Music / Review
Review: JOW, Friendly Records – ‘There is no ego to this, just musicians playing organic music’
An instrumental cello and trumpet duo. Now there’s a thing. You don’t get to meet one of those everyday. Pete Judge and James Gow have recorded an album’s worth of this configuration. Recorded and released during the strange days of lockdown, it’s an unusual, gently reflective, pastoral thing.
Pete is member of local jazz ledges Get the Blessing, folky trio Three Cane Whale along with his ambient duo Eyebrow. If you haven’t heard his solo piano recordings I urge you strongly to rectify that immediately. James’ similarly hectic CV outlines his work with folk quartet Eleven Magpies and a wide range of theatre companies across the world including Kneehigh.
is needed now More than ever
Tonight they find themselves towards the back of the cosy environs of Friendly Records playing to a packed room. There’s no stage. They begin to play and for a few seconds no one is sure. The music reaches out as the room hushes. James’ plucked cello figure frames and adds percussive support as Pete spirals off with a ghostly, haunted horn part. Nothing outstayed its welcome here. There is no ego to this, just musicians playing organic music. It’s there and then it’s gone. We’re told that a toot is a local hill or crag. Folky, very English tunes rooted in place.
They musically lean into each other and then give the other space to find their way. Credit Martin Siddorn
‘Bing’ opens with an Ornette inspired horn statement; defiant and joyful. James comes in with some bowed cello and we are off down a different more discordant musical path. They musically lean into each other and then give the other space to find their way. On James’s more percussive parts he has a MIngus like groove and then can sit back to provide a bed of drone for Pete to fly over.
As they open the second set with two new pieces it is apparent that they are exploring what they can reach in this unusual grouping. Some of Pete’s pieces end up with James taking the lead and vice versa. They seem to be surprising themselves with their discoveries as they work their way through this. The banger is The Drift. The most instantly engaging one from this bunch of tunes.
The Friendly Records faithful love them. They’ve listened intently throughout to this most unassuming of music only breaking away as each brief miniature comes to a conclusion. Pete and James have clearly enjoyed playing as well; how lovely to be back to all this after so long.
They thank the audience for being so responsive and give a heartfelt mention to the venue. Friendly Records is an ideal venue for this sort of thing. An intimate and dimly lit gem. We’re lucky to have a venue like this reopening and offering this music south of the river.
Main photo: Benny Dart
Read more: Friendly Records Launch Music Label
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