New hearings

Cafe Oto had ended unexpectedly early so Vortex beckoned. Vortex is another interesting jazz venue located just around the corner, small, upstairs. This was a Match & Fuse late session, meaning 2 bands of some similarity influencing each other. To some degree this is a frightening concept for a band (jazz can be competitive) but it’s great for an audience. First up was a strangely named keyboard trio from Leeds, Voronoi. Jazz trained at a local school, graduated 4 years ago, now teaching and playing. Their spiel was “started out by straddling contemporary jazz and heavy metal ... now a brutally dark, synth driven, sci-fi themed experimental rock goliath.” It fits. I loved this band. I really felt something new and fresh here although that may just related to my listening. That is despite references to an old fave of mine, Yes. It was the fairly straight sense of harmony mixed with tight hits from bass and rich fills from drums and various polyrhythms and odd and changing time signatures underlying it all. There were solos but they not so much essential to the concept. The synths tones were. Strange name, exciting new sounds. I loved this band, but I’m a sucker for certain but unexpected times. I did ask bassist Sam what they listened to: Tigran Hamasyan.

Voronoi performed at Vortex Jazz Club, Dalston, London. They comprised Aleks Podraza (keyboards), Sam Quintana (bass) and Tom Higham (drums).