Like so many towns in the Midlands, recent years have not been kind to Northampton although the stone remains still tell of an ecclesiastical history, an engaging cricket ground offers a haven of rest, there’s the fine Charles Rennie Mackintosh house in Derngate, and if you want a pair of shoes, look no further. Now an additional attraction has arisen at The Garibaldi Hotel – a local pub in a backstreet area just out of the centre.
It’s firmly fixed in the tradition of pub-jazz venues: basic, friendly and welcoming, with wooden floors and no frills, not unlike, as those of advancing seniority may recall, New Merlin’s Cave in Clerkenwell. Perhaps not unfairly described as a “scruffy dump” by the late bassist and pianist Ron Rubin, the Cave had great character and ran lively lunchtime sessions, mainly mainstream affairs, with eminent players like Wally Fawkes, Bruce Turner, John Chilton and John Barnes appearing regularly and an occasional American sitting in, including Roy Eldridge and Jonah Jones. Both places share a relaxed aura, an appreciative audience and music of a high calibre. The last manifestly the case on Saturday afternoon as Garibaldi organiser Andy Shaw presented a top-notch quartet with saxophonists Alan Barnes and Simon Spillett, drummer Clark Tracey and bassist Jeremy Brown.
Working without a piano or guitar gave the horns more space and as Spillett said, greater freedom. Of course this gave more responsibility for the bass and drums to provide the momentum often contributed by a piano or guitar, but they kept it moving effortlessly, maintaining swing without necessarily filling the void, so extending the possibilities for the horns. This was done perfectly by Brown and Tracey, whose drive and perceptive adjuncts were an integral part of the whole.
The choice of numbers varied with the two frontmen exploring the originals. Bebop was represented by Out Of Nowhere, Yardbird Suite and Steeplechase; more mainstream material by the Mulligan/Hodges slow blues Shady Side and Jobim’s Triste, on which Barnes used clarinet and Tracey kept the steady bossa-nova tempo. Monk’s early composition Bye-Ya gave the opportunity for quotes from the great man’s canon to be thrown into the mix – edgy, provocative and humorous.
Given how often they play together, it came as no surprise how at ease the saxophonists were, complementing each other whilst retaining their individuality: Spillett was full and broad-toned; Barnes’ alto was incisive, often barbed , and his baritone was handled with agility and warmth in an almost Websterish version of Harry Carney.
Overall, the melodic passages were the springboard for improvisation – intense, inventive and witty, rather than introspective or anguished. There were striking moments of abstraction and spur-of-the-moment ingenuity. Occasionally the improvisational style of Konitz and Marsh sprang to mind – for example, on The Way You Look Tonight and on You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To (even with its Alfie theme coda!). At times things briefly went awry, much to the musicians’ amusement and the audience’s enjoyment, but quickly got ironed out. But then, that’s what we like about the music – the sound of surprise.
Hopefully, further dates for this configuration will arise, and if so, it’s thoroughly recommended.
Alan Barnes, Simon Spillett, Jeremy Brown and Clark Tracey at the Garibaldi, 19-21 Bailiff St. Northampton, 31 August 2024
