Joshua Breakstone - "Overdone" Live

Earl Sauls and Joshua Breakstone

Masterful solo - beautiful, sustained, tasteful improvisation by Joshua Breakstone with Earl Sauls on bass.

Baptiste Trotignon Quintet featuring Mark Turner

Another great night at Charlie Wright's International Bar in Hoxton saw French pianist Baptiste Trotignon with all-star support direct from NYC - Mark Turner (tenor), Jeremy Pelt (trumpet), Eric Harland (drums) and Matt Penman (bass). I had never heard of Baptiste before, so was surprised that he was playing with such big names.

The band played original compositions but the focus was on the star improvisers. Matt Penman's solo on the initial number was muscular and intense. He's a very physical player and seems to play with heavy strings, giving a sense that he is really digging in.

Mark Turner came on for the second number, starting it solo. He has a very clear, woody tone and there is a vertical/arpeggio-based approach to his soloing, often moving into the upper register. He literally bobs up and down with the notes. There is a "pure" or cool/meditative quality to his playing. There are no obvious blues inflexions and he doesn't excite the rhythm section. That said, it is very musical and satisfying.

Jeremy Pelt is a fiery trumpeter with a beautiful tone on flugelhorn. Dressed in suit, tie and shades he would have been perfectly at home on an Art Blakey date in the late Fifties. A marked contrast to Mark Turner, his exciting solos touch the rhythm section up a notch in terms of energy. Eric Harland on drums was outstanding, his style restless, thoughtful and tasteful.

I'd like to here Baptiste on CD. There was plenty to listen to but his sound was compromised by a poor PA. Talking to him afterwards he admitted that it was "a really cool band" and he clearly enjoyed just being in such brilliant musical company.

There were various partners involved in putting on the gig, including the u-turn project that supports women who have suffered cruelty and abuse and encourages them to make sustainable changes in their lives.

Other reviews:

FT

Daily Telegraph

René Thomas: Theme For Manuel

This is the first footage I have ever seen of René - in a very groovy film studio. Fantastic tone to the guitar and real intensity to his playing. His glasses look an inch thick and his eyes are just a few inches from his fingers - rather mole like.

This is a great find. I hope there is more out there.

Pete Randall Band featuring Geoff Simkins, Brighton Jazz Club, 17 April 2009

Walking into the Komedia Studio Bar last night was like walking into The Haig Club in Los Angeles somewhere around 1952: four fresh-faced young men on the bandstand playing cool jazz. Then it would have been the likes of Chet Baker and Gerry Mulligan; this band consisted of leader Peter Randall (bass), James Maddren (drums), Freddie Gavita (trumpet and flugelhorn) Lewis Wright (vibes) and a rather less fresh-faced Geoff Simpkins, the Brighton-based alto saxophonist (pictured). They were assembled to play a set inspired by the music of Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh.

The band played Lennie Tristano & Lee Lonitz tunes tunes such as 317 East 32nd Street, Subconscious-Lee, Lennie's Pennies. Generally built on recognisable changes (Out of Nowhere, What is This Thing Called Love, Pennies from Heaven) but long, complex, linear-sounding heads.

Geoff is perfect for this line-up as he has made developing the Konitz/Marsh approach his life's work. He focuses on the development of melodic ideas, getting inside the chords and and bringing out the really interesting notes. The lines are often quite long, teasing out small melodic ideas, and then off in a different, often unexpected, direction. I take a workshop with Geoff every other Saturday, when he focuses on getting the most out of the students, minimising the amount he plays himself. Geoff's philosophy on soloing has a clear lineage back to the teaching of Lennie Tristano, so it was great to hear this approach in action. The number that stood our for me was his expressive take on the ballad Detour Ahead.

The rhythm section really stood out. There was plenty of rhythmic interest in James Maddren's playing but never lost it's sense of swing. Peter Randall reminded me of Larry Grenadier and Charlie Haden, focusing on the lower end of the bass. Trumpeter Freddie Gravita sounded most at home on his feature spot on Autumn Leaves, which started very freely and went into a strong swing feel. The sound of Lewis Wright on vibes complemented the band sound well - occupying it's own space in terms of the tonal colour and never getting in the way. At the climax of some of his solos his playing was virtuosic - fast, rhythmic and very physical, particularly on John Lewis' Django.

Talking with Pete afterwards, we agreed that a lot of the current interest in Konitz and his ilk is due, at least in part, to Mark Turner, the US tenor player. Mark is clearly a very serious musician (leaving aside legends like Sonny Rollins, he's probably the best tenor play I have ever seen live) and it was interesting hearing the much better known Joshua Redman on Radio 3 last week saying what a big influence he was. It's great hearing this music reinvigorated by young musicians who value the experience and approach brought by master practitioner Geoff Simkins.

Video of Kurt Rosenwinkel Trio playing Turn out the Stars

The encore from the London gig reviewed below.

In which Kurt Rosenwinkel talks about his influences

Bud Powell, Booker Little, Duke Ellington, Allan Holdsworth, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Keith Jarrett, Tal Farlow, George van Eps, Theolonius Monk, Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, Elmo Hope, Frank Hewitt, Barry Harris, Ravel, Shostakovich, Camarón de la Isla, Milton Nascimento, Biggie Smalls!

Kurt Rosenwinkel Trio - Charlie Wright's International Bar, London, 27 March 2009

This was a great gig for me. Kurt is now resident in Berlin, and this is a rare sighting in the UK. I saw him in Paris a few years ago with tenor player Mark Turner and in London with another tenor player, Chris Cheek. Both those gigs focused on Kurt's compositions in the context of a bigger band. This just focused on Kurt the guitarist playing standards with a young rhythm section from Berlin (Gary Hoopengardener - bass, Sebastien Merk - drums).

Kurt started with a standard mid-tempo blues progression. I haven't heard him play a straight blues before, but this was just perfect. His playing was focused and understated and he used plenty of interesting chord voicings to support his melodic playing. It was like a lesson in how to apply George Van Eps Harmonic Mechanisms for Guitar in a modern setting. The guitar was an interesting custom build guitar -I think it was this one from Moffaguitars. The sound on the first number was unadorned, although over the course of the gig there was greater use of the digital delay with expression pedal.

Standards covered included:

- Invitation

- Milestones (old)

- Darn That Dream

- Stablemates

- Parker's Cheryl (I think)

- Prelude to a Kiss

- 'Round About Midnight

- Turn Out the Stars

Kurt looked relaxed throughout. Even at the fastest tempos there was never any sense of hurry. You know that Kurt has put in his 10,000 hours practice and he lives and breathes music. Personally, I don't think there is a more rounded and accomplished guitarists on the planet today. This gig displayed taste, swing, feeling, single note and chordal playing.

The audience was very attentive and is made me think that this would have been similar to seeing him at Small's in NYC about ten years ago. The crowd were predominantly male, and I would imagine many were guitarists (British bass player Jeff Clyne was also in the audience). Certainly, many knew his repertoire.

Charlie Wright's has a great sound - everything was very clear. The bar itself has a Thai restaurant in the back (though sound from it wasn't a problem). Organiser Patsy Craig has plenty of other interesting gigs on there - including Kurt back in a month with saxophonist Will Vinson. Certainly worth the trip up to Brighton, and a place I will be going back to.