SEB ROCHFORD / NICOLE MITCHELL / NEIL CHARLES & MARIUS NESET
Parabola Arts Theatre, Cheltenham Friday 29th April 2017
Parabola Arts Theatre, Cheltenham Friday 29th April 2017
SEB ROCHFORD / NICOLE MITCHELL / NEIL CHARLESParabola Arts Theatre, Cheltenham Friday 29th April 2017
Prior to the set there was a heartfelt and inspiring tribute to Roanne Dods, who directed the Jerwood Charitable Foundation which had played such an important role in the Cheltenham Jazz Festival and in schemes such as Take Five, Serious Talent, the Wapping Project (for composition) and the Jerwood Next Generation Strand. It was fitting, therefore, that one of the original beneficiaries of the latter award should play after this. For many people in the audience Seb Rochford, although a prime mover in the recent developments of the UK jazz scene in a variety of bands, is associated with Polar Bear. If Polar Bear were often all about the turbulence of a surging sea, this performance concentrated on the calmness of a mill-pond. Here, a single improvised piece developed over the course of 50 or so minutes. For much of the piece, the recently shorn Rochford used fingers and hands rather than sticks to play his drum kit. Mitchell alternated between concert and bass flutes, coaxing a bewildering array of sounds from each instrument as she sang, hummed, spat and moaned across the embouchure hole. The different flute sounds, together with Rochford’s use of the drums, took the music on an international journey, with hints of Tibet, Japan, Nigeria, India but always a jazz sensibility holding things together. Charles’ bass playing, initially arco then layered through a sequencer and finally plucked, provided compliment and commentary rather than rhythmic support as the piece developed. The trio played in subdued stage lighting, with the lights on the music stands of Mitchell and Charles throwing more illumination on them than the spots from the side of the stage. Initially, the piece felt contemplative, almost meditative and it was not obvious how it would develop. At times the earlier parts felt mournful, perhaps elegiac given the tribute that preceded it. However, this is not to say that it was sombre – often the glances between Rochford and Mitchell as they checked queues and worked changes were full of smiles and there was a definite chemistry between all three players as the piece worked its way to a strong finish. The audience had sat in silence throughout the piece, concentrating as if watching grand masters in a taut chess final, and then exploded into appreciative applause as the final note died away. This is a very different direction for Rochford but one that he is clearly relishing, and it was a privilege to hear Nicole Mitchell playing here.
Prior to the set there was a heartfelt and inspiring tribute to Roanne Dods, who directed the Jerwood Charitable Foundation which had played such an important role in the Cheltenham Jazz Festival and in schemes such as Take Five, Serious Talent, the Wapping Project (for composition) and the Jerwood Next Generation Strand. It was fitting, therefore, that one of the original beneficiaries of the latter award should play after this. For many people in the audience Seb Rochford, although a prime mover in the recent developments of the UK jazz scene in a variety of bands, is associated with Polar Bear. If Polar Bear were often all about the turbulence of a surging sea, this performance concentrated on the calmness of a mill-pond. Here, a single improvised piece developed over the course of 50 or so minutes. For much of the piece, the recently shorn Rochford used fingers and hands rather than sticks to play his drum kit. Mitchell alternated between concert and bass flutes, coaxing a bewildering array of sounds from each instrument as she sang, hummed, spat and moaned across the embouchure hole. The different flute sounds, together with Rochford’s use of the drums, took the music on an international journey, with hints of Tibet, Japan, Nigeria, India but always a jazz sensibility holding things together. Charles’ bass playing, initially arco then layered through a sequencer and finally plucked, provided compliment and commentary rather than rhythmic support as the piece developed. The trio played in subdued stage lighting, with the lights on the music stands of Mitchell and Charles throwing more illumination on them than the spots from the side of the stage. Initially, the piece felt contemplative, almost meditative and it was not obvious how it would develop. At times the earlier parts felt mournful, perhaps elegiac given the tribute that preceded it. However, this is not to say that it was sombre – often the glances between Rochford and Mitchell as they checked queues and worked changes were full of smiles and there was a definite chemistry between all three players as the piece worked its way to a strong finish. The audience had sat in silence throughout the piece, concentrating as if watching grand masters in a taut chess final, and then exploded into appreciative applause as the final note died away. This is a very different direction for Rochford but one that he is clearly relishing, and it was a privilege to hear Nicole Mitchell playing here.
