Tag: blue note

Cool, Man

Andy Fawthrop

Devizes Arts Festival’s programme continued on Thursday night, and it was time for a little jazz.  As I often say (apparently) there’s nothing like sax in the evening….

Terry Quinney’s Sound Of Blue Note features some of the most prominent jazz musicians in the Southwest whose main aim is to accurately recreate the music and aesthetic that defined the Blue Note Records sound of the 1950s and 1960s.  Their repertoire features music from Blue Note legends like Hank Mobley, Freddie Hubbard, Art Blakey, Horace Silver and more, all directly transcribed from the original recordings and performed with all the swinging intensity that is synonymous with the legendary record label.

The band last night consisted of Andy Urquhart (trumpet), Terry Quinney (saxophones), Ben Taylor (double bass), Andy Chapman (drums) and Phil Doyle (piano).  And they turned up, fully suited and booted, very much looking the part of what (I imagine) a 50s/ 60s jazz club band ought to look like. 

I’d been hoping that we’d have more of a club atmosphere and aesthetic, with a tables-and-chairs layout, but we had to settle for a more traditional cinema seating arrangement.  No matter – the band and the audience settled right in.  Describing themselves at one point as a “Blue Note covers band, or tribute band”, the mood and the swing were soon established.  I prefer the word “homage” myself, but I might then be justifiably accused of being a tad pretentious.  No matter.  Back to the jazz.

This was a bunch of guys who were clearly very comfortable with their material, with their arrangements, and with playing in each other’s company.  They sounded absolutely great, tight when they needed to be, but with that wonderful ability to fall back and give space to the many solos and improvisations.

I was not personally familiar with much of the material, but fortunately I was accompanied by someone who knew what they were listening to and was able to explain some of the finer points to me.  Added to Terry Quinney’s between-numbers commentary, I picked up more of the background.  But it really didn’t matter – the quintet delivered what, to my ears at least, was a great night of jazz.  Through two 50-minute sets, the band held the audience enthralled and entertained.  The applause was warm and frequent, and an encore was fully deserved.

I just wish, as I’ve said before, that we had more frequent opportunities to catch some jazz in D-Town on a more regular basis, rather than having to wait for a year for the Arts Festival to book artists of this calibre.  There’s an opportunity there somewhere!

You can find out more about The Sound Of Blue Note at terryquinney.wixsite.com/sobn

The Devizes Arts Festival is moving towards its end now, but there are still several events on Friday night and over the weekend, with tickets available, until Sunday 16^th June at various venues around the town. 

Tickets can be booked at Devizes Books or online at www.devizesartsfestival.org.uk 

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