Gwilym Simcock, Wolfgang Muthspiel, Joshua Redman Wigmore Hall September 2014

Joshua Redman, Gwilym Simcock, Wolfgang Muthspiel
(Wigmore Hall, 11th September 2014. Review by Sebastian Scotney)

Following on from an inaugural Brad Mehldau-curated series at the Wigmore Hall from 2009-2011, the Joshua Redman Series at the hall has been running from 2012-2014 (a couple of reviews from other concerts in the series below). It  concluded last night with with a completely full-house, and a totally satisfying and fabulously energizing first-time three-way collaboration.

Whereas Gwilym Simcock and Wolfgang Muthspiel have worked together a few times before –  notably one one occasion last November when Simcock was forced by injury to play one-hand-only –  Joshua Redman had not previously worked with either of them. They had been exchanging ideas for tunes and first met and rehearsed on Wednesday. That was the successful “first date” according to Redman. (We also interviewed Wolfgang Muthspiel on Wednesday)

There was a real spirit of camaraderie in the air last night, and Redman gives such wonderfully emphatic shape and narrative to everything he does, the listener can read the plot all of the time.  The infectiously energetic spirit was caught above all in Eternal Triangle, a tune from another great three-way collaboration, between Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins and Sonny Stitt from 1957. That number had Muthspiel playing not so much a walking as a galloping bass line, and some phenomenal playing from the two others.

Here’s the original of Eternal Triangle. Crotchet is about 320. Hold on to your hats.

Future jazz plans at the Wigmore? The Hall will be announcing something new for its 2015/16 season in February. Meanwhile some 2014/15 highlights are:


20 November – EFG London Jazz Festival – Dan Tepfer Goldberg Variations

5th January 2015 – Guilermo Klein with Chris Cheek / Mark Turner / Aaron Goldberg

June 15th 2015 Christian McBride Trio with Christian Sands and Ulysses Owens Jr.



 LINKS

Review: Joshua Redman, Scott Colley, Satoshi Takeishi, Escher String Quartet at Wigmore Hall: Patrick Zimmerli’s Aspects of Darkness and Light

Review: Joshua Redman and Christian McBride at Wigmore Hall