Trish Clowes
(Wigmore Hall. 8 March 2024. Journey To Where Album Launch. Live Review By Tony Dudley-Evans)

Journey To Where (Stoney Lane Records) is a beautiful and thoughtful duo album on which Trish Clowes plays a mixture of jazz and classical repertoire with pianist Ross Stanley. This is music of great sensitivity, strength and also charm.

Clowes’ solos, for example on “Decently Ripped”, a track dedicated to one of her influences, Wayne Shorter, or on the Latin-tinged “Tres Palabras”, are consistently full of original ideas and free from cliche. The influence of her mentors, Wayne Shorter and Iain Ballamy, is there, but Clowes has developed a strong, highly personal style. Stanley is completely supportive throughout and also brings a similar strength as soloist.

The album launch took place at lunchtime in the Wigmore Hall, an appropriate venue: the album was recorded there in 2021. Clowes is also an Associate Artist of the venue. For the concert Clowes had invited four singers, Clare Wheeler, Liz Swain, Tara Minton and Jo Lawry to join her and Stanley, but sadly, Jo Lawry had to withdraw as a result of a sudden family bereavement, so the concert went ahead with three singers. Adding the singers to perform this music without amplification, was a masterstroke. It added something very special to the compositions and took advantage of the Wigmore’s beautiful, remarkable acoustics.

The Wigmore’s acoustics also brought out the fullness and elegance of Clowes’ tone on tenor saxophone, as was immediately apparent from the first tune, “Decently Ripped”, a duet between her and Stanley that featured a fluent, slightly quirky solo from Clowes with very supportive comping from Stanley. They were joined by the singers for a second track from the album, “The Month of January”, a traditional folk tune which is a June Tabor staple. The words were initially delivered as spoken word and gradually transformed into song.

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Thereafter, the repertoire consisted of compositions by women composers in recognition of International Women’s Day; these were by Clowes herself, the classical composer Lili Boulanger, the late American pianist Geri Allen, and the British composer/pianist Nikki Iles.

Each one featured arrangements for the voices, usually rhythmic wordless lines in unison with the saxophone which truly brought out a unique tapestry of sound. The Geri Allen track, “Skin”, arranged by Clowes, was a particularly effective piece with punchy vocal gestures underpinning the saxophone and piano lines. Lili Boulanger’s “Pie Jesu”, a piece which Lili dictated to her sister Nadia in early 1918 from her deathbed, and also arranged by Clowes, had an interesting edgy vibe to it brought out by the integration of the voices and the saxophone.

It is very pleasing that jazz of such quality and originality should take place in the prestigious Wigmore Hall, and also that the concert to have been attended by such a large and enthusiastic audience.

LINK: Journey to Where on Bandcamp
Trish Clowes’s website
The next jazz event at Wigmore Hall is Joe Lovano’s Tapestry Trio