Patrick Cornelius - 606 AA Milne

Patrick Cornelius

Nick Vayenas

Patrick Cornelius - saxophone
Nick Vayenas - trombone
Alex Garnett - sax/clarinet
Andre Canniere - trumpet
Phil Robson - guitar
Steve Hamilton - piano
Andrew Bain - drums
Michael Janisch - bass.

Andre Canniere

Date - 8th February 2016
Venue - 606 Club, London
Current Album - While We're Still Young



 The UK CD launch of Patrick  Cornelius' "While We're Still Young," his suite for octet with songs inspired by the children's poetry of A.A. Milne, performed by a Anglo-American 8 piece band.

Cornelius' latest project is inspired by the book “When We Were Very Young” a collection of poetry written by AA Milne, the English author best known for the beloved children’s book “Winnie the Pooh”. The title of the project is “While We’re Still Young”, a title that, while similar, evokes a  bittersweet flavour.

Michael Janisch

Patrick Cornelius originally thought that he was going to be writing this suite for his children. He regularly read to his daughter Isabella from "When We Were Very Young". He assumed perhaps with unrealistic altruism that this project would be a musical homage that Isabella and her brother would someday listen to with wonder and appreciation, but as he got into the actual writing, he realized that the idea of creating this music for his kids was a vain fantasy.
 

Phil Robson

Cornelius said, "I wrote for my own childhood; remembering the wonder and spectacle of exploring our big, scary, beautiful world through new eyes. I also wrote for my music influences. For Ellington, Debussy, Evans, and Shorter, yes, but also for my peers; the wealth of talent that exists in the creative music world today, many of which I actually hired to record the music with me." Patrick Cornelius

Andrew Bain

He revels in the bittersweet step between innocence and wisdom. Despite having left the magic and fury of youth in his wake, both personally and musically, Patrick Cornelius finds himself as a parent discovering AA Milne's work again and igniting that spark of that wonder. The message of "While We're Still Young" is that we should all search for that flame of innocent joy in our own lives, remember that feeling of wonder, and try to nurture it as best we can, no matter what our age or life circumstance. 

Alex Garnett

"While We're Still Young" swells the belly in a very English affair, epitomised by 'The Invaders' which is as ripe and dripping as a Vale Of Evesham orchard. It is the rich stain of a summer pudding, the cheap white bread on the outside is slowly discoloured by the rising pink of burgeoning fruit. As the seeping fruit paints its shades of chapped hands to rope burns it finally rests on the lurid bleed of unforgettable sunsets. Don't forget the cream, the double cream, so pure and rich that it can only be balanced by the smarting twang of sour currants, reminding us of the mercurial English summer.

AL.

Steve Hamilton

 

Rachael Cohen - London Jazz Festival 2014

Rachael Cohen - alto saxophone

Rachael Cohen kicked off the EFG London Jazz Festival this year on the Southbank (14/11/2014). The Royal Festival Hall is not only one of London's great public spaces but a hub, meeting point and cultural cauldron. It is the heartbeat of the jazz festival. It offers the everyman and everywoman the chance to experience this most innovative of genres for free.

Jim Bashford - drums

This year's festival is better than ever with an even broader mix of styles, ages and venues to choose from. Rachael Cohen played it relatively safe, for this was a lunchtime concert that embraced an audience from toddlers to those surfing the silver freedom-pass wave. The majority of tunes were from her debut album Halftime on Whirlwind Recordings which was released this time last year at the suitably named Whirlwind Festival.

Steve Marchant
@yorks111

That launch gig showcased the talents of Phil Robson on guitar and once again he gave us what we hoped for here. He has been thrilling the jazzerati recently with the latest Partisans'  album  'Swamp'. They have toured North America and are now at the end of their UK leg. It is Leeds tonight at Seven Jazz and then the Vortex, London tomorrow (21/11/2014).

