Graeme Taylor's FatSax

Piers Green

Andy Tolman

FatSax
Graeme Taylor - piano
Sam Walker - tenor saxophone
Kelvin Christiane - tenor saxophone
Piers Green - alto saxophone
Andy Mears - alto saxophone
Ollie Weston - baritone saxophone
Andy Tolman - bass
Mike Bradley - drums

Graeme Taylor

Graeme Taylor's FatSax project tips its hat to the world's most classy tribute act of all time, Supersax. Created in 1972 to honour the iconic bebop music of saxophonist Charlie Parker it went on to feature a ever changing role call of talented musicians. Taylor has trimmed the original Supersax format for this concert at Twickenham Jazz Club by removing the trumpet/trombone element but still there was plenty of brass to go round with 2 alto saxophones, 2 tenor saxophones and baritone alongside bass, drums and of course Graeme Taylor himself on piano.

Sam Walker

It is two years since I have experienced FatSax and not much has changed apart from the personnel and why should it. If you have a winning formula then all that is needed is a gentle caress. Taylor spices up his own recipe with changes in arrangement and a subtle stir of the musicians. Fatsax is unashamedly macho in the flex of its muscle. It is fast, furious and virile.

Ollie Weston

On what would have been Bud Powell's 92nd birthday FatSax gave us the emperor's bullet of Tempus Fugit. Clashing and proud this was pectoral jazz as puffed chests smashed together. Ollie Weston was the slippery Deepthroat, he lathered himself up, writhing in his solo like a electric eeled Schwarzenegger, his baritone was a throbbing manliness. Andy Tolman's bass was the ebullient fizz as Mike Bradley popped the corks on drums. Piers Green's alto had the easy lasso of a rancher, the steer man held his reins while waving victoriously to the Twickenham Jazz Club crowd.

Mike Bardley

Moment's Notice was a rich chop, ducks all lined in a row for the audience, shooting fish in a barrel, sugar coated and cigar puffs. It was easy to lay down and let the sax wash all over us. The meat of the music was laid on a plate, full in the mouth, a gravy indulgence. With the glittering of the saxophones' golden thrusts we all became locked in FatSax's bronze cell of speed and dexterity. It was a metallic cascade which rained upon us, we were the accommodating Danae and Graeme Taylor was our Zeus.

AL.

Kelvin Christiane

Andy Mears

Graeme Taylor - Fat Sax

Piers Green - Alto saxophone

Ahead of us are so many obvious pitfalls that I will endeavour not to afflict upon you too many cringeworthy metaphors, nor make this journey to odious. Despite having 9 musicians and an elephant in the room at Twickenham Jazz Club (19/06/2014) Graeme Taylor's Fat Sax still had room to swing the modest audience by their coat tails. The elephant in question shot himself in the foot midway through the performance with the aid of two goals from Luis Suarez. Yes, this was the night of England's game against Uruguay in the 2014 World Cup. I will not say anything more it, for all our sakes.

Damian Cook - Alto

Graeme Taylor's Fat Sax project tips its hat to the world's most classy tribute act of all time, Supersax. Created in 1972 to honour the iconic bebop music of saxophonist Charlie Parker. It went on to feature a ever changing role call of talented musicians, including a personal favourite, Blue Mitchell. Taylor has kept true to the original format of 2 alto saxes (Piers Green, Damian Cook), 2 tenor saxes (Sam Walker, Toby Stewart) and  baritone (Ollie Weston), trumpet (Sid Gauld) and a rhythm section of bass (Rob Hutchinson),  drums (Mike Bradley) and the man himself on piano.

Sid Gauld - trumpet

The early exchanges surprisingly weren't dominated by the saxophone, this was reserved for trumpeter Sid Gauld. He was the lone herald on a battlefield, playing with clarity while the cavalry's steeds pawed the ground behind him. Gauld certainly wasn't cannon fodder and his 'hammerhead' approach broke through our defences with power and grace. On the 3rd tune, John Coltrane's 'Moment's notice' he stood proud, but we were starting to feel charge of the saxophones.

