This show turned out to be the last gig I went to in the second Elizabethan era, it's the latest in the NJE or Near Jazz Experiences show at the Pizza Express in Holborn. We arrived early enough to have finished our Pizza's before the start of the show and were very happily drinking our Soave that was almost as suave as Terry Edwards always is.
Being as half the audience still had Knives in their hands they opened up with The Knife, with as ever Simon Charterton on Drums and Mark Bedford on Bass with Terry Edwards starting the evening on tenor sax with lots of squiggly lines and also some maraca giving this a gently digestif feel as they eased into it.
Simon Chartertons Tablas had a totally chilled out air as Terry played his Melodica in an Augustus Pablo meets Mike Garson style as 5 years slowly emerged, as a slowly magnificent dirge that built nicely before they faded it out.
Terry then clipped on his Alto and Tenor saxes for the twin sax trussed up Too Funky Weaver Town Blues that had some very squelchy bass lines and some maracas thrown in to really get down and Funky with.
Simon opened Simon In 7 with some interesting electronic drum effects as Terry sounded like his twin saxes were being played on 7 corners for 7 people with a distinct hint of Swedish Pastry.
Then Harald Was On The Prowl creeping and hiding strutting across Southampton Row as the alto maraca attack hit us. The Tenor Packhorse blues went by us in a blues for Princess Louise stylee.
They then closed the first set by taking us deep into the funkstown of Bloomsbury with the space rock tenor sax blues that sped from 0-60 in not quite record time.
During the half time break we got some ice cream and relaxed before the trio came back on refreshed to open with a very impressionistic version of Sprit of Indo a tune for the bands spiritual home, that's about to become a Taiwanese tea house, as Terry played first his tenor sax before switching to muted cornet and finally melodica the transitions were seamless and imbued with a melancholic air.
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After Terry had told us about the last tune, they played a beautiful Sophistry Sonata that Terry led on his Soprano Saxophone that being straight looks like a clarinet and the sound weaved across the room delightfully.
Terry switched back to his Alto for the Indo jazz fusion of the Red Lion Bangra Kulcha that had a nice late evening foggy feel to it. Things then got super squelchy on Lincolns Inn Netball #3 as they seemed to want to play Win Defence against her with Terry's squalling tenor trying to stop another goal.
Afloat was played almost like the last post with Terry's muted Cornet accenting it as Mark's ever fluid bass kept the time slowly and dependably, despite the chatting couple who Terry dealt with, in time for Late Miles to feel more like mid period Sydney as the soprano sax led the way towards the Lambs Conduit.
It was then time to break out the egg shakers as the walls reverberated to everyone shaking along, as close to Six Eight time as they could manage, while trying to keep up with Terry's twin saxes and Simons sinuous drums. Terry switched to Alto and Cornet to take us Up Above The Strand very close to Funks place. As usual they closed with a monster version of Voodoo Chile with Terry playing an incredible Alto solo that left us as ever wanting more from this incredible live band.
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