Music / contemporary jazz
Review: Natacha Atlas, St George’s
This gig nearly didn’t happen – a crash on the M4 meant that the musicians arrived at the same time as the audience, and it’s to support act Randolph Matthews’ credit (and that of the sound crew) that he was able to get onstage with his small suitcase of electronica with only a short delay in start time.
The engaging Randolph Matthews (pic Tony Benjamin)
If anyone at the gig was feeling testy about the wait it’s doubtful they could fail to be won over by Randolph’s engaging mix of loop-constructed soul-jazz songs and well-honed anecdotes from his childhood. Acknowledging George Benson as an early influence he delivered a suave jazz-funk breakdown of Nature Boy before getting a solid audience participation thing going for a kind of ethno-scat routine. By the time his closing beat-box showcase Burns was done it was clear he had the hearts and minds of the St George’s throng.
Natacha Atlas and band (pic Evan Dawson)
Born in Belgium with British, Egyptian and Jewish heritage Natacha Atlas emerged in the 90s world music scene working with Jah Wobble and Transglobal Underground before establishing herself as a solo performer and composer. Her voice has been comfortable both in loud electronic environments and quieter acoustic settings, often involving Middle Eastern instrumentation, though this hasn’t always been evident on record. This gig built on the success of Myriad Roads, her jazz-informed collaboration with Lebanese trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf, and brought a quintet of fine jazz musicians with her (albeit without M. Maalouf himself, his part taken by Magic Pockets trumpeter Hayden Powell).
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Natacha Atlas (pic Evan Dawson)
There can be a tension in modern jazz between singer and band, in that the vocalist can want to retain the integrity of the song while the musicians enjoy its deconstruction. Singing primarily in Arabic, Natacha’s voice was a powerful and emotive instrument that at times seemed only to need the rolling subtlety of drummer Asaf Sirkis’ rhythms as a context, while at others – like the cross-rhythmic Something She Said – it felt hard to integrate her vocals with the music. But when it all came together, as it mainly did, this was a gripping combination of jazz and contemporary Arabic music.
Andy Hamill, Alcyona Mick, Asaf Sirkis (pic Evan Dawson)
Nafs el Hikaya was a good example, the musicians allowed to stoke up the piece from the drummer’s forceful introductory beat overlaid with lurching jazz violin from Samy Bishai while pianist Alcyona Mick broke up the groove to free up a tumultuous drum solo. That led to a moment of funky bass from Andy Hamill and a tight piano and drum rhythm section emerged around it. Throughout the piece Natacha’s vocals played their central part as the musically unifying element and the piece closed tidily with unison voice, violin and trumpet. It was good jazz and a great setting for her song.
Samy Bishai & Hayden Powell (pic Evan Dawson)
Similarly the more complex construction of All The Madness provided musical drama to match the impassioned singing, the various sections finding continuity through rhythm with notably fluid solos from Alcyona Mick and Hayden Powell. As Natacha’s climactic delivery wrung the last drops from the song a respectful piano trio played out the tune to a calm resolution. She closed with an encore – inevitably her distinctively compelling reading of James Brown’s This Is A Man’s World complete with swooning trumpet and violin, a playful drum solo and the bitter-sweet implications of the words being sung by a Middle Eastern woman. It was a poised and powerful moment a world away from the gig’s hasty, hectic start and it earned her a well-deserved ovation. Natacha Atlas remains a most compelling and powerful singer and her impending album will hopefully reflect that.
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