It was with no small degree of irony that Benn Clatworthy launched into Lennon and McCartney’s ‘Here, There and Everywhere’ to close his first set at Brighton Jazz Club, Komedia, on Friday night – finally backed by a complete rhythm section following the catalytic belated appearance of American pianist Cecilia Coleman.

Dusting off the logistical cobwebs for this first performance of his latest UK tour, the British-born, Los Angeles-based saxophonist was himself here, there and everywhere for the best part of his first set. No-shows from Coleman and drummer Gene Calderazzo – half of his intended quartet – meant that Clatworthy had to improvise in more than the usual sense. His unexpected duties included keeping the audience entertained with anecdotes and wry asides on how the gig was panning out, directing stand-in drummer Josh Morrison and even jumping across the stage to the piano for a spot of light comping during Simon Thorpe’s earnest bass solos.

The strain of his unforeseen roles as raconteur and pianist began to show after several numbers as he grunted with effort through a frenetic solo on Coltrane’s ‘Giant Steps’. Couple this with Clatworthy’s contorted, energetic style – often doubled over and face twisted in the strenuous concentration of mining for musical ideas – and it’s a wonder he didn’t keel over from exhaustion.

Fortunately, the late arrival of Coleman, who had mistakenly been sitting outside the wrong jazz club several streets away, saved Clatworthy from overexertion. Her nimble solos, light punctuations and opulent voicings provided a touch of class and some much needed tranquillity to proceedings in the second set, supplying the perfect foil to Clatworthy’s robust sound – think Sonny Rollins with added skronk – that had previously overpowered.

Although ballads such as ‘I Cover The Waterfront’ menaced rather than soothed due to absence of harmony, the first set, while lacking in piano, did not lack quality. Chirpy opener ‘Whistle While You Work’ featured playful dialogue between Thorpe and Morrison, who admirably covered Calderazzo’s absence, and an upbeat version of ‘Lonnie’s Lament’ refreshed with its surprising eastern flavours. Clatworthy’s poignant solo during ‘Danny Boy’ was so moving that he had to stop mid-cadenza, emotively blurting out “that [piece] always fucking kills me…it’s so sentimental!”

Coleman spurred the quartet on to greater heights for the second half with a Latin-tinged reworking of Jimmy Webb’s ‘By The Time I Get To Phoenix’. Clatworthy, meanwhile, embarked on an impassioned Coltrane-inspired solo in the smoky, off-kilter composition ‘Just Another Addiction’ and the wistful finale ‘God Bless The Child’ brought the evening to a satisfying conclusion.

 - Ben Davies