London Jazz Festival, first weekend (Nov 13-15).

No, we didn’t see Sonny Rollins – and I did feel a little wistful not being there after catching every visit he’s made to the UK in the last 20 years. On the other hand…

Bobby Hutcherson, Ronnie Scott’s, Friday.

A treat from start to finish. Being in the club felt curiously time-warped – the refurb has certainly preserved the ambience. And the music was in a style which, I reckon, could have been heard there almost any time in its fifty years in business. None of this mattered. Once the poised and polished Mr H. got warmed up, other thoughts fell away, as they do. The club is still a wonderful cockpit for jazz, and these four musicians – there were naturally three other stalwart American players in the band, all new to me – made it their own. Hutcherson, still fixed in many minds as a somewhat avant-garde player by early 1960s Blue Note standards, is now simply a master of modern jazz. He leans ever more heavily toward Milt Jackson, even playing That Old Devil Moon at one point as if to underline the lineage. But then he goes straight into a movement from A Love Supreme, not the first tune you think of on vibes, and very effective it is too.

The whole 80 minute set is cleverly programmed and paced. Sometimes he just lingers over the notes to bring out the goodness in the melody, sometimes the mallets fly. Either way the support from Joe Gilman’s piano, Glenn Richman’s bass and (especially) Eddie Marshall’s drums is just right. Hutcherson has worked extensively with McCoy Tyner, and the piano here had some of that flavour at times, as the drums evoked Billy Higgins (all drums should evoke Billy Higgins). The verdict on this particular old master at work? Lovely, lovely, lovely.

Sheila Jordan, Ray’s Jazz at Foyle’s, Saturday.

Then out early to splash down Charing Cross Road and squeeze into Foyle’s café to hear Sheila Jordan. The words living legend work well here. You either like her voice or you don’t. I love it, even in its slightly wavering 80 year-aged version. Such presence, such timing and subtlety of phrasing. She could make any song sound amazing, but this 40 mins duo set with Brian Kellock as a perfect piano partner stuck with familiar Jordan vehicles – Dat ‘dere, My Funny Valentine, Sheila’s blues. There is a lot of arch anecdotage, and some fairly standard reminiscence, but I don’t care. She is performing “being Sheila Jordan”, but also fitting in some very fine singing, and holding a packed lunchtime crowd spellbound – a jazz photography project which just captures people’s faces while listening would have a great start at a Jordan gig. Doubt if I’ll ever hear her live again, but very happy to be at this one. And she’s even older than Rollins…

Polish showcase, Clore Ballroom at RFH, Saturday p.m.

Two bands here to delve a little deeper into current Polish jazz before Thomasz Stanko’s London gig (as seen in Bristol a couple of nights  before). The first lot didn’t quite grab our attention, so chatting with friends took precedence. But then on came another vocalist, the very charismatic Grzegorz Karnas. Sounds like he can do anything, but what he did here was regular jazz vocal with improv thrown in at suitably judged intervals. Sort of like Ian Shaw meets Phil Minton…  A striking performer, and definitely not one to talk over.

Loop groups – Phronesis, Sam Crockatt Quartet, Blink, Clore Ballroom at RFH, Sunday p.m.

There seemed a real buzz about the festival this year, and this sample ended with some of the reasons why – the Loop Collective is a wonderfully fertile pot for brewing great bands. Phronesis is Jasper Hoiby‘s trio, and the band which gives full scope to his remarkable bass playing, and very attractive composing. We’re booked for Dave Holland in a few days and the playing here made me think of him more than few times. The compositions are, if anything, trickier, and I wonder how long bass and piano had to rehearse to bring off those long unison lines so faultlessly. He also has a very fruitful rapport with his drummer, Anton Eager (obvious surname related comments apply).

A quick turnaround after that for Crockatt’s quartet. This came across as a bit more generic tenor and rhythm section jazz, but the rhythm section does have the estimable Kit Downes on piano which guarantees something worth listening to. And finally, an exciting trio, with Robin Fincker on reeds, Alcyona Mick on piano, and the entirely wonderful Paul Clarvis on drums. They work with simpler materials, and get into slightly freer areas, but always with melody to pick up on and great rhythm – outstanding players, impressive gig, great afternoon. A search for Blink CDs will ensue, I think.

