REVIEW: 9 December 2004 | ||
Pat Thomas and | ||
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 | Great jazz, like with all other music, is a form of alchemy in which something exceptional happens between noise and silence which puts the listeners on the edge of their seats. There were many moments at the Spin last Thurday when gold was spun into the air by Pat Thomas on keyboard and Orphy Robinson on vibes backed by Dudley Philips (bass) and Mark Doffman (drums). Instead of the usual mixed set list the band played non-stop Thelonious Monk in the first set followed by Sun Ra in the second. Monk wrote so many tunes that many in the club were not on familiar ground until they swung into In Walked Bud. Then we were able to appreciate most clearly the artfulness of the music. Without a pause from the previous number, piano and vibes were suddenly playing the tune in unison with all the accented angularity that characterises the best Monk. In Orphy Robinson’s singularly energetic playing in which percussive notes follow long fast phrases the threads of the tune appeared and reappeared like magic until the Pat Thomas took over with his individual style of discordant chords, thick as concrete, followed by flurries of notes over the length of the keyboard. Just when it seemed Monk had given way to chaos the left hand reaffirmed the rhythm and harmonies re-emerged in the right hand chords until suddenly vibes and piano are back in the tune, again in perfect unison. Both Orphy Robinson, standing tall over his acoustic vibes and Pat Thomas who sits crouched and almost expressionless over the keyboard, are masters of their instrument who, despite their contrasting styles, played together with rhythm and sensitivity on both the cunning eccentricities of Monk and the wide spaces of Sun Ra. There was also a palpable sense of co-operation between all the players. Even a masterfully loose drum solo from Mark Doffman was supported rather than interrupted by chords and phrases from piano, bass and vibes, Orphy leaning out from the shadows to avoid masking our view. Dudley Philips on string bass was constantly inventive in support and solo. Most of all the evening was a demonstration that jazz in the hands of ‘free’ players like Pat Thomas can reach out to even the more sceptical sections of the Spin audience. As Orphy Robinson said of Pat Thomas at the end, we should ‘cherish this Cowley Road original’. And we applauded. | |
| © Paul Medley | |
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