Vortex gig reviews by Chris Parker

Sleepthief

Ingrid Laubrock, Tom Rainey, Liam Noble

Monday 5 May

Anyone familiar with Ingrid Laubrock's albums as leader ­ particularly her 2003 F-IRE recording Forensic, will already be aware that her playing is characterised by a sculptural quality, a scrupulous attention to nuances of timbre and texture, that stands her in good stead in free-jazz contexts. Read the review

New CD reviews by Chris Parker

Tubby Hayes  Intensity

Recorded at Ronnie Scott's in spring 1965, this hitherto unreleased material catches Tubby Hayes in a brief period between bands ­ as fellow tenor player Simon Spillett points out in his comprehensive liner notes, Hayes experienced 'a recurring headache' caused by his 'inability to fix satisfying rhythm sections in the UK' until he chanced upon Tony Levin in 1966.

The James Taylor Quartet  Live at The Jazz Cafe

The James Taylor Quartet have been dispensing their particular mix of organ-centred jazz, funk and R&B since 1985, and this album catches them in their natural setting, London's Jazz Cafˇ, a venue at which, according to Taylor himself, they have played over 150 gigs in seventeen years.

Lionel Loueke  Karibu

The sheer novelty of Lionel Loueke's approach – he simultaneously sings/croons in a gentle, high voice and picks out intriguing runs on guitar, thus producing not instrumental solos plus vocal accompaniment, but a single sound composed of voice and guitar – may not make his music immediately accessible, but once assimilated, it richly rewards the effort required to appreciate it.

Neon  Here to There

Neon is a trio comprised of saxophonist/flautist Stan Sulzmann, pianist (here also heard on french horn) Gwilym Simcock and vibes/marimba player Jim Hart, and this is their debut recording. Given their instrumentation, the trio might easily have produced a somewhat cluttered sound...

Tony Kofi Quartet  The Silent Truth

Returning to the line-up that made the Monk-themed album All is Know four years ago – Tony Kofi on various saxophones, pianist Jonathan Gee, bassist Ben Hazleton, drummer Winston Clifford – celebrates, according to Kofi himself, the fact that the group sound has 'solidified' since that first recording.