Sunday night @ the Globe: Nils Kavanagh Trio - Sept. 6

© Russell

Nils Kavanagh (keys); Ursula Harrison (bass); Sam Green (drums)

Back in the day, a phrase popular with weather forecasters was "All four seasons in one day".  Another much used quote in jazz circles is Whitney Balliett's "The sound of surprize".

Last night at the Globe, both phrases came to my mind during the course of an intriguing couple of sets by the Nils Kavanagh Trio that wasn't your  average piano, bass and drums gig. Far from it! We had tranquility, thunder, pathos and mayhem all rolled into one.

Apart from a standard (I'll be Seeing You) thrown in perhaps as a sop of appeasement to pacify anyone bemused by the sounds produced by these three creative musicians, the material was all composed by Irish/Danish pianist Kavanagh and, in the main, drawn from his album No Expectations. The title track making its appearance in the second set.

© John Lyons

The opening For the Tired and the Weary began slowly and reflectively with minimalist bass intro by Harrison - her day would come. Behind the kit Green alternated between mallets, brushes, sticks and hands. Kavanagh drawing some of the best sounds I've heard from a Nord Piano 4. The tension mounted before all hell broke loose then, like a thunderstorm that had run out of rain, faded.

Kavanagh's compositions were based around his life and memories of Sligo and in Denmark. The folksy, Celtic feel was never far away.

What Does the Future Hold? is a question of which we'd all like to know the answer. It was a free-for-all with Harrison producing some amazing bowed bass effects and Green hitting everything within hitting range.

As the evening progressed Kavanagh became more physically active. At one point I thought he was going to do a Monkian (Thelonious) dance around the keyboard.

© John Lyons

Hazelwood Home was followed by Grandfather Clock, not to be confused with Frank Crumit's similarly named song. This was so soporific that I thought he was going to fall asleep on duty which would have made two of us. Fortunately for us both there was no sleeping with Ursula and Sam in attendance.

Biking on Clare Island had a jaunty feel to it before the set closed with the aforementioned I'll be Seeing You that, for me, had one of the best bass solos I've heard in many a long year's listening - chapeau Ursula Harrison.

The room was comfortably seated and there were no discouraging words.

Another World went from ppp to fff and back again. No Expectations was followed by Old House on the Hill with Harrison the bass producing more strange arco sounds. The concert finished with Iridescence (?) Space and Your Drawer is Empty.

It had been an interesting gig by three excellent musicians who didn't disappoint. Lance