Norden Farm: Steve Waterman ****

3:15pm Thursday 1st May 2008

There was a fine array of top British jazz talent on display at Norden Farm last Friday for the latest Jazz at the Farm concert.

Headline artist was trumpeter Steve Waterman who was superbly supported by the Pendulum Quartet: Nathan Hawken (saxes), Peter Billington (piano), Clarke Tracey (drums) and Andy Crowdy (bass).

Good jazz players bring out the best in each other, as we saw at this gig. Steve is a wonderfully inventive player whose solos spill over with sparkling ideas. On Tadd Dameron's Our Delight he showed the full range of his playing, starting with a finely configured improvisation which gained momentum and edge as it progressed, before slipping neatly back into double-heading the chorus with Nathan. Steve's own latin-rhythmed Nowhere to Go was a showcase for Clarke, providing Steve with a snaking melody thread from which to fire off a fine rocking solo.

The slowly smouldering ballad I Fall in Love Too Easily showed Steve's more mellow side, providing bassist Andy Crowdy with a vehicle to show off his impressive playing. Destiny Unknown, inspired by Herbie Hancock's Maiden Voyage, gave Steve the opportunity to create a wilder exposition around the haunting chorus, while Peter Billington illustrated just how he can move an audience with his playing.

Rising jazz star Nathan Hawken switched between tenor and alto saxes all evening, ensemble playing with Steve on the heads' and then soloing as he did on Angel Eyes, where he exhibited a tonal range and deft, delicate touches, reminiscent of the great Stan Getz.

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