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RNCM, Manchester Tuesday 28 July 2009.  MJF Festival Art of Sound/Alata

The innovative combination of acoustic instrumentation and electronic gadgetry has earned British trio the Art of Sound rave reviews and a cult following in recent years, and it was therefore with great anticipation that they took the stage as part of a double bill during MJF week. After an informal introduction to greet the audience, a repetitive yet highly melodic riff opened proceedings with the inventive interplay between trio members immediately apparent. Pianist/leader John Law partakes in a good deal of solo improviation and is especially influenced by the romantic school of jazz piano of Bill Evans who has proven to be such an influence on the 1960s generation of pianists such as Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock in their acoustic phases. Evans would surely have been fascinated by the manner in which Art of Sound have taken the trio format in a wholly new direction. On the piece ‘Congregation’ the electronic sound intro serves as the springboard for extended piano improvisation, yet is is the delicate entering, departure and re-entering of the bass and drums with piano that impresses here. In general the Art of Sound are supremely well versed in jazz history at the same time as looking to the future and on ‘Trap clap’ the modal bass riff fromSam Burgess in the introduction and Latin-tinged drumming from Asaf Sirkis gives way to be-bop soloing from that Bud Powell would have been proud of.

The range of electronic sounds are used almost as a turntable like with old-school 1970s rappers to create special effect and embellish the overall trio sound. It is the ability of the trio to stretch out a seemingly simple riff and explore that is undoubtedly one of the Art of Sound’s major strengths, exemplified on the lyrical ‘Watching and waiting’. On the provocatively titled ‘Cannibal nibble’ the riff is repeated and improvised over (complete with siren sound) with a distinct Latin vibe and is reminiscent of the classic percussion outing ‘Jingo’, originally aired by Santana, but whose definitive version became a clubland hit for master Cuban conguero Candido. The full range of piano keys are deployed here hinting at Cecil Taylor as another influence. A quasi-religious tone was struck during the encore with ‘Kira’, a composition that pays homage to Bach (recalling also Jacques Loussier and his unique take on the composer) with the trio gently building in intensity and a piano vamp from Law that even takes in calypso, before gently fading out a la Abudullah Ibrahim. Even an untimely fire alarm (definitely not one of the intended accompanying sounds!) after the very first piece could not dampen proceedings on a performance that demonstrated above all the elasticity of the piano trio format.

The second half of the evening was taken up with a very welcome addition to the annual MJF, a French musical presence, which came in the form of Parisian-based quartet Alata. The group take as their inspiration and starting point the electric piano ensembles of the late 1960s and early 1970s as pioneered by Miles Davis on ‘In a silent way’. Keyboardist and leader Francis Le Bras proved to be an extremely sensitive accompanist and soloist following in a fine tradition of French jazz pianists from acoustic masters such as Martial Solal through to those combining electic and acoustic formats best illustrated by Michel Sardaby and the sadly departed Michel Petrucciani. He was ably assisted in these endeavours by the sure double bass of Emmanuel Brunet and the polyrhythms of Guillaume Dommartin. If Le Bras explaining titles in English to the audience belonged, perhaps, to the Jacques Tati school of sign-aided communication, the well behaved audience took this all in good humour. Alata excel on mid-tempo pieces where the multi-reedist Olivier Py impressed on tenor and was influenced by the soulful as well as exploratory sounds of French ace Barney Wilen, and more generally by the tenor giants Joe Henderson and Sonny Rollins. The best was left for last with two final compositions on which Py reverted to flute playing highly melodic solos a la Joe Farrell from his CTI tenure with Chick Corea. Alata came into their own on these and would do well to pursue that particular sound further. A night of new discoveries, then, for audience and band alike to cherish.  Tim Stenhouse

Jorge Pardo 3 dd’3/ Enrico Pieranunzi Trio RNCM, Manchester, 31 July 2009

It was with a distinctly Mediterranean flavour that MJF concluded its occupancy of the RNCM for this year with a double bill of Spanish and Italian interpretations of the universal art form known as jazz before a packed auditorium. First up was Jorge Pardo and trio collectively referred to as 3 dd’3. Pardo is a largely self-taught musician who served his apprenticeship in fusion band Dolores, then came to international prominence as part of the pioneering flamenco-jazz group under guitarist Paco de Lucia and participated on such landmark recordings as ‘One summer night’ and ‘Solo quiero caminar’. This opened up Pardo to a multitude of influences. As sideman his work has taken in Madrid-based Brazilian singer-songwriter Jayme Marques and flamenco singing legend Camaron de la Isla on the seminal ‘ Volando Voy’, not to mention more recently Chick Corea in the jazz sphere on the album ‘ The Ultimate Adventure ‘ from 2001.

