Trypl Whammy at Jazz Hastings
By Victoria Kingham
The East Sussex and Hastings Angling Association clubroom may not be the obvious place for Jazz lovers to look, if you are not in the know. But on the first Tuesday of every month, fish give way to swing and, for that one day a month, it is arguably the best music club in town.
SHADES OF LATIN
Last Tuesday saw one of the biggest audiences for a while. They had come to see ‘TRYPL’ one of the best and most versatile Latin-jazz outfits in the land. ‘Trypl’ are experienced, award-winning musicians with a great deal of crossover experience, having performed over the years with such diverse artists as Jamiroquai, Pat Metheny, David Sanborn, Radiohead, Beyoncé, Harry Connick Junior, Gregory Porter, Chaka Khan, Van Morrison, Bonnie Raitt, Steely Dan and Carlos Santana. Indeed, their album track, BoJo, echoes the rhythms of Santana – in fact, it sounded like Oye Como Va, but with a fabulous souped-up sax line. (The title has nothing to do with our glorious leader) Bailar Todo La Noche, another album track, is a complex melody, again over a Latin rhythm but with more abstract improvisation, ahead of the beat. As a band they have recorded in an incredible diversity of styles: salsa, boogaloo, merengue, but seem to specialise in all shades of Latin-jazz.
BRINGING THE CARNIVAL
The set began with a superb sixteen bar solo from Dave Patman, assured on a hand-drum, joined by a very competent Laurence Cottle, drafted in on electric bass at the last moment. The trumpeter, Sid Gauld, was also an eleventh-hour substitute. Both these musicians happily took on and embellished the band’s original compositions. Perhaps due to this, the first tune felt a little subdued but the second number, Nodge, set the carnival feel for the evening, with Trevor Mires playing an excellent trombone break.
Despite the south American rhythms there is something uniquely British about this band, a musical eclecticism perhaps. Pasado Olvidado, their third number, unfolded a complex melody illustrating their musical diversity. By the fourth number they were really in their groove, slow and easy; a lovely, yet kind of upside-down, melodic line, with excellent horn arrangements and an upper-register trombone break. The number before the interval featured some great unison playing by this notably tight horn section.
MAGNIFICENT CHEMISTRY
The melding-together of the chemistry of this band seemed to fire up after the interval, with a tune called Journey To the South. It was clear that they, and the audience, were relaxing nicely into their niche. As the evening evolved, they were joined by the excellent, audience-engaging singer, Liane Carroll. She is a magnetic performer: able to take immediate possession of a song, make it her own, and ‘effortlessly’ take a band along with her.
A soulful, scatted rendering of Love for Sale, sung by Liane, taken up at a run by the band, was entirely magnificent.
The band really hit their stride with a ballad, Tres Palabras, an Osvaldo Farrés Latin-standard, with some beautiful trumpet and trombone lines. Near the end of the evening, they whisked up a fantastic danceable performance of Bojo, written by Ryan Quigley, including another great percussion break by Dave Patman.
Lastly, and for an encore, they were joined by Jason Yarde, the formidable alto player, composer, arranger, and producer who has made a solid name for himself on the British scene. This most elegant arrangement, including Yarde’s searching, searing alto sound, led straight into a driving version of the classic Caravan to bring the set to a high-powered conclusion. All power to the musicians who stepped in and stepped up, to make this yet another memorable blast at Jazz Hastings.
• The album ‘Trypl’ is available in all major music outlets.
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