Toby Stewart - Tenor Sax

It was a overwhelming sensation to be sat in front of the Fat Sax wall of sound. It was not only their broad shoulders that blocked out much of The Bloomsbury 'atmospheric' lighting but the rolling wave of music that dominated the rest of the night. Often playing as one organic force they resembled a manly waterfall. Bud Powell's 'Tempus Fugit' epitomised this fast and furious approach, where the saxophones seem to fire all together yet spray off in their own jets of pleasure. A little like 5 men synchronised at an urinal but with much sweeter consequences.

Graeme Taylor - piano

Graeme Taylor broke into the rush of joyous and swinging saxophones with his own up-tempo artistry. Taylor is hard to capture in the sketchbook, he looks both muscular and light of foot and his eyes seem to have the sort of permanent twinkle reserved for American sitcoms and Casanovas. He is one of the movers and shakers at The Gunnersbury, where Big Band's perform on Sunday lunchtimes including his very own the Hot Waffle Big Band. Modest as always he lurks in the background but let me shed just a little light on his talents as a composer and arranger. You can now gets your hand on his 'charts' at Big Jazz Face, which isn't a euphemism but an invitation to play White Sand, his fast, furious, fantastic Latin composition with your own big band.




Sam Walker - Tenor Sax

The second set was equally attack minded with Sam Walker's tenor proving a talking point amongst the modest, attentive and knowledgeable crowd. Attributes (I do not know about modesty) displayed by Walker himself, for no other performer listened more keenly at his comrades playing nor applauded more generously. 'Moose the Mooche' gave us the shot in the arm that is Rob Hutchinson on bass but also a vocalising scatting interlude by polymath and drummer Mike Bradley.



Mike Bradley - drums

The over-riding theme of the night was the interchange between the Brass' togetherness and each individual's skill. Dexter Gordon's 'Cheese Cake' was the manifestation of this theory, compositionally switch-hitting between pace and personnel. Continuity kept on taking a cigarette break while the aforementioned Hutchinson and Bradley decadently blew smoke rings in our direction.

Ollie Weston - Baritone Sax

It is hard to single out one performer from the united line of saxophones but Ollie Weston's baritone was at it's most lyrical during Fat Sax's rendition of Charlie Parker's 'Confirmation'. Weston was nimble and light footed whilst negotiating the tune's complex chord changes. He was the gate that let me enter Fat Sax's wall of sound and sit up in my ivory tower as I watched the desolate England football fans sadly trudge below.

AL.

Rob Hutchinson - bass

The dark side of Kelvin Christiane

Kelvin Christiane - Saxophone

Why would an artist choose to sit in front of 16 burly musicians and attempt to capture them all on paper in just two hours. Some might say I was destined to fail last Tuesday (10/09/2013) and they were right. It was the opening of Twickenham Jazz Club's Autumn/Winter season and the 16 specimens of manhood that presented themselves for roll call did so under the gaze of sergeant major Kelvin Christiane. Of course what brought me to attempt such a challenge of immortalising all these loyal jazz soldiers was the feel good factor of the Big Band.

Graham Russell - Trumpet

When faced with such a united front the best plan is to pick off a few well known faces and get them into your sketchbook. Although they looked sternly at me like Mussolini's Squadristi in their Blackshirts I knew that there were a few jokers in the pack. Chief among them being the irrepressible Graham Russell, who gently wafted his quips through the trumpet line like a naughty pupil with a stash of stink bombs.

Richard Sadler - Bass

Just behind Russell was bassist Richard Sadler, another stalwart of Christiane's ensembles, deep in thought, eyes barely rising above the trumpet trenches above him. Nowadays he sports a look somewhere between a young Lord Kitchener and the Village People's biker. I have to say he plays bass vastly better than both.



Graeme Taylor - Keys

The rearguard of Big Bands are often neglected so it was a pleasure to outflank them and spy a jocular Graeme Taylor on keys. He must be a good stick, for here is a man who is a leader in his own right. On this night demoted to water carrier for the saxophones at the front but usually he is the General of the Hot Waffle Big Band, a scorching funk ensemble, terrorising the Watford area.

