Jazz breaking news: Luis D’Agostino And The Argentinian Connection Impress At Ronnie Scott’s
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Opening for the JTQ to a full house last night for the early show at Ronnie Scott’s, The Argentinian Connection quickly warmed up the audience with several skilfully delivered Latin numbers including Luis Borda’s ‘Lulu’.
Unusually, this group is built around two guitar players, the leader Luis D’Agostino and Pete Oxley, a pivotal figure on the Oxford jazz scene. D’Agostino brings an attractive melodic flair to his solos and delivers sinuous lines with a bright, clear tone. In contrast, Oxley’s sound from his Gibson archtop and a touch of reverb has a slight Metheny flavour, while his solos twist and turn as he pursues a succession of rhythmic or thematic ideas before bringing matters to a conclusion, on occasion with a dramatic passage in octaves.
Each guitarist accompanies the other’s solos, with Oxley sometimes switching to a nylon-strung guitar to provide soft, pulsing chords. Raph Mizraki on double bass and drummer Mark Doffman lock together to provide a firm but subtle rhythmic foundation, but the essential ingredient that completes the group sound is the lyrical trumpet playing of John Hoare, heard to particular effect on the beguine ballad ‘Poinciana’.
Highlights included two excellent compositions by Pete Oxley, ‘The Purple Panther’ and ‘Lodder Leaps In’, the latter a witty and effective variation on ‘I Got Rhythm’ and their set closer, a steaming rendition of Milton Nascimento’s samba ‘Vera Cruz’.
– Charles Alexander