The trio are a cohesive unit with a distinctly rootsy feel not dissimilar, though in a specifically Spanish context, to the mid-1960s Brazilian outfit Quarteto Novo headed by flautist Hermeto Pascoal. Both formations engage in a large degree of freedom for their individual constituent members, yet nonetheless operate within a coherent and strictly defined structure. Malaga-born bassist Francis Posse displays his Andalucian roots on a modal bass solo that is possibly inspired, in part at least, by Arabo-Andalucian music and going back further in time to the maqam modes of Iraq. Drummer Jose Vazquez was part of the free jazz scene in Madrid in the 1980s and it is his ability to play both within and outside a given structure that impresses. While the trio may on the surface appear to some to be a somewhat restrictive format, in the hands of a master craftsman it opens up all kinds of possibilities and this is exemplified by a fiery tanguillo from the Cadiz region where percussive flamenco rhythms are conjured up by the use of handclaps from Pardo and by the particularly inventive use of the double bass as a percussive instrument reproducing the sound of the cajon*1 Multi-reedist Jorge Pardo alternates between flute and soprano (the latter shaped like a baby alto)saxophone and while Eric Dolphy and John Coltrane have unquestionably influenced him, he has long ago created his own personalised sound. There is a fiery intensity to Pardo’s playing, particularly on flute, yet this is always tempered by great lyricism and the use of space, knowing when not to play too many notes. The latter is a skill first developed in jazz by pianist Ahmad Jamal and one that Miles Davis took on board. As a collective the trio are supremely skilled in taking a riff and going off in a whole new direction with it, changing tempo at ease yet always returning to the theme on several compositions showcasing their excellent latest album ‘3 dd’3’(Quadrant). This is clearly an environment Pardo feels comfortable in and the empathy generated by the trio members is self-evident. Pardo introduces his bassist part way throughout proceedings as ‘Francis from downtown Malaga’. The trio leave the stage to rapturous applause with the audience clearly wanting more. As Spaniards might say: *2”!Como Jorge Pardo y su trio no hay dos!” In other words, Jorge Pardo and his trio are truly one of a kind!

Jazz music has been blessed in recent decades with a multitude of piano trios ranging from the evolving genius of Brad Mehldau to the sadly departed Esbjorn Svensson as part of EST. It was with great anticipation, then, that Italian pianist Enrico Pieranunzi took the stage, without great fanfare, but to greatly appreciated applause. The trio began in restrained manner with sensitive percussive accompaniment from Enzo Zirilli. Pieranunzi possesses that quality that all great jazz pianists are blessed with: the ability to construct a melody and then improvise on it effortlessly. Thus the standard ‘Everything I know’ receives a latinesque vamp on piano in the introduction with polyrhythms embellished by Zirilli before Pieranunzi demonstrates what a wonderful blues lexicon he has at his disposal as well as swinging beautifully (a much maligned quality Bill Evans also had in abundance - Pieranunzi has written an acclaimed book on the all-time great pianist).
Integrating the trio ensemble sound are some delightful bass riffs from Daryl Hall, building a new melody into a given composition. Excelling on tunes from the great American songbook, the trio create a meditative ambience and this is illustrated on ‘Yesterdays’ where even though the piece is taken at a quicker tempo than per usual, Pieranunzi seemingly floats over the piano and Zirilli deploys cymbals to great effect, creating a de facto Brazilian theme on percussion. In this respect the trio seem to be taking a leaf out of the great Brazilian piano trios of the 1960s such as Tambo trio, or those led by master drummers Milton Banana and Edison Machado. On the last piece, a staccato piano intro leads into some ferociously paced trio playing with Pieranunzi exploring new territory, using the whole range of the piano. A crescendo of applause results in the trio returning to stage with the pianist engaging in a lengthy piano solo intro, quoting ‘My funny Valentine’ before the other two members enter and the piece is played as a quasi-waltz. All in all an evening of wonderous entertainment and a marvellous advert for MJF’s commitment to jazz from southern Europe.  Tim Stenhouse

*1 A wooden percussive block originally used by Black Peruvian musicians, but introduced into flamenco as it evolved and now considered a staple instrument)
*2 Please note that in correct Spanish the first exclamation mark should be placed upside down. I could not find the key to accomplish this on my keyboard.