Noel Joyce - Drums

To complete the back line was Noel Joyce. Hot from recording the latest Kelvin Christiane Album, The Arrival, along with Nigel Price and Larry Bartley. It is a CD of two halves, with the tunes split between Christiane's flute and baritone saxophone. I had been happily pressed-ganged into action for the artwork. You'll be able to buy it very soon from his website. LINK HERE



Jonathan Lewis - Trumpet

Although we started with Sammy Nestico's sweeping 'Switch in Time', it was a mere warm up for an excellent Christiane tune 'Spring Lullaby' from his Parisian Summer album. Jonathan Lewis (trumpet) was especially evocative by extracting the darkest themes from what is a particularly menacing lullaby. One eye swivelled toward us while the other shut, unnerving us even more. Max Macson, who recently appeared in Danny Boyle's 'Trance' and knows a thing or two about film scores, lent over and commented on its brooding nature, "Just like Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story".



Paul Jordanous - Trumpet

We were of course treated to Big Band staples that roused our cockles, none played better than by the late arriving Mr Paul Jordanous. The man is so busy, he may have well just hopped off a plane from the continent where he is in demand. It was back in London where I've heard the most glowing report of his skills at an Association of British Calypsonians concert recently from Rich Rainlore who just said "Spectacular". He lived up to expectations on Benny Golson's 'Whisper Not'.

Damian Cook - Alto Sax

'Thumbs' gave me a first glimpse of alto saxophonist Damian Cook. The lighting at the Bloomsbury can be problematic for the big band, after all it would be hard to train 16 spotlights on the performers. So Cook was deep in shadow and this cast a deep and thoughtful shadow on his demeanour. He may well be the most delicate of flowers but here he looked as though he had walked straight out of a Scandinavian murder drama, resplendent with an Arctic Circle beard.



Nick Mills - Trombone

Then came another Christiane composition, 'Thrills'. Strange in that it juxtaposed itself against all the togetherness of previous swinging tunes. Appealing because of its moments of discord and mature after the lightness of the tune preceding it, 'Joy Spring'.
Nick Mills solo epitomised the sentiment, slowly working toward unison then breaking the underlying themes apart. Thrills it was, as Mills became redder and redder as he took centre stage and we all wondered if he was going to blow the inner gasket in his impressive chest.

Chris Lowe - Trombone

'Groove Merchant' proved the perfect foil for Chris Lowe on trombone. Usually he wields his trombone as though he were a dueller seeking satisfaction from a rival suitor, but here was a more earthy and rich solo. Distinguished of course, but with Stuart Brooks they were like two gutsy Flappers dancing on the their big band table. Brazen and stylish.

Lesley Christiane

Lesley Christiane catapulted our post break blues away and despite being a little down hearted at the start of the evening, brought us her razzmatazz in the form of 'Taking a chance on love' and 'Orange coloured sky'. Once again she proved she is the doyenne of The Bloomsbury's Jazz scene.



Dave Eaglestone - Trombone

Before signing off let me mention the double barrels of Dave Eaglestone on trombone and Duncan Lamont Junior on Baritone saxophone.
Eaglestone rarely takes his turn in the limelight yet is undoubtedly the 'engine' of the band. Lamont was smooth, if that isn't an insult nowadays, on 'Superbone meets the bad man'.

Pete Hurt - Tenor Saxophone

Finally, Pete Hurt gave us his arrangement of 'Star Eyes'. Hurt is the epitome of substance over style, his playing style reminds one of the way Geoffrey Boycott converses, out of the side of the mouth and with a no nonsense approach.

It was great to be back in the company of the Twickenham Jazz Club crowd, warm in its embrace as the Autumnal nights draw in. The dark tinged lullaby of Kelvin Christiane's self-penned tunes brought us the thrill of September with its steamy breath and sweet orange decay. The Big Band's music though defies this yearly disintegration, capturing the audience in its fairytale spell, and bestowing upon us the ability to reverse the ageing process. If I keep going to their monthly nights I'm hoping I will be rejuvenated in the time for the Christmas party season.

AL.



Stuart Brooks - Trumpet

Chris Gower - Trombone

Duncan Lamont Junior -
Baritone Saxophone

Kelvin Christiane - Big Band Jackals

Paul Jordanous - Streamline

A health bunch of chapped die-hards braved the elements to be at Twickenham Jazz Club last Tuesday (02/04/2013). The streets were deserted as the wind whipped up the Staines Road, whether the endless winter had taken its toll on the usual suburban nightwalkers or that fathers had locked up their daughters because the Big Band was in town is anyone's guess. It is true though that many a young filly has fallen for the charms of a large ensemble.

