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| Kenny Werner and Martin Speake Quartet - 23/11/08 Wigmore Hall, LJF |
| Thursday, 27 November 2008 11:19 | |||||||
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‘Even the handclaps sound good in this room’ remarks Martin Speake in reference to the fine acoustics of Wigmore Hall, and it was indeed a fitting venue in which to listen to the closing refrains of this year’s London Jazz Festival, played by a line-up of truly accomplished musicians.
First up on the bill, Speake and his quartet performed material from their new LP, Generations, a collection of reinterpreted standards that date as far back as the 1920’s. An eloquent and well-defined solo from Speake on ‘I Wish I Knew’ set the pace for the band’s cool West Coast sound, driven by the sensitive drumming of Jeff Williams. Following an unnecessary cover of Sinatra’s ‘Stranger’s in the Night’, things picked up with a fiery version of George Shearing ‘Conception’ which saw some great interplay between Dave Green on double bass and Barry Green on piano. After the interval, Werner took to the stage accompanied by Iain Ballamy clutching tenor and alto saxophones. Trained at Berklee, the Brooklyn born Werner performed with Archie Shepp early in his career, and is described in the programme notes as an unsung hero of jazz. His investigative playing contrasts with Ballamy’s sustained phrases, giving the effect of light breaking through the November mist, and their opening improvisation gathered together before slowly unravelling to finally reveal the tones of ‘In a Sentimental Mood’. Having attacked ‘Giant Steps’ with panache and a touch of dub, Ballamy left the stage, allowing Werner to pursue patterns and themes alone. As though a man collecting shards of memory and time, Werner envelops silence into his playing, before drawing his ideas towards a powerful conclusion. Finishing with a Dixieland inspired tribute to his father and then two further encores, he provided a reminder that we must relish the sound of those hands. Review – David Winks
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