Partikel - The Fox

Duncan Eagles

Partikel
Duncan Eagles - saxophone
Max Luthert - bass
Eric Ford - drums

The Fox, Twickenham, UK
05/03/2020

2020 marks ten years since Partikel launched their debut CD. The band are celebrating this milestone with a new album with progressive German based label Berthold Records and lots of touring throughout the year.

Eric Ford

After four albums and a decade of working together Partikel still retain their youthful exuberance and a prickly wonder for the new challenges ahead. At The Fox in Twickenham they returned to their South West London stomping ground to share a handful of new compositions. Duncan Eagles has shed some of the lyricism of the early years, the meandering melodies have gone in favour of a more robust style, harder, more forthright. The same could be said for the drumming of Eric Ford, but he has always had a powerful cantankerous edge to his playing. Max Luthert will be forever the pacifier in this trio, playing the father figure to two boisterous teenage sons.

Max Luthert

Benet Mclean - Hand for crop

Benet Mclean

Benet Mclean - violin
Julian Joseph - piano
Duncan Eagles - saxophone
Dan Casimir - bass
Clark Tracey - drums



Dan Casimir

Date - 14th January 2016
Venue - 606 Jazz Club, London
Current Album - (playing violin) Partikel - String Theory

Duncan Eagles

Live dates
with Partikel
February 17, 2016 - The Garrick Theatre, London
March 2, 2016 - The Bull's Head, Barnes
March 18, 2016 - Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton
Mar 24, 2016 - The Castle Theatre, Wellingborough
April 3, 2016 - Hotel Hatfield, Lowestoft
Apr 7, 2016 - Ronnie Scott's, London
April 12, 2016 - Dempsey's, Cardiff
April 15, 2016 - Bradford Jazz Club
Apr 26, 2016 - Schmazz, Newcastle
April 27, 2016 - Jazz Bar, Edinburgh
April 29, 2016 - Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline
Apr 30, 2016 - Tolbooth Arts Centre
 May 14, 2016 - The Lighthouse, Deal, Kent
May 29, 2016 - The Hen and Chicken, Bristol
Saturday, July 2, 2016 - Love Supreme Festival

The words of this review come from the Evening Standard, Page 32, January 14th 2016

Julian Joseph

Play the love (viral)

Lover all things deft
Hand for crop, himself faultless

There he is, eyes hooded, chin dropped
cuts himself
A grin with a single candle
He wields a razor, pressing cherubic

Punctured.



Clark Tracey

Partikel - Theory of evolution

Eric Ford - drums

Partikel it seems are full of theories and last month (20/11/2014) at the EFG London Jazz Festival they gave us a taste of what has being bubbling away in their heads over the past year. Stripped back to their three man core of Duncan Eagles (saxophones), Max Luthert (bass) and Eric Ford (drums) they played tracks from their imminent 3rd album 'String Theory'. What we got in effect was the theory and not the strings as Benet McLean, David Le Page (violins), Carmen Flores (viola) and Matthew Sharp (cello) were practising their craft elsewhere.

Max Luthert - bass

The sound of the new album is full of layered beauty and epic vistas. It has the presence of a John Martin painting, full of details but takes the breath away with its power and depth. Here at 229 The Venue Partikel swapped these breathtaking sweeps for something much more angular and uncompromising. Still they retained the attention to detail which has made them in, Jazzwise's view, "one of the hottest young bands on the UK scene".

Before I distract you anymore, please take the time to watch the promo video for the new album by jazz filmmaker Daniel P Redding - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQaz1GBJqtg

Partikel waded in with aggression on this night as Clash of the clans crashed into the London Jazz Festival audience. On the album the sound is tempered by the strings, here Eagles flashed into us with sporadic attacks while Eric Ford's loud assaults were only interrupted by his infamous cowbell (which took only 20 seconds to make its first appearance). At times the trio were inaccessible but soon they moved to gentler shores to give respite. Even though these quieter havens were a welcome break from the thrashing elements you always got the sense that Eric Ford was the man who operated the sluice gates, we expected the tide to rise at anytime.

