Gareth Williams Trio: (‘Short Stories’ at Ronnie Scott’s, 13 June)

By londonjazz on 10 June 2022 • ( Leave a comment )

Gareth Williams’s trio will be at Ronnie Scott’s on 13 June. Doors open 8. 30 pm. Booking link below. Preview by Sebastian Scotney

Gareth Williams. Photo credit Mike O’Brien

“I know the place well,” says pianist Gareth Williams. His headlining appearance next Monday 13 June at Ronnie Scott’s is indeed a kind of homecoming… His trio was often booked as ‘the British band’ by Peter King who managed the club until 2005. In the intervening years Williams has been back there often in other contexts – with, for example, Claire Martin or the late Pee Wee Ellis – but this trio appearance with Williams himself as leader is something special and rare, and hopefully a sign of more to come.

Monday’s concert will also be special because the first, pre-release copies of a new trio album “Short Stories” will also be available. The album itself, on Peter Watts‘s Miles Music label, is not officially out until July.

The concept behind the album “Short Stories”, Williams explains, is that short forms – in literature as well as music – can be intense and contain a whole range of experience.

The album has two trios: the drummer throughout is Martin France, with the bassist Palle Danielsson on some tracks, and Chris Laurence on others. Bassist on Monday will be Conor Chaplin. The opportunity to work with Palle Danielsson was the catalyst for the album project: “Because of his work with Jarrett in 70’s he has always been a hero, says Gareth Williams… “He has a telepathic understanding of a what a piano player is about to do.”