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Anita Wardell Trio - Octave Jazz Bar, 16 August 2007

On Thursday, August 16th I had a revelation. A good fifteen minutes before her trio started rompin’, Anita Wardell looked unflappable. Cramped on a chair in a remote corner behind the Octave’s unfathomable carpeted stage, the great UK-born be-bop vocalist was artlessly flipping over her music sheets like a conscientious student swotting for an impending exam. Even Lee Morgan, blowing ‘Moanin’’ from the venue’s deafening speakers, did not burst her impenetrable bubble of concentration. Suddenly in walked serene pianist Robin Aspland, soon followed by composed bassist Jeremy Brown; Anita reconnected with the world around her.

After abandoning her chair to join them on stage, she smoothly started the set, eyes closed - a breeze of rare sincerity instantly blew me away. Further tackling the Cole Porter repertoire, the trio unexpectedly embarked the audience on an energetic version of ‘Billy’s Bounce’, while Anita literally suspended time. Dexterously tapping one finger after the other against the valves of a ghostly cornet, she playfully strolled her way ad lib through the chords with divine grace. I then realised that her renowned, unique artistry not so much lay in her amazingly precise, subtle, ingenious technique as in her remarkable ability to simply be herself.

In the second and last set, bare-footed, Anita’s transparent vulnerability further radiated through her moving interpretation of ‘Willow Weep For Me!’. Although putting on a show is definitely nothing like her, Anita Wardell eventually got the stage rompin’ on a closing jam session with her special guests, among whom versatile virtuoso pianist Barry Green. More than just a world-class, memorable gig, I’ve experienced what sets apart the good artists from the great under the spotlights. Being excellent is not enough. And Anita Wardell clearly revealed that shining with humility is the unmistakable token of the great.

Aurore Mary

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Anita Wardell Trio - Octave Jazz Bar, 16 August 2007

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Neil Cowley Trio – Cargo, London 2/4/08

Last night The Neil Cowley Trio launched their new album Loud…Louder…Stop! at trendy Shoreditch club Cargo, not usually the kind of venue you’d expect to find a piano trio playing. But then they aren’t your typical piano trio. As the audience files in there’s a building sense of excitement and by the time Cowley and Co. take to the stage the room is jammed full. “Aren’t you going to cheer us on?” Cowley quips wryly. This sets the tone for the evening to follow, music matching Cowley’s playful, fun and excitable personality.

Portico Quartet plus Basquiat Strings - Union Chapel, London Friday 22 February

Basquiat Strings take the starkness of modern classical music and wrap it around a subtly pervading jazz beat. But while they maintain the haunting quality of classical string music, they generate an atmosphere which is constantly disconcerting and pleasantly surprising.

Dave Liebman/Phil Robson Quartet, RNCM, 31 January 2008

With the raw expressionism of John Coltrane, the punchy ballistics of Michael Brecker, the harmonic invention of Wayne Shorter: saxophonist Dave Liebman tells the story of the modern jazz saxophone. Particularly memorable was his meditative rendition of Coltrane’s ‘India’. As engaging as any solo was his magnanimous stage presence; the hunched shoulders, the facial contortions and the limp. You could feel the blood and sweat of an artist truly committed to what he really believes is important.