Mark Lockheart busts out new jazz-rock Quartet for Bristol premiere

We were getting in at the beginning: the first public airing of a new foursome of recognisable talents with a set of specially composed material. After saxophonist Mark Lockheart’s unnecessarily apologetic introduction we were swept away on an engaging tide of contemporary jazz-rock. Within minutes it was apparent that this project has the capacity to gel into something that definitely exceeds the sum of its parts. From the free-form opening of ‘Efflorescence’, with Dave Smith’s clattering percussion and Elliot Galvin’s scattershot synth, to the rollicking old-school groove of ‘Mingle Tingle’, this was a textbook exposition of improvisatory playing turning tightly constructed music into pure fun.

Given the cresting wave of electronic dance derived jazz right now this was a determinedly retro-facing project, referencing the music’s rock-informed heyday (albeit the later, more sophisticated No Wave style of John Zorn, inspiration for the tune ‘Jay Zee’). One highlight was the delicious ‘Gangster Rat’, a tribute to Bristolian hero Banksy, with Tom Herbert’s thunking precision on his incongruously tiny violin bass guitar locked into Smith’s expressive backbeat. Crouched behind his keyboards Elliot Galvin grabbed at the groove, then mashed it as Lockheart’s insistent tenor took control once again. Smiles abounded on stage and throughout the Fringe’s enthusiastic audience.

By contrast 'Sixteen' had a kind of psychedelic fluidity within which the four players let themselves roll along. It had the unhurried easiness of the 1960s West Coast, unison phrasing slipping in and out of focus, with Smith’s cross rhythms and cymbal washes smoothing the sense of flow. By contrast ‘Mingle Tingle’’s four-bar riff had a danceable urgency, the swirling Hammond keyboards over four-to-the-floor drumming recalling Brian Auger.

From Loose Tubes to Polar Bear and beyond, Lockheart’s capacity to be ahead of the jazz curve is undeniable. In this quartet his combination of lyrical economy and harmonic creativity has found three improvisatory soul mates who clearly know how to make the most of his compositions in their own terms. With their fiery music and obvious sense of fun there’s every chance that this band will coalesce into something very successful.

– Tony Benjamin (story and photos)