Another great, entertaining evening at The Blue Vanguard
Jazz Club – its jazz-injected monthly take-offs at The Gypsy Hill Hotel in
Exeter, not that far from the airport.
I’m going to begin this review with a shout-out to the ‘house’
band who are actually a fundamental part of the programme, all guest/s on the
bill seamlessly supported by this talented band of Craig
Milverton – Keys; Al Swainger – Bass, and Coach York – Drums. At last night’s
gig, Coach York had some stellar work-outs on a number of Latin-focused rhythms,
and I loved the soloing of him framed by the alternating sax playing of Roberts
and Exall, York punctuating their shifts with bursts of tight drum-riffs. Al Swainger
is such a deft player, and his walks are always the coolest strides, some
moments of bended notes quite exquisite. Craig Milverton is distinctive, and
his solos are always on a par with whomever he and the band are playing, such
dancing runs across the keys falling into glorious descending chords, and last
night on Robin’s Nest, a delicate
atonal solo that was hypnotic.
Amy Roberts and Richard Exall played a most
entertaining set, and Roberts on flute reminded of what a great jazz instrument
it can be. Both she and Exall played the clarinet, an instrument I don’t always
like, but each gave it the sass [as well as finesses] needed to usurp my
prejudices: their duet on, respectively, flute and clarinet playing Tico Tico was energy and skill personified. Exall has such a ‘feel’ to his playing, and much of the fluidity in
his tone exemplifies this, as on Tenderly.
He also produces plenty of sass in the instrument designed to anthropomorphise
this, alto or tenor. I’m terrible at remembering song titles, but I did enjoy
Art Pepper’s Popo for its spunk, Johnny
Hodges’ Below the Azores where
Roberts played beautiful flute layered with York’s rhythmic drums, and the Sir Charles
Thomas and Illinois Jacquet Robin’s Nest.
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