The Paul Gunn Ensemble at Kino-Teatr
VICTORIA KINGHAM
On the theme of new, once impossible, collaborative opportunities, the Kino presented once again, on a cold Thursday evening, a high-quality but entirely unclassifiable musical performance.
All but one of the numbers came out of the imaginative brain of Paul Gunn, an entirely self-taught, self-motivated pianist and composer. The musical arrangements are written down, but with plenty of space for improvisation. Gunn tells me frankly that since he does not read music, all the transcription and arranging is done by the cellist, Helen Thomas, in her rare moments away from performing with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra or recording with Wynton Marsalis. It’s a labour of love – the overall result is effective, eclectic, sometimes magnetic.
The band is fronted by Thomas, centre stage – in itself an original arrangement. The saxophone on this occasion was played by local hero Josephine Davies with an impressive command over both tenor and soprano. Implacable American bass player Leslee Booth, schooled out of Los Angeles Musicians Institute, has thirty years of experience playing with top American soul and jazz acts. With South American drummer David Rohoman (long time member of Kilburn and the High Roads) he provided, on fretted electric bass, a solid inventive rhythm section.
The musicians may have an international background, but there is something peculiarly British about a song title like Two Part Invention in Ground Floor Flat Minor. High Tea for Hattie sounds almost regional but in fact Hattie’s Tea Room is in Ashford – Paul lives in Tunbridge Wells. The Riddle is a setting of a poem by Hilaire Belloc, that oh-so-English half-French satirist. The Open Road mentions a ‘tube fare.’ Ludwig’s Nice Bottle of Red brings Beethoven into a pleasantly bohemian British living-room evening: “We all know,” laughs Gunn, “that he was partial to a snifter.”
Gunn is an engaging and charismatic band leader. He made his living as a gymnast, mime artist and actor for 20 years. His approach to music, not formally moulded, is very much his own, and this whimsical yet very accomplished ensemble is a unique creation; his songs reflect his own diverse background. Personally, I would have preferred to see a slightly more intimate setting for a band with this kind of personality; the Kino is lovely but sometimes the sound floats up and away into the splendid old proscenium arch. Great evening, though: I look forward to the next time.
The Paul Gunn Ensemble appear in Hastings on Sunday 5 May 2024, 11 am at The Stables Theatre.
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