Ant Law and Alex Hitchcock Quartet bring some midwinter warmth to Stapleford Granary

The promise of this early afternoon performance from the Ant Law and Alex Hitchcock Quartet was in many ways matched by the weather breaking through on the winter morning. A heavy, rather beautiful looking frost and fog was broken up by patches of bright sunlight glinting through, and when the sun emerged in full it was like a weight had lifted. Equally, the sound of Misha Mullov-Abbado’s bass coupled with the lovely brush work from Ernesto Simpson raised spirits at the start of this gig, exemplifying everything that can sparkle in deep midwinter.

Guitarist Law and tenor saxophonist Hitchcock had put together a set that was mostly pieces from their recent album Same Moon In The Same World, with the addition of a couple of recent compositions that were really warmly received by the Stapleford Granary audience. The first track, ‘Vivid’ combined soft sounds from these four instruments with guitar and sax solos that were moving forward melodically, but unafraid to use a sweeping sense of space.

This was followed by ‘Low Glow,’ which produced more strongly rhythmic compound time, adding energy with sticks on the kit, though still with that overall soft vibe; nothing harsh, nothing jarring. Segueing into the third track, we were treated to a solo by Mullov-Abbado, which made the most of every bit of the bass neck; the sound really resonated in that acoustic – and at one point there was an almost tangible synchronicity with the drums – in a true example of breathing together.

The togetherness and grace of the whole ensemble continued into the last two pieces with ‘Where Would We Be’ – a blues inspired melody that drew out sightly edgier playing and ‘Third I’, which was an opportunity to hear Simpson play with all the taste and class of a really great drummer. It was clear all the musicians were players with their own idiosyncrasies but drew on language from some of the recent greats; there were references to John Scofield, Pat Metheney, and possibly even a touch of Andy Summers in there. It was entertainment perfectly suited to the sense of light and space we all crave at this time of year.