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

Geoff Simkins from jazzreview.com

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.

Jonathan Kreisberg - Autumn in New York

It was Autumn in New York that first got me hooked on jazz guitar - in a performance by Tal Farlow shown on Channel 4 in the early Eighties. This live performance by Jonathan Kreisberg, a talented and tasteful NY guitarist, brings the tune right up to date. I love the digital delay echoing the first phrase of the tune, the full sound blossoming from the Trio and the general vibe.

DYLAN HOW UNITY 4, Brighton Jazz Club, 2 May 2008

DYLAN HOWE Drums; SAM CROCKATT Tenor saxophone; MIKE OUTRAM Guitar; ROSS STANLEY Hammond Organ

Larry Young’s Unity is a classic of Modern Jazz and one of the few Hammond organ-led albums that some Modern Jazz fans take seriously. Joined by Joe Henderson, Woody Shaw and Elvin Jones, this album established Larry Young as an original voice – he was dubbed the “Coltrane of the Organ” for his adventurous harmony and probing lines.

I was interested to see if Dylan Howe’s tribute was going to use Larry Young’s material as the starting point or the end point of the exercise. Last year I saw John Scofield’s Lifetime tribute (Trio Beyond) use some of Larry Young’s material as a starting point. From the drum roll opening to Zoltan it sounded as though Dylan was recreating the sound of this classic album. With such great material to work with, this was no bad thing.

The second tune, Tyrone, is from Larry’s Into Somethin' album, featuring Grant Green on guitar. However, it is clear that there has been over forty years in the development of the electric guitar since Grant recorded the tune - wah wah, overdrive, slide guitar, Clapton, Hendrix, Page, Scofield, Metheny, Frisell, Holdsworth, Rosenwinkel. Mike Outram has phenomenal chops is and constantly inventive. That said, his playing he doesn’t have the funk of Scofield or the emotional pull of Rosenwinkel’s. These are sides of his playing that he may need to develop. I’d certainly like to hear more of him though.

The next tune was the standard Old Folks, which I know well from the Grant Green version (with Jack McDuff on organ). A lovely tune and another showcase for Mike Outram. The remaining tunes included a few of Ornette’s (e.g. Law Years), a Metheny tune and another from the Unity album (Beyond All Limits). They all shared strong, quirky, sometimes tricky, heads. The band had a nice, loose feel, and was sometimes a bit rough around the edges on the head arrangements (not surprising given that it was the first date of the tour).

Sam Crockatt’s tenor has the tone and reflective quality of Joe Henderson’s. Organist Ross Stanley (playing a Hammond XK3) sounded superb throughout. The Hammond tonewheel organ has such an expressive, organic feel - the instrument lives and breathes, the Leslie speaker filled the Komedia Bar with vibrating air. I could almost imagine what is would have been like walking into a New York jazz club circa 65-66. Like modern organists Sam Yahel and Larry Goldings, Ross plays bass in the left hand (as opposed to pedals) and often uses arpeggios in his soloing.

Dylan Howe (son of Yes guitarist Steve Howe) played with restless energy on a minimal kit. Falling off the stage while introducing the band was a great ice-breaker and he is an engaging MC. Overall, a really enjoyable gig. The only thing missing - my favourite track from the Unity album, The Moontrane.

The only existing video of Grant Green

I love Grant's playing and dedicated a site to him about ten years ago: The Grant Green Pages. Although Grant never made it as big as Wes in his lifetime, his Blue Note albums sold pretty well and, withe the re-release of many of them, he has has latterly become a big influence on many guitarists. His funky catalogue has been plundered for beats by many hip hop artists so you will have heard him without knowing it.

This film comes from a TV gig with Kenny Burrell and Barney Kessel. It's a solo on a blues (Blue Mist) and it typifies his exciting, relaxed, swinging style. I think it was recorded in London in the late Sixties.

Here are a few things I like about Grant:

1. He can sound nonchalant even when playing the most blistering lines
   
2. His time is fantastic - he can hold his own in the company of great rhythm sections, such as McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones and Bob Cranshaw
   
3. Where many jazz guitarists go for a dull tone, Grant's is really bright and it helps his lines sing
   
4. You don't have to be a guitarist to enjoy his recordings - Grant knew how to entertain
   
5. He didn't stop developing in his life - many people write off his funky period, but the groove-based track really show how he can dig in, lead the band and create a sense of excitement