Trish Clowes
(Wigmore Corridor. 8 March 2024. Journey To The place Album Launch. Reside Overview By Tony Dudley-Evans)

Trish Clowes‘s Journey To The place (Stoney Lane Information) is a wonderful and considerate duo album on which Clowes performs a mix of jazz and classical repertoire with pianist Ross Stanley. That is music of nice sensitivity, energy and in addition attraction.

Clowes’ solos, for instance on “Decently Ripped”, a monitor devoted to considered one of her influences, Wayne Shorter, or on the Latin-tinged “Tres Palabras”, are constantly stuffed with authentic concepts and free from cliche. The affect of her mentors, Wayne Shorter and Iain Ballamy, is there, however Clowes has developed a powerful, extremely private model. Stanley is totally supportive all through and in addition brings an analogous energy as soloist.

The album launch happened at lunchtime within the Wigmore Corridor, an acceptable venue: the album was recorded there in 2021. Clowes can be an Affiliate Artist of the venue. For the live performance Clowes had invited 4 singers, Clare Wheeler, Liz Swain, Tara Minton and Jo Lawry to affix her and Stanley, however sadly, Jo Lawry needed to withdraw because of a sudden household bereavement, so the live performance went forward with three singers. Including the singers to carry out this music with out amplification, was a masterstroke. It added one thing very particular to the compositions and took benefit of the Wigmore’s stunning, exceptional acoustics.

The Wigmore’s acoustics additionally introduced out the fullness and class of Clowes’ tone on tenor saxophone, as was instantly obvious from the primary tune, “Decently Ripped”, a duet between her and Stanley that featured a fluent, barely quirky solo from Clowes with very supportive comping from Stanley. They had been joined by the singers for a second monitor from the album, “The Month of January”, a standard people tune which is a June Tabor staple. The phrases had been initially delivered as spoken phrase and step by step remodeled into track.

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Thereafter, the repertoire consisted of compositions by girls composers in recognition of Worldwide Girls’s Day; these had been by Clowes herself, the classical composer Lili Boulanger, the late American pianist Geri Allen, and the British composer/pianist Nikki Iles.

Each featured preparations for the voices, normally rhythmic wordless traces in unison with the saxophone which actually introduced out a singular tapestry of sound. The Geri Allen monitor, “Pores and skin”, organized by Clowes, was a very efficient piece with punchy vocal gestures underpinning the saxophone and piano traces. Lili Boulanger’s “Pie Jesu”, a bit which Lili dictated to her sister Nadia in early 1918 from her deathbed, and in addition organized by Clowes, had an fascinating edgy vibe to it introduced out by the mixing of the voices and the saxophone.

It is rather pleasing that jazz of such high quality and originality ought to happen within the prestigious Wigmore Corridor, and in addition that the live performance to have been attended by such a big and enthusiastic viewers.

LINK: Journey to The place on Bandcamp
Trish Clowes’s web site
The subsequent jazz occasion at Wigmore Corridor is Joe Lovano’s Tapestry Trio