There was a full house for this concert by iG4, which, Claire Martin explained, stood for “Inter-Generational 4’” owing to the presence of the young Scottish bassist Ewan Hastie.
The set list featured a mix of some familiar standards and some less well-known tunes, each one chosen by the individual members of the band. Among the less familiar tunes were Sunshower (Kenny Barron), Third World Man (Steely Dan), Cherry Tree Song (John Surman/Karin Krog) and Sister Moon (Sting), which was presented as a highly effective vocal/bass duet.
Claire Martin was in fine voice as ever, and especially expressive on the ballads. Karen Sharp played some well-structured saxophone solos and also played an accompanying role at times, weaving counter-melodies around Claire Martin’s vocals. A nice touch was her occasional use of a bass clarinet, which contributed a dark colour to the group’s sound.
Nikki Iles accompanied on piano and played some short but very effective solos. Ewan Hastie, BBC Young Jazz Musician of 2022, contributed a full-toned bass sound behind the band, and during his solos displayed a formidable technique with virtuosic flurries of notes.
The gig was rounded off by an entertaining duet on It Could Happen To You with Claire Martin sharing the vocals with surprise guest Pete Churchill.
iG4, Watermill Jazz Club, Betchworth Park Golf Club, Dorking, 17 June 2025. Claire Martin (vocals), Nikki Iles (piano), Karen Sharp (tenor sax, bass clarinet, percussion (cabassa), Ewan Hastie (acoustic and electric bass)
