Big crowds at Cheltenham Jazz Fest
Friday, February 28, 2003
Berry Gordy would have been proud. Playing to a jam packed Friday night audience Jazz Jamaica brought its own brand of Motor City madness to the tenth Cheltenham Jazz Festival with a turbo-charged performance of Motown Unloaded, their freshly minted skank through some of the legendary soul label's greatest sides.
This latest project, helmed by bassist Gary Crosby, harnessed their myriad strengths into a knockout-punch that hits the feet, head and heart in equal measure: mighty one drop rhythms, muscular improvisation from Soweto Kinch, Denys Baptiste and Abram Wilson and era-defining tunes that simply can't fail to raise your spirits, including 'Heard It Through The Grapevine,' 'What's Goin On' and 'War'.
Later that evening, broadcasting live from the Everyman Theatre, BBC Jazz on 3 beamed an arresting appetiser of things to come with short sharp performances from Jason Yarde's Acoutastic Bombastic, Tom Arthur's Trio, Bobby Previte and a blistering onslaught from the Ken Vandermark Trio, that had the airwaves sizzling.
The previous evening, Gwyneth Herbert brought her increasingly soulful swagger to Gershwin, Porter and Portishead, with guest spots from Guy Barker and Ian Shaw, while Christine Tobin and hotly-tipped newcomer Eska Mtungwazi grabbed vocal honours on Saturday.
There was a definite air of expectancy at the festival. With newly bolted on extras in the film and talks programme and the debut of a new venue, the Centaur, it was also busier than ever. Director Tony Dudley Evans joked you would have to "tunnel in" to get inside the sold out Herbie Hancock gig that brought the festival to a climax. The eagerly awaited Ornette Coleman, on the Sunday, was in vigorous form bolstered by the cleverly alternating bass double act of Tony Falanga and Greg Cohen. Resplendent in a bronze coloured suit and pork pie hat Ornette's keening alto on 'Lonely Woman' was moving and still fresh after all these years. The only let down was the rootless shifting rhythms provided by his son Denardo, drumming inexplicably behind a transparent screen. Ornette seemed ambivalent about the performance, though. "Thanks," he told the audience, "if we're here again, it'll get better." Straight afterwards The Beta Popes, Bobby Previte's foundation shaking satanic power trio was an exercise in controlled violence deeply menacing and alienating but never boring. His Bitches Brew project with Birmingham Conservatoire students the next day was a repertory exercise that saw the students tackle an arrangement of the groundbreaking jazz rock blueprint without a trumpet in sight. Previte clearly inspired their full commitment, drawing out a string of fine performances. Byron Wallen's Trumpet Kings project, in the Everyman Theatre, was a likeable tribute to Byron's trumpet heroes with Byron hitting a peak on the Kenny Wheeler-inspired tune, 'Home Truth'.
There was a futuristic sci fi opening to Herbie Hancock's set. His new band relied heavily on Beninese guitarist/vocalist Lionel Loueke. Bringing a Richard Bona-type vibe to the band when he sang, Loueke was given his own solo spot towards the end of the sprawlingly long set. New agey at times, the band got into its stride on 'Con Agua,' the young drummer Ritchie Barsay's tune, but overall it was very much work in progress. "You're getting it really raw," said Herbie in one of his epically rambling asides to the audience. While the new material was interesting but hardly gripping it was the cut up, and as Herbie put it, "butchered" arrangement of Wayne Shorter's 'Pinocchio' that came off best. The quest for a new direction by Hancock seems to have begun once again.
Later that evening, broadcasting live from the Everyman Theatre, BBC Jazz on 3 beamed an arresting appetiser of things to come with short sharp performances from Jason Yarde's Acoutastic Bombastic, Tom Arthur's Trio, Bobby Previte and a blistering onslaught from the Ken Vandermark Trio, that had the airwaves sizzling.
The previous evening, Gwyneth Herbert brought her increasingly soulful swagger to Gershwin, Porter and Portishead, with guest spots from Guy Barker and Ian Shaw, while Christine Tobin and hotly-tipped newcomer Eska Mtungwazi grabbed vocal honours on Saturday.
There was a definite air of expectancy at the festival. With newly bolted on extras in the film and talks programme and the debut of a new venue, the Centaur, it was also busier than ever. Director Tony Dudley Evans joked you would have to "tunnel in" to get inside the sold out Herbie Hancock gig that brought the festival to a climax. The eagerly awaited Ornette Coleman, on the Sunday, was in vigorous form bolstered by the cleverly alternating bass double act of Tony Falanga and Greg Cohen. Resplendent in a bronze coloured suit and pork pie hat Ornette's keening alto on 'Lonely Woman' was moving and still fresh after all these years. The only let down was the rootless shifting rhythms provided by his son Denardo, drumming inexplicably behind a transparent screen. Ornette seemed ambivalent about the performance, though. "Thanks," he told the audience, "if we're here again, it'll get better." Straight afterwards The Beta Popes, Bobby Previte's foundation shaking satanic power trio was an exercise in controlled violence deeply menacing and alienating but never boring. His Bitches Brew project with Birmingham Conservatoire students the next day was a repertory exercise that saw the students tackle an arrangement of the groundbreaking jazz rock blueprint without a trumpet in sight. Previte clearly inspired their full commitment, drawing out a string of fine performances. Byron Wallen's Trumpet Kings project, in the Everyman Theatre, was a likeable tribute to Byron's trumpet heroes with Byron hitting a peak on the Kenny Wheeler-inspired tune, 'Home Truth'.
There was a futuristic sci fi opening to Herbie Hancock's set. His new band relied heavily on Beninese guitarist/vocalist Lionel Loueke. Bringing a Richard Bona-type vibe to the band when he sang, Loueke was given his own solo spot towards the end of the sprawlingly long set. New agey at times, the band got into its stride on 'Con Agua,' the young drummer Ritchie Barsay's tune, but overall it was very much work in progress. "You're getting it really raw," said Herbie in one of his epically rambling asides to the audience. While the new material was interesting but hardly gripping it was the cut up, and as Herbie put it, "butchered" arrangement of Wayne Shorter's 'Pinocchio' that came off best. The quest for a new direction by Hancock seems to have begun once again.