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
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