Halfway through this excellent show at The Lighthouse, drummer and composer Tristan Banks takes time out to regale the audience with a tale about the baião Brazilian beat he’d just played on “Cidade Alta”, one of many standout tracks on his 2023 album ‘The View from Above’ (Ubuntu Music). Baião is a forró rhythm from the North-East of Brazil and the word is probably a Portuguese corruption of the words ‘for all’ as the music was christened in the 19th century by British travellers. It’s a story that demonstrates both his encyclopaedic knowledge of latin rhythms and the implicit philosophy of this exceptional band.
The set is largely drawn from the album, which Banks himself has described as having a quite full-on vibe. This is jazz to move to, propelled by a groove that flows from the drummer as well as from pianist John Crawford’s exquisite rhythm jabs and Davide Mantovani’s imposing and tasteful double bass figures. Above this, Paul Booth soars on tenor and soprano sax as well as flute, building on Tristan Banks ear-worm melodies. The result is sophisticated yet