Ken Marley (double bass); Andrzej Baranek (piano);
Dave Walsh (drums).
A packed Moor Club
audience was thrilled by a masterclass of jazz piano trio playing by the above
musicians. The focus of the material was a live album recorded at the
Village Vanguard in 2014 by Christian McBride, Christian Sands and
Ulysses Owens Jr which Ken explained is his personal favourite recording.
The trio transported the ambience and spirit of the legendary Greenwich Village
basement club over to Stockport, recreating the form and energy of the original
performances with each member adding their own personal stamp to the
music.
The opening number, a contemporary take on the nineteenth century anti-war spiritual Down By the Riverside featured a tightly arranged head, with gospel inflections and swinging expressive solos from Baranek and Marley. Walsh propelled the trio through an uptempo version of Wes Montgomery’s Fried Pies, notable for an exuberant and dazzling piano solo from Baranek. A lesser known JJ Johnson composition followed, Interlude, highlighted by an extended passage of energetic interchanges between bass and drums. The final number of the first set, a harmonically complex Christian Sands jazz waltz entitled Sand Dune, successfully captured the feel and flavour of mid-1960s Herbie Hancock.
The second set started with a breakneck version of Ray Noble’s Cherokee, particularly notable for its powerful locked in bass and brushwork from Marley and Walsh. Temporary relief was provided by a lyrical piano bridge in 3/4 before the trio launched into a series of explosive solos with further compelling exchanges between Marley and Walsh. Lady of My Life transformed a modern pop ballad into a jazz tour de force of shifting textures with Walsh seamlessly switching from brushes to sticks to vary intensity and depth, providing a fertile platform for outstanding solos from Baranek and Marley. In tribute to the recent passing of Manchester based drummer Steve Gilbert, the trio performed a Ken Marley original ballad entitled Tender and the thoughtful and heartfelt extended drum solo from Walsh was a particular highlight of the evening.
All in all, a highly memorable gig full of contrasting styles and source material, delivered by the trio with unbounded energy, swing and dynamics, heightened by infectious musical interplay between each member. Catch them while you can! Paul Hartley
Down by the Riverside; Fried Pies; Interlude; Sand Dune; Cherokee; Lady of my Life; Tender; Down by the Riverside (reprise)
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