Aberjazz – Day 1 – Blues Aplenty and Jazz with a Twist
Dave Speight at Ffwrn Photo©Nigel Summerley
Aberjazz – Day 1
It’s pretty much impossible to attend a blues jam session these days without someone getting up and playing Crossroads – usually attempting it à la Clapton, but, unlike Eric, turning it into something riff-heavy and lumpen.
The best version I’ve heard of this classic Robert Johnson song in decades was performed yesterday at Ffwrn in Fishguard – with a wild assuredness by veteran singer/acoustic guitarist Dave Speight, picking and sliding his way through the song with equal measures of love and authenticity.
He also played touching versions of the Lonnie Johnson hit Tomorrow Night and Sleepy John Estes’ Drop Down Mama – a true treat for fans of blues the way it used to be.
Later at the same venue Canadian virtuoso guitarist Gary Cain gave a slightly more modern electric blues masterclass, channelling, it seemed, Freddie King (with occasional dashes of Albert King), ably assisted by an excellent and attentive rhythm section.
Gary Cain and a capacity audience at Ffwrn Photo©Nigel Summerley
Peppers was the place for the contributions of the day that veered closer to jazz – and a little more subtlety. The Baires Connection’s Julieta Iglesias on piano and Ianina Pietrantonio on flute brought the strong musical flavours of Argentina to a Pembrokeshire setting, particularly featuring the tango/jazz/classical fusion compositions of Astor Piazzolla. Seductive changes of rhythm and tempo and the duo’s sublime instrumental interplay made this a performance filled with drama and emotion.
They were followed by J4 – a quartet of jazz musicians promising “the 60s with a twist” and certainly delivering exactly that.
Guitarist James Chadwick led the band through a series of inspired improvisations on tunes familiar to those of a certain age, but taking them into unfamiliar territory. Bob Dylan’s Mr Tambourine Man, Paul Simon’s Sound Of Silence, the Beatles’ Blackbird and the Brian Wilson’s God Only Knows were revealed as fertile ground for jazz – perhaps not surprising, given the genius of their composers. But even the Monkees’ Daydream Believer became a fascinating musical exploration.
Mark Sambell on piano and Aidan Thorne on bass proved to be masters of invention, but it was the fierce and focused drumming of Liz Exell that kept the musical fire burning throughout and made this a very special gig.
The Baires Connection at Peppers Photo©Nigel Summerley
Remarkable drummer Liz Exell at Peppers Photo©Nigel Summerley
See tomorrow for our Day 2 review.
