Music Gigs

Kevin Davy Group: Kevin Davy, (trumpet, and flugelhorn), Cheryl Alleyne (drums), Vicky Tulson (bass), Renu Hossain (tablas and percussion), Dom Pipkin (piano and keys) and Jo Hendrix Ndelo (vocals) Vortex Jazz Bar 18.10.07

Jazz can be as unforgiving as it is complex. In a rock band the lack of technical ability can give you street cred, whereas in jazz you just sound crap if you hit bum notes. Not there were many of the latter coming from Kevin Davy's band, it was more a lack of togetherness that was the problem. To be fair they suffered from a poor mix in the first half with the piano and bass straining to be heard. This lack of balance highlighted the need for another front line player to complement the formidable Davy. It also placed the rhythm section in the headlights and while they played well individually, they never sounded anything like a tight unit. The material was a mixture of funk and Afro jazz, mostly self penned though Branford Marsalis' Mo Better Blues was given a workout.

In the second set things got better as they always do at jazz gigs, starting off with an excellent piano solo from the the previously inaudible Dom Pipkin, while the scat vocals of Jo Hendrix Ndelo provided much needed variety. The percussion led by Cheryl Alleyne whipped up a storm much to the crowd's delight, and what they lacked in unity they made for in volume. I'd still like to see another horn player to fill things out. The last band I saw at this venue was Stan Tracey's trio and although they were only half the size of Davy's group, they sounded like an orchestra by comparison.