TRISH CLOWES - MY IRIS
Birmingham Eastside Jazz Club - 25th January, 2018
Birmingham Eastside Jazz Club - 25th January, 2018
The Eastside Jazz Club (part of Birmingham Conservatoire) has been hosting gigs for only a short time now, but I like the way that each set is opened by a support act drawn from the many talented students they have. This evenings support came from a group called Trampette, who played a solid jazz-funk groove that reminded of some of the soul bands of the 1970s (people like Donny Hathaway, Curtis Mayfield, Isaac Hayes). It is always great to hear new talent.
Trish Clowes quartet My Iris continues to surprise. Having delivered one of my favourite albums of last year, I was anticipating them to play a faithful reproduction of the delightful set of tunes it contained. What they actually delivered was something quite different. Yes, the tunes were there and Clowes’ complex compositions were very much retained, but the delivery couldn’t have been more different. Each player seemed intent on wringing changes out of their instrument so that the pieces had a resemblance to, but not repetition of, the CD tracks. Clowes herself, on soprano and tenor saxophones, was exploring some of the variations that these instruments could produce – in the first half of the set, this was mainly achieved through intricate and careful control of note production, and in the second half, a couple of pieces involved over-blowing and multiphonics that was definitely not part of the CD and yet seemed entirely appropriate in the context of tonight’s playing. Chris Montague’s guitar work on the CD had a slightly distorted Country twang and while he kept this tonight, there was additional distortion and fuzz that he controlled delightfully. Both Clowes and Montague seemed to be playing the tunes with an added urgency. I’m not sure whether this comes from the thrill of playing live or whether the evolution of the tunes has led to a new imagination of them. A turning point in the set came in the second half with the introduction of one of several new pieces. ‘Eric’s Tune’ (written for Eric Gravatt, who drummed for Weather Report, and who Clowes told us about watching him play on youTube videos) seemed to set the tone for a heavier, funkier and more just spikier sound that the quartet had been working for the evening. On the CD, Ross Stanley works piano and Hammond organ, but live the bass of the Hammond seemed much more intense and driving. He also had a beautifully tuned concert grand that allowed tracks like ‘In between the Moss and Ivy’ to shine.
Among the many highlights of tonight’s gig was James Maddren’s playing of the entire drumkit in the song ‘Tap Dance’, which Clowes wrote in celebration of another drummer, Baby Dodds. I really loved the way that this piece followed directly from ‘Eric’s Tune’ as an homage to very different drummers, played in very different styles. As well as Maddren’s scintillating drumming, Stanley enjoyed throwing in a few piano riffs that could have come direct from King Oliver in the 1920s.
If you have the chance to catch this quartet touring the album this year, then I highly recommend it. They are a superb live act and really worth seeing.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
Trish Clowes quartet My Iris continues to surprise. Having delivered one of my favourite albums of last year, I was anticipating them to play a faithful reproduction of the delightful set of tunes it contained. What they actually delivered was something quite different. Yes, the tunes were there and Clowes’ complex compositions were very much retained, but the delivery couldn’t have been more different. Each player seemed intent on wringing changes out of their instrument so that the pieces had a resemblance to, but not repetition of, the CD tracks. Clowes herself, on soprano and tenor saxophones, was exploring some of the variations that these instruments could produce – in the first half of the set, this was mainly achieved through intricate and careful control of note production, and in the second half, a couple of pieces involved over-blowing and multiphonics that was definitely not part of the CD and yet seemed entirely appropriate in the context of tonight’s playing. Chris Montague’s guitar work on the CD had a slightly distorted Country twang and while he kept this tonight, there was additional distortion and fuzz that he controlled delightfully. Both Clowes and Montague seemed to be playing the tunes with an added urgency. I’m not sure whether this comes from the thrill of playing live or whether the evolution of the tunes has led to a new imagination of them. A turning point in the set came in the second half with the introduction of one of several new pieces. ‘Eric’s Tune’ (written for Eric Gravatt, who drummed for Weather Report, and who Clowes told us about watching him play on youTube videos) seemed to set the tone for a heavier, funkier and more just spikier sound that the quartet had been working for the evening. On the CD, Ross Stanley works piano and Hammond organ, but live the bass of the Hammond seemed much more intense and driving. He also had a beautifully tuned concert grand that allowed tracks like ‘In between the Moss and Ivy’ to shine.
Among the many highlights of tonight’s gig was James Maddren’s playing of the entire drumkit in the song ‘Tap Dance’, which Clowes wrote in celebration of another drummer, Baby Dodds. I really loved the way that this piece followed directly from ‘Eric’s Tune’ as an homage to very different drummers, played in very different styles. As well as Maddren’s scintillating drumming, Stanley enjoyed throwing in a few piano riffs that could have come direct from King Oliver in the 1920s.
If you have the chance to catch this quartet touring the album this year, then I highly recommend it. They are a superb live act and really worth seeing.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
