Jazz breaking news: Power Cut Plunges Ronnie Scott’s Into Near Darkness At Brit-Jazz Fest
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
As the bassline riff of Alice Coltrane's ‘Journey in Satchidananda’ resounded at Ronnie Scott's last night at the Brit Jazz Fest now in its second week, opener Matthew Halsall and his band were performing acoustically because a power cut that began just before the start of the set was affecting the length of Frith Street.
Halsall, a Mancunian trumpeter who, along with saxophonist Nat Birchall and crucially harpist Rachael Gladwin, locates the spirit of John and Alice Coltrane at the forefront of their minds in their use of extended A Love Supreme-like episodes. The link with Alice Coltrane isn't often explored these days with the exception of the more Sun Ra-slanted Spatial AKA Orchestra. Halsall, with his familiar peaked cap, and Impulse T shirt-clad Birchall are sincere keepers of the flame and all the band played well, even tenderly towards the end, despite the difficult circumstances.
With no air con able to function or a fully operational kitchen, an ever hotter sold out club and increasingly murky candle-lit visibility, the headliner CodeFive like Halsall had no real choice but to play acoustically, although this proved little barrier initially. Led by Orphy Robinson the former Blue Note artist who has recently been touring extensively with Nigel Kennedy has reformed CodeFive after playing with Kennedy last year at Ronnie’s. The material performed dates back some 12 years but sounded fresh as Robinson jostled mallet-by-mallet with tenorist Jean Toussaint on the angular ‘Big Foot’ (a nickname for him that forms part of the tall player’s email address).
One revelation of the night was the contribution of distinctive pianist Pat Thomas, with whom Robinson has often performed in more avant garde situations, and whose loosely strung Bud Powell-into-Kenny Drew-grounded bedrock style channelled tinkling resonances and reggae rhythms alike intuitively. Singer Chantelle Nandi came on towards the end for a composed but understated rendition of ‘Mellow Dilemma.’ It was a welcome re-forming of CodeFive on a difficult night for all concerned.
– Stephen Graham