REVIEW:

Theo Travis – Double Talk

The longer an artform exists the more varieties of expression get taken in under the same roof. Jazz has arguably moved forward at a greater pace even then visual art and now covers a remarkable spectrum from ‘classic’ jazz through to complex orchestral pieces and free improvisation. Thus Theo Travis’s quartet ‘Double Talk’ comfortably inhabits an area where jazz meets prog rock and blues without anyone thinking to question the artistic validity of such an enterprise. Quite the opposite, the music was welcomed and enjoyed at the Spin for its unpretentious professionalism. The quartet of Travis on alto flute, soprano and tenor, Mike Outram, guitar, Peter Whittaker, hammond organ and Roy Dodds, drums where on the last date of a national tour so they were well on top of the material and playing with the tightness of a rock band with hundreds of gigs under their belt. Travis has long been accepted as a fine tenor player with both an edge from his interest in rock and blues and a fleetness of phrasing from his work as a straight ahead jazz musician. Mike Outram, who was last seen at the Spin with the Asif Sirkis trio, played unashamedly rock-based guitar with climactic bursts of shimmering jazz runs, so he stood beautifully astride both idioms. Roy Dodds, an experienced jazz drummer, also moved into the rock idiom with extraordinary skill. On several occasions during the evening such as in the Steve Winwood tune, Glad Dodds accompanied a Peter Whittaker organ solo with a magnificent mix of prog rock drive and jazz intricacy. The band’s take on the Syd Barrett classic See Emily Play showed how they could invigorate a tune with the dimensions of jazz without losing the playfulness of the original.

Most of the music was by Travis himself and perfectly captured the neat simplicity of the rock tunes of the 70s without sounding slight or imitative. There was some good live looping on flute, thankfully not overdone, though there were times when his tone on soprano seemed weak in contrast to the full rich sound he gets from the tenor. The delight was to hear such accomplished musicians move across into the land of rock without losing their footing in jazz.

© Paul Medley