UK Jazz News

Sebastian Rochford and Kit Downes – Scotland Unwrapped Opening Night

Kings Place Hall Two. 11 January 2024

Well deserved applause for Kit Downes (L) and Sebastian Rochford. Phone snap

The grand opening night of “Scotland Unwrapped”, the sixteenth iteration of Kings Place’s award-winning, year-long, themed series of events is not until Friday 12 January. Karine Polwart, enshrined as Artist in Residence, will be in Hall One; Fergus McCreadie and his trio will do two shows in Hall Two… followed by much more – link below.

But on the evening before all that, we were treated to something rather beautiful, restrained and elegiac: a well-attended evening with drummer Seb Rochford and pianist Kit Downes in Hall Two, mostly playing music from their duo album “A Short Diary” (ECM), released in January 2023.

I loved the album, and was not alone (LINK TO 5-STAR REVIEW). It is in the current, January 2024 Downbeat list of “Masterpieces/ Best Albums of 2023”. Richard Williams has also called it a “quiet masterpiece”.

It has taken time for this project to be heard in this live version. Both Rochford and Downes, bring a completely assured sense of flow and drama to this affecting and deeply felt music. The ways they listen to each other, give room, anticipate are alchemical and remarkable.

Returning to the Scottish theme, Seb Rochford was soft-spokenly enjoying the gentle irony of his particular slant on Scottishness. His late father, the poet and academic Gerard Rochford lived most of his life in Aberdeen, but was originally English and grew up in Worcestershire. The drummer’s Anglo-Indian mother Annie was from Lucknow. However, Rochford clearly has affection for the country he grew up in alongside his nine siblings, something which came across vividly in a fine new tune played as an encore, “To the country where I was born”.

There are further tour dates listed below. Strongly recommended.

TOUR DATES FOR SEB ROCHFORD and KIT DOWNES

12 January: Turner Sims Southampton
14 January: Band On The Wall, Manchester
18 January: SAGE Gateshead

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