Good crowd of about 150 people for this lunchtime concert . Of course it’s free, and it will only be for 45 minutes, so that makes it a low risk endeavour. Nothing to lose. There’s a group of about 15 youngsters from the Newcastle School for Boys sat behind me. Maybe they’re the naughty ones and if they don’t improve their behaviour it will be wall to wall Derek Bailey and Peter Brötzmann until they mend their ways. Brings the average age of the audience down, as well.
As
they open, Kane’s bow scratches and Karlsen rolls around the kit with mallets
to give a full, dull sound. There’s a fleeting, half a hint of A Love Supreme, then a beat and a regular
pulse grows. Mainwaring drifts into view from the left playing a long, ghostly
note, beside him a rolling thunder advances and retreats. Kane is holding the
ring and Mainwaring’s solo of short phrases echoes throughout the hall. We’ve now hit a
groove with fluid tenor sax flowing up and down the scales with squeals at the
top end and low parps at the other; Karlsen’s drums are driving and rocking
until it all slows and fades away with only the susurration of a cymbal remaining.
Kane explains that the piece had been an improvisation between the three of
them and that they were inspired by the acoustics of the hall, saying that they
are playing in the room and to the room.
That’ll Do/Riddle Me This opens with a high stepping bass line that the drums
dance round, Mainwaring adding his urgent sax. It slows to a stroll before a
loooong, desperate howl of a note on the sax with Kane adding a simple repeated
motif underneath. Mainwaring slides and slurs whilst Karlsen adds scattershot
drumming. Then it truly kicks off and the band are charging but it feels like the
high roof dissipates some of the impact. Karlsen’s solo is all punches and
blows and hollow rattles on the cowbell. Mainwaring sways back and forth as if
lost in the moment as he solos; a passing moment as sax and drums meet each
other in a perfect union is a high. Kane provides a grounded core as the others
ride off to explore.
The
third piece is another improvisation, opened by Mainwaring high voiced on alto
above ghostly scrapes from Kane and a funereal blues from the drums; the sax
solo hints at folk music, something from the forest. By comparison with the
first two pieces it feels like they’ve moved into the mainstream as the piece
flows rising and falling with the higher notes on the sax undercut with a
rougher edge. The drummer is now the anchor and Kane is free to rise and
plummet. The sax roves freely, long fluttering runs but still in the context of
Karlsen’s lead. Kane explains that it had been another improvisation but one
that sounded like a composition.
The
fourth piece opens with a bass solo that teases out all the voices of the
instrument before the trio all lock in together. A brief set of dance stomps
before the rhythm section lock into a groove that’s light on the drums and it’s
left to Mainwaring to add the drama. As he lets rip the others roar in and
Mainwaring’s sax reaches up, pushing and soaring. It all comes back together
with a revival of the dance stomps behind the howling sax.
Just
time for a short one to close, a track called Kurt for Kurt Cobain. Mainwaring is now armed with a baritone sax
which punches its way in; the tune is a swaggering heavyweight stomp.
Mainwaring wails, squeals and screams his way through the second verse over Karlsen
hitting heavy on the drums while Kane carries on punching it in. It is a short
piece, but never mind.
This
has been a grand 45 minutes with the band tight at times and very free and
exploratory at others. It works because of the high level of empathy and
awareness with all having the chance to roam freely at times and grounding the
others at other moments. This creates a wonderful sense of movement that is
constantly interesting and totally unpredictable.
With
‘Sir’s’ approval, I asked the boys’ what they thought of it after Sir had
finished explaining about spontaneous improvisation. “It was good,” was the
consensus, though some liked the last piece because it was more regular. Maybe
one day, some of them will come back for more.
The
trio are named after a work by Jean-Michel Basquiat. The graphic above is what that work
looks like, and, at times, this is how they sounded. Dave Sayer
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