A friend of a friend, who has very little English, perfectly summed up this headline performance in the Cambridge Jazz festival thus : “He is a wizard”. With the Amika String quartet to his right and the three other members of his own quartet to his left, there was never any doubt that Rob Luft was the magus in chief here. He was completely adept and assured throughout at conducting and drawing out the two ensembles, with their seemingly different traditions, often wielding the neck of the guitar as baton, along with beaming encouragement, by way of conducting. This was the first time that the two quartets had played on stage together, but you wouldn’t have known it. It was a captivating performance, with the guitar centre stage in all senses.
The title track of Luft’s most recent album “Dahab Days” (Edition Records), second up here, worked beautifully with the addition of string quartet. It is a sumptuous, exploratory melody, shared between sax and guitar, but the addition of strings, embellishing the theme, lent it an appropriately Egyptian café flavour, with a seamless blending of languor and urgency.
“Daylight saving time” from the same album featured just the jazz quartet and started with rapid solo guitar flurries, leading into unison and interplay between guitar and tenor (Joe Wright) before settling into a happy and highly infectious, carnival like dance groove. What was most striking throughout, was not just the virtuosity of both leader and musicians but the sheer range and depth of mood and emotion they were able to conjure up. Original compositions sat alongside diverse covers ranging from Derek Bailey to Tomasz Stanko to The Aphex Twin.
The second half opened with the Aphex Twin composition “Flim”. Guitar arpeggios led into the beautiful melody on tenor, with emergent strings, sometimes pizzicato, slow, spacy guitar chords, hand played drums, rapid guitar tapping, and exuberant sax solo – there was meticulous attention to dynamics and variety here and throughout. Luft makes judicious use of what he likes to refer to as “talent boosters” – not that he needs them – an array of pedals to modify guitar sound – sustain, delay and swell amongst many.
“Expect the Unexpected” was a commission for the 25th anniversary of the first LJF in 2017, featuring new string arrangements for the Amika Quartet. Rob Luft really led the musicians from the front here in what was a kind of musical choreography, the mood shifting from meditative and mellow to joyful and bubbly, with inventive drummer Corrie Dick on cowbells, brushes and more. “Endless Summer” similarly showcased the beautifully balanced soundscapes generated by the two quartets together, with swelling strings and skittery drums underlying a searching and keening sax solo.
Encore “Snow Country” from Rob Luft’s 2nd album brought the show to an exuberant close and also served to underline the sheer quality and balance of the overall sound throughout, every voice clearly present, along with the evident joy of playing that radiated outwards from beginning to end.
Postscript – Jazz Improvisation workshop with Rob Luft and Joe Wright, Cambridge Junction
In the afternoon of the concert, as if he didn’t have enough to think about already, Rob Luft also led a two and a half hour workshop on improvisation, with the assistance of saxophonist Joe Wright. This was very illuminating – not least as one was able to witness many precepts being put into practice in the evening’s performance. There were in the region of 20 participants, probably half of whom were guitarists (I was one) but also brass, woodwind, piano and drums.
The teaching was practical, inclusive and good natured to a fault. Everything was demonstrated and modelled, everyone got a chance to play solos, with brief feedback. Two specific pieces were chosen and sheet music handed out, for detailed analysis and soloing. There were considerable differences in terms of prior knowledge, understanding of theory, experience and ability level, but all participants were encouraged and all will have been motivated and energised by the experience. One of the two drummers, for example, was delighted to be told, paradoxically, that his solo was the most melodic, of all the instruments present! Note to self – “Always know where you are in the form, when soloing”. Just one of many pieces of sound and eminently useable advice to take away.
