Jamil Sheriff Quintet, Seven Arts, Chapel Allerton, Leeds Sunday February
3rd 2013
It is often an integral part of the
creative process that personal life experiences can be drawn upon to help shape
the finished product. Leeds College of Music course leader and pianist Jamil Sheriff brought a new quintet to
Seven Arts in Leeds and showcased a set of mostly new material, some of which
was influenced by his life with his young daughter. Supported by Richard Iles
on trumpet, Matt Anderson on saxophone, Sam Vicary on bass and Sam Gardner on
drums, this quintet of contemporaries and ex-students cut through a grey and
wintry Sunday afternoon with disparate set of compositions of such density and
warmth that the outside world could be forgotten for a few engaging hours. Opening with a Sheriff composition “Pink Triangle” (not as uncouth a title as it
may sound), each piece helped to highlight the number of influences at work at
any one time, from Latin-American flavoured phrases, to classical composition,
to dark, baleful passages of melancholy. At times the character of saxophonist Wayne Shorter shone through, whilst at
others the playing of McCoy Tyner
seemed to illustrate the mood.
The second set of the afternoon could
be argued to have been the more dynamic of the two with “Matticulous” (?), in
particular, managing to infuse its lines with wit and eccentricity. “Sfumato” saw
Sheriff produces passages that were
not only reminiscent of Keith Jarrett,
but make the facial expressions and noises that brought that virtuoso pianist
to mind. Sfumato, it seems, is a painting technique often associated with the
artist Leonardo da Vinci and refers
to the fine shading that is used to create soft transitions between colours and
tones. Not only an afternoon of thoughtful music but also an education it seems.
With song titles that allude to his relationship with his daughter, such as
“Porridge Head”, an intimacy and empathy was created between composer and
audience, which goes some way to bring the two together. Throughout each tune
there was a palpable sense that the musicians were confidently enjoying the
music which again, translates to the audience.
As the last unlucky raffle ticket was
discarded the afternoon closed with a Miles
Davis “Nefertiti” inspired “For T W”, which featured a repeating expression
over which Gardner’s drums added the
dynamics to push the tune forward, and one could be confident that the fifty or
so members of the audience were not only happy with the afternoon, but
expectant of what else Sheriff has to
offer in the future.
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