Andre Canniere - Darkening Blue at the Ram Jam Club

Andre Canniere

Andre Canniere - trumpet
Brigitte Beraha - voice
Tori Freestone - tenor saxophone
Ivo Neame - keys
Mark Lewandowski - bass
Dave Hamblett - drums

Tori Freestone

Date - 10th November 2016
Venue -Inventions and Dimensions, Ram Jam Club, Kingston, UK
Current Album - The Darkening Blue (Whirlwind Recordings, 2016)

Brigitte Beraha

Future Performance

22nd Nov 2016

Walthamstow

E17 Jazz

23rd Nov 2016

Cambridge

Cambridge Jazz Festival

1st Dec 2016

Bristol

Jazz at Future Inn

16th Dec 2016

Bradford

JATP Jazz

  

Dave Hamblett

For his third album release, Pennsylvania-raised, London-based trumpeter Andre Canniere shifts in an oblique direction from previous albums Forward Space and Coalescence with original compositions inspired by the words of Bohemian-Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke and American author Charles Bukowski.

Ivo Neame

Hug the dark

Charles Bukowski

turmoil is the god...
madness is the god

permanent living peace is
permanent living death

agony can kill
or
agony can sustain life
but peace is always horrifying
peace is the worst thing
walking
talking
smiling
seeming to be.

don't forget the sidewalks
the whores
betrayal,
the worm in the apple,
the bars, the jails,
the suicides of lovers.

here is America
we have assassinated a president and his brother,
another president has quit office.

people who believe in politics
are like people who believe in god:
they are sucking wind through bent
straws.

there is no god
there are no politics
there is no peace
there is no love.

there is no control
there is no plan.

stay away from god
remain disturbed

slide.

Mark Lewandowski

AL.

Samuel Eagles' SPIRIT - Inventions and Dimensions

Samuel Eagles

Samuel Eagles's SPIRIT
Samuel Eagles - alto saxophone
Duncan Eagles - tenor saxophone
Ralph Wyld - vibraphone
Sam Leak - piano
Max Luthert - bass
Dave Hamblett - drums

Ralph Wyld

Date - 6th October 2016
Venue - Inventions and Dimensions at the RamJam Club, Kingston, UK

Current Album - Next Beginning (2014)

Future performance of Samuel Eagles Spirit

The Spice of Life – Soho, London Jazz Festival - 11/11/2016

Jazz at Lescar – Sheffield - 10/05/2017

Southampton Modern Jazz Club - 4/06/2017

Kokomo – Guildford - 05/06/2017  

Jazz Co-op – Newcastle - 13/06/2017

The Sound Cellar – Poole - 15/06/2017

The Fleece – Colchester - 16/06/2017

Dave Hamblett

Future performance at Inventions and Dimensions

13th October - Partikel

20th October - Toy Rokit

27th October - Penelope Dreaming

3rd November - Andrew Bain International Quartet

10th November - Andre Canniere Sextet

London altoist Samuel Eagles grows his quartet into a sextet that is now his SPIRIT. This new host still captivates audiences with its ethereal and piercingly emotive brand of music. Dave Hamblett replaces Eric Ford on drums while Max Luthert is the new Ferg Ireland on bass. The two new instrumental and personnel additions to the band are Sam leak on piano (Aquarium) and brother Duncan Eagles playing tenor saxophone.

Max Luthert

My first return since the inaugural night of Inventions and Dimensions saw a full Ram Jam Club respond with heart and excitement to two complete sets of brand new material from Samuel Eagles. There aren't many like Eagles (S) who can cast a light so bright, such is his sensitivity that he has a warmth and brightness all of his own. His first album unveiled a Mediterranean sun, creating pools in which to dwell in, sometime to hide but mostly to think. Next Beginning was like a whole day in these stripes of light and dark, the midday bright cutting a razor sharp shadow while those of dawn and dusk were blurred, soft and inviting. There is more power in these latest tunes, a radiance that emanates from this quietly spoken champion. Samuel Eagles' SPIRIT will be releasing on Whirlwind Recordings in 2017.

