Gig review: Martin Kershaw, Bosco Theatre, Edinburgh

By KENNY MATHIESON
Published on 23/07/2012 01:35

Saxophonist Martin Kershaw originally came to Edinburgh in the 1990s as a student, but went on to establish himself as one of the most consistently creative and adventurous musicians on the Scottish jazz scene, both as an improviser and as a composer.

Those qualities were in abundant evidence in this opening night concert at the jazz festival. Kershaw’s energy, invention and burnished sonority on the alto saxophone were matched by pianist Paul Harrison and a flexible and powerful rhythm section formed by bassist Euan Burton and drummer Doug Hough.

Several of the saxophonist’s compositions were drawn from his most recent recording, The Howness, inspired by a variety of writers and poets. They included the tangled, clashing intricacies of the title track, the angular discords of And But So and an elegiac tribute to Philip Larkin, Slow Dying. While he has an undeniable fascination for the darker recesses of the human psyche, evident in And But So and the Mervyn Peake-inspired Steerpike, he is equally capable of writing an elegant ballad, exemplified here by Bereft and Two.

They closed an excellent concert by revisiting an earlier project with his radical re-imagining of Charlie Parker’s Steeplechase. It concluded another impressive demonstration of the current high levels of achievement in Scottish jazz.

And yes, the sound leakage problem at the closely grouped George Square tent venues remained evident, although it seemed less obtrusive than last year, at least while the band was playing.

Rating: ****