Ken Drew |
The event was a co-promotion between JNE and the Globe and the chairs were set out in rows, theatre/concert style. In some respects this is a good sign inasmuchas it indicates the organisers have had good advance sales or are anicipating a good turn out on the night which was indeed the case.
However, this well-intentioned approach can shoot itself in the foot. One person, upon observing the seating and noticing the paucity of tables, was overheard saying 'I thought this was a jazz club?'
I'd be curious to know the logistics re audience numbers in relation to cabaret or theatre seating settings.
A further point, theatre seating restricts access to the bar so that, come the interval, the barperson(s) is overwhelmed which means less money spent on drinks which in turn means less much-needed funds to keep this unique venue afloat. Perhaps this could be on the agenda for the next AGM?
Just sayin' ... Lance
2 comments :
Well, it's a strange review that says more about the seating arrangement than the music! It has the feel of damning with faint praise. Why not tell us what you really thought, Lance?
For myself, I'll freely admit that I enjoyed the gig, but not quite as much as I'd expected to - there were times when the transition between the solo contributions of the three musicians felt abruptly stop-start rather than organically free-flowing, and Rob Walker's drumming sometimes leant more towards rock rigidity rather than displaying the rhythmic looseness that I appreciate in jazz percussion (my enthusiasm for free jazz practitioners probably shows up here).
Having said that, I have since listened with much pleasure to the new album, where Andy Champion's fine work at the mixing desk seems to have provided more balance, meaning that it's possible better to really appreciate the quality of Mark's increasingly adventurous compositions, and, of course, the fluent excellence of his playing.
But it's a rare experience for me to prefer a recording to a live performance (where the immediacy, the frisson of excitement, even the possibility that something might teeter on the brink of disaster and then miraculously save itself, all continue to grip me after more than six decades of listening) . . . so I'll certainly be grabbing the next opportunity to hear the Mark Williams Trio in the flesh, knowing that there will certainly be fresh surprises to savour.
I think, I made myself clear as to how I felt. It achieved what the musicians aimed for and they did it well. The reason I drew attention to the seating arrangements was because several members of the audience remarked about it.
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