Live: Matti Klein Soul Trio at the Bull's Head Barnes

Playing the first date on their debut UK tour, the Berlin-based Matti Klein Soul Trio certainly made an impact at South London’s famous old jazz venue, the Bull’s Head in Barnes.

The group – Matti Klein on classic 1970s Wurlitzer electric piano and Fender Rhodes bass; André Seidel on drums; and Lars Zander on tenor sax and bass clarinet – are a classic organ trio with a difference; Zander’s effects-laden horns add a spacey, almost avant-garde vibe, Seidel is a real powerhouse drummer and Klein creates a gloriously dirty retro sound, mixing hints of Hathaway and Hancock in with the expected sprinklings of Smith.

Drawing mostly from the Soul Trio and Soul Trio Live On Tape albums, the set’s opening number sets the scene for what is to follow: crisp drumming, sinuous grooves and Zander’s undeniably funky bass clarinet. It’s a deep-fried soul-jazz fest, punctuated by musical curveballs and the charismatic and hyperactive Klein’s affable onstage banter. ‘Windy Move’ starts with a sax swirl before settling into a laid-back groove and building to a thunderous climax (if there’s one thing the MKST know how to do, it’s using dynamics and creating crescendos – perhaps best demonstrated in ‘River Journey’, inspired by a Finnish boat trip, which ends explosively after long, evocative passages).

‘Gringo Funk’ was introduced by Klein as containing “the funkiest bass clarinet in the universe” – and it did; ‘Sunsqueezed’ with its wah wah-drenched horn (sounding like a muted trumpet) was a lovely, slinky blues groove that built to a thunderous and thrilling  crescendo; the evocative ‘African Taxi Trip’ combined bouncy Rhodes bass with polyrhythmic drums and wild blowing; ‘Eleven Feels Like Heaven’, in 11/4 time and replete with all manner of angular effects and abrasive textures, demonstrated that the group owe as much to prog as they do to soul; and ‘Kill It With A Pill’ provided a suitably funky end to the evening with its cool swagger and powerhouse solos.

The MKST are, in conclusion, a brilliant live prospect, even better in person than they are on record; already firm favourites on the European gig and festival circuit, they deserve to be huge everywhere. They recall both the steaming hot trios of old, while adding unexpected new twists; and in Zander, they have a marvellous ambassador for that most under-used and underrated of instruments, the bass clarinet.

Let’s hope they return to Blighty soon – and make sure you catch ‘em when they come back.