Duncan Eagles

Spirit winds up the tiny toy of spring, with sun swirling a steaming dew, it is a satisfied breath. The veins spread out, flowing under the turf, pushing an intravenous kick. So much is hidden upon first listening yet we see the multitude of burrows bobbing golden hares and wild white rabbits.  Duncan Eagles doesn't forget his kicking horse roots despite being shoulder to shoulder with his Cheshire lynx brother. As always Duncan's cup runneth over, he fills his music to the brim and plays a game of spill and toss while Ralph Wyld is those fine rivulets that run down the sides.

Sam Leak

Hear His Voice is an exotic geometry, intricate circles talk in abstracts that overwhelm senses and sense. Sam Leak is an ornate spire, an ever embellishing balustrade, a kind of gormenghast of cross wires and pounding hearts. Those hearts are ours. The applause too.

AL.

Max Luthert - Orbital CD launch

Max Luthert - Bass

Duncan Eagles
Tenor Saxophone

The Pizza Express Soho is as thick of atmosphere as it is of crust. The cavernous interior brings a camaraderie to its denizens. With only candles to light your way, every bite and every sound can be consumed in isolation. It is hard though for an artist to draw in the darkness. So here is my interpretation of Max Luthert's Orbital album launch at the Pizza Express Soho last week (20/10/2014). It was pure intuition that reached the page, so excuse the simplicity of the sketches.

Chris Philips

A year and a week ago on 14th October 2013 Max Luthert recorded the music for his debut album 'Orbital' at Clown Pocket's Studio (link to words/sketches). Once again his talents have been championed by Whirlwind Recordings and the label's founder, Michael Janisch, who was Luthert's mentor/teacher during his formative years.


Dave Hamblett -
drums

There are better reviewers than me, more discerning in their technical interpretation of Max Luthert's prowess. So please visit Sarah Chaplin's excellent piece (with Rob Blackham's photography) on the London Jazz website. There were musical heavyweights in attendance, influential young guns and one or two familiar jazzfaces.


 

Matt Robinson
piano

In the gloom I was able to sketch one of my heroes, Chris Philips, whose radio show I listen to while working in the studio. To be selected for his Blue Print radio programme is an honour for any musician. In front of me sat Ollie Howell who has recently been cast in Philip's blue glow. The Sky Award winning pianist was relaxing before recording a new album himself.

 

Amongst other musicians attending were Leo Appleyard who has just released his debut too, Pembroke Road (F-IRE 75) and trumpeter Paul Jordanous. All from the Kingston stable where Luthert and saxophonist Duncan Eagles cut their musical teeth.



Gareth Lockrane

Gareth Lockrane glowed throughout the night with his supernatural flute powers, especially on the early tune 'Pacific Before Tiger'. The performance of the night was from the collective itself though and fortunately it was the title of the album 'Orbital'. It has a repressed pull that is infectious. There is a pulse which hammers home and your blood doesn't feel like your own when you are taken by its grip. It reminds your body of substances that are called addictive.

Seb Pipe - Alto Saxophone

The album is released on Whirlwind Recordings (WR 4659)
Buy it here - http://www.whirlwindrecordings.com/storecds/

AL.

Max Luthert - Shadows boxer

Max Luthert - Bass

Max Luthert stepped out of the shadows on the 14th October 2013 and recorded his debut album at Clown's Pocket Studio. With only a solitary composition to his name in "Assam" it was hard to know what to expect. Promise and curiosity were piqued with that lone addition to Partikel's second album "Cohesion" and with that mere glimpse we wondered what else lay under the surface of Luthert's iceberg.

