The third Lincoln Jazz Festival took place in the magnificent setting of the Chapter House of Lincoln Cathedral over the weekend of July 19-21. This year’s festival had a bit of everything: virtuoso performance, every musical style you could think of, soloists, trios, quartets and big(gish) band ensembles. There was even a jazz eucharist on the Sunday morning!
Popular and underappreciated
The festival confirmed two things: firstly that jazz is a really popular and underappreciated music genre which deserves the support of the city’s public and secondly, that the cathedral is a building with a deserved reputation for hosting an eclectic music programme and that belies its image as a place whose appeal is limited to its loyal congregation.
The programme was directed by Dennis Rollins, who has become firmly associated with the event, organised by a group of dedicated jazz fans in Lincoln and supported by sponsorship and a grant from the Arts Council. As someone who helps organise and run a programme of international film in Lincoln, where world cinema very much plays second fiddle to the blockbusters favoured by the multiplexes and most audiences, I know just how much voluntary work is needed to gather everything together and make it work. They did a sterling job.
A positive fusion of jazz styles
Unfortunately I was only able to attend the Saturday event, but I doubt if any set on any day could have improved upon the variety and excellence available. The first was from a South London mixed-race, mixed-age ensemble that showed the positive aspect of cultural integration, showcasing a fusion of the styles, especially ska and reggae, that the group’s membership embodies. Kinetika Bloco Legacy Band, a mix of professional and student musicians, were really tight and had some outstanding players in their mix, including a 14-year-old trumpeter who really sparkled.
The performers had spent time in city schools running workshops for school children and must surely have inspired those youngsters. The music they played recalled 70s supergroups Caravan and Fleetwood Mac (in their original bluesy form) and really engaged the audience, who by the end were on their feet dancing, first of all in the Chapter House itself and then in the Cloister Garden. I’m not sure the Cathedral has seen anything like it.
An evening of contrasts
The next set was a complete contrast. The Antonio Forcione trio – Forcione on guitar, Mattheus Nova on bass and Jansen Santana on drums – gave us music, heavy with Latin American and African influences and often drawn from his album Sketches of Africa. Forcione is a virtuoso guitarist who was superbly supported by Nova and Santana. Anyone who knows the work of Dave Gilmour, Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana (no relation) Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Ry Cooder would certainly have enjoyed it.
After a break, we headed into the evening with a set by Ian Shaw. Shaw is truly versatile and very entertaining. His cabaret style performance, accompanying himself on the piano, was ideally suited to the intimate atmosphere of the Chapter House. Some of his songs were arrangements of well-known classics – ‘Alfie’ (how many years is it since I’ve heard that?), Supertramp’s ‘The Logical Song’ and Joni Mitchell’s ‘I Could Drink a Case of You’.
The highlight for me was a plaintive (and hilarious) account of him trying desperately to find something to eat when he got home late after a party. Not many artists could make quinoa into a song, but he did, describing it as “a pointless bag of kack” and capturing his despair perfectly with lines like “a million ways to eat it and they taste the (expletive) same.”
The evening ended with The Joe Locke Quartet. Locke is a virtuoso on the vibraphone and was backed by Peter Johnstone (piano), Callum Gourlay (bass) and Alyn Cosker (drums). The set made the most of the musicians’ skills, each of them getting regular solo spots, with Locke’s dexterity and skill standing out. It lasted well over two hours and the time absolutely flew by.
Jazz – still cool and modern
Looking back, the event was a reminder that the arts and the performing arts especially, offer a unique and irreplaceable experience. Outside the cathedral, people were wandering through a 1940s style event. Such events occur regularly in Lincolnshire, which at times doesn’t seem to want to confront the 21st century. Inside the cathedral however, everything was distinctly modern and decidedly cool.
