Music / Jazz
Review: Greg Foat Group, The Pergola, Breaking Bread.
For all that he’s been around the UK jazz scene for over a decade with around 15 albums under his belt, Isle of Wight-born pianist Greg Foat has, apparently, never been to Bristol before. By contrast, during his half-century at the top of the UK jazz scene saxophonist Art Themen has been a regular visitor to the city over the years. Their collaboration at The Pergola, with bass guitarist Phil Achille and Black Midi drummer Morgan Simpson, marked Greg’s first gig since you-know-what hit the country and proved to be an unusually mainstream jazz outing for the very groovy Worm Disco Club.
They kicked off with Symphony Pacifique, the Latin-infused title number from Greg’s critically acclaimed 2020 album that straightaway established the keyboard player’s fondness for synth sounds alongside the Fender Rhodes electric piano. Subsequent tracks would feature plenty of pitch-bend Moog action over tightly written bass and drum grooves, often interspersed by snappy tenor sax ripostes from Art Themen. The reed player found a less edgy style in Girl With Robot and Flowers, a more restrained piece that brought out a breathy, Getzy voice and an easy 80s jazz style from the group sound.
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It was a tad ironic that they picked After The Storm to play at the point when the Pergola’s canvas roof began to hammer with the sound of a downpour outside. A reflective theme on Fender Rhodes underpinned some fluid soprano sax work with elements of the unexpected in timing and harmonics, nicely upshifted by the keyboards into a tightly grooving second wind.
Throughout the set Morgan Simpson’s impeccable drumming had been discreetly effective, restlessly using his minimal jazz kit to add rhythmic nuances and subtle echoes of the soloists’ phrasing, while Phil Achille’s bass had been an emphatic foundation without drawing too much attention to himself. So it was a bit of an eye-opener when Phil put down his bass and stepped forward for the encore with a harmonica in his hand. What followed was a show stealing display of virtuosity combining jazz and classical themes and styles that literally brought the audience to its collective feet. The man’s technique was almost unfeasible, playing at lightning speed and swerving around a repertoire that seemed to know no bounds, deploying lungs that seemingly had no limits either.
It was a surreal and unrestrained climax to a set of Greg’s sophisticated jazz compositions that had mainly displayed a more understated and well-mannered jazziness, and it had the effect of sending us cheerfully out into the now-diminished rainfall outside.
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