Derek Nash

At the helm of the studio was Derek Nash, who has developed a close relationship with Luthert, and Partikel colleague Duncan Eagles. Where once Nash took a hands-on approach, even appearing on an early "Jazz Proof" album, he is now a fixer. Maybe tailor would be more appropriate, he stitches together these young players ideas, a nip and tuck here to create the stylish package that ultimately stands before us. In fact he was so relaxed he spent the morning session preparing sweet chestnuts for the freezer whilst repairing the odd Eagles dropped stitch.



Matt Robinson -
Piano

From old to new, Matt Robinson, is becoming a fixture on these South London Collectives and played an early role in "Grand Designs".


Duncan Eagles - Saxophone

Not a homage to the aspirational middle-class TV programme, but this was a little more Albert Speer, with the tune's compositional boulevards getting bigger and bigger after every vamp. Robinson scribbled all over Luthert's drawing board, creating a flourishing chaos that us humans seem to perfect.


Gareth Lockrane - Flute

The Saxophones of Seb Pipe (Alto) and Duncan Eagles (Tenor/Soprano) built the scaffold but they had deviated from architect Luthert's carefully drawn plans. "We're adding an extra note, but why are we both doing it?". To the untrained ear it was undetectable but obviously made all the difference as "Grand Designs" reached it conclusion like a teetering Tower of Babel. They stopped their construction luckily before the inevitable conclusion.



Seb Pipe - Alto Saxophone

"Edgewall" gave us a taste of what was to come, a surprise to me, for amongst the saxophone forestation here was the first dell. This glade became a clearing and broke out into the panoramic "Cloud On Cloud", a tune which represents Max Luthert's vision better than any. His spearhead on this and many other tracks was Gareth Lockrane on flute. The drums of Dave Hamblett provided the thermals and Matt Robinson a gentle breeze as Lockrane rose.



Dave Hamblett - drums

"Pacific Before Tiger" starts with a downy burr like Luthert's chin, soft and gentle but degenerated into more familiar Partikel territory with some spikey saxophone whiskers. There were 4 more tracks recorded, "Orbital", "Quiet December", "Metro Moodie" alongside a spanking new composition. You'll have to wait to hear those when the album comes out in 2014.

I'll be writing some more about them in my Album Inspirations too, because Max Luthert has put the artwork in my ink stained hands.

For now Luthert is back in the trio spotlight as Partikel traverse the windswept Scottish Highlands as part of their Autumn Tour. His music though still lurks in the sweet shadows and rather than it being thrust out, it is us who shall be pulled in.

AL.

See Partikel tonight in Edinburgh (1st Nov) and Fife on Sunday (3rd Nov).

Andre Canniere - The Thin Man

Andre Canniere - Trumpet

A cocktail of fate and a heavy work load means I'm fortunate enough to be writing this on the day of Andre Canniere's latest CD release "Coalescence". It was just over 2 weeks ago (12/10/2013) that we heard him launch his latest offering at the cutting-edge Whirlwind Festival. This was a concert of the highest standing, especially in Whirlwind record boss Michael Janisch's eyes, for Canniere and his band occupied the penultimate berth of the 3 day festival journey.

Ryan Treblicock -
Bass

There are those personas that you instantly feel an affiliation to, and Andre Canniere is one of these. What he lacks in razzledazzle he makes up for in thoughtfulness, and with a lanky elegance he is The Thin Man rather than a Sam Spade in demeanour. There is a wholesome louchness if that makes sense, like a modern day Dashiell Hammett antihero who is a determined trawler of society's trashcan, unearthing the evidence of venal weaknesses. I do not know whether he is a champion of the underdog but I suspect he could rally us mongrels with his depth of song and mind.