Phil Robson - guitar

Rachael Cohen socked us a couple of easy punches with 'The Manor' and Ornette Coleman's 'Just for you' to start proceedings. It was packed out in the Festival Hall, and I perched in the crow's nest above the bar. 'Groove Envy' gave us the chance to sail to more ambitious shores. The tune steps up and steps down like riding the escalators in a department store but when you hear Rachael Cohen alone it conjures more naturalistic sentiments. Maybe it her height and elegance alongside her playing that makes you think of reeds and rushes. From afar she sways in the wind, soft and mesmeric, yet you know the edges are sharp and whippy.

Before a finale of the warmed toned 'Intermission' and boisterous 'Riggins Higgins,?' we were treated to a new tune. Mark Lewandowski warmed to it too, looking a little pale and with sleepy eyes at first, he brought the colour to 'Green screen'. It was cheeky and joyous, it made you wonder what gems are contained in Rachael Cohen's second album.

Mark Lewandowski - bass

A final note goes to the London Jazz Festival's most devoted jazzface, Steve Marchant, who I sketched listening intently. At the time of writing this he has racked up 20 gigs in just 6 days. He will inevitably make the marathon distance but will he become the first Jazz Ultra and hit the 50. You wouldn't bet against it.

AL.

Christine Tobin - Kiss and tell

Christine Tobin

Christine Tobin came to the Twickenham Jazz Club with only two sidemen to fight for her cause. There is a bravery and obvious purity in having so few instruments and personalities on stage. It was toward the end of the month (24/04/2014) and the crowd wasn't as plump in numbers, so it made for a close knit group with a singer who weaves a narrative with great skill and pathos.

The spine of the performance belonged to an 80 year old, well his songs anyway. The words of Leonard Cohen have given Tobin the inspiration for her latest album A Thousand Kisses Deep (2014 - Trail Belle Records) but visually she has very little in common with the Canadian wordsmith.


Dave Whitford - Bass

Christine Tobin was bathed in a spicy light that only exaggerated her already flame hair and exotic visage that challenged Cleopatra with its generous sweep of mascara. When her hips started to move and the gypsy hoops in her ears started to swing you couldn't help but imagine her as an Irish Esmerelda. Despite there being another poet's words in her mouth it is her ability as a storyteller that lived with us long after this performance.

Phil Robson - guitar

"Dance Me To The End Of Love", "A Thousand Kisses Deep", "Everybody Knows", "Take This Waltz" swept past before we saw the best of Dave Whitford on Bass. We familiarised ourselves with the stoop of Whitford recently when he performed with the excellent Alex Hutton at TJC in December 2013. Tonight and without charts to look at, he raised himself to his full height. Another two Cohen tunes "Story Of Isaac" and "Tower of Song" gave us a mere flavour of his talents and it was a regret we didn't taste more of his solo work in particular.

Joe the Hat

The third member of the trio was the consummate professional Phil Robson on guitar, with a dead pan demeanour that barely varied throughout the evening. Neither did his talents dwindle from start to finish. He laid down an early marker on "A Thousand Kisses Deep" where he was gentle and firm. As a kisser I imagine he would be smooth and easy, not a fast and furious fiddler.

Caroline Rock

Robson is going to be a busy man this year with his Organ Trio (Ross Stanley & Gene Calderazzo) coming to the capital on 13th May (S.E Collective) and further afield a North American tour with the Partisans.





Lister Park

With only the trio on stage for the majority of the night, it gave me a chance to turn my pen on some of the audience and of course the first person that catches your eye is legendary Jazz figure Joe the Hat who doesn't need any introductions. The music copyright expert Andy Rock was in attendance with his elegant wife and the TJC's website manager Lister Park brought a bit of muscle to proceedings.

Kelvin Christiane -
Soprano

A Twickenham Jazz Club night wouldn't be the same without an entrance from host Kelvin Christiane, this time on soprano saxophone. He gave the swinging "Angel Eyes" the sass it needed and the lemony zest that perfectly balanced the buttery voice of Christine Tobin.

AL.

Phil Robson - Whirlwind Slap

Phil Robson - Guitar

With a gauntleted slap we were challenged by Phil Robson on the final session of Day 2 (11/10/2013) at the Whirlwind Festival. To engage with the music we did not need to discover all the hidden secrets of his album 'The Immeasurable Code' but the brain had to be in its most alert and functioning state. This was not a concert that revealed all its delights in the short 50 minutes format, in fact the music has lived with me longer than any other. Armed with the recorded music and a fast broadband speed I am only now appreciating its full depth.