Fellow drummer
Steve Gilbertson checks out
Mr Ford

Despite the trio coming at us in pulverising waves and with a stamp like a petulant child there has been an evolution in their sound since flirting with string quartets. Shimmer gave us the melody back and it was up to Max Luthert to hold the free expression of Eagles and Ford together. The new album sees a new version of The River from their debut album and it is worth the reawakening but here alone is how I prefer them. It will always be one of their strongest compositions. Eagles soprano saxophone was the fluidity and he excelled.

Duncan Eagles - Soprano
Saxophone

There is a maturity as you would expect from a trio who are on the verge of releasing their third album. The leap from their second to third album is more impressive than that from one to two. There are more systems at play, layers that hint at Glass and Nyman. Their string theory is not one of conformity nor an application of a mellower practice. This is a group that has evolved into the Cro-Magnon of their jazz species.

AL.

String Theory - Recording Partikel's 3rd Album

Duncan Eagles - Tenor Saxophone

Partikel are back and they are embarking upon a new venture. This is a third album with a difference for the London based trio who have made a name for themselves with their spikey brand of barebones Jazz. I was luckily enough to be invited to the Real World Studio near Bath to experience this latest incarnation. The step up for the Trio was the result of hard graft from tenacious frontman Duncan Eagles alongside the generous support of Arts Council Funding and their record label Whirlwind Recordings.

Shirley Smart -
Cello

Over the past 18 months Partikel have started to experiment with Strings. At first is was the Cello in private but soon they 'came out' with a very strong public performance at the Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer last June. Now it seems this addiction has taken over, not only a cello greeted me at the studio when I arrived on the 4th February 2014 but also a viola and 2 violins. The Jazz trio had fallen for the String Quartet and their lovechild was soon to be born.

Jose Tomaz Gomes

Real World is a much larger studio than the cosy Clown Pocket variety that Partikel are used to and they spread out accordingly. A massive horseshoe mixing desk occupies half of the Big Room, which is like a crepuscular cavern. Red light, square dots, blue, green and Venetian red dials, large whites with black rings, some jump left some right, 4 banks of zeros, 11 sets of ones, 2 twos, 6 threes and at the end of the desk another lonely zero. The engineer in control of this spaceship console is José Tomaz Gomes. A dark and gentle figure who will be our guide for the next two days.



Max Luthert - Bass

Max Luthert sets the early bass bounce on first tune 'Wray Common' with a triple trot and I feel the old pathos running through me, they are back! The meadow richness is not just present in the view from the studio window across Peter Gabriel's land but also in Eagles' tenor tone that opens up a musical panorama. These glimpses of gentle colour are truncated as we glimpse the saxophone's vistas from between rocks or gaptoothed  trees. This is followed by a gentle decent, past the warm bass undergrowth, as downy as Luthert's beard. There is the merest scent of a wild animal in these woods as the Quartet's strings run like veins across this landscape, with a dark taint they ooze a bone meal overflow. Duncan Eagles is freewheeling now as he rattles downhill and reaches the bottom with a final expulsion of breath.



Helen Sanders-Hewett
Viola

A big nod of the head sees the musicians tumble into 'Midnight Mass', Max Luthert desperately clings to the melody, his eyes as dark as chocolate minstrels and his left hand is like a claw. It is a cascading dancing tune with strokes of soporific beauty. Luthert is what we cling to, a grip on the bedstead before the last rattling call before the song ends. I hear the voice of Helen Sanders-Hewett (viola) through my headphones as she just says the word 'lush'.

Benet Mclean
Violin

The strings start to make their presence known, and amongst the quartet is a familiar face with an unfamiliar instrument in his hands. Benet Mclean is a polymath. We know Mclean as the dexterous piano player, composer and singer but it seems he is a violinist of some talent too. In fact over our dinner meal he tells me of his love of cricket and his prowess as a bowler/batsman for Middlesex youth sides. An all-rounder in every sense of the word he wasn't afraid to go it alone with a spirited solo on the next tune. This time I hear Shirley Smart's (Cello) voice in the post performance lull.
"Burning!"

