David Preston Quartet impress at Stapleford Granary

An introspective beginning to this gig was always going to be likely from the quartet featuring David Preston on guitar, Sebastian Rochford on drums, Kit Downes on piano and Kevin Glasgow on bass. Known for his ability to draw on a breadth of jazz styles, Preston’s compositions were clearly summoned from a place of great depth, stretching the musicianship of all members. With its sonorous acoustic and respectful vibe, Stapleford Granary was well suited to this type of performance, and the spacey guitar sounds in the opening few bars made the most of this resonance.

As the performances developed, the quality of the pieces was exemplified by the sense that the soloists were free to go long way ‘out’ – with some really creative improvisation – but then arrested the audience with sudden, tightly rehearsed unison passages. The gig however really came alive further into the set with a virtuosic six string bass solo from Glasgow. The higher register down to the very lowest notes was so wide here that it sounded as if the ideas were being moved seamlessly between two instruments, and once the pulse was set, the expectant dynamic timbres on drums meant that the piece worked on so many levels. Apart from the virtuosity displayed by Glasgow, Downes created some extraordinary pianistic lines that could really only be described as contemporary classical.

Sure there were Lyle Mays and perhaps Keith Jarrett influences here and there, but some of the harmonic language used would have found a natural home in front of a chamber music audience. Building towards the end of the set, an increase in volume and a more rocky feel - perhaps a little too late in the gig – energised the room – and as the back beat on the drums got louder the ‘Purple/Black’ tune (title of the new album) was powerfully built. Although clearly top-class musicians, there was occasionally a sense that they were more comfortable playing to each other than reaching out to the audience. With palpable shyness on display, this might have been helped with a more vigorous opening, with meditative spaces being created further into the set. These great players spoke best through their music and will no doubt relax into their audience connection as the promotion of their album continues.