Ernesto Simpson - Drums

Phil Robson's music has a burning intensity that is written all over his face, his trilby was the kettle lid perched upon a furrowed brow and his red head looked as though it was touching boiling point throughout the performance. Hot and fierce on the outside, I suspect his cerebral cooling system is exemplary because his playing was measured, assured and direct.



Gareth Lockrane - Flute

Gareth Lockrane and his flute had certainly regained some of his pep from the previous day and Robson squeezed every conceivable facet of this man's talent out of him. 'Nassarius Beads' with its short cascades had the audience swaying with shoulders and heads before Lockrane's misty funk worked down to their hips.

Stan Sulzmann - saxophone

Second tune "Telepathy and Transmission" with its fractious beat/sound gave Ernesto Simpson the chance to dig deep and Robson showed that he is willing to dirty his hands to provide us with a gritty challenge. We were asked to roll up our sleeves too.

Michael Janisch - Drums

In contrast "Telegram" gave it to us on a plate, its title and introduction from Robson served its themes like an Edwardian calling card. Stan Sulzmann provided the shiny train tracks on which the rest of the group steamed along, whilst we in contrast, had time to stare out the window and let our imaginations blossom from the safety of our chairs.

Michael Janisch was resident on the bass, supporting his long time friend Robson and stepping into the latter's new tune "Berlin". After several attempts to sketch him, this is one of my favourites, capturing his strong angular features and that often slack mouth with bouncing lower jaw which is an indicator that  he's really in the groove.

Stephen Jay

Gareth Lockrane brought us to a sleepy conclusion with "A Serenade" and for the first time I watched Whirlwind photographer Stephen Jay put down his camera and just take it all in, probably partly in exhaustion. Lockrane drew out the subtlety of the composition as if transforming his flute into a slender rolling pin and slowly flattening our soft pastry edges. I was cooked too after sketching for 6 hours and was happy to retire and contemplate Phil Robson's music at my leisure.

AL.

Rachael Cohen - Whirlwind Halftime launch

 

Rachael Cohen - Saxophone

Another day (11/10/2013) and another launch to kick off a Whirlwind Festival day in King's Place's St Pancras Room. This time we had different approach from the label's first female band leader, Rachael Cohen. The 'hair of the dog' after the night before was just the ticket with a rich mellow brew from Cohen's imminent release 'Halftime'.

Mark Lewandowski

The relatively new face of Rachael Cohen was hidden in the St Pancras Room's gloomy lighting but it suited her music, especially crepuscular tunes like her sixth of the set, "Intermission". Cohen has a stillness and calm about her playing, not so much punch and sway. With her slim long legs, teetering on wedged heels she looks like a hunting Crane, elegant and full of latent strength. In fact the sedate and emotive "Ask me later" has a sequence toward the end that suggests circular ripples in a still pool, the casting off of sound into a quiet hall and the powerful moments of silence in between.

Phil Robson - Guitar

After the opening tunes we encountered one of many compositions that highlighted the talents of Phil Robson on guitar. The disparate "Groove Envy" is an ambitious piece that was expertly bound by Robson's playing. Initial impressions predicted a darned repair, but Robson stitches were short and sharp and his darting needle left us richly embroidered. His precarious solo on "Just for you" was a simple delight on the strolling, wistful Ornette Coleman tune.
It brought out the swing of Mark Lewandowski on bass too. His playing wandering over the belt line of the groove, unlike the man himself, who kept his white shirt firmly tucked into his black trousers.

Jim Bashford - drums

The quartet gained more momentum toward the end of their launch. Jim Bashford stretched out a little without ever becoming musically inebriated, although "The Manor" let his bubbles rise to the top like a good champagne, subtly fizzing. The finale of "Riggins Higgins" gave Rachael Cohen the chance to rock off her wedges and onto her toes. She left both the crowd and the band animated for the day ahead. Rumour has it that this musical shot in the arm propelled Cohen well into the wee small hours of the night too, along with the album's photographer Pippa Evans.

AL.