Issue 43 / April 2014

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I DESIGN
BIDO LITO!
be down to a bad foldback situation) is pitchy –
pretty unforgivable in these circumstances.
Despite my gripes, though, the effect of
Rebello, Miller and Rasheed-Abel as a trio on
Without A Paddle is fantastic. It’s what we’ve
come to hear – impressive progressions, perfectly
tight stops and outrageous solos. It’s a shame
the rest of the night can’t quite match up.
Saturday sees Liverpool band THE WEAVE
gracing the Capstone with their perfectly
intertwined trumpet harmonies, with melodic
support from Andrzej Baranek filling in on
the piano and Anthony Ormesher on jazz
guitar. Ormesher strikes a gorgeous tone,
smooth and classic, which provides the perfect
embellishments to these strong structures.
Baronek lets loose some incredible solos, hitting
that balance perfectly between tasteful and
excitable, and the combination of Tilo Pirnbaum
on drums and Hugo ‘Harry’ Harrison on double
bass never fails to disappoint.
Some of the tracks venture slightly into lounge
territory, but are very pleasant regardless, and
Martin Smith (Trumpet) is so entertaining, no
doubt showcasing some incredible talent, that I
only wish I had a whisky to sip on to add a bit of
an edge. 10/10 - would weave again.
Later that night at the after party in MelloMello,
I get my whisky, and Harrison pops up again
with Liverpool’s BLIND MONK TRIO. Reimagining
Thelonious Monk’s intricate piano pieces across
saxophone, double bass and drums, the trio truly
offer a new spin on the idea of jazz covers. They’ve
evolved a little since I saw them last, added a
little more cheek and perhaps informality to their
performance, and it’s a comfortable relationship
that these guys have with the room.
Rock jazz quartet GET THE BLESSING are back
in Liverpool to close out this year’s Jazz Festival
after their very well-received show in the Kazimier
in 2012. They’re a sharply dressed bunch, which
almost seems to fit with the sober environs of the
university auditorium, but after the first track – very
coordinated piece, the heaviest we’ve heard at
the festival, adorned by delayed and reverberated
licks from the trumpet and saxophone – we are let
into the surreal sense of humour of frontman and
bassist/guitarist Jim Barr. Instead of song titles,
he attributes the compositions to particularly
inspirational sandwiches – the first being
ciabatta bread with a parmesan, Parma ham and
rocket filling. “A fantastic sandwich, thank you.”
It is ridiculous, but in such a great way that it
completely relaxes the atmosphere, loosening up
the rather formal setting.
The influences for this eclectic band seem
pulled from all corners of the globe. Lower Earth
Orbit especially sounds like it has a Middle
Eastern-inspired riff. The trumpeter Peter Judge
and saxophonist Jake McMurchie are particularly
entertaining to watch, playing around with loops,
distortion and dark harmonic progressions.
The highlight of the night starts with looped
low drones from the horns, which provides
an awesome grainy backdrop over which a
clicky, clean beat is laid. The guitar carries an
improvised structure through the track and the
horns embellish the soundscape with carefully
chosen frequencies keeping it sparse, yet filled
out.
A great booking for the festival finale – they
leave us looking forward to next year.
Jessie Main / @JessieMainMusic
THE ROSCOES
Mother Superior
The Pilgrim
The Pilgrim’s intimate upstairs room is, in
a literal sense, the hottest venue in Liverpool.
Amongst the haze of perspiration, the minuscule
setting for THE ROSCOES’ launch of new single
When He Gets You Down is packed to the rafters
with fans, photographers and the occasional
Pilgrim punter who’s wondering what all the
racket’s about. That racket, incidentally, is this: The
Roscoes, one of the most hyped young bands in
Liverpool at the moment, and there’s a palpable
excitement in the excruciatingly humid air.
But as support act MOTHER SUPERIOR take to
the tiny stage there’s every chance they might
upstage the headliners, as they give a sterling
performance of what’s apparently referred to as
“noise disco”. Dual vocalists Rosa Weiner and
Fran Fitzpatrick provide captivating interweaving
melodies atop the louche grooves of Christopher
Connor’s bass and guitar lines, that drift
effortlessly from Gang Of Four spikiness to the
occasional psychedelic freak-out. Every member
of the six-piece is completely in their element,
launching from a slap bass solo to a theatrical
version of Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)
with barely a slip-up in sight. The only problem
is that they seem to be dancing more than the
crowd who, while appreciative, don’t really
seem to be in the party mood. Whether it’s the
oppressive heat, bated breath for The Roscoes,
or just a dislike of slap bass, there seems to
be something missing from the performance,
though it’s hard to find fault with Mother
Superior’s live ability.
Whatever the reason, it leaves plenty of room
for The Roscoes to blow everyone away, with the
crowd now swelling to what surely constitutes
a breach of health and safety. They kick off with
Start Again, but again things are mysteriously
underwhelming. It’s not a bad performance by
any standards, and they’re as proficient in terms
of live musicianship as they are on record, but
at first there’s not too much to prove why they
should stick out amongst a sea of local bands.
There’s relief amongst The Roscoes’ sizeable
fanbase though, as the band seem to snowball
in stature as the set progresses; by the time they
reach Own Way Down towards the last third of
the set things have progressed to something
truly special, and they follow it with a storming
rendition of Novahell that really should have
opened the set.