British jazz relies these days on stalwarts like Gordon Wellard to convert the streetwise young to its charms.
This concert was a fundraiser for Wellard's Jazz in Schools cause, intended to give kids a taste of big band music. His septet, which during term-time runs the gauntlet of school assemblies, had a more relaxed outing here as the hard bop appetiser to the Trio Europa, fronted by the benevolent bassist Pierre Boussaguet whom Wellard encountered at the Marciac Jazz Festival. It was an evening of joy only marginally marred by exhortations at every opportunity to buy A Tribute to Keezer, Wellard's new album. All in a good cause, of course.
The four horn line-up included Steve Fishwick on trumpet and Ed Jones on tenor saxophone, who, lifting his knee to give leverage to his playing, built up several muscular passages with Bob Martin's warm, persuasive alto horn adding contrast.
Ping Pong, written by Wayne Shorter, gave the band a chance to let loose some energy, but The Good Life, arranged by Fishwick, was the highlight. The brass slowed to a saunter and Adrian Fry on trombone got a chance to shine.The biggest disappointment was that Wellard kept pounding away like a packhorse but never really took his own turn in the spotlight.
Trio Europa took the evening up another notch, despite the fact that drummer Alvin Queen was replaced last minute by Clark Tracey. In fact, Boussaguet, a favourite with players such as Wynton Marsalis and Cedar Walton, has known the British drummer for 20 years.
Pianist Hervé Sellin threatened to outshine them in dexterity and stamina as the trio launched the set with a tribute to the Catalonian pianist Tete Montoliu. Sellin's fingers danced, his right foot pedalled, his left foot skittered, at a loss to keep up. Next came Three Witches, which Boussaguet in troduced on bass with an edgy precedent and some great note-bending. The set got better and better, finishing with a grown-up version of Milt Jackson's Bags Groove, which had Tracey grounding a flighty piano with his drum flurries as, sneakily, the theme crept out.
