Friendly rivalry

Funnily enough, last night’s jam session at Hippo’s was called by the Rivals. It’s just a name, but so apt in this context. After all, there’s always a bit of brashness and rivalry at a jam session, even if it’s perfectly friendly as this one was. A large part of jazz is the individualist art of improvisation and a bit of amiable competition is par for the course. This is playing for your peers and, especially in a form like jazz, your peers are your most aware critics. It reminds me of the admonition: Miss practice for one day and you notice; miss practice for three days and the band notices; miss practice for a week and everyone notices.

I arrived while the Rivals were playing an introductory set. I was stunned by how good was the music as I was walking up the Hippo steps. It was wonderfully informed and stylish music with tuneful melody and complex underlying harmony in a style I truly love. The Rivals are normally a trio: Luke Sweeting, Stuart King and Hugh Deacon but for this gig they were joined by Reuben Lewis and Matt Handel. Stuart told me he’d spent hours writing lines for the horns over the weekend. These were not always balladic in form, but they were harmonically complex as ballads are. Nice solos and good reading by the horns, too, but the writing was the main attraction for me. This is seriously satisfying music and will be worthy of the recording when they get to it.

Then followed a series of outfits thrown together for a blow. They were all playing standards with that singular urgency that you hear at jam sessions. It’s particularly interesting to hear players next to each other and observe their various styles and approaches. It’s impossible to deny skills or listeners’ preferences or just plain talent, so we will always have preferences, but these are all trained players and they all have something valid to say. I was especially interested in several newer players who I hadn’t heard: early year jazz students and even a classical bassist who’s making a crossover into jazz (most impressive!). No doubt they will appear on CJ over time. I got to sit in, too. The tune was Have you met Miss Jones, the classic standard that’s famous as an early example of Coltrane changes, and it was an impressive band: Andy Butler, Aidan Lowe, Reuben Lewis, Matt Handel, Tom Fell and Max Williams. Also interesting to me was the chance to try out Phill Jenkins’ bass. It’s got wonderful presence and decay but I struggled with the fat, heavy, rolling gut strings. Despite that, it was much enjoyed. Thanks to the band and Phill and to the Rivals.

The Rivals are Luke Sweeting (organ), Stuart King (guitar) and Hugh Deacon (drums) but for this gig they were joined by Reuben Lewis (trumpet) and Matt Handel (alto sax).