Robin Nolan Trio
18 October 2004

Review by Saul Minaee

The Robin Nolan Trio do not play "Gyspy" Gypsy jazz. They do not serve up note-for-note recitals of Django's most revered solos, nor do they scrupulously observe the subtle rhythmic evolution that the style underwent through Django's career. Not that that would be a bad thing, and no doubt they could, if they wanted to, but they don't. Instead, they have their own sound, a mixture of styles - most of which, I should say now, are known to me only in passing that nonetheless never sounds contrived or self-consciously experimental, but generous, sympathetic and distinctive.

Naturally, they played some old favourites tonight, but with the same wit and invention as with everything else they play. The first attempt at "Minor Swing", for instance, was cheerily aborted after just one verse and a broken string, and for "Dark Eyes", the finale, Robin manned his guitar alongside brother Kevin and Robin Katz to navigate the three of them, with exquisite timing, through abrupt stops and galloping tempo changes. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough cash on the night to invest in their latest CD, but "Shark Island", which quotes the ominous two-note figure in the "Jaws" theme and is inspired by a diving trip at, er, Shark Island, stood out.

More's the pity, then, that tonight's gig was not better attended. Of course, it's easy to chuck around exhortations to support this music (since you're here, on this website, I'm taking the liberty of supposing that you at least wouldn't mind supporting it), and I admit that I've missed more gigs at Le QuecumBar than I care to think about. But chuck them around I will, because tonight was yet another reminder that an evening of wonderful, original music in warm, congenial surroundings needs no special argument. And, having spent the previous Saturday night in a pub in Birmingham suffering a DJ who thought that a break-beat version of "The Sound of Silence" was a joke worth re-telling, I know what the alternative is.

 

Click on the Qs below:

	Q	Back to Prestige Performances page.
	Q	Return to live music page.