Arun Ghosh is receiving a great deal of attention at the moment with his second album, ‘Primal Odyssey’ due for release on 24th October and if this concert is anything to go by, the attention is well-deserved. From the outset, the band was tight and energetic and played with infectious enthusiasm, grabbing the attention of the audience in the first few bars.

Immediately apparent was the beautiful mellow sound Ghosh draws from his clarinet and the technical mastery that goes into this. The gig consisted of entirely self-penned numbers played with commitment and an enjoyment that transmitted itself to the appreciative audience. Listening later to Ghosh's first album, 'Northern Namaste' it was clear that live performance communicated his ideas in a totally different way, giving the music a new life. Ghosh and his quintet performed most of this album with highlights being 'Come Closer' (gentle, sensitive playing, showing off the subtle abilities of each member of the quintet), and 'Uterine', although 'Longsight Lagoon' was also worthy of note.

The quintet played several numbers from the forthcoming ‘Primal Odyssey’ too, with the opening number of that album, 'Caliban's Revenge' particularly memorable. The members of the band were all given room to solo as well as contribute to the music as a whole, with Donin's bass solo in 'Uterine' particularly impressive. Mwambe's vibraphone playing went through a wide range of sounds, using various beaters to match the sound to the mood of the number and Francis's tenor sax solos and duets with Ghosh were always welcome to the ears.

Dave Walsh's drumming showed a supreme mastery of the kit. He played with subtlety and commitment, despite it being his third gig of the day and for me added so much to the overall experience as to be all but essential to the Quintet. All in all, if you like your music well played, exciting and engaging, catch Arun Ghosh's quintet on a night of their current tour. You won't be disappointed!

– Andrew M Lindley