Spark Vol. 34 Issue 8 - 24th November 2003

On January 26th 1917, the Original Dixieland Jazz Band recorded the first jazz record at the Victor Studios in New York. In the ensuing decades, jazz has taken on many personae and is influence can be heard in such diverse genres as hip-hop and progressive rock.

It's a sheer irony that, despite the sheer complexity of jazz, you will rarely see a bad jazz band. Jazz musicians are deeply devoted to the sources of their inspiration, almost to the point where they possess the music rather than merely taking enjoyment from it. It has been said that to play jazz is to breathe it and out band tonight, the Blue Roosters, go some way to illustrating this idea through their choice of material and their interpretations of it.

Unlike jazz itself, the history of the Blue Roosters is easily summarised; namely, several member of the university jazz band coming together with the mutual desire to form a smaller band and combine standards with original material. So the Blue Roosters - Dave Johnston (bass), Jules Bastrup (guitar), Chris Tingley (keys), Paul Jordanous (trumpet), Kemme Spence (tenor sax) and Tom Grace (tubs) - come to be. One year on, they are the band that will hopefully launch a regular fixture at the union.

There're a very competent band and a surprisingly (for the organisers anyway) large crowd is suitable appreciative.

Johnston's bass playing is especially noteworthy as he and Grace lay down a consistently effective set o rhythms (most prominent on Herbie Hancock's funk hit, Chameleon), creating an ideal backdrop over which their band mates demonstrate their impressive grasp of their chosen instruments. Forgoing the excesses of the heavier jazz-rock fusion, the band deliver a set of smooth, laid back standards that dedicated fans would have recognised.

There's space for everyone to breathe and take centre stage - trumpet and tenor sax glide smoothly through Miles Davies' So What, keyboards play a pivotal role in Dave Brubeck's hit single Take Five and interpretations of Blue Train (John Coltrane) and Summertime (from George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess) are both faithful to the originals while highlighting the band's own style.

Mojo's has been packed out from the start and it's safe to say that everyone went away satisfied. Many conversations that passed within earshot made mention of "getting more into jazz" which can only be a good thing. Overall, tonight is a pleasing change from the norm and a deserved success. Hopefully, positive feedback will result in more events like this, so keep your eyes open for future announcements.

Craig Carter (Spark).