REVIEW:

John Burgess

John Burgess is a big man with a big sound and the title of his album ‘Urge to Burge’ is distinctly appropriate. His playing bursts with an urgency to express music, it overflows with energy and burgeons with at times almost brutal vitality. From the very first bar of the first solo at the Spin there was no sense of hesitation. With a technique that allows him to play at blistering speed, using the total range of the tenor saxophone including a bunch of harmonics at the top with extraordinary facility, Burgess could come across like a proverbial bull in a pile of wedding crockery except that he is not wreaking destruction, however creative that can be, but throwing out a wild, seemingly inexhaustible flow of musical energy. His influences in the world of post-bebop jazz are clear but his ability to link musical expression with this forcefulness gives his playing the individuality that we are inevitably looking for. There are nevertheless times when the sheer exuberance of the performance leads him close to that knife edge where a whirlwind of notes tumbles into senselessness. On the other hand when dropping back into a ballad Burgess can play with thoughtful elegance using the full force of his sound to give real sensuality to sparser, more extended phrases.

This was also a significant evening for two other reasons. The Spin trio was once again the original three players, Pete Oxley, Raf Mizraki and Mark Doffman who launched this remarkable venture nine years ago and are all now even finer players than they were then. Also, in anticipation of a favourable decision in the Parliamentary Jazz Awards for best jazz venue, the band played a premiere performance of a new Oxley melody optimistically entitled ‘Got it!’ Whether or not the Spin do get the award, which it richly deserves, this was also another great example of Oxley’s ability to compose colourful, sprightly tunes that, like all the best jazz standards, give the soloist something to work on. This was also an evening that saw the welcome return of Mark Doffman on drums who has been absent too long while playing the academic game.

© Paul Medley