Then we made our weary way back to Bristol. Ed Jones was doing his stuff at Cabot Circus, starting about when we rolled into Temple Meads – momentarily tempting, but enough music, even for me. Sorry Ed…

Thomas Stanko, St George’s. Nov 12

This was a fascinating evening. Tomasz Stanko’s brilliant previous band have moved on to become the Marcin Wasilewski Trio, and he is now leading another group of accomplished young musicians, this time from Scandinavia – with drummer Olavi Louhivouri especially resourceful. The wily old trumpeter’s long, clear lines seem to need a very flexible approach to the beat, and Louhivouri has that and more. With two electric instruments (bass and guitar) in the ensemble, this band work very much in a sound area defined by Miles somewhere between In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew – with maybe a touch of the interest in texture and atmospherics of early Weather Report. But the Davis influence which Stanko always makes people mention is not all there is. I was hearing a fair bit of Don Cherry as well, though not, I think, Chet Baker, another name which gets trotted out in Stanko reviews. He had a much more conventional approach to melody and time than this gnomic Eastern European virtuoso.

Also, if the mood and sensibility are related to Miles in his reflective moments, there’s hardly a blues inflection to be heard. On the other hand, if this is Euro jazz, there is nothing you would mistake for a folk tune either. There are quite long through-written passages, but no easy melodies, not even much in the way of striking themes. All is atmosphere, and the improvisation often a matter of single note interjections, and small flurries.

Stanko has a strong, clean sound, sometimes also evoking Kenny Wheeler. And he explores areas of feeling others often neglect, and more often associated with great singers – there is melancholy here, also wistfulness, regret, a touch of world-weariness, even resignation. Although he is more likely to offer a threnody, dirge or lament than an anthem, it is not a sombre affair. There are sunlit moments, too, and also a powerful feeling throughout that this is a musician who knows exactly what he is doing. Others working with these materials might sound dreary but Stanko is consistentlydramatic, even compelling. Although the sound is at times vapourous – or perhaps because it is – you are gripped, wating for the next thought to appear.

So are his very alert new band. For me, they didn’t quite reach the heights of the previous all-Polish quartet, but perhaps more time together will let them brush off that very demanding comparison. They are a fine unit already, with shimmering guitar, and impressive contributions on piano from the Finn Alexi Tuomarila. But the evening belongs to the small figure out front, who alone among the band plays long, complex pieces with no notation in front of him, and is clearly very much in charge of the overall concept. A great set from one of those musicians who has blended his influences into a compound which sounds like no-one but himself.

St George’s fare

A preview of St George’s New Year schedule tonight, from the very nice director (who knows nothing of jazz, but enthuses dutifully). Their little season is billed as jazz (Not Jazz) – you know, testing the boundaries and all that – which offers a childish temptation I won’t resist…

We have:

Resonation Big Band (Jan 8). Bristol’s finest, and definitely jazz, even if some of their stuff is based on Messiaen.

Nostalgia 77/Jeb Loy Nichols/Twelves Trio (Jan 14).  That’s harder…  some jass noises going on, but all mixed up with beats and computers and stuff. Lots of Riaan Vosloo on bass, though.

Nils Petter Molvaer (Feb 18) This is ECM “zen funk” apparently, though the trumpet is pretty special, I think.

Nik Bartsch’s Ronin (March 11). Fashionably, meticulously assembled and layered funk. So not jazz then (or not when I last heard them).

Dan Bergland’s Tonbruket. (April 1). New project from the bass player with the prematurely silenced EST – who failed to catch my ear after EST Plays Monk but everyone else seemed to like a lot. Don’t know what he’ll do, but I guess it will be (Euro)jazz.

Art of Sound Trio. (April 22). John Law’s piano trio. Who I’ve never heard, but jazz by all accounts. Looking forward to that one.

Portico Quartet. (May 27). Not jazz, by any stretch…  But somewhat popular just now. As John Fordham put it, rather tactfully, “the occasional guest appearance from a really resourceful improviser might open a new window for them in the longer run.”  Um, yes. Like make it vaguely interesting to listen to them for more than five seconds.

I’ll turn out for all the others, though, if poss.

LOTS of other nice things in the programme too, natch.

Not to mention Thomasz Stanko tomorrow night, who is completely brilliant live on past form.

Dave Newton trio, Future Inns Jazz Club, Nov 8

Heard from a distance, this might be generic piano trio jazz – classic repertoire, fleet solos, in the groove so neatly the attention easily wanders: nothing especially memorable going on. Bits and pieces heard on the net sounded like this, too.

Up close, a different story. Newton plays in a determinedly mainstream style which disguises how much is going on. It is generic jazz piano, but very, very well done. His playing has a kind of clarity, which reminds you how keen a pleasure it is hearing the most standardised of standards subjected to a searching examination. And the solos are long, but no longer than invention can sustain.