Hannes Riepler - guitar

Like a card player Canniere laid the album before us in a rising straight, "Sweden Hill" ascended slowly but accelerated along the fast switchbacks on trumpet. He won another hand with a flair of hip Hispania on "Gibbs and East" and finished by playing a supporting role on "Nylon" in clustering statics. Here he was joined by the bootleg guitar of Hannes Riepler, in hindsight, a warm up for the later "Point Zero" where Riepler was absolutely outstanding. Representing the sexy allure of the gun, the desire for control and power that is the 'high' of the firearm. If this protest song has the Newtown shootings at its heart, then the guitar was its flexing muscle and the trumpet our conscience.



Ivo Neame - Piano & Accordion

Ivo Neame held the placard high with an absorbing contribution on the fourth tune 'Gaslands', where Canniere's block capital letters were written in a 12 inch font, shouting 'NO TO FRACKING'. Neame's language was not a yell in contrast, his protest was longing and lost which created a wandering, powerful sentiment.

Dave Hamblett - Drums

It is the measure of the group that on this occasion the drumming member of Day 2's Whirlwind Supergroup, Dave Hamblett' was relegated to modest displays of valour, dowsing mere burning buildings rather than saving the world from certain destruction.

Andre Canniere is a valuable addition to our music scene here, our Thin Man has sprouted new shoots beside The Thames far from his American roots. Hopefully he will be here for years to come and swapping "Sweden Hill" for our more modest Richmond variety.

AL.

Check out "Coalescence" at Whirlwind HQ.

Crowley, Gibbs, Burton and Hamblett - Whirlwind Supergroup

George Crowley - Saxophone

We stepped back into the era of the supergroup on Day 2 (11/10/2013) of the Whirlwind Festival, think Emerson, Lake and Palmer or numerically Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young to be more accurate. This day Crowley, Gibbs, Burton and Hamblett lived up to their super status with one of the performances of the festival. As the definition suggests a supergroup is a music group whose members are already successful as solo artists or as part of other groups, so let me give you a quick breakdown of their Whirlwind credentials -
George Crowley - Paper Universe, May 2102
Tom Gibbs - Fear of Flying, October 2012
Euan Burton - Occurences, May 2012
Dave Hamblett - Light at Night, Feb 2013



Tom Gibbs - piano

Normally I make notes alongside the drawings in my sketchbook but I was so energised by the performance I hardly noted which tune stood proud and which wavered a little. Perhaps to hide this personal oversight but in truth to highlight the complete performance of this quartet all the compositions were of the highest quality and the 50 minute set slipped through our fingers.

Euan Burton - Bass

Their fifth tune does need to be complimented though, Tom Gibb's "Rebecca's Song" presents itself as a swirling spiral stairwell with unexpected and unnerving false steps to trip you up. As if to balance this unpredictably and to represent Gibbs' muse (his 3 year old daughter) more accurately, the tune also ascends with tenderness. With an emotive twist that moistens the eyes when George Crowley rattles his saxophone with a frail breath or two.

Dave Hamblett - drums

As a quartet they juggled each others compositions like a line of rugby backs on a searing wave of attacks. Gibbs handling Crowley's "Paper Universe" with a deftness and skill while the whole team worked seamlessly on Burton "Part 6", drawing out its hurting subtleties while riding the tune's rollercoaster tempos.

Al & Lisa Buchan

I confirmed my suspicions about the concert when I spoke to two members of the audience, Lisa Buchan and husband Al. Lisa was bowled over by the lightfooted Crowley and Tom Gibbs caught Al's eye, but lets avoid embarrassing them with over-exaggerated praise. Instead lets have a little fun because if they did indeed possess superhero status then.......

......George Crowley would be The Atom, the diminuitive tough guy, packing an energy charged 'atomic punch' on his saxophone. Tom Gibbs is Plastic Man, with  his long limbs and the flexibility to mould himself to any tune. Euan Burton, doubles as the intelligent Reed Richards, sporting that trademark grey shock to his temples . Dave Hamblett would of course be Clark Kent/Superman with those glasses and handsome visage......

...and because of that strategically placed drum kit we will never know whether Hamblett wears his pants over the top of his trousers.

AL.