Saxophonist Aldana Among The Cross-Culture Champions At Edinburgh Jazz and Blues

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.

Another trans-boundary festival highlight was Edinburgh resident, Norwegian guitarist Haftor Medbøe, joined by Swedish pianist Jacob Karlson. Medbøe’s translucent guitar echoes with Karlson’s dramatic harmonic changes and strident block chords, leading into spiderly intertwining melodies, inducing both focus and calm.

A further standout from overseas was New York-based saxophonist, Chilean Melissa Aldana, with her band airing tunes from her just-released Frida Kahlo-inspired album. Colourful, nuanced and infused with Latin rhythms, the technical proficiency was enhanced by a warm tone, possibly best heard in her delicate and delicious cover of Gershwin’s ‘I Loves You, Porgy’.

Meanwhile, Sardinian Enzo Favata’s Crossing Quartet shared a characteristically cross-culturally informed and searching electro-acoustic set. Shifting easily between sax, bass clarinet and electronics, he seemed comfortable enough to avoid being overtly dominant.

Reggae-heavy Bolognese Rumba De Bodas, at their best evoking Rico in his prime, gave the crowd plenty to dance to, as did lap guitar master Roosevelt Collier with his (to use his own words) “dirty funk swampy grime”. One moment channelling BB King, the next Jimmy Hendrix, simultaneously engaging the audience with expert southern showmanship.

There was ample space too for Scottish jazzers. Violinist Bernadette Kellerman’s Colourworks, having made statements of intent in both the ebullient Fat-Suit and folk trio Farrland, presented a lyrical avant-folk and somewhat experimental set with her Scottish Conservatoire friends, emerging stars pianist Fergus McCreadie, drummer Graham Costello and double-bassist Mark Hendry.

Also, in-demand Scottish pianist Paul Harrison, drummer Stuart Brown and double-bassist Mario Caribe, as Trio Magico, gave an outstanding homage to Brazilian guitarist and pianist Egberto Gismonti. Harrison’s sympathetic and lovely arrangements, as well as his level of pianism, would not be out of place in any jazz bar or indeed concert hall, anywhere.

Finally, the verging-on-louche dancing of the normally reserved Edinburgh audience, to Okoe Ardyfio and Tom Bancroft’s African Groove Machine on the festival’s final day, was a joyful illustration of the richness that can issue from collaboration between musicians from different musical cultures and a fitting end to a truly ‘outward-facing’ festival.