He also swings like blazes, another old-fashioned virtue, and places severe demands – met with big smiles – on drums and, especially, bass. Here we had Andy Cleyndert apparently channelling Neils Pederson, making some ridiculous tempos and then soloing at the same speed with aplomb. A rarely heard Oscar Pettiford tune was particularly striking. And Sebastian de Krom, who must be the physically most economical drummer on the planet, was beautiful throughout. One solo on brushes was probably the quietest drum excursion of the year – and concluded with a neat rendition of the theme to remind that drummers should be musical, too, if they learn how to tune their kit as nicely as this.

It struck me, in the excellent downstairs space at Cabot circus, as a real jazz club set. The music suited the room and the room suited the music. This would never work so well in a big hall, but in this neat, well sound balanced enclosure, with its fine piano, every last overtone, every split-second interaction between the three musicians, comes across. It feels like sharing the performance, not just listening. The audience (aside from one conversing couple near the front) had that intentness which tells the performers they are in the right place, artistically as well as physically. “I could play all night”, said Newton. It may be imaginary that this new club already gives the impression of a place where music is meant to be played – doubtless in daylight it is just a room – but it is the kind of imagination which helps the already skilled get from routine exercise of those skills to something more special.

Going to Ronnie Scott’s later this week – for the first time for many years – so it will be interesting to see if it still has that jazz club magic. If not, no matter – you can get it in Bristol now.

Bristol African Music Festival, St George’s Nov 1

“The continent is too large to describe. It is a veritable ocean, a separate planet [...] In reality, except as a geographical appellation, Africa does not exist.” That verdict (Ryszard Kapuściński’s) sounds right, so I guess that means African music doesn’t really exist either. But here was lots of music from (some) different bits of Africa, and most of it enjoyable.

It was a day to dip in and out of – so much was missed while doing important things like eating. But two visits meant we caught Fidelis Mherembi’s (Zimbabwe) mbira outing, which was fine although it really is a limited instrument to my ears, Biran Seck’s soaring Senegalese vocal set, and the rock-star style kora playing of Mamadou Cissoko, again working from a Senegalese tradition.

Then back to Zimbabwe for Bulawayo and Cecilia Ndhlovu’s vocal and mbira exuberance. Like Seck and Cissoko’s sets, this featured lots of danceable stuff, but it would have been nice to hear a bit more without the throttle fully open. The result can be a bit one-dimensional, especially over a whole day.

Listening to singing in an unknown language is also an odd experience, I find. It shifts attention to other aspects of the voice, but denies the performer the benefit of the alchemy of  words and music which the best songs deliver. Some voices – Miriam Makeba, Pinise Saul – are so great that doesn’t particularly matter. The ones heard here, while great performers, weren’t quite that compelling.

So the good bits? Mainly the ones which demonstrated that there is more to “African” music than sounds which make you want to jump up and down. Some of Cissoko’s more thoughtful kora playing, especially in tandem with an ace flautist whose name I didn’t catch, the best of  Bulawayo’s set, which really came together on some of those dance numbers. And, much more quietly, the very first set of the day. That was the complementary duo of Kevin Brown’s guitar and Moussa Kouyate’s kora, playing that ol’ Senegalese blues. Dogged by tuning problems (Koras don’t take kindly to damp, so toting one round Bristol must be a drag), they nevertheless had some spellbinding moments. Starting with the best music meant they had a small audience – I guess they aren’t dancy-dancy enough to be thought fit for an evening slot. But their interwoven string sounds and soulful lines stayed with us for the rest of the day.

African Jazz All Stars, St George’s. Oct 22

A great line up, with Claude Deppa, Jason Yarde depping for Tony Kofi, Adam Glasser on keys, and LUCKY RANKU. They feature compositions or arrangements from quite a few of the personnel, and hence from different countries, but increasingly tend toward a Dudu Pukwana tribute band (a frequent associate when he was still around of LUCKY RANKU).

The noise they make is great, though nowhere near as supple or inventive in the rhythm department as the South African derived ensembles with Johnny Dyani and the (still with us, hurrah) Louis Moholo Moholo. The arrangements are mostly fairly simple, riff-based – but great riffs. Some of them were written by LUCKY RANKU.

First half is thoroughly enjoyable. But second set brings on Pinise Saul, who lifts the whole ensemble and has enough vocal power and charisma to light up a small town. A mystery why she isn’t a global star. And she works so well, after all these years, with LUCKY RANKU.

There’s something about the players with roots in township jazz which always gets me. If you had to choose just one kind of music to listen to for the rest of your life (don’t make me), this would be a strong candidate.

