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November 2006
gig reviews

Oren Marshall - Charming Transport Band
John Law Trio
Andy Sheppard - 200 Saxophones - the opening of Gillett Square
Convergence Quartet
Robert Mitchell and Omar Puente
Ian Shaw
Mike Westbrook Village Band Project
Christine Tobin
Billy Jenkins
Huw Warren and Peter Herbert, Led Bib
Anker, Craig, Cleaver & Curios
Nikki Yeoh
Dog Soup
Sex Mob
Taeko Kunishima

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November 2006 gig reviews by Chris Parker

The Convergence Quartet

Tuesday 7

The Convergence Quartet, American cornettist/flugelhorn player Taylor Ho Bynum, Canadian drummer Harris Eisenstadt, UK pianist Alex Hawkins and Oxford Improvisers' bassist Dominic Lash, operate in the fertile hinterland between structure (they hint at rhythmically regular playing via the use of sketchy 'heads', and concluded their first set with a Monk tune) and free improvisation.

Eisenstadt, like, say, Jim Black or Tom Rainey, proved as adept at providing relatively heavy, almost rock-type beats as in skittering and shuffling behind free playing; Hawkins (who provided stage commentary as well as compositions) operated inside the piano as tellingly as on the keyboard (where he exploits the percussive potential of the instrument to great effect as well as playing dazzlingly fleet runs punctuated by high-note splashes and bass-note rumbles).

Lash held the band sound together with his steadiness, occasionally erupting into blistering solo statements; Ho Bynum ran through the entire range of his instruments' tonal possibilities, using smears, lip-smacks, high-note squeals, plus the odd run to spearhead a band approach that clearly riveted the attention of a decent-sized audience.

 

 

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