Jazz breaking news: Jazzwise to the Power of 15 gets going in style with the Arun Ghosh band and Troyk-estra
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Arun Ghosh got Jazzwise’s 15th anniversary festival, Jazzwise to the Power of 15, off to a rip-roaring start last night at Ronnie Scott’s with a bravura display of Indo-jazz delivered with the energy and excitement of a member of the new generation of Brit-Jazz talent currently making waves across Europe.
With the clarinettist were Wayne Francis of United Vibrations on tenor sax, two members of Led Bib (Liran Donin, double bass/electric bass, and Chris Williams, alto sax), and Rastko Rasic on drums playing material drawn from Northern Namaste and Primal Odyssey, and a sneak preview from their as-yet-unreleased third album, that Ghosh told the audience will tap into the folk music heritage of Bangladesh. When Donin switched to electric bass, particularly on ‘Lal Qil’ah’ (‘The Red Fort’), Ghosh’s take on the sunset of British colonial rule in the Indian subcontinent, the set sparkled with energy and commitment, moving into complex metrical territory and pulsating dance friendly rhythms that provided a great gear shift. ‘Caliban’s Revenge’, also from Primal Odyssey, Ghosh dedicated to the late Pete Postlethwaite, a tune that was also a strong highlight of the impressive set.
Troyk-estra, which followed, was a complete one-off, based around a collaboration between the organ-led prog trio of Kit Downes, Chris Montague and Joshua Blackmore, and the Royal Academy of Music big band, conducted by Nick Smart, featuring a super tight trumpet section, dexterously brutal trombones and a reeds section that provided a great deal of light and shade, particularly building from the bass clarinet upwards. Standout soloists early on were trumpeter Reuben Fowler, surely someone we’ll be hearing much more of in the future, while Bristol scenester James Gardiner-Bateman looked the part in a trilby hat, delivering sinuously captivating alto lines that raised the bar high. With ‘Born in the Eighties’ the band really started to burn.
– Stephen Graham
Arun Ghosh (pictured top) with Chris Williams; and Troyk-estra. Photos: Roger Thomas
Jazzwise to the Power of 15 continues tonight at Ronnie Scott’s with an absolutely unmissable double bill of Empirical and Michael Wollny’s [em]. This is a very rare appearance in London by Michael Wollny's [em] trio, one of the hottest and most innovative piano trios to come out of Germany in years. For last minute tickets go to www.ronniescotts.co.uk