Off Minor

Managed to get hold of the Esbjorn Svensson Trio’s new release, Tuesday Wonderland, this morning.

Jez Nelson had got Svensson in for a Jazz on 3 interview just over a weeks ago (22/9/06) in which he (that is, Jez) actually managed to lay into the band pretty well (that is, for a jazz interview), generally decrying the insipid monotony of their recent album releases and the total, unflinching lack of musical development, risk-taking, adventure and experimentation that had apparently come to define their very existance both on record and in live performance, to date. (“Jazz Groundhog Day” was the exact term used.) I can’t quite make out Jon3′s true opinion of the trio; Jez’s commentary seems to like to cream itself pretty well whenever it gets the chance to discuss the band (they’re on tour, again!), although I do seem to remember him grumbling over Viaticum (and, yet, still playing plenty of tracks and dismissing his dismissal as mere uncertainty that would surely right itself, just as soon as he’d been able to listen to it hard enough…).

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Forgot that this was supposed to be out… I think this is a tie-in with all the House that Trane Built compilations that have been coming out recently to celebrate 45 years of Impulse records (or, at least, the fact that someone’s published a book about it). I thought that this would be cheaper than the full box set…

The Blessing Song Michael White
Never heard of Michael White before… Should I have? Pretty good, like something off Archie Shepp’s Attica Blues, only more Gilles Peterson-y.

Enchanted Lady Milt Jackson and Ray Brown
This is just so, so chilled… Have heard this before, but don’t know where. Probably on Gilles’ BBC Radio 1 show… Great highlight, almost worth the cover price alone…

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Alan Skidmore (saxophone), Steve Melling (piano), Ian Palmer (drums), Mick Coady (bass)

Really excellent gig tonight by Alan Skidmore and, what is apparently, his current working quartet. Although Skidmore is well-known as a strong follower of everything Coltrane, tonights gig was particularly heavy (actually, full) of Trane compositions (and arrangements) in a gesture to celebrate what would have been JC’s 80th birthday, last Saturday.

This is the second time I’ve been able to see Skidmore (the first time was also in Coventry), but he’d managed to bring a much better band with him, this time. Actually, a really phenomenal band… Skidmore was on fire throughout… The pianist was able to pull the lever and drop into McCoy Tyner mode as and when required… However, I was totally blown away by Ian Palmer, who is just a truly magnificent drummer. ‘Pulled out a staggering drum solo somewhere towards the end of the first set (a proper extended solo, with the band letting him carry on until he was begging them to come back)… It was probably the best single drum solo that I’ve ever witnessed, just in terms of shear power, fluidity, and also originality and a fantastic sense of lyricism… Rather than just kicking up some great rhythms, everything seemed to be going somewhere with definite purpose. I mean, it’s usual for me to come away from most gigs and decide that that respective drummer is now my best drummer in the world, but this guy Palmer was really something of a surprise!

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