Lubomyr Melnyk / Michael Begg, The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, Scotland, 6 October 2019

Image of Lubomyr Melnyk by Tonje Thilsen.
Image of Michael Begg from his Twitter account.

The evening opened with a measured, lulling set from East Lothian based contemporary experimental composer, sound artist and musician Michael Begg. Only recently appointed as Associate Artist in Residence at tonight’s venue, he is currently curating the interesting LIMINAL programme there, which according to TQH website, aims to celebrate “the marginal territories bordering contemporary, classical and experimental music”.

With laptops and suspended sea-shell mobile, Begg (for this listener at least) evoked glacial Jacques Cousteau soundscapes, the serenity and beauty even triggering memories of John Luther Adams’ portentous 2013 Become Ocean. However, Begg’s concert tonight had a happy ending, indeed feeling like a contemplative finale to an epic film, with a flutter of bird noises at the very end drawing us back to the surface.

The second part of the evening was contrasting but as interesting. Ukrainian born and Canadian bred Lubomyr Melnyk described Terry Riley’s In C as being his major influence in developing his own unique style. Reportedly the fastest piano music ever played, Melnyk calls it Continuous Music. Throughout the concert Melnyk spoke with considerable candour about his life and music, his belief systems seemingly as evolved and unusual as his pianistic style.

Melnyk played four pieces tonight, each at first appearing all romantic, lyrical fragility, then gradually elaborating, then accelerating so that, with the sustain pedal, the rapid arpeggios interdigitated to produce striking and often beautiful overtones. After a while the effect of the flows and eddies of tones merging one with another, their boundaries blending, became a little mesmerizing. Melnyk described in almost mystical terms, his own experience whilst he played as being one of merging with the sound. Though all tunes were of interest, the final piece Windmills appeared especially complex and demanding of the player.

Now aged 70, it is only for the last six years since his association with Erased Tapes that Melnyk has found a global audience. His last album, the 2018 Fallen Tree has been very well received. Given the level of pianism and the sheer loveliness of the compositions he displayed tonight, it is definitely time for him to be celebrated as an idiosyncratic and major voice in classical music.

Filip Verneert & Eo Simon Quartet / Jean-Baptiste Richon Quartet, Whighams Wine Bar, Edinburgh, Scotland, 29 September 2019

 

Given the current Brexit debacle, it is timely that Frenchman and Scottish resident Jean-Baptiste Richon has set up Small Stage Productions, with the express intention of bringing European mainland jazz to Scotland. This jazzer for one says bravo! And what a band he has for South-East Scotland: the Filip Verneert & Eo Simon Quartet (VSQ). With two gigs in Edinburgh and the same number in Fife in the space of just three days, this band were kept muy ocupado.

However, first on for the evening was the tasty hors d’oeuvre of Richon’s eponymous quartet. Playing a stream of reassuring standards, these were presented beautifully not least thanks to Richon’s delicate pianism and Gary Laidlaw’s energetic guitar. Hopefully this is a band that will more frequently grace the jazz venues hereabouts, as their lyrical sounds seemed to engender that rare thing, a sense of ease.

The headliners likewise clearly enjoyed une bonne melodie, though in their case these were self-penned. Since a serendipitous jam session back in 2015 when highly accomplished musicians, Belgian guitarist Filip Verneert and Spanish pianist Enrique Simon’s paths first crossed, they have toured and recorded first as a duo, than as a quartet. A year ago, the four played in Edinburgh so it was a compliment that they have chosen to cross the channel again, with Frenchman Gil Lachenal doing the honours on bass and Pedro Vazquez Martinez on drums.

Indeed, the band’s wide experience of multiple musical genres, between them bringing expertise in Western classical, Spanish folk, Big band jazz, and Musical theatre, together with their past work in multiple countries (various European countries, Argentina, USA) were in most part discernible in tonight’s satisfyingly rich gig.

Inclusive of an encore VSQ delivered eight tunes, throughout demonstrating an easy prowess. With little by way of dissonance and judicious use of modal playing, this felt like a flood of European warmth and geniality. Prominent melody and mutual generosity characterised the gig, the audience’ enjoyment enhanced when explanations were given of tunes’ origins.

Whilst the entirety was a delight, two highlights for this listener were Simon’s ‘Lucentum’, named after his home town, Alicante, and the smokin’ ‘Hundred Miles’ with its interesting guitar figures.

