Brilliant Corners 2024

Brilliant Corners 2024
Black Box/Accidental Theatre
Belfast, N. Ireland
March 1-9, 2024

At a time when veteran rock acts on their last legs are asking cash-strapped punters to part with hundreds of pounds to stand in a stadium to hear the same hits as the last tour, and the tour before that, it is worth reflecting on the terrific value for money that jazz gigs usually offer.

Take Brilliant Corners, Belfast's one-and-only jazz festival, now in its twelfth edition. Each of the eleven gigs cost between £10 (concession price) and £15, the latter fee which might just about buy you a bowl of noodle soup these days. A limited number of full-festival tickets were up for grabs at £45, or £4 a gig, which is what it cost to see Motörhead in Belfast in 1981.

More than a generous enticement, the full-festival ticket seems like a reward for the die-hard supporters of promoters Music On Music (MOM), those fans who rock up to gig after varied gig throughout the year.

Of course, such relatively low prices are only possible with the support of the festival's sponsors—chief among them the National Lottery and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland—who deserve thanks and recognition.

Jasmine Myra & Band

London may be the showroom of the most progressive jazz in the UK, but that is not to say that forward-thinking jazz cannot be found elsewhere around the islands. Saxophonist Jasmine Myra emerged from Leeds Conservatoire and wasted little time in making her mark with Horizons (Gondwana Records, 2022), a recording for nonet and strings that underlined her compositional ambitions.

For this opening gig of Brilliant Corners 2024, Myra led a slightly leaner septet. Her debut album made up the guts of the set, but there were also sneak previews from the leader's sophomore album Rising (Gondwana, 2024), scheduled for a May release.

Myra name-checked Kenny Wheeler as an inspirational guiding light but beginning with Horizons' title track, it was clear that her music, is very much her own. On alto sax, the leader dovetailed closely with tenor saxophonist/flautist Matt Cliffe and guitarist Liam Del Tar on the heads, the three slipping in and out of lead and comping roles. Double bassist Sam Quintana, drummer George Hall and pianist Jasper Green provided the rhythmic fulcrum, responsive to the ebb and flow of Myra's lyrical charts.

But the secret weapon in the line-up was harpist Alice Roberts. A collaborator with genre-slippery singer Alice Zawadski, and trumpeter and Gondwana label director Matthew Halsall, Roberts' cascading glissandi, billowing arpeggios, trance-like ostinatos and deft punctuation colored the music greatly.

Myra took her time to explain the inspiration behind the music, with the elegiac "Word Left Unspoken" a poignant reminder of the surreal and, for many, painful experience that was COVID-19. The cantering modern grooves of "A Thousand Miles" framed a telling solo from the leader, and the well-received set finished with a new number "Knowingness," with Myra marshalling all the elements of her septet to dramatic effect.

Lyricism was at the heart of Myra's music, which veered between clearly signposted chamber jazz and the foothills of spiritual jazz. Unfailingly handsome and emotively delivered though the music was, it seemed content to plateau when crying out for lift-off ... or a cliff edge. A little more dissonance, to paraphrase the poet William Carolos William, might lead to all kinds of discoveries.

Ulster Youth Jazz Orchestra

They were queuing down the street well before the doors opened for the by-now customary Saturday afternoon performance by the Ulster Youth Jazz Orchestra. Anyone who hoped to slip in just before show time and nab a seat could forget it—parents, grandparents, siblings and friends had been far too quick off the mark. Still, for some, standing at the bar had its compensations.

Over thirty years long in the tooth, the UYJO was founded and led for the best part of three decades by Ken Jordan. The baton has since passed to Paul O'Reilly, who was fulsome in his praise for the incredible work and commitment of his predecessor. Jordan is carrying on the tradition of rehearsing the UYJO once a week, and judging by its highly polished and energetic performance, he is clearly doing a good job.

Inevitably, there are personnel changes from one year to the next. Some members leave Northern Ireland to study abroad. For others, work takes over. And, in the time-honored tradition of jazz, some of the best talent is poached by other music ensembles. In spite of these challenges there were many familiar faces among the 25- strong orchestra. This continuity, coupled with a dedicated rehearsal programme, has reaped its rewards. The section passages and full ensemble playing were water-tight, the rhythm section swinging, and the soloing often quite impressive.

