Alan Barnes , alto and baritone saxophones; clarinet. Pete Rosser, piano. Sam Jackson, bass. Steve Hanley, drums. How do they do it? How is it that four musicians of scant acquaintance and no shared performance history can come together to play compelling improvised music for two hours? No combination of well-honed musical skill, a rich…
Tag: Whitman review
Pigfoot. 22nd March 2024
Chris Batchelor, trumpet. James Allsopp, baritone sax and bass clarinet. Liam Noble, piano and keyboards. Paul Clarvis, drums. What might someone unfamiliar with the music of Pigfoot have expected from the combined forces of such exemplary musicians—each highly adaptable, creative and responsive and all playing key roles in a wide variety of other bands? ‘All…
The Paul Dunmall Quartet. 8th March 2024
Paul Dunmall, saxophones. Liam Noble, piano. John Edwards, bass. Mark Sanders, drums. In every genre of music, it is pleasing to observe how creative breakthroughs emerging from established traditions gradually become accepted. What starts as an outrageous defiance of norms eventually comes to be seen as their furtherance and enrichment. It’s as true of Stravinsky…
Philip Clouts Quartet, 18th November 2023.
Philip Clouts, piano. Lewis Sallows, alto sax. Tim Fairhall, bass. Marek Dorcik, drums. Some jazz listeners complain that contemporary musicians can’t compose, as once they did in a supposed golden age—most often expressed as, ‘They can’t write tunes…’. Philip Clouts either put the lie to that one, or transported us back in time—and although we…
10th October 2023: Double bill: Moore, Rosser, Morley, Haller
Olivia Moore, violin. Pete Rosser, accordion. Meg Morley, piano. Petra Haller, tap. This double bill was an utter delight, the duets combining charm and experimentation in equal measure. The evening began with our own Pete Rosser, the promoter of Wakefield Jazz, standing in for Olivia’s indisposed accordionist. It’s a testament to both musicians that they…
Jonny Mansfield Quintet. 27th October 2023
Jonny Mansfield, vibraphone. Dominic Ingham, violin. Emma Rawicz, tenor saxophone, bass clarinet and flute. Will Sach, bass. Francesca Remigi, drums. There’s a certain magic about music played on the vibraphone. It’s not just in the wonderful contrast between the bright, singing notes and the pooled atmospheric sound of the sustains. Perhaps it’s the way in…
Charanga del Norte. 20th October 2023
Sue Miller, flute and coro. Guilermo Monroy, lead singer. Helen Curtis, coro and piano. Kim Burton, piano. Jose Canha, bass. Nick Williams, violin. Maria Teresa Lusson, violin. Sally Nunn, violin. John Lindh, violin. Andy Wardale, cello. Matty Shallcross, timbales. Raz Jayasuriya, congas. Andy Curtis, guiro. Throughout the 1930s and 40s, jazz was hugely popular dance…
The Big Easy. 10th June 2023
The last word should go to the audience member who was overheard at intermission saying, ‘This music is good for my soul.’
The Oxley-Meier Guitar project. 19th May 2023.
On their own, Pete and Nicolas have stage-filling talent, so the addition of their remarkable musical companions gave us something that could fairly be said to be an embarrassment of riches.
Jasmine Myra Septet. 5th May 2023.
If this band needed a sub-title, I’d suggest, ‘Further adventures in Jazz,’ because it was indeed adventurous—and great fun to hear.
Martin Speake and Alcyona Mick. April 21st, 2023
Martin Speake and Alcyona Mick gave us the best of both worlds: all of the refinement and precision of a chamber performance with the heart and soul of jazz.
“You Are Here”: Kevin Figes Sextet plays the music of Keith Tippett and contemporaries. 25th February, 2023
You could say that it was ‘the shock of the old’ as the Kevin Figes Sextet played the music of Keith Tippett and his contemporaries.
The Whitman Review 