The Vortex Jazz Club, 11 Gillett Square, London N16 8JH | Bookings 020 7254 4097 | Enquiries 020 7993 3643 | Email Info at Vortex

March 2007
gig reviews

Martin Speake's Change of Heart
Forty Thieves Orkestar
Adam Waldmann Group
Michael Garrick Quintet
Gee, Gallo, Minetto
Sylvie Courvoisier and Mark Feldmann
Cameron Pierre
Jamie Woon
Cameron Pierre
Phil Robson ¯ Six Strings and a Beat
Tim Berne ¯ Big Satan
Robert Mitchell

Gig reviews archive

 2008 gig reviews
 2007 gig reviews
 2006 gig reviews

 


 

March 2007 gig reviews by Chris Parker

Tim Berne's Big Satan

Tuesday 27 March

Tim Berne's Big Satan did indeed produce 'loud, scrabbling improvisation and punchy, more structured playing – centring on the wonderfully versatile drumming of [Tom] Rainey', though there were more quiet moments in their two forty-minute sets than expected, passages where guitarist Marc Ducret was able to produce a series of astonishing textures and timbres from his electric instrument.

Heartening, also, to report that full houses heard the Berne band on three consecutive nights, and that most of London's improvising musicians seem to have caught at least one gig.

Given the fierce individuality of the music (it's a safe bet, for instance, that Jazz – excuse me, Smooth – FM will never play anything by Berne, nor will he ever play at Ronnie Scott's or the Pizza Express, though I'd be pleased to be proved wrong on any of these points), this seems to demonstrate that you don't have to plump for what might be termed the lowest common musical denominator to attract decent crowds to jazz.

 

 

Join the Vortex
email list

To receive monthly gig details, news and ticket offers.



RSS feeds

For news, gig and CD reviews and information about the club.

Click on the link below to get the subscribe address
Vortex news

For more informaton about RSS see the
RSS help pages