Just as the year before, singers Kate Fitzsimons and Yasmine Fitzpatrick brought a dash of vocal panache with confident performances of Norah Jones' "Don't Know Why," the standard "All of You," the Latin-tinged "Sway" and the much covered "Feeling Good" being standouts.

Charlie Parker's "Now's The Time," Cannonball Adderley's "Work Song" and Jaco Pastorius's "The Chicken" proved that the UYJO is well versed in jazz history, sounding totally at home whether reveling in bebop, hard bop or bass-driven funk.

The setlist was almost identical to the previous year's performance, but maybe the familiarity with the material was the main reason the UYJO sounded so vital, so resoundingly convincing. Astor Piazzolla's "Libertango" was a case in point. Its conclusion was not unwelcome, but it does seem to be the only composition by the bandoneon maestro known to radio broadcasters, string quartets and jazz ensembles the world over. Surely his five-decade-long career, and an extensive discography running into scores of records warrant a deeper appreciation? Nuevo tango, por favor!

Luke Bacchus Quartet

It was a sell out for the Luke Bacchus Quartet—a pleasing situation all round, especially given that this rising star of the London jazz scene has yet to release an album. With Marlon Hibbert on steel pan, Amy Gadialga on bass and Nate Ricketts on drums, Bacchus's musical palate—fluid, melodic and rhythmically lithe—reflected his Guyanese heritage, and Caribbean music at large.

Jazz-harmonized Guyanese folk melodies defined "Black White and Blue," which featured dancing solos from Bacchus and Hibbert. Both also featured extensively on Bob Marley's "Concrete Jungle" —fertile ground for free-spirited improvisations before the quartet settled on a reggae groove.

A striking version of Juan Tizol's "Caravan" introduced the vocal talents of Gadialga. A fine bassist, her sultry, vibrato-tinged contralto proved irresitible. She later returned to the mic for a French-sung, Duke Ellington-esque interpretation of pioneering Martinique jazz pianist Maurice Cultier's "Concerto pour la fleur e l'oiseau." With her debut EP due for April release, it is a good bet that we will be hearing a lot more of this singular musician.

Damped piano-string pulse, rattling drums and rapped bass body ushered in Bob Marley's "Rastaman Chant." Steered by Bacchus, this gospel number grew into an extended jam as though imagined by Abdullah Ibrahim and Ernest Ranglin. Ricketts, a vital force throughout the set, rattled the pots and pans in an exuberant solo, before the quartet reignited the uplifting gospel motif for a final go-round.

Several handsome originals highlighted Bacchus' penchant for bright melodic lines, with space aplenty for both leader and Hibbert to stretch out. Soko rhythms stoked the energetic, solo-peppered "August Morning," which culminated in a lively ensemble percussion workout.

Still only twenty-one, Luke Bacchus's debut album, whenever it arrives, promises to be an event.

Tom Ollendorff Trio with Aaron Parks

Guitarist Tom Ollendorff has been a regular visitor to Ireland in recent years, last leading his trio of Conor Chaplin and drummer David Ingamells Magys Farm in May 2023. For his Brilliant Corners slot, Ollendorff brought pianist Aaron Parks into the fold.

Tune-wise, the set was almost identical to the Magys Farm gig, yet quite distinct, with Parks opening new horizons in Ollendorff's music. The guitarist had announced his arrival with A Song For You (Fresh Sound Records, 2021), an impressive debut that marked him out as one of the most promising guitarists on the UK scene. It was the follow-up, Open House (Fresh Sound Records, 2023), however, that provided the bulk of the set.

Both Ollendorff and Parks feasted hungrily on Charlie Parker's "Bongo Beat" and Sonny Rollins' "Airegin," vehicles for virtuoso displays. But it was Ollendorff's melodically bright, memorable originals "Three Bridges" and "Istanbul" that invited the most seductive individual expression. The coda to the latter, with the guitarist resorting to loops for the first time in the evening, was delightful.

The slower tempi of the standard "Darn That Dream," new composition "Atlantic Angels" and the Latin-tinged "Carnival—Ollendorff's tribute to Brazilian guitarist Louis Bonfa-underlined the emotional currency in the quartet's language. Ingamells and Chaplin provided sensitive accompaniment throughout.

