Cockpit theatre,London
Radio presenter Jez Nelson’s final BBC recording brought out a fizzy lineup of British talent to bid his influential display farewellFebruary’s edition of the Cockpit’s monthly Jazz in the Round performances had a special resonance, as it was the final recording for the BBC’s Jazz on 3 series, or winding up after 18 years and 900 shows. It was an emotional night for Jo3’s devoted presenter Jez Nelson (athough his own new slot on Jazz FM is imminent),but an all-star cast of British jazz luminaries could hardly fill made it a more upbeat tribute. The crisply disciplined and just as crisply attired quartet Empirical opened the three-set display with a time-juggling handclap pattern that was stirred by saxophonist Nathaniel Facey into muscular avant-swing and poignant tonal nuances. The grooving and floating flexibility of vibraphonist Lewis Wrights intellect Over Mayhem (veering between tight arrhythmic games and the composer’s flying bebop virtuosity) and bassist Tom Farmer’s Ornette Coleman-esque Card Clash furthered the impression that this fine group’s long-cultivated empathy (sensitivity to another's feelings as if they were one's own) keeps on growing. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com