Most of them are gone now, which always upsets me to think about. But there is one guitar player left who has a style so distinctive – a bit like Abdullah Ibrahim – that while I’m sure others can do it well enough, they will always be described as sounding like… LUCKY RANKU.

I would (and have) pay to hear him play all alone. But seeing and hearing him in front of a band is better still. None of the records I know quite do justice to the man – a contrast with, say Ernest Ranglin who is comparably wonderful and appears on lots of great sessions. The South African Gospel Choir CDs come close, but still lack some presence, I reckon. In conclusion, I remain exceedingly fond of LUCKY RANKU. There were some very nice sounding players in the bar afterwards, but we had to move on – sadly for them, none of them were…

Kit Downes Trio, Be-Bop Club. Oct 16

Late with this one – not sure where the time went since. So briefly: almost didn’t turn out for another piano trio gig. That would have been a great mistake as they provided a real lift at the end of a heavy week. All young, college trained, and a good counter to the too neat idea that people who happen to have had formal study are somehow slavish products of a system. Sure, they will have heard similar things from regular tutors. Some make something more of that, some don’t. These guys do.

The obvious comparisons are with the Jarrett and Mehldau piano trios – and Downes proves there is plenty of mileage in that song-based, free-ish, equal opportunity trio. The music is wonderfully detailed and interactive, with real flair on show from all three players, but all displayed co-operatively – a genuine feel of collective music-making with ego under control. On reflection, a feeling which was somehow missing, for me, from the Bad Plus show earlier in the week. And they gave a real lift to the Be-bop club, with its intent listeners who you can somehow sense appreciating how good all this is even when they make no visible sign. The perfect silence behind the featherweight brush gestures of the rather wonderful James Maddren on drums really brings home how good a musical space this is, for all that it is one of the most nondescript back room of a pub jazz clubs in the land. Cabot Circus is smarter, sure, but when the music is this compelling the surroundings disappear of course, and all dissolves into the creative flow. And flow it truly did. If this is the future of jazz, it is in good hands. Their CD is terrific, too. But I can’t wait to hear them again in person.

Mike Collins was also impressed.

Roland Chadwick and Nick Linnick, The Prom, Oct 14

A late trip round the corner for the weekly dose of Prom goodness. And this was really exceptional – a guitar duo combining a virtuosic old master (Chadwick) with a young protégé/pretender (Linnick). The latter, just turned 18, is a remarkable player already. Not sure if he is from the area, but I’m guessing he is. Prodigious young musicians seem to grow up here like weeds from the pavement – though much nicer to see obviously…

Anyhow, this was all instrumental, and a reminder that the sound of two amplified acoustic guitars really needs nothing else. They played in complex unison with astonishing precision, then traded choruses gaily with great invention from both players. A great lift to the end of the evening, and another reason to be grateful for living on the Gloucester Road. Both these guys are worth looking out for: together they are really special. There’s quite a bit of them playing together  on YouTube, which confirms their rapport.

The Bad Plus, St George’s. Oct 12

Second sighting of this trio this year, after their warm-up for Charlie Haden at Meltdown. This longer outing was good, but confirms that their reputation is some way from their current playing. Not that they aren’t all good musicians (though keyboard player Ethan Iverson is plenty more interesting than his cohorts, to my ear). Just that having been touted as cutting edge, challenging, and – in the current critical cliché – reinventing the piano trio – they really aren’t any more. This was a perfectly competent double set of pretty straightforward piano jazz, in the main. Granted, there were some unusual items in the repertoire – Ligeti, Babbit, Ornette’s Song X  – but most of the pieces were by one of the three players, and passed by pleasantly enough without being particularly memorable.

The whole thing seemed a bit routine, in fact. I know they play together a lot – Iverson said somewhere recently that they do 150 shows a year. Maybe they all need to go and do stuff with other bands for a while, and rfefresh and renew. Or maybe they are just settling down into steady jazz playing, after getting an audience by persuading people they were somehow radical. The only vaguely out of the ordinary aspect of their current approach is the rather angular, and relentlessly unswinging drummer, whose work I happen to find more of an irritatation than a pleasure. Or maybe I just don’t get it?

GBH Big Band, The Prom, Oct 7

Round the corner for the GBH big band’s annual visit to a venue  more used to smaller ensembles. Always fun to see them squeezing into the Prom, with the front line sat in front of the stage in traditional small venue fashion. All standards, and arangements are pretty standard too, but a couple of good soloists, a fine rhythm section, and well-drilled section playing throughout. A spirited engagement with Mingus on the penultimate number confirms the most important thing about about this enjoyable outfit, and big bands in general – they make a jolly pleasing noise.