Ollendorff has come a long way in a short time. Elegance and taste are his watchwords, but he deploys fire with consummate, almost disarming ease. Now, if he could just hang onto Parks ...

Stephen Davis Gleaming World Unit

This time a year ago, at Brilliant Corners 2023, local drummer Stephen Davis was behind the kit with the Alexander Hawkins Tio—as good a piano-trio gig as many in the audience could remember. Twelve months on and the roles were reversed, with Hawkins submitting to Davis' compositional leadership. The results were no less spectacular.

The ensemble name is inspired by a line from the poet Seamus Heaney. That was probably the easy part. Writing for renowned improvising musicians such as bassist Nick Dunston, alto saxophonist Angelika Niescier, tenor saxophonist Tom Challenger and Hawkins, perhaps less so. Judging by the enthusiastic response of the Black Box crowd, Davis need not have worried.

Hawkins set the music in motion with a pounding piano pulse. Bass ostinato and cantering drums followed. Horns locked in melodic unison. The groove was rock solid, the intensity inescapable from the get-go. It was Challenger who broke ranks first to deliver a fiery solo. Gradually, the collective intensity waned, with piano and horns dropping out one by one to leave drums and bass briefly dovetailing before a sudden slamming of the brakes. It was a thrilling introduction to Davis' new project.

On the second tune, Hawkins toggled between angular funk and choppy, helter skelter runs—a thrilling cross between Don Pullen and Sun Ra. In this sort of form there are few more exciting pianists on the planet. Collectively, form and freedom vied in a constant tussle. Some of the most exciting passages grew from the spaces where groove and choreographed horn lines dissolved into slippery rhythms and feisty dissonance; Or conversely, as on the slowly insinuating "Sugarloaf Mountain," where loose threads converged into a hypnotic rhythmic weave.

Davis' provocative rhythms were the driver behind "Dead Planet," with Hawkins' fashioning wonderfully wonky Afro-Cuban-tinged lines, part-Ruben Gonzales, part-Thelonious Monk. The episodic "The Gleaming World" was the most ambitious composition in terms of length, extremes in dynamics and contrasts in form, and it served up the most thrilling individual and collective playing of the set. It was fascinating to watch Dunston solo, his pluck-and-slap technique sounding like a bass and cajon in tandem.

Only during the final number—another exhilarating collective charge—did Davis allow himself a little of the spotlight, with an extended solo over Hawkins' vamp. It did not take a solo however, to underline what a wonderfully inventive drummer Davis is. And, as this concert demonstrated in spades, he is a composer and leader to sit up and take notice of as well. An undoubted highlight, not just of Brilliant Corner 2024, but of the festival's twelve editions to date.

Niblock, Butcher, Sanders

That would be bassist Alan Niblock, saxophonist John Butcher and drummer Mark Sanders. The list of their respective collaborations reads like a who is who of improvised music's top table, and though billed as a trio of equals, this felt like Niblock's gig. The Belfast man was returning to Brilliant Corners following his memorable solo performance in the previous year's edition, and a lot of the extended bass techniques employed then were once again on display.

The performance was divided into two sets. The first was a continuous, forty-minute improvisation. The second consisted of several shorter improvised segments. The three musicians were intensely focused on their respective endeavors, and so too was the audience, which gave its undivided attention throughout.

Sanders often provided the ignition spark, whether with mallets, brushes or sticks. Niblock used an array of bows and rods, frequently embedding them in the lower regions of the strings and altering their height to draw out varying pitches and textures. Butcher switched between tenor and soprano saxophones, on occasion playing the latter without a reed to conjure an industrial wailing.

Woodblock, a small chain, a gong and a mini frame drum all made cameos, with the three musicians exploring and fully embracing the sonic possibilities their respective instruments offered. The music whispered, rippled and roared. At times, the three seemed to be operating in their own little hermetic worlds, creating dissonance that struggled to resolve. But when their orbits aligned there was no escaping the power in their dialogue.

With music like this, with musicians like these, the terms orthodox and unorthodox cease to apply.

