Matt Carmichael at wows at WOMEX

WOMEX, for those (that’s most of you we guess) who’ve never been, is a huge trade fair/expo for professionals in the ever-undefined, egregiously named sphere of ‘world music’.  A bear pit of buying and selling, it does however afford opportunities for contact-making and for genuine interest in music and traditions from all over – but only rarely touches on the heartland of jazz, particularly among the plethora of live music showcases.

WOMEX showcase bands (chosen by a jury – which sometimes prompts the questions who judges the judges? - often veer towards the party/festival “let me hear you say yeah/are you having a good time?” approach to repertoire, so the choice of Matt Carmichael’s quintet was an unexpected and welcome exception on the last night of the programme at the city’s Theatre Colon.

Starting the set with a slow, spare, reflective duet between Carmichael’s tenor and Charlie Stewart’s fiddle the band quickly demonstrated their avowed intention to tell a jazz story through Scottish traditional influences. Or was it the other way round?  They played five tunes in the short, showcase-length set, all original compositions, each of which coalesced around simple but lyrical refrains alternating with upbeat danceable tempos that would have graced any ceilidh – apart, that is, from the addition of distinctly jazz-informed extended solos from Matt and Charlie, from rising star pianist Fergus McCreadie and the subtle, energetic drumming of Stephen Henderson.

Bassist Ali Watson provided the confident middle ground between the contrasting elements of jazz and traditional Scottish music. And the band’s easy combination of both musical influences (let’s please avoid the debased word ‘fusion’ until it can be properly rehabilitated) really worked, clearly signalling another happy step on the road to the isles trodden before them by Bobby Wellins’ ‘Culloden Suite’, John Rae’s ‘Celtic Feet’ and Colin Steele amongst others, and of course Carmichael’s band mate and contemporary McCreadie.