Ian Carr Benefit Concert - 100 Club, London, 26 September 2006
It's not an exaggeration to say that this was one of the most important gigs for British jazz since last year's Jazz Britannia concerts. Not just because the line-up of artists appearing was at least as illustrious as the Barbican gigs but because the benefit gig was in aid of one of the UK's most respected and loved figures, the redoubtable Ian Carr. Carr himself, frail yet still typically cheery, was in the audience and must have thoroughly enjoyed the evening since the stars were truly out that night in his honour.
The first set was a historic one with the Michael Garrick Sextet featuring Norma Winstone on vocals. As Garrick, who also compered the evening, said after the opening number 'Voices' from his album 'The Heart is a Lotus', this was the first time the band had played together since 1973 and they hadn't rehearsed. They sounded absolutely perfect. Winstone's scintillating vocals dominating the stage, not in volume but in sheer dexterity. Henry Lowther and Art Themen played like they had in their youth and seemed totally undaunted by the years. Trevor Tomkins is still a powerhouse of precision and sensitivity. Dave Green, who sadly had to leave half way through the MG6 set to be replaced by Alec Dankworth (a bit like bus drivers swapping over shifts) played superbly. Before Green left the stage, the band also played the tricky and fast bop-ish pastiche 'Good Times' from the album 'Black Marigolds' (even though Winstone had never sung on the album). This was in short a jazz supergroup that had been miraculously revived and the effect was mesmerising. They are scheduled for a 'reunion' gig next February but let's hope they play more gigs before and after that.
Following on from the MG6 must have been difficult, but the next set, by the Jacqui Dankworth group with her brother Alec on bass, was up to the challenge. Jacqui Dankworth is an accomplished singer who has clearly inherited both her famous parents' talents. It is surprising that she isn't more widely lauded. Perhaps she is in a similar position to Prince Charles in that she is the perhaps the new British jazz diva in waiting but Cleo takes precedence at the moment. Her vocal style is similar to her mother's in timbre and pitch but there are less of the scat vocals and more concentration on lyrics. She undoubtedly is a great talent and should not be underestimated. The closing number in the set, the blues 'Sitting on Top of the World', pulled no punches and was devastatingly good.
If the Michael Garrick Sextet had been a hard to follow then the sight of the octogenarian Kenny Wheeler being assisted onto the stage to play three of his own compositions with a band which was just as illustrious as the previous one, was a true sight for sore eyes. Wheeler, was accompanied by Stan Sulzman on tenor, John Parricelli on guitar, Malcolm Creese on bass, Ian Thomas on drums and Gwilym Simcock on piano. Although age is gradually creeping up on Kenny, his playing still retained the inventive fluidity that is his stylistic trademark. His compositions were typically complex and beautiful arrangements. This set too had an aura of immense profundity since it's not often that Wheeler plays a Central London gig these days and when he does, people listen, in awe.
Next up was a quartet which sported the great Alan Jackson on drums in remarkably cheerful mood - he had earlier made an impromptu speech where he regaled the audience with an anecdote about the one time he had played in Ian Carr's Nucleus and had turned up to the gig 'pissed and stoned' and played rather badly. He noted that Ian hadn't even castigated him and for that reason he thought Ian 'a nice guy'. As he shuffled off back to the drum kit he mumbled 'well I just thought someone should talk about Ian, no one has talked about Ian'. But within minutes the great Don Rendell, part of this quartet, made up for this omission by stating to the audience how very important Ian had been to him as the co-leader of the Rendell Carr Quintet. Rendell went on to say how they played great music and that they played from the heart. It was never about money, they just played how they felt. This was quite heart warming in itself, to see this near Octogenarian refusing to 'go gentle into that goodnight' and raging against the modern 'jangling' noise. Michael Garrick and Paul Moylan on bass completed the group and they played 'There is no Greater Love' (I think) followed by a really rousing and at times rebelliously loud version of Garrick and the RC5tet's anthem 'Dusk Fire'. Don Rendell is still as brilliant as ever, long may he live.
There were announcements including an auction of memorabilia and Dorothy Shaw the benefit organiser thanked the participants including Norma Winstone (who's idea the benefit was) and Michael Garrick who led the proceedings. As it was 11pm she thought it was officially the end of the gig, however, MG had other ideas and announced another set, this time led by Tim Whitehead - also a sometime Nucleus member. Sadly this reviewer had to leave at this point but if the final set was anything like the previous four, it must have been spectacular.
***There is a tribute concert for Ian Carr on 14 November 2006 at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama as part of the London Jazz Festival***
Roger Farbey