Saxophonist Tim Garland and pianist Jason Rebello have created a very successful partnership as a duo, blending their individual styles to produce some captivating music. They have been on tour in the UK and abroad to promote their Whirlwind album Life To Life, reviewed by Jon Turney here;
But exclusively for the Birmingham concert last night – and for tonight’s performance at St Martin in the Fields in London – they added the stupendous American vibes player Joe Locke, creating a trio which offers a huge range of new musical possibilities.

If you live in or near London, I can’t recommend this dynamic trio highly enough – you’ll thank yourself for not missing this chance to hear them tonight. Garland has accurately described Locke as an “electrifying” performer – but with “a real sensitive touch”. He is certainly among the predominant players, with a huge number of albums as a leader to his credit, the latest being Makram, released last year on Circle 9 Records.
In Birmingham, the performance opened with an eloquent duet by Rebello and Garland, before Locke joined them on stage. The breadth of Locke’s capabilities and his sheer dynamism on the vibes were certainly demonstrated in the exuberant opening piece, Garland’s composition Two To Go, which he renamed Three To Go for this special collaboration with Locke.
Rebello’s composition The Fire Of Benevolence followed, with an exquisite solo by the pianist – through his expert use of space he brings light and shade into all his phrases, creating a sparkling musical structure. Another fine piece by Rebello, The Missing Ingredient, also featured one of his most powerful solos of the evening.
Garland premiered his new work, A Prayer In Winter, with gorgeous playing on the soprano, and his expertise on that instrument was also strongly evident on the wildly-spinning Children’s Song No. 6, by the jazz legend he worked with for many years, Chick Corea.
On tenor, he can produce a huge range of tonal colour, from the softest breathy sounds to metallic brilliance, always with a sense of controlled power. Some excellent Locke compositions also featured in Birmingham, including Raise Heaven, a passionate tribute to his late friend, the trumpeter Roy Hargrove, with the mallets flying furiously over the tone bars of the vibes.
The three musicians created a performance which will be long remembered by the sold-out audience at the Conservatoire – and what an inspiration it must have been for the many music students in the crowd.
2 responses
Excellent review. The London gig was equally good with a similar set list.
Excellent review. The extended duo works so well. The London gig was equally good with a similar set list.