Left to right
Benet Mclean, Max Luthert, Duncan Eagles, Shirley Smart & Helen Sanders-Hewett

'One in Five' is the tune of the day so far. Benet Mclean was both imposing in my headphones and in reality, with his brooding intense demeanour you sometime you feel you are in the presence of an off duty Lenin. His solo was a tightrope walk, cutting and gritty while Duncan Eagles was flighty and fluid on Soprano saxophone. The tune starts with deep footsteps and then a fantastic twist like a child on a swing who has entwined the chain-linked ropes together in a centrifugal dare of vomit inducing proportions. The overall effect is one of a fable, a narrative where the musicians are characters in a adventure book, a world of building dams in streams and then knocking them down in the twilight before bedtime.



Richard Jones - Violin

I hear Mclean in upbeat mood, he shouts out "Lets go! give me the downbeat bro" as we wade into the next tune and the hours of twilight.  If you think you've heard 'The River' before you are not alone. It was one of the tracks on their debut album and here it was being given the full 'strings 'treatment'. It now has a full slide of green variegated shoots to accompany it and yet it still flows in those curled sweeps where the current takes you under the overhanging trees, through the deathly shadows and out the other side. With the accompanying strings there now exists a dragonfly that swoops above the water, alone at first but then joined by its own reflection. A parallel ballet with swoops and plummeting where the insect dances with its life. This is now a tussle between wind, water and Fate.

Dan Redding

Not everything was flowing smoothly it seems. I noticed Duncan Eagles shake his head in tiredness and frustration. In the early days of the collaboration between Partikel and their strings Eagles admits he was on a very steep learning curve. He has written all but one of the tunes on Partikel's three albums, but the addition of strings alongside saxophone, bass and drums was step into the unknown. Since then he has honed this skill and expectations have risen. As we entered the late hours it appeared that the results of the collaboration weren't reaching their intended pinnacle. He shook his head, looked at me and said "It's taking too long."

The arrival of the jazz filmmaker Dan Redding pepped up the troops and he regaled us all with anecdotes and witty quips before overdosing on red wine and eventually petering out.

Eric Ford - Drums

To wake oneself up you have to enter the lions den and I sketched Partikel's idiosyncratic drummer Eric Ford for the final recorded tune, 'Shimmer'. My attention was first taken by Max Luthert who danced a little jig throughout the recording, beating time from one foot to the other. He was a like a Eadweard Muybridge horse, with both feet in the air simultaneously but impossible to prove that fact unless you captured him photographically.

It was another impressive compositional performance from Duncan Eagles with Eric Ford providing the trotting and galloping rhythms. The sentiments 'Shimmer' evoked were far from the drizzling reality outside in the west country landscape. Here was a positivity, a modern anthem, a jazz folk equivalent to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. I felt like taking Eric Ford out on a carousel of English Country dances along the Mendip Hills, arm in arm we would square dance until the sun came up. Luckily I though better of it, after all I was sharing a mezzanine floor with Ford tonight and I didn't want him to get the wrong idea.

AL.

I will be writing up Day 2 of the recording shortly....

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).

Partikel Ascending - Whirlwind Festival

Duncan Eagles - Tenor Saxophone

Duncan Eagles and Max Luthert graduated to the main stage of the Whirlwind Festival's Hall 1 last week at King's Place (10/10/2013). Just an hour before they had opened the festival with the Ollie Howell Quintet and this ascension was both physical and symbolic for the likeable duo.

The bull ring for the main thrust of the Whirlwind Festival was Hall 1 and it was a mighty impressive theatre to watch and hear the next 3 days unfold. With its warm wood lined façade and cathedral like height that drew the eyes up along its vertical strokes, this was the place to be. The stage and sound were excellently managed through all of the sessions and I hope the festival and venue maintain their association long into the future.

Eric Ford - Drums

Coming out of the smaller St Pancras room with the Ollie Howell Quintet and into this cavernous space only exaggerated the change in scale, as did that of the smallest (numerically) band of the festival.
Partikel Trio, an early signing to the fledgling Whirlwind at that time are now blossoming into one of the labels stalwarts. Only a few months away from recording their third album but unfortunately without their string quartet, Eagles admitted they we just a few days shy of rehearsal time for the full blow out. I have heard them in recent months trailing some new material with cellist Shirley Smart and think this third album will contain a little more zip and concept than their second.

