lan Edwards Quintet

Press, 30 August 1986, Page 8

lan Edwards Quintet

Recital by tbe lan Edwards Quintet at the Centre Gallery, Arts Centre, yesterday at 1.10 p.m. Reviewed by Allan Francis.

The lan Edwards musicians closed a week of sparkling jazz of varying form and quality; these days certain standards are expected, especially with sessions that are designed for listening only. There has to be sufficient character and appeal for the music to stand on its own and the chamber jazz group gives the musicians every opportunity.

Ail other considerations aside, lan Edwards managed personally to lift the trough created by yesterday’s southerly and his group caught his infectious attitude admirably.

Yet another front-line duo, this time the twin alto saxophones of the leader and Vince Leahy, backed by Wayne Martin, bass, and (striking a bold note for the ladies) on drums, Viv Langabeer. After the brisk opener, “Birdland,” was the equally scintillating Woody Herman stormraiser, "Four Brothers,” with its classical lines and form, punctuated by drum accents and bass. It was apparent by now what form the concert was taking- and the power thatcofflid be generated from’ four players.

The necessary contrast was provided by the Jo-bin-inspired “Samba d’Orfec,” this filling the current demand for the Latin touch quite adequately, mechanical though it might have been for the purists.

This preceded the tongue-in-cheek venture into bop, Dizzy Gillespie’s “Salt Peanuts,” the humour almost clouding the fine ideas that abounded throughout. Here the tearaway ensemble patterns rested almost entirely on the rhythmic power sparked by the drummer, who dispelled any doubts about her ability to push the group into moments of studied frenzy.

On a more restrained note lan Edwards traded his alto for clarinet to create a modified version of Artie Shaw’s arrangement of “Begin the Beguine.” For the first time in this session there were minor contretemps between Edwards’s clarinet and Leahy’s alto, righting themselves only in the lower register. The second half introduced Ingram Washington singing “The Best of Everything” and an up-tempo “After You’ve Gone,” betraying some inaccuracies at times and lacking in volume in others. His accompaniment was fairly unsympathetic and he did

have to battle against odds.

Better was the lyrical "Stormy Weather,” where the listener’s attention was divided by the soaring alto of Edwards, quoting Johnny Hodges’ lines with consummate ease. In duet with Leahy, the solos were quite breathtaking. Unfortunately, it left Ingram Washington in danger of being unfairly eclipsed by his accompaniment

A couple of Frank Sinatra’s “new” numbers continued this section, “L.A. is My Woman,” the singer generating more strength as confidence bloomed, and the Liza Minelli show tune “New York, New York.”

His final offering proved an open invitation for an all-out session for everyone with “All of Me,” singer and instruments alike joining in the completely extrovert clamour of joy. Nothing though even in this din, could suppress the alto brilliance of the leader.

If the intricacies of bop were the strong point of Stu Buchanan, it was in the riff lines of the Basie era that lan Edwards revelled, all his colleagues showing a penchant for hard-driving phrases and individual brilliance. It was certainly no concert for the faint-hearted.