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| Steve Coleman Drawing by Geoff Winston. All Rights Reserved. |
Jazz on 3/ London Jazz Festival opening night launch
(Ronnie Scott's, 11th November 2011. Review by John L Walters)
The Jazz on 3 festival launch gig at Ronnie's was bookended by two exceptional performances: the superb tuba-player Oren Marshall; and singer Gregory Porter, who deserves every bit of hype thrown his way.
After a short steampunk solo (sadly off-air) that pushed the tuba through a phalanx of effects, Marshall's Anglo-Ghanaian Charming Transport Band kicked off a highly entertaining evening, which can beheard on the BBC's iPlayer until 18 Nov2011.
In between were sets by Steve Coleman's inscrutable trio Reflex (Marcus Gilmore, drums; Cuban pianist David Virelles). Coleman's appearance was a career high point for presenter Jez Nelson, clutching a treasured piece of Coleman vinyl from the 1980s. Nelson asked the saxophonist about the advantages of playing in a trio. 'We get to play more,' said Coleman.
He was followed by the curious punk-prog-thrash of Guillaume Perret's Electric Epic [playing at C.A.M.P. next Wednesday], whose intricately stacked layers of noise gave me a feeling of déjà entendu.
That criticism might be levelled at Gregory Porter, whose opener, a perfect reading of the Carmichael-Mercer standard Skylark, wastimeless. Yet Porter is completely contemporary, transcending eraswith an audacious, high-octane version of Wayne Shorter's Back Nile and ending with a funky, full throated 1960 What?, prompting a no-holds-barred performance from the venue's own trio of JamesPearson, Sam Burgess and Dave Ohm.
londonjazzfestival.org.uk
(Ronnie Scott's, 11th November 2011. Review by John L Walters)
The Jazz on 3 festival launch gig at Ronnie's was bookended by two exceptional performances: the superb tuba-player Oren Marshall; and singer Gregory Porter, who deserves every bit of hype thrown his way.
After a short steampunk solo (sadly off-air) that pushed the tuba through a phalanx of effects, Marshall's Anglo-Ghanaian Charming Transport Band kicked off a highly entertaining evening, which can beheard on the BBC's iPlayer until 18 Nov2011.
 |
| Oren Marshall Drawing by Geoff Winston. All Rights Reserved |
In between were sets by Steve Coleman's inscrutable trio Reflex (Marcus Gilmore, drums; Cuban pianist David Virelles). Coleman's appearance was a career high point for presenter Jez Nelson, clutching a treasured piece of Coleman vinyl from the 1980s. Nelson asked the saxophonist about the advantages of playing in a trio. 'We get to play more,' said Coleman.
He was followed by the curious punk-prog-thrash of Guillaume Perret's Electric Epic [playing at C.A.M.P. next Wednesday], whose intricately stacked layers of noise gave me a feeling of déjà entendu.
 |
| Gregory Porter Drawing by Geoff Winston. All Rights Reserved |
That criticism might be levelled at Gregory Porter, whose opener, a perfect reading of the Carmichael-Mercer standard Skylark, wastimeless. Yet Porter is completely contemporary, transcending eraswith an audacious, high-octane version of Wayne Shorter's Back Nile and ending with a funky, full throated 1960 What?, prompting a no-holds-barred performance from the venue's own trio of JamesPearson, Sam Burgess and Dave Ohm.
londonjazzfestival.org.uk
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