Review: Bath Jazz Weekend, Widcombe Social Club

What to do when it’s cold outside? Well gathering in a packed hall for some hot jazz action seemed a good call, especially for a weekend as diverse and star-studded as this was. Yet again – for the fifth time – a sizeable delegation from the Bristol Jazz Massive made it to the annual Bath Jazz Weekend and even the unexpected snowfall on Saturday night didn’t stop them coming back for more.

Laura Jurd Quartet – Cori Smith, Tara Cunningham, Corrie Dick, Laura Jurd (pic: Tony Benjamin)

The big names didn’t disappoint, happily: trumpeter Laura Jurd’s quartet brought yet another new sound to her portfolio, this time driven by Bath-born Tara Cunningham’s post-rock guitar with Corrie Smith’s Velvet Underground style viola swoops. Saxophonist Dee Byrne’s Outlines sextet swung effortlessly from harmonic chorales to free blowing anarchy and back, while Iain Ballamy’s Molecatcher trio was another revelation as the tenor saxman wove intricacies with Rob Luft’s elaborate guitar lines, held together by Connor Chaplin’s suavely stolid bass. For their last number Iain was able to stand back with pride as his teenage son Charlie and Laura Jurd joined in on trumpets for Dizzy Gillespie’s Con Alma – needless to say, the boy done good.

You Are Here: Jim Blomfield, Kevin Figes, Al Swainger, Pete Judge, Tony Orrell, Raph Clarkson (pic: Tony Benjamin)

Two great local bands were especially entertaining: pianist Rebecca Nash’s songwriting partnership with singer Sarah Colman was the heart of the Ribbons quartet and numbers like Turning Over Stones effectively combined poised jazz singing with energetic trio improvisation. You Are Here, saxophonist Kevin Figes’ tribute to the late Keith Tippett and others, was a blast, with all six players joyfully throwing themselves into the maelstrom of collective improvisation while swinging into upbeat themes like Elton Dean’s Seven For Lee and King Crimson’s jaunty Catfood.

Calennig: Huw Warren, Angharad Jenkins (pic: Tony Benjamin)

A strand of folk influences also ran through the weekend, with singer Nani Vazana’s unusual solo act of voice, piano and trombone evoking the Spanish-Jewish musical heritage of  Ladino culture and Fraser Fifield’s virtuoso low whistle playing rooting the Secret Path Trio’s jazz in Scottish traditional music. The weekend was closed with Calennig, the duo of Angharad Jenkins’ folk voice and violin and Huw Warren’s jazz piano reinterpreting the Welsh New Year tradition of Plygain carols. The controlled purity of Angharad’s vocals and Huw’s sympathetic arrangements made for a captivating end to proceedings.

Kyle Osborne (pic: Tony Benjamin)

But special mention must be made of two acts, the first being young pianist Kyle Osborne’s KO Quartet which opened the festival on Friday, Eschewing the fashionable dance-grooves of many of his fellow Tomorrow’s Warriors alumni, Kyle and colleagues produced a strong set of interesting standards given their own stamp. In the process they showed great maturity of style, especially pedal-free guitarist Ollie Young and super-solid bass player Freddie Canton. Their deconstruction of Cole Porter’s Love For Sale superbly brought out the dark ambiguities of the song.

SAROST: Paul Rogers, Mark Sanders, Larry Stabbins (pic: Tony Benjamin)

And for older jazz fans the mighty trio of improv legends SAROST aka Mark Sanders (drums), Paul Rogers (bass) and Larry Stabbins (sax) was an anticipated highlight that lived up to expectations. Announced by Larry with “Welcome to the Old School” they unleashed a richly varied stream of spontaneous music that melded into new shapes and moods as they played off each other. Paul’s remarkable seven-string instrument allowed him to soar, grind, thunder and growl, while Mark’s deployment of percussion produced a soundscape all of its own. Running through it all, Larry’s precision delivery on soprano and tenor sax made a telling vocal contribution that both steered and followed in the flow of the improvisations.

SAROST may have been a highlight, but yet again the audience agreed Bath Jazz Weekend programmer Nod Nowles had pulled together a consistently rewarding line-up remarkable in the range of styles it offered. It was great to see how much the performers themselves appreciated the chance to participate in a uniquely co-operative event that enlivened what had traditionally been a rather dull weekend of the year. Apparently Nod has already been approached by prospective players for 2026 – it will be interesting to see who makes the cut.