Seb Rochford & Zoe Rahman: A Short Diary

It is not every day that an artist asks the members of the audience what sort of relationship they have with death. But then again, jazz fans more than most have an enduring obsession with long-dead figures, as Walter van de Leur relates in his fascinating book Jazz And Death: Reception, Rituals And Representations (Routledge, 2023).

The passing of drummer Sebastian Rochford's father, Gerard Rochford, in 2019, provided the inspiration for A Short Diary (ECM, 2023), a cathartic musical response featuring pianist Kit Downes. In Downes' place, Zoe Rahman accompanied Rochford, who, truth be told, was an oddly peripheral presence—physically speaking—for much of the performance. For extended periods Rahman played solo, with Rochford listening. When the duo combined Rochford's input with mallets and brushes was subtle, almost painterly. "Love You Grandpa," the rhapsodic "The Energy Of Light" and "Silver Lining," with the duo in animated mode, were the standout exceptions in a program of quasi chamber intimacy.

Gerard Rochford, a respected poet, had written the melody for "Even Now I Think of Her," which Sebastian then developed into a father-and-son collaboration of real beauty. A folksy seam colored "To the Country I Was Born," Rochford's hymnal paean to his adopted Scotland.

There was a tender, confessional feel to Rochford's meditations, both musical and spoken. But there was passion and uplift too in these musical elegies, with Rahman's playing captivating throughout.

Christy Doran, Ronan Guilfoyle, Gerry Hemingway

It was quite the privilege to be one of the sixty or so people gathered in Accidental Theatre—a small live venue in central Belfast that punches above its weight—to witness this occasional trio of improvising giants. Christy Doran, Ronan Guilfoyle and Gerry Hemingway first got together in 2015, though all had previously collaborated in various settings, with Doran and Heminway—both Lucerne residents—forming the trio A Turn In The Road with bassist Heiri Kaenzig in 2011.

Without preamble, Hemingway and Guilfoyle launched into a slowly percolating groove, with Doran mixing up spiky chords, damped, kalimba-like notes, short and fleet blues-edged runs, scratchy percussive bursts and pedal-induced psychedelics. Guilfoyle seemed to be the gatekeeper between groove-based ensemble play and abstract improvisatory passages. In the latter, Hemingway's wordless singing into drum skin through a metal resonator produced an eerie effect. A snaking Guilfoyle bass solo morphed into an ostinato that sparked the trio into the sort of heavy, groove-centric improv stews of 1970s-era Miles Davis.

After a short intermission, sparse bass, deft percussive interjections and spacey guitar effects launched a somewhat abstract group exploration. With Doran briefly sitting out, Hemingway constructed a fierce drum solo. Re-entering the fray to bass and drums support, Doran toggled between pedal-induced Jan Hammer-esque sonorities and his more conventional, though ever-knotty, electric guitar lines.

The repeated juxtaposition of almost arrhythmic explorations and the sort of fiery, groove-based drive with which the trio signed off, made for a stimulating sensory experience.

Aku!

In years to come, the 2010s and 2020s may well come to be viewed as something of a golden era in Scottish jazz, with numerous groups making their mark on the national and international stage. Aku! is one such band. Though it is safe to say that the trio of saxophonist Harry Weir, trombonist Liam Shortall and drummer Graham Costello occupies a category of one.

Aku!'s debut album, Blind Fury (Self-released, 2020), was aptly named, for theirs is a visceral brand of jazz whose foundations are built upon spiritual jazz of the Binker & Moses type, which includes noise, Afrobeat, psychedelia and a myriad of rhythmic sources. On the opening number echo- drenched, yearning tenor saxophone, a trombone ostinato and a simple backbeat could be felt in the back of the throat. This was loud, and not for the faint of heart.

In another setting, however, Aku!'s music could spark a rave. Bruising saxophone solos, booty-shaking trombone riffs and terrifically propulsive beats—with mind-altering effects tossed in for good measure—were the order of the day. The fantastically titled "In The Bath, Having a Magnum" mixed drum 'n' bass rhythms and a wall of sound—courtesy of heavy-duty saxophone and trombone—of primal intensity. In the middle somewhere, Costello delivered the drum solo of the week—a barrage of tricky meters, broken beats and kit-wide dexterity, delivered with impressively controlled fury.

