Nubya Garcia @ Cheltenham Town Hall – May 4

Nubya Garcia (tenor sax); Sam Jones (drums); Max Luthert (bass); Lyle Barton (keyboards)

I had high hopes for this gig having made Garcia’s 2024 album, Odyssey, my album of the year on BSH and, as this was our last gig at Cheltenham 2025, I was also hoping to finish with something memorable. What we got was a gig that covered most of the range of what she did on the album with more of an emphasis on kicking bottom, sufficient to create a bit of a party.

On with the show. The lights go down and electric organ swirls fill the room; Garcia plays long, mellow, filmic tones whilst, behind her the bass grows in insistence. Despite the bouncing drums, she’s still mellow but her voice rises to meet the challenge; it’s like she’s wrestling with the sax, forcing notes out. A keyboard solo follows and Garcia’s forceful playing pushes it all onwards. 

That was Dawn; for We Walk In Gold we’re led by stomping drums in a reggae groove with Garcia’s playing more chilled than the others and we’re treated to some late night smooth sounds as the bass and drums drop out. Then we’re into something more militant with high stepping drum and bass; Garcia is face-on, upright, solid; the militancy is in her stance, her body language. The drums behind the keys solo are a pummelling barrage and it’s a relief when Garcia comes back in.

There is more powerful blowing on the next piece, Solstice, more Sonny than ‘Trane as a rolling lilt develops into a mighty bellow from the bottom end. The solo builds and builds on top of itself, growing organically; rattling, pounding drums behind fill every space, sticks a blur. It all slowly dies away for a drum solo that, initially, allows some room for the audience to breath. Relief comes at the end of the song when Garcia solos unaccompanied, her notes echoing off the walls of the Town Hall, rich and rounded. The drums pile back in before a bass solo of West African rhythms calls out, dances and plugs any gaps in the wall as your feet do what they know they have to. Garcia, herself, is throwing shapes in the shadows at the side of the stage. Her horn joins back in playing a solo, rich and romantic, yearning and reaching out. The keys play some soulful gospel to take it to a close.  

The Seer opens with pounding, muscular piano as the sax flies out of the traps, bold and defiant, powerful blowing, long, full blooded wails over rattling, driving drums. Garcia is wringing everything out of the sax. A dense piano solo over skittering drums and a punching bass rolls out in waves across the hall. Water’s Path is deep and ghostly with lightly tapping drums, swirling keys and a walking bass line, the sax echoes in the hall, a lonely shout into the darkness, full, rich, round and deeply human. It’s all about the space. The drums crash in and Garcia responds, blowing more powerfully now; a percussive, Horace Silver-esque piano solo rolls out and it’s a rocking groove. Over a thunderous backing, Garcia steps up to the rose bedecked mic stand. The bass comes rolling out of a dead stop, hammering back in and Garcia blows a driven, knotty, spiralling, climbing line, now more ‘Trane than before. A few short solo phrases from Garcia and an explosive finish and that feels like ‘Goodnight.’ Or not quite, there’s still time for a little bit of dubstep as Garcia floats some jabs and longer fluid sections over the top that is all echoed and dubbed up; the acoustics in the hall play their part. A good end to the evening and the Festival for us. Dave Sayer