The Weave bring wit and wisdom to The Spice

But The Weave had nothing more to worry about, because they received a rapturous welcome from a crowd that revelled in their exhilarating arrangements, all performed with meticulous craftsmanship. Before they arrived youthful singer/songwriter George Montague entertained with a stirring solo set, promoting his funky album ‘Have You Met George’ and winning a lot of fans.

M.C. Paul Pace then introduced The Weave as ‘One of the freshest sounding bands I’ve heard in ages’ and they instantly established why the Liverpool jazz scene is creating such a buzz. Their special feature is a twin horn lead with Martin Smith sharing duties with Anthony Peers (trumpet, flugel horn and vocals) and backed by Tony Ormesher guitar, Rob Stringer piano, Harry Harrison bass and Tilo Pirnbaum drums.

The gentle trumpet duetting on the quirky ‘Caresser Caress Her’ was a delight, and contrasting swing and Latin rhythms gave scope for pianist Stringer’s deft solos. With the trumpets blowing mellow and melodic, The Weave message was brass doesn’t always mean brassy.

Stand out numbers were the blue and moody ‘Thus Spake A Mouthful’ and slow ballad ‘Our Father’ featuring bassist Harry. New song ‘Hailed And Revealed’ doubled in tempo, giving drummer Tilo plenty to keep him occupied stick wise, while Pat O’Hare offered some splendidly witty Liverpudlian poetry.

From West Coast cool to hard bop and New Orleans there were many moods and styles subtly evoked during two superb sets that drew whistles and cheers. Was it jazz? Absolutely!

– Chris Welch