 

The Ex / Painted X-Ray, The Dissection Room, Summerhall, Edinburgh, Scotland, 19 September 2019

 

An edited version of The Ex gig only, appeared on Jazzwise magazine’s website today 19 September 2019: https://www.jazzwise.com/Review/the-ex-cut-to-jazz-punk-chase-at-edinburgh-s-dissection-room

Enthusiastic pogoing by those at the front did not prevent close listening to the repeating guitar figures, which curiously evoked both police sirens and nursery rhymes, over sheets of ear-bleeding guitar noise and popping polyrhythmic drum figures. This event (for a The Ex gig is best described thus) occurring on the eve of widespread climate change demonstrations, was a raging soundtrack to our burning world.

Founded in 1979 by Dutch singer Jos Kley (aka GW Sok), the initially anarcho-punk band has over the last four decades survived many changes of personnel. Indeed, the curiosity, energy, enthusiasm for improvisation and openness to experimentation and collaboration with diverse musicians and bands, notably at their own regular Ex Festivals, has only increased with time.

Newest band member, charismatic lead vocalist and guitarist Arnold de Boer stood almost motionless as his excellent diction projected politically-charged vocals.

Meanwhile drummer (and occasional vocalist) Katherina Bornefeld opened the set with pile-driver intensity, before setting out varieties of polyrhythm, triggering happy memories for this listener of the band’s excellent recordings with esteemed late Ethiopian jazz tenor saxophonist, Getatchew Mekuria.

Equally hard-working guitarists, Andy Moor and Terrie Hessels wove glitchy conniptions, sometimes with extended technique, taking turns to shred thunderously, before the soundscape typically unravelled in a kind of magnificent decomposition. It all felt very free and freeing and not the slightest bit simplistic.

Though marked punk on the box, this band offers a great deal more. Their sound is too evolved to be described by any trite phrase, however if pushed one might characterise it as politically -engaged, world music – informed jazz – punk. Whatever; this is rich, dynamic and captivating music.

The Ex have a three-day residency booked at London’s Café OTO between 15 and 17 November 2019. Doubtless the tickets won’t be around for long.

The Ex were preceded by Glasgow-based Painted X-Ray, a “skins and strings” with electronics five piece: Georgie White and Alison Roe on taiko drums, Rafe Fitzpatrick on violin, Jer Reid on guitar and Ali Begbie on bass. The highly controlled and stylised drumming undulations, cut across by raw violin improvisations, distorted guitars and occasional hissy vocalisations, were startlingly original.

Scottish Jazz + Beyond, The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, Scotland, 13 July 2019

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is a huge and culturally multi-coloured creature and tonight’s show, which was part of Creative Scotland’s ‘Made in Scotland’ mini-festival within the Fringe, constituted somewhat of a Scottish celebration of cross-cultural music. Organised and MC-ed by local drummer Tom Bancroft, three bands were showcased, all primarily jazz bands but bringing significantly more than jazz to the table.

First up was The River, composed and played by guitarist Graeme Stephen with Mario Caribe on double bass, Bancroft on drums and Chris Stout on violin. Stephen’s music was cinematic, his virtuosic solos as usual evidencing his wide stylistic expertise and frequent use of pedal and loops, whilst traditional music star Stout’s fiddle danced in deft reply. Caribe and Bancroft meanwhile provided an at times down and dirty, and always secure and powering rhythm section.

Continued here: https://doobeedoobeedoo.info/2019/08/30/scottish-jazz-and-beyond/?fbclid=m7nP2Pp-dkF9e4sGhjUeIEy_X_YVutUg

Overview of this summer’s Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival

Over 140 gigs, a Carnival and Mardi Gras, the Edinburgh Jazz School and a Scottish Blues Academy, plus a presentation from the fascinating Scottish Jazz Archive: while heterogeneous, one thing this year’s jazz festival turned out to be was an exercise in cross-border sharing.

A case in point was Belgian pianist Joachim Caffonette’s trio (with bandmates Alex Gilson on double bass and Jean-Baptiste Pinot on drums), who presented the loveliest cover of ‘Hey Jude’ this reviewer has ever had the pleasure to hear. For their second set they were joined by three rising Scottish jazzers: tenor saxman Michael Butcher, Matt Gough on flugelhorn and trombonist Richard Leonard. The resultant sextet sounded like the trio on steroids.

Continued here, on Jazzwise website