Review: Yamaha Jazz Scholars
(606 club, November 29th, review by Chelsea Mystery Shopper)

Up pops that Mulberry bag. Our irrepressible mystery Chelsea shopper has been down to the 606 in search of the unfamiliar: the Yamaha jazz scholars evening

There’s been criticism of reviewers only writing about the things they think are great. So I decided I’d go to the Yamaha Jazz Scholars at the 606 club on Monday. I didn’t know any of the bands. It just seemed a good idea to get out and hear some of these young music college students.

Most of the bands were trios – with occasional extra people, with an emphasis on drums. The bands were certainly various. I only really liked one of them.

There were two trumpet players and two saxophones during the evening but mostly, piano or bass and string bass and drums. With five bands to get through, no one had a lot to do – and the old fashioned thought of a 3/4 minute song came to mind more than once! All the bands played well – there was a hard time for for a rather sweet/bluesy trumpet player in Mark Perry’s Quintet who had a drummer much too much in evidence, making a sort of “Rushing out to sea” noise.

The Kit Downes band gave a really professional finish to their set, but the one that I really liked was the Alex Munk Trio who had a good idea of dynamics, rather than going at eveything as though it was the last go round. I shall look out for them again.

The 606 was full at the start of the evening but I imagine lots of the people were fans of particular bands as it gradually cleared – so when the Alex Munk came on it was the really the aficianados who got the best of the evening!

You can hear these bands again as there is a covermount CD with December Jazzwise – but with other things on it too, I’d have keep on counting the tracks. Hm. Not sure about that.

Here’s more background to the 2009 Yamaha Jazz Scholars