Max Luthert - Bass

As if to undermine what I've just written the trio's diminutive presence in this vast arena was bolstered by their second tune 'Assam', one of the stand out tracks from their second album 'Cohesion'. Written by bassist Max Luthert and performed with fullness, Eric Ford (drums) swept us in with his brushes, Luthert bouncing and then Eagles first sips of his soprano. Never has Luthert sounded so good, which bodes well for his first solo recording. It was a busy weekend for the willowy bassist and on Monday morning he brought his quintet, including Gareth Lockrane, Seb Pipe, Dave Hamblett and Matt Robinson to Derek Nash's Clown Pocket Studio in Kent.


Dan Redding - Filmmaker

'Assam' wandered into a new tune 'Midnight Mass' which had been toned down for this performance. Diluted more than usual, but not for long, the following composition 'Shimmer' did exactly what is says on the tin. The ever quizzical Eric Ford delighting us with his box of percussive tricks. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed another part of the Whirlwind stable, the filmmaker Dan Redding whose skills have become a label staple. Although discreet he has now perfected a professional stance since establishing his Youtube credentials, with legs akimbo he reminds one of David Hemmings' character in the film 'Blowup'.

Partikel finished with the excellent 'Landing' and here they worked at their best together. A tune that feels coded yet simple, Luthert teases us with a bass binary, those 1 and 0s floating out into the vast auditorium. Ford expresses in seesaw rhythms while Eagles' sax has a viscosity like a dribbling sap, the sound barely liquid until it crystalised into a rock hard resin that bombards us.

AL.

Partikel Cohesion - Album Inspiration

Front cover of Partikel's 2nd Album

After a month away from the Art and Jazz worlds it's good to be back. August was spent in France with a little bit of sketching, a generous amount of wine and plenty of swimming with the family. This year amongst the live sketches will be stories about the album artwork too. Mostly my own because I have access to the hidden artwork that never makes it to the public domain but hopefully other artists that I admire.

Today we start with Partikel's second album Cohesion that was released on Whirlwind Recordings in 2011.

A large part of my work portfolio is from musicians commissioning album artwork. The form of these album vary depending on the clients desires, their music or the label's in-house style.

Partikel in the studio

The most straightforward album covers start and end with images of the musicians themselves, either done in the studio or live at a gig. Of course working at gigs is exhilarating and the paintings have a life of their own. When working in the studio, it is invariably in booths, where the musicians are isolated from one another but occasionally (and more enjoyably) they record as an ensemble, where I can be inspired by their interactions and sound.

Cove

As an artist the creation of new work is always an exciting moment. Not only the birth of the music but the concepts and images inspired by its final form. I start to familiarise myself with the material and group by attending both gigs, rehearsals and of course the recording session. Then once the tracks have been honed to an acceptable level, usually post-mixed but pre-mastered they are sent to me. I sit in my studio and listen all the way through the CD and make written notes. These are sometimes gibberish, occasionally beautiful in form but always helpful in visualising the music physically. The notes are easy to carry around, meaning I can flick through them, jogging the memory when a blast of inspiration hits.

In this case I worked from a recording of a Partikel rehearsal, the day was 29th April 2011, our street was closed because of the Royal Wedding and below is what started to appear.

The Blood of the Pharoah
deep dangerous
luring-lure
wander – looking up and down
rings – strong earth colours
aboriginal dots
swirls – torque
lazy waft the breeze
punkawallah
slits of exoticness in between
Kew Gardens
Kisses through white painted wood
moving through the grass
gentle smooth

The Optimist

Rhythm
talking sweet, talking and talking
forgetting the time, then there's things to do
-when I'm having fun – we roll and pitch
There's that tune again
The best in front of the TV
I look out at the dust – or
maybe its the morning -
still there's a busy-ness
Bouncing.
The clothes go round and
round in the machine -
still wet when they come
out – I lay them on me
to keep cool – look like
a doll---dress me up, cheerful -

Room

Stretch it out
Birds in cages waking -
animals at the zoo -
I can hear the pelicans
the elephant is rolling around
the boar snuffing and
an animal rutting, rubbing,
picking, hitting all awakening
Food, Food, Food, Food
its around
eat in quiet

Grubs, insect crawling around
why can they escape
rattle the cage
wild lament
smell of the wild still
They wont take it from me.
I can still feel
Stretch out and taste the sun

The cages of Madame Gruszewski

'Room' ended up being the most creative of Partikel's tunes for me, creating several threads I wanted to pursue. The most effective was a group of cages I found and drew in the village of Cambieure in France, where I have my studio. These cages belonged to the wife of the Mayor, Mr Jacques GRUSZEWSKI, and I remembered seeing them there whilst completing a commission of his rose garden and house.

