There's something slightly fishy about a folk musician outlining the academic musical qualifications of his band for the audience. But even if the young singer/accordionist Luke Daniels hadn't mentioned it, the formidable virtuosity of his Histories Rhyme project would have been hard to miss.
Histories Rhyme brings together three jazz musicians, two folk musicians and a classical pianist, on a repertoire strongly featuring Daniels's own songs. In some ways it's a risky undertaking. Folk music has traditionally depended for its impact on widely shared melody, an artlessness that emphasises communality, and a scrupulousness about maintaining its roots. Daniels's band broaches plenty of traditional-sounding themes, but then sets them skidding and sliding on treacherously fluid counter-melodies, quirky harmonic warps, muscular drumming and bursts of postbop sax wailing.
Daniels clearly has a fertile melodic imagination, a persuasive voice and a powerful accordion technique. He has leapt into space with this uneven but promising venture, and though the writing sometimes carried multilayering to perplexing extremes, for the most part the various persuasions of the players arrived at some intriguing textures.
The excellent South African drummer Brian Abrahams began Daniels's vivacious Castaway with a fascinatingly thumpy introduction on brushes that sounded as if he was hitting the kit with live fish. The piece unfolded as an alternation of prancing folk theme and driving funk. A lyrical theme with a swoony release confirmed Daniels's appetite for rich tapestries of contrasting melody, and guitarist Clive Carroll played an astonishing unaccompanied solo of sumptuous Ralph Towner-like chords and whiplash percussive effects with his plucking hand. Bassist Alec Dankworth's tone was majestic and declamatory, and saxophonist Ben Castle had a few brief openings in which to make sharp runs before being dispossessed by the attentive arrangements. A little overwrought so far, but a new force to reckon with.
Luke Daniels is at Huntingdon Hall, Worcester (01905 611427), tomorrow, and the Caedmon Hall, Gateshead (0191-477 3478), Friday.
