Patrick Cornelius - Infinite Whirlwind

Patrick Cornelius - Alto saxophone

Patrick Cornelius got the last day (12/10/2013) of the Whirlwind Festival underway for me at King's Place. Arriving in a state of disarray after being pressed into action for one of London's Big Draw events, his quintet had an immediate calming effect. In fact I felt at home, here was a concert revolving around Cornelius' second album, Infinite Blue, and taking its title from a crayon no less.

Jason Rebello - Piano

Patrick Cornelius has a disarmingly unassuming demeanour yet he must possess a cohesive personality that builds a group around himself rather than play the despot. Looking every inch an old fashioned bank manager, bespectacled and tidy he brought his fellow players together with performance and composition.

Jason Rebello challenges preconceptions too, I had been banned from looking at his publicity photos for years by my mother. With a wild intense stare that reached beyond poster and flyer, I would have nightmares that Rebello had the power of ESP and telekinesis.

Michael Janisch - bass

Upon reading in John Chilton's "who's who" that he had entered a Buddhist Temple to hone his intense meditation skills I feared he might explode my head from 50 paces if our eyes ever locked. Of course totally unfounded, he looked absolutely approachable and yes there was an intensity to his playing but a buoyancy too.

Nick Vayenas - Trombone

"The Incident" wound every one up, audience and musicians alike. The hatless Michael Janisch giving way to Whirlwind Festival favourite Nick Vayenas, playing as crisply as his starched white shirt. Andrew Bain's nostrils flared wider than an asthmatic maori as he got involved too. It was the next tune "My Green Tara" that brought the performance of the set, the aforementioned Rebello producing a breath-taking turn. Delicate and balanced it described a shifting light that alternated between the opaque and transparent. Between these two planes I was caught like a fly in amber.

Andrew Bain - drums

The stillness of "In the Quiet Moments" was timely before the final "Regents Street" but I was still trapped in the resinous aspic of Jason Rebello's performance and his stare as the band took a bow in response to the audience's applause. My head didn't explode of course, well not through any Jedi mind tricks anyway, just good old fashioned music.

AL.