Alison Rayner Quintet, 29 October 2021

Alison Rayner, bass.Diane McLoughlin, saxophones.Deirdre Cartwright, guitar.Steve Lodder, piano.Buster Birch, drums. There is a certain magic to some jazz performances which can’t entirely be put down to some combination of instrumental mastery, strong material and the coherence of the players as a fully realised band. For reasons never entirely clear, the band begins playing in…

Alison Rayner Quintet, 8 November 2019

Alison Rayner – bass Steve Lodder – piano Deirdre Cartwright – guitar Diane McLoughlin – saxophones Buster Birch – drums Seafaring people (the fortunate ones, at least), speak of ‘a happy ship’—an apt way of describing the Alison Rayner Quintet, which from the start exuded a warmth and togetherness which can’t be reduced to ‘stage…