Review: Arun Ghosh Quintet, Weston Studio, Bristol Old Vic

Past encounters with  Arun Ghosh – including a storming one at the 2018 Bristol International Jazz & Blues Festival – have fallen into two categories: quite brash jazz-rock or more nuanced acoustic folk-jazz, with the clarinettist himself coming over as either a hyperactive front man or a more easy-going and friendly guy. Both had worked well in their respective events, reflecting Arun’s skill at working an audience, and the intimate (and sold out) Weston Studio definitely got the lighter touch version, albeit with some thunderous moments from drummer Dave Walsh.

Dave Walsh, Arun Ghosh, Chris Williams (pic: Tony Benjamin)

Arun’s music brings together the forms and modes of Indian music – itself often built on improvisation – with the deconstructive approach of Western jazz. This was a comfortable fit and at times the results sounded like an authentic folk tradition, an illusion enhanced when bass player Gavin Barras employed distinctive sitar-like bends and slides or pianist John Ellis clattered notes like a santoor or swept chords in the tambura style. Melodies like the mellifluous River Song deployed the short repeated phrasing of folk music given subtle modulations by Chris Miller’s alto sax solo, echoing the Qawwali stylings also evident in Caliban’s Revenge and Sufi Stomp. When not himself playing Arun’s eloquent hand gestures recalled Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and others (while also hinting at posturing hip-hop MCs).

Arun Ghosh Quintet (pic: Tony Benjamin)

Given the consistent Indo-jazz flavour some numbers stood out for drawing in other influences: the briskly funky drive to Sufi Stomp flowered into some classic Benny Goodman swing clarinet, while the Dhol-style rimshots of Punjabi Girl nonetheless gave an almost calypso lilt underlying an eloquent sax solo payout. Most impressive was a treatment of Massive Attack’s Teardrop, for which the bandleader chose to sit down in a chair. This number grew from sketchy hints and phrases, the distinctive minimal beat only emerging over time and the majestic chord sequence finally establishing itself as the clarinet unpicked and rewove the melody line. It was a model of calm economy, well-judged and faithful to the original.

Arun Ghosh (pic: Tony Benjamin)

By this time Arun’s amiable Mancunian chatter between songs had become a friendly conversation with the audience, resulting in a short set of request numbers that included the ‘never played live before’ Rusholme Reverie and led on to Longsight Lagoon, another Manchester-themed piece. This brisk and atmospheric number, with its echoes of The Specials’ Ghost Town, came together from an anarchic opening to provide Dave Walsh with the opportunity to let rip on drums as Gavin Barras’ bass played a more exploratory role. Then, weirdly, a jaunty waltz emerged – complete with circus drumming and ironic reed playing – like a Tom Waits remix of the original. It should have closed the show if genuine audience enthusiasm hadn’t wrung an encore out of them – symbolically Aurora, the opening track of 2008 debut album Northern Namaste getting the full ‘everybody gets to solo’ jazz treatment.

Arun Ghosh Quintet (pic: Tony Benjamin)

In the decade since that recording Arun Ghosh has refined his style into something of his own, comfortably fusing the elements of his complex musical heritage into a distinctive sound into which the band have been drawn. His clarinet technique was impressive throughout, notably in the Rite Of Spring-recalling opening to Nataraja or the Qawwali-inspired Sufi Stomp, and Chris Miller’s sax contributions were equally deft whether soaring away with a tune or adding counterpoint responses to the clarinet parts. It all proved a comfortable fit with an already positive audience’s expectations and again proved the value of the Weston Studio as an addition to Bristol’s roster of jazz venues.