As you might know Big Bands are usually made up of hungry young men, both the Callum Au and Jonathan Bird bands represent swathes of charming lotharios once the alcohol starts to flow. I'm sure individually they are more like supine tom cats who's bellies need rubbing, than the jackals they become in the pack environment.

Kelvin Christiane

Even though we had just passed the Vernal Equinox there weren't many spring chickens in The Kelvin Christiane Big Band this evening, so the lithe beauties of Twickenham were safe. Kelvin Christiane is a quiet measured band leader, more of a bingo caller type, endlessly announcing chart numbers to his faithful bunch. Never the magician, no waving hands, although he did conjure a moment of warm hope with Clifford Brown's 'Joy Spring'.

The size of the KC Big Band meant they spilled into the audience and we sat mere inches away from the first wave of musicians, The Saxophones. Even accompanied by fellow artists Zoran Matic and Trevor Stokes I knew this was going to be a major challenge drawing all 16 personalities, so I broke them down into smaller packs.

Stuart Brooks

Graham Russell

 The Trumpeters (inc. Stuart Brooks & Graham Russell), occupied the third phalanx, and they caught my eye. All chunky individuals, obviously packing a punch, like four post shift cops straight off the streets of San Francisco  . More than once a joke or quip rippled along the line. They played hard, wielding their trumpets like Berettas.
Paul Jordanous was impressive, clean shaven and streamline, buoyant after his recent live recording (rumour has it for a second album) at The Bull's Head. Almost unrecognisable without his trademark blue floppy jumper his new 88 Bar Jam is clearly rejuvenating the Undisputed Bon Viveur of Jazz.



Tony Dixon - Sweeney

The main man was Tony Dixon, with his lamb leg forearms and tough-guy moustache he looks like he just stepped off the set of The Sweeney. You wouldn't want to mess with a man who has buns packed so tightly in nylon slacks. It was obviously too much for Noel Joyce on drums, seated just behind, who constantly had to avert his eyes to look point blank at The Bloomsbury's bamboo décor.



Noel Joyce - Drums

For most of the performance the rear guard were hidden from me but I managed to catch a glimpse of Mike Higgins (bass) and Graeme Taylor (keys) who must also have caught a glimpse of Dixon's firm credentials.



Also hidden were the trombones who were seated behind the front line saxophones.

Chris Lowe

They popped up regularly for the audience to see, excelling on tunes like Count Bubba's Revenge (with Paul Jordanous), and I was able to quickly sketch a dapper Chris Lowe, followed by 'young Miff Mole' lookalike Adrian Fry. It must be hard for all big band trombonists, so often they sit behind the saxes, with barely enough room to extend their instrument. So when they get the chance to stand up they resemble Medieval archers with a chance to fire out their tunes through the arrow slitted Saxmen's shoulders.

Nick Mills

Dave Eaglestone

Neither Trombonists Nick Mills or Dave Eaglestone resembled slight archers though, the former is a bear of a man, who was bathed in blue and purple light when playing his solo.

The tunes were of the highest calibre I particularly enjoyed Maynard Ferguson's 'Superbone meets the Badman'.

A final word must go to the
Saxophones and it was heartening to see a peach bespectacled Bob Martin back in the groove with a final solo on 'A Night in Tunisia'. It was a grown up Sax line with Kelvin playing softly in the shadows while his neighbour Pete Hurt took the role of Big Band patriarch.

Pete Hurt

Hurt completed the image with greying hair, cardigan and a playing style that looks like he is smoking a two foot pipe out of the side of his mouth.

Pete Cook - Baritone

The final members of The Saxophone pack sat just a few feet in front of me, Mike Coates and Pete Cook both bolstered the already impressive decibel levels and more than once left my ears ringing in those quiet seconds between a tune's denouement and the audience's appreciation.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself but then I like a challenge, and sketching all 16 musicians is hard work. It meant I didn't get a chance to chat with Lister and The Dudes on the table behind me, but the good news is they've completed the Twickenham Jazz Club website (LINK HERE) with all the future dates.

I got back home and checked my daughters were tucked up in bed safe and sound. Although I trusted Kelvin Christiane's Big Band jackals who knows where another pack of them might be roaming. In fact I hope to be sketching either the Jonathan Bird or Paul Jordanous variety soon.

AL

Bob Martin

Mike Coates

Graeme Taylor

Adrian Fry

Mike Higgins