Gilad Atzmon and the Real Jazz Quartet
Gilad Atzmon - Saxophone/Clarinet
Frank Harrison - Piano
Jeremy Brown - Bass
Stephen Keogh - Drums
This new quartet - featuring bassist Jeremy Brown, drummer Stephen Keogh and Atzmon's long-time pianist Frank Harrison - breaks new ground yet again. Eschewing the political rhetoric, Atzmon nowlets the music do the talking, relaxing into a skillful and witty dialogue with his versatile bandmates. Together they breathe new harmonic and rhythmic life into every composition they perform, transforming even the most well-worn jazz standards into scintillating originals - the true essence of real live jazz."
Tour Dates
January 09
24 - 606 Club, London
28 - The Rhythm Station, Rawtenstall
29 - The Spin, Oxford
31 - Sherbourne
February 09
1 - The White Swan, Stratford-upon-avon
18 - Edinburgh
19 - Aberdeen
20 - Montrose
22 - Jagz, Ascot
March 09
5 - Lauderdale House, London
May 09
26 - The Pillar Rooms, Cheltenham
June 09
25 - The Watermill, Dorking
July 09
12 - Swanage Jazz Festival
Reviews
Paul Medley, The Oxford Times, 4th February 2009
The Spin started its new season in high-octane style. When he lets rip saxophonist Gilad Atzmon is close to the musical equivalent of burning rubber, so fast do scales and climbing arpeggios come pouring out. But, unlike Jeremy Clarkson, Atzmon is not just obsessed with raw speed. Although he can play with a fluidity that puts his playing up close to his hero Charlie Parker, he also has passion and invention. He relishes the unusual edges of jazz yet some of his best playing comes from interpretations of the classic standards of the jazz repertoire. Thus his latest appearance to a packed house at the Spin was a special treat. He started the evening with a wonderfully embellished version of Loverman and from there drove a hole through a whole plethora of well-known tunes hitching many of them to the chord progression of the opening tune so that his solos were not just created from one tune but linked a whole series of melodies into one great outpouring.
This is an approach that could easily descend into shallow showmanship but with Atzmon, although the showman is always present, the musician is irrepressible. Playing clarinet on In a Sentimental Mood, which he always entitles In a Suicidal Mood, he reformulated this Ellington classic into a Middle Eastern ballad without in any way denigrating the original or spoiling the elegance of the melody. It was also a perfect example of how expressive his playing can be, alternating moments of spectacular speed with achingly slow and beautiful phrasing. For this gig Atzmon used a rhythm section that perfectly matched his playing, keeping the music close to its historical roots. Frank Harrison on keys has played with Atzmon for so long he can predict and support without effort and has a wide, spaced-out style that complements the 'burning rubber' from Atzmon. Steve Keogh on drums and Jeremy Brown on bass provided a rock solid backing in which Keogh's playing was particularly clean and original. Fittingly Atzmon's latest album, In Loving Memory of America, recorded with a string quartet, is his own tribute to Charlie Parker,