JAZZ musicians work long and hard to take their virtuosity to a very high level. Many of them also have a competitive streak that regularly emerges in jam sessions, where everyone seems intent on playing longer, harder and faster than their collea
gues.
There was more than a little of both factors at work in this gathering of band leaders (although it seemed to be an offshoot of Ryan Quigley's big-band project, and he did all of the announcements). The acrobatics were never less than impressive, however they neglected other more measured but equally important aspects of the music.
What we heard was a hugely skilled group vying to push the music – a selection of familiar staples from the jazz repertoire – harder and harder in unrelenting fashion for 90 furious minutes. Even the two ballads had a feisty edge. Everyone played superbly, and it was undeniably impressive and exciting but ultimately all a little overcooked.
They opened with a steely romp through Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise, then progressively cranked up the heat, culminating in the fastest sizzle through Donna Lee since Jaco Pastorius's famous solo version. Quigley and Nigel Hitchcock vied in playing improbably high notes on trumpet and alto sax, Steve Hamilton spun fluent piano solos, and Laurence Cottle (electric bass guitar) and Alyn Cosker (drums) were in turbo-charge mode.
Tenor saxophonist Paul Booth joined them on Donna Lee, and survived to tell the tale.
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