Add caption

It was the choice of Partikel's Duncan Eagles, Max Luthert and Eric Ford and we developed it further into the cover and back listing too. The upside down tulip inspired by Blood became the CD image and it went into production under the close scrutiny of Whirlwind Recording's Michael Janisch.

Favourable reviews followed and the rest is history.... or not quite.
The trio are hitting the road once again before recording their 3rd album with new and old material alike. Starting with an appearance at the Whirlwind Jazz Festival on the 10th October and finishing with a string of Scandinavian dates in December 2013.
See more on their website.

AL.

TW12 Jazz Festival - Day Pass Believer

Janet McCunn - Singer

Way back in the Nineteen Nineties Hampton Hill was visited by the eminent critic Jonathan Meades, who wrote a review that waxed lyrical about this quiet town's Number 1 restaurant. He pompously assumed this corner of South West London and its inhabitants were not worthy of the classy eatery in its midst. Many before and after have made the same lazy assumption, with even the local politicians campaigning to wipe it off the map and encouraging its consumption by larger neighbour Hampton.

Angie Tabbiner - Singer

You would have to be made of brave stuff therefore to stick your head above the suburban parapet and organise a cultural event, plum in the centre of Hampton Hill. Against the odds Janet McCunn and Terence Collie were the two hardy souls that had both the heart and stamina to do just that. Last Sunday (28/07/2013) saw the birth of the inaugural TW12 Jazz Festival at the Hampton Hill Playhouse. It was a roaring success, supported by local culturalites and Jazz lovers from further afield.

Wendy Linsey - Singer



Split into two marathon sessions, there were three choices available to the audience, a daytime pass, a evening pass or an all-dayer! Decisions were necessary from yours truly and I plumped for the daylight hours at an attractive £10. I knew that I still wouldn't be able to sketch from 11.30am to 6.30am continuously so I had to make some hard choices.


RYJB - Ella Davies

Apologies first and foremost, I'm afraid that I didn't sketch Charles Alexander and Andy Robinson. Despite this brief tea break I sketched every other daytime performer (except Meredith White, who's hair shielded her face & Tansay Omar) and include all 26 here in this blog entry. Understandably you'll have to excuse the briefness and quality of some drawings because it really was an action packed session.

The community has a musical bent and its beating heart is Richmond Music Trust so it was fitting that the festival kicked off with a set by the Richmond Youth Jazz Band in the theatre's foyer bar.

RYJB - Gavin Sandford

Notable solos from Ella Davies & William Jackson on 'Honeysuckle Rose', David Bustos on a grooving 'Mercy Mercy Mercy'. We were treated to a gutsy solo from Gavin Sandford on 'Lady is a tramp'. Unfortunately I couldn't see the quality bass work on their finale 'I'm feeling good' but I sure heard it loud and clear.

RYJB - William Jackson

The venue was a delight throughout with tight technical sound by Surrey Audio Solutions' Leo Appleyard and Jonathan Bird (of Big Band fame). The acoustics and lighting in the theatre were spot on and we enjoyed  a clear and uninterrupted view of the performers. Throughout the morning session the stalls ebbed from 50% to 90% full, and then overflowing with the arrival of the Max Luthert fan club for Partikel's set.

Paul Cavaciuti - drums

Our first taste of original music was from the Meredith White Trio with the shy White on piano, Paul Cavaciuti seated at the prominent drums and standing beneath the blue backdrop Dave Jones on Bass.

Dave Jones - Bass

It was pleasure to launch straight into White's 'Dunedin' and later to be propelled along by her 'Schwinger', the later being my favourite of the set. It was a brief introduction to the trio and those who were tardy only caught the final tune, Carole King's 'It's too late'. There was a healthy amount of toing and froing over the sessions and the audience quickly decided whether each group would get their emperorised thumb.

Gary Bartlett - Singer

A healthy band of vociferous vocal acolytes invaded the auditorium for the next set, for it was the Queen Bee who took to the stage. Janet McCunn is one of the doers of the local scene, buzzing around with limitless energy and charm. Here she fronted a showcase for 4 local singers, Gary Bartlett, Wendy Linsey, Angie Tabbiner and Mark Nesbitt.

Maureen Hardman - Saxophone

Janet started proceeding amongst a skilful quartet of musicians. Nick Cooper excelled
on piano whilst Maureen Hardman kept us upbeat as her sneakered toes jumped to the rhythm. From the shadows emerged Marianne Windham (Bass) and Dan Allsopp (drums) to support the more inexperienced vocalisers.

Dan Allsopp - drums

Allsopp was fascinating to watch, in repose he cuts a quiet and still figure, but once in motion he vibrates from head to toe like a runaway pneumatic drill.

Marriane Windham
- Bass

Gary Bartlett sang 'But not for me' ably but felt more comfortable in the swagger of 'I keep going back to Joe's' where his manliness gave him a presence beyond his mesmeric hair.

Wendy Linsey was smooth and strong when she took her turn in the TW12 spotlight. This is not the first time I have seen her in action (see Festival Of Awfulness)  and once again she impressed with 'Devil May Care'. Her svelte appearance belying a much large voice and a talent with longevity.

Mark Nesbitt - Singer

Mark Nesbitt let nerves run away with him a little and I bet he had more beneath his belt than we saw from this prowling lion. Despite being in perpetual motion I still enjoyed his rendition of 'Love Me or Leave Me' with its superb support by Nick Cooper on piano.

Robin Banerjee - Guitar

The toast of this showcase went to the magnetic Angie Tabbiner and her big voice. With flaming locks I wanted to be burned by this woman and her first tune 'Caravan' suited my desires. Forgetting I was in possession of a day pass I lay on the desert sands with her and gazed at her hypnotic stars.

Jean Berthon - Bass

I needed some air after this performance and took time out but returned in full fitness for the Motif Quartet's set. I was glad to have had a breather because this was the liveliest part of the day's offerings. The exuberant Robin Banerjee headed the funky foursome, kicking off with a ripping 'Sunny' proceeded by the poignant 'Ode to Amy'. A song dedicated to his friend, Amy Winehouse, who died so tragically in 2011.

Marta Capponi

The tunes composed by the bassist Jean Berthon were the high points of their set with equal impressive solos and support by Dom Pipkin on keys. Two tunes, two crackers!

Marta Capponi added some spice and feminine zeal with her appearance and we drunk deeply from her enthusiasm on 'Honeysuckle Rose' and pogoing 'Summertime'. Bouncing uncontrollably we sated our physical appetite before the main course of the daytime buffet, Partikel.

Max Luther - Bass

The cerebral trio, Partikel, have featured on several occasions recently in this blog. So I will not go over old ground, turning over the clods of their fertile talent. It seemed that Luthert once again lit the blue touch paper in front of a large fan club and was cheered during 'Assam' and its decent into 'Midnight Mass'.

Eric Ford - Drums

Eric Ford, hidden behind his drums, enjoyed himself. Not content with his new percussive toys he even beat his chest on the intro to 'The Landing', while Luthert's discord set up Duncan Eagles' emotive saxophone, fast paced, it hurtled toward its destination. Luckily the twinkling lights in Eagles cockpit brough him to his senses and we calmly cruised to a stop.

Duncan Eagles -
Soprano Sax

Eagles work on the Soprano Saxophone stood proud on one of the Trio's signature tunes 'Market Place'. Now a distant memory it harks back to the callers and barrowmen they once lived amongst. I was exhausted by the time I packed up my stall, knowing I wouldn't last the evening session I bid my farewells. It will not be a goodbye to the TW12 Jazz Festival though, I suspect under Janet McCunn and Terence Collie guidance there will be many more to come.

The reports of the evening session with Jason Rebello were very favourable and a with a packed house we must be optimistic about the future for Jazz in TW12. The discerning burghers of Hampton Hill don't need a critic to tell them what's worth experiencing, they know a good thing when they hear it!

AL.

Dom Pipkin - Keys

Nick Cooper - piano



RYJB - Matthew Cook

Roger Perrin - Keys



RYJB - David Bustos

RYJB - Connor Lynch

RYJB - Charlie Hayles