Nigel Price & Libor Smoldas @ Davenham Players Theatre - Oct. 29

© Richard Morris

Nigel Price (baritone guitar); Libor Smoldas (guitar)

It was with high expectations that I attended this concert by two of the best jazz guitarists in Europe. A full house had similar expectations and we were not disappointed. Nigel, in a career spanning more than 30 years, is widely acknowledged as one of the most highly regarded and hardest working jazz musicians in the business having received many much-deserved awards during those three decades. He met Prague based jazz guitarist Libor, who has worked and recorded with many international stars, some eight years ago.

The concert was billed as Price & Smoldas playing a selection of well chosen standards, as well as a few originals, delivered with a reverence for the past masters whilst putting their own spin on the music.

The stage was set – literally as Davenham Players were in the middle of rehearsing for their next production God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza. So there was extra seating for the audience on the side of the stage and an empty sofa at the back of the set. At precisely 8.00pm it was time for the two musicians to enter stage right. They received a warm welcome.

© Richard Morris

Nigel modestly introduced himself and Libor and confirmed he would be playing a baritone guitar which had been built in Greece and sounded a bit like a bass. I had seen a social media post by Nigel about this in which he confirmed it was a challenge because rather than relearn the guitar he was instead playing everything a fourth away. So for example in the opening tune of the evening Alone Together he played it in the original key but his first chord was G minor. As Nigel said, what could go wrong?  Well I am pleased to say there was no carnage. In a way the baritone guitar contrasted nicely with Libor’s jazz guitar providing dynamics that would not have been evident without the baritone.

On Jobim’s classic bossa nova Triste, a song exploring themes of solitude, unrequited love and the pain of living in illusions, the interplay between the musicians was fabulous. The music seemed effortless, the empathy obvious and the atmosphere relaxed. Rarely had two hours passed so quickly, their virtuosity off the Richter scale, the audience engaged and entranced.   

© Richard Morris

There were moments of levity. Towards the end of Luis Bonfá’s Back Orpheus they morphed into the theme tune of the US tv series M.A.S.H. and a chuckle or two was raised by Libor playing the riff from Deep Purple’s Smoke on the Water  towards the end of Triste.

Charlie Parker’s Yardbird Suite was fast, upbeat and quite funky whilst the ballad Body and Soul was played beautifully. Most of the tunes I hadn’t heard played by just two guitars so there was a fresh quality for me personally. I particularly enjoyed the Belgian jazz musician Toots Thieleman’s Bluesette. This composition was originally recorded and performed live in 1961 by Toots featuring him playing the guitar and whistling. No whistling was in evidence at this concert.

Homeward Bound, a tune composed by Liber, was nothing like the Simon and Garfunkel song with the same title. Ray Noble’s Cherokee, a number popular with jazz musicians including Charlie Parker, lost nothing by being played slower than the norm but nonetheless this take seemed perfect for two guitars and it did mirror the composer’s intent. The audience concurred.

Nigel continues touring the UK in November primarily as one half of the Lorne Lofsky/Nigel Price Quartet.  I will be seeing Nigel play again in the north west at Southport Jazz Festival on Saturday 30 January 2027 at a concert billed as the Nigel Price Quintet – Jazz Samba.

It would be most remiss of me not to mention that God of Carnage opens at Davenham Players Theatre on 13 November and runs until 21 November. Richard Morris

Set list: Alone Together; Triste; I’ve Never Been in Love Before; Body and Soul; Bluesette, Yardbird Suite; All the Things You Are; Black Orpheus; Homeward Bound; You Don’t Know What Love is; Cherokee

Davenham Players Theatre, 59 Church Street, Davenham, Northwich, Cheshire CW9 8NF    Website: https:www.davenhamplayers.co.uk     Instagram   @davenhamtheatre