Jazz review: Dick Hyman's European All-Stars/Ken Mathieson's Classic Jazz Orchestra

Published on Wednesday 5 August 2009 19:02

DICK HYMAN EUROPEAN ALL-STARS **** KEN MATHIESON'S CLASSIC JAZZ ORCHESTRA **** THE HUB

IT WAS just like the old days in the once exclusively traditional and mainstream Edinburgh Jazz Festival on Tuesday, with all of the scheduled gigs falling into that category. Pride of place went to American pianist Dick Hyman's European All-Stars, although all but one of the players – drummer Oliver Mewes – was either British or, in the case of trombonist John Allred, American.

With a horn section of Allred, saxophonists Alan Barnes and Chris Hopkins, and trumpeter Colin Dawson to play with, Hyman was able to indulge in some very nice arrangements of classic jazz material, thematically organised in his trademark neat and thoughtful manner.

We heard segments of two or three tunes from the repertories of Jelly Roll Morton, Duke Ellington, and James P Johnston, interspersed with treatments of material that ranged from early staples such as Deed I Do and Sweet Georgia Brown to a Basie-style jam on Dickie's Dream and a dip into modernism with Thelonious Monk's Blue Monk.

Hyman's solo account of Morton's Fingerbuster showed him still in nimble form, and the band – with Dave Green anchoring proceedings on bass – was excellent, although the music was often a little too polite and restrained for my taste.

Alan Barnes also featured as a special guest with drummer Ken Mathieson's Classic Jazz Orchestra in the early evening concert. This is a homegrown band to be proud of – the leader's excellent transcriptions and arrangements have consistently placed them above the ordinary run of traditional jazz outfits.

They focused on the music of saxophonist Benny Carter, with Barnes adding extra improvisational flair and cheeky commentary to the energised and imaginative eight-piece unit, a potent mixture of old hands and fresh younger talent.