REVIEW:

Tassos Spiliopoulos

Having rehearsed his quartet the day before Tassos Spiliotopoulos was but under some pressure with the news that saxophonist Mark Lockheart was trapped in miles of tailback on the M25 and the quartet would be a trio. There is considerable difference between a quartet where the two front line players can share the soloing and give extra depth to the presentation of melodies and a trio where one player, with the support of bass and drums, is largely responsible for the colour and formulation of the music and for the bulk of the solos. Nevertheless, with a formidable rhythm section of Oly Hayhurst on bass and Asaf Sirkis on drums, Spiliotopoulos was far from alone and unsupported on stage.

From the outset he seemed entirely calm and in control of the situation and only remarked on a couple of occasions that a certain number would be very good with the addition of sax – ‘but never mind’. The way Spiliotopoulos handles the guitar, teasing melody from within the body of voiced chords that shift back and forth from open to dense, brought to mind Wolfgang Muthspiel - one of the masters of a style of guitar playing that creates simultaneous focus and space. Surprisingly Spiliotopoulos claims to have only a very passing acquaintance with classical guitar whereas Muthspiel admits to borrowing heavily from his classical background.

Spiliotopoulos’ technical style and confidence put him so clearly in control of the situation that the absence of Lockheart was only felt because it had been referred to. Whether playing his own compositions many of which had a long-phrased lyrical feel or straight jazz numbers like Parker’s Segment the guitar playing was a wonderful mix of chordal passages and beautifully articulated and immaculate fast runs. Behind this the effervescent drumming of Sirkis worked like magic curtains of rhythm constantly altering the background colouring while Hayhurst pinned the whole down with his precise bass lines. Hayhurst also put in a number of extended bass solos that were rightly applauded for their imaginative drive. Hopefully next time Spiliotopoulos comes to the Spin he will have a full band and the result will, if possible, be even more enjoyable.

© Paul Medley