MARIUS NESET
Parabola Arts Centre Cheltenham Friday 29th April 2017
One of the many strengths of the Cheltenham jazz festival is its ability to bring a broad range of acts together in one place. Marius Neset is one of the key players in the burgeoning Danish jazz scene (albeit originally from Norway) returned to a packed house for this year’s Cheltenham festival. On this tour he is playing with quartet of UK musicians (albeit most of whom are expats), including the phenomenal Jim Hart on marimba and vibraphone. The rhythm section of Joshua Blackmore (drums), Phil Donkin (bass ) and Dan Nicholls (piano) provided sterling support, with Blackmore and Nicholls taking solos, but the set was built around Neset, on tenor and soprano, and Hart. At times, Hart toyed with bowing the edges of the keys using what looked like wooden coat-hangers strung with a cello bow, but for most of the set he was content to work the keys with two sticks in each hand. As Neset’s solos build in intensity and challenge, he has a tendency to splay his elbows as if he is about the take off – if he did, I’m sure this audience would want to fly with him. The set opened with pieces from 2105’s ‘Pinball’ CD (which saw Neset and Hart working with a different rhythm section). Here he showed that there is often very little of the austere cool that one might imagine ‘scandi-jazz’ in his playing. Rather, he opts for a taut, muscular and explosive saxophone sound, free-wheeling around the melodies in an ingenious and tightly controlled manner. Towards the end of the set, he introduces a new piece in which he works with piano and marimba to produce something reminiscent of Hungarian folk music (the piece was commissioned by the Prague Philharmonic, so this is not too surprising) and, while this calls to mind some of his playing on other orchestral pieces, it set quite a contrast to the harder set and to the closing number which exploded from this gentle hiatus.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
Parabola Arts Centre Cheltenham Friday 29th April 2017
One of the many strengths of the Cheltenham jazz festival is its ability to bring a broad range of acts together in one place. Marius Neset is one of the key players in the burgeoning Danish jazz scene (albeit originally from Norway) returned to a packed house for this year’s Cheltenham festival. On this tour he is playing with quartet of UK musicians (albeit most of whom are expats), including the phenomenal Jim Hart on marimba and vibraphone. The rhythm section of Joshua Blackmore (drums), Phil Donkin (bass ) and Dan Nicholls (piano) provided sterling support, with Blackmore and Nicholls taking solos, but the set was built around Neset, on tenor and soprano, and Hart. At times, Hart toyed with bowing the edges of the keys using what looked like wooden coat-hangers strung with a cello bow, but for most of the set he was content to work the keys with two sticks in each hand. As Neset’s solos build in intensity and challenge, he has a tendency to splay his elbows as if he is about the take off – if he did, I’m sure this audience would want to fly with him. The set opened with pieces from 2105’s ‘Pinball’ CD (which saw Neset and Hart working with a different rhythm section). Here he showed that there is often very little of the austere cool that one might imagine ‘scandi-jazz’ in his playing. Rather, he opts for a taut, muscular and explosive saxophone sound, free-wheeling around the melodies in an ingenious and tightly controlled manner. Towards the end of the set, he introduces a new piece in which he works with piano and marimba to produce something reminiscent of Hungarian folk music (the piece was commissioned by the Prague Philharmonic, so this is not too surprising) and, while this calls to mind some of his playing on other orchestral pieces, it set quite a contrast to the harder set and to the closing number which exploded from this gentle hiatus.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