Some call Aku!'s music doom jazz. But doom and Dolly Parton should not go together in the same sentence. Yes, it is safe to say that nobody saw "Jolene" coming. Bar the signature melody, this was a radical deconstruction that The Bad Plus could only imagine in their weirdest nightmares. Heady stuff.

John Donegan: The Irish Sextet

Pianist John Donegan has been around a long time. Long enough, no doubt, to remember the visits of Dizzy Gillespie and Ella Fitzgerald to these shores in the 1970s. The Cork-born musician has released eight albums as leader, with Shadows Linger (Jayde Records, 2022) and Light Streams (Jayde Records, 2023) featuring his Irish Sextet. It was this line-up of saxophonists Michael Buckley (alto/soprano) and Richie Buckley (tenor), trumpeter/flugelhornist Linley Hamilton, bassist Dan Bodwell and drummer John Daly, that took to the Black Box stage for the Saturday afternoon slot.

The set of all-originals harkened back to the hard-bop era of jazz, with each head followed by a succession of solos, before returning to the head. The sextet duly served up a veritable feast of solos, each one bringing appreciative applause. Donegan mixed it up with swing, blues and balladry, his horn arrangements in particular sounding a treat. The style might have seemed a little anachronistic in the context of a primarily modern jazz festival, but the full house was proof, if any was needed, that there is still an enthusiastic audience for jazz of the old school, especially when played this well.

Nout

A flute, harp and drums trio from France rounded off Brilliant Corner 2024. To the unsuspecting, this combination of instruments might have suggested an evening of ECM-esque chamber jazz, but the reality could not have been further from the truth. Nout provided not so much the cherry on the cake as the brick through the glasshouse.

"La mare aux canards" began innocuously enough, with Rafaëlle Rinuado's gentle harp motif, a melodious refrain from flautist Delphine Joussein and a peppy beat from drummer Blanche Lafuente. But with the sudden shock of a head-on-car crash the trio morphed into noise-rock anarchism, pedals radically altering flute and harp as Lafuente got all heavy metal on her kit.

Electronic effects featured heavily. Rinaudo's strings evoked rock guitar riffs one minute, steel-pan sonorities the next, or fierce blankets of white noise. Joussein exploited her pedal board to similar effect, also vocalizing into her flute. Her breathy punctuations and vocalizing were a little like Rahsaan Roland Kirk at one end of the spectrum, and a lot like Norwegian death metal at the other end. You know it's hardcore when, at times, the flute drowns out the drums.

Nout's music wasn't all full-throttle blitzkrieg. Nor would charges of shock-tactic gimmickry stick, as the musicianship was too good, the frequent lyricism, as on the intro to "The Last Train," simply too enchanting, and the range of dynamics at play—looped harmonies, echoing arpeggios and dreamy soundscapes—too great. "Gadget City" took the theme tune for the cartoon Inspector Gadget as its launching pad, the trio shaking up a potent cocktail of funky baroque and noise-metal. Serious fun.

Sticks in hand, Joussein and Rinuado flanked the hard-working Lafuente, unleashing fesity rhythms on ride cymbal and snare drum in an exhilarating percussive finale. For the inevitable encore, Nout served up a thumping rave vibe that The Chemical Brothers would have been proud of... or possibly scared of.

Nout was a worthy showstopper to Brilliant Corners 2024. It is good to know that there are still artists out there like Joussein, Lafuente and Rinuado who are boldly going where no flute, harp and drum trio has ventured before.

Wrap-up

There has never been a weak edition of Brilliant Corners, but 2024 will likely go down as one of the best. From free improvisation to swing-and-blues-influenced mainstream jazz, from amateur big band to pan-Caribbean jazz, and from acoustic elegance to electrified call-it-what-you-will, Brilliant Corners programmers MOM served up an impressive buffet of jazz and improvised music.

Financial realities means that the festival's focus tends to be on European artists. But MOM has always had its finger on the pulse, bringing to Belfast the most happening artists and those who seem sure to make waves in the not-too-distant future. This mixture of the known and the unknown makes for an appetizing menu.

As part of its long-term vision, MOM strives to support artists in their evolving journeys, bringing them back to Belfast time and again. As such, it is also a story of audience evolution. And the two grow together. It is to be hoped that some of the outstanding bands that graced Brilliant Corners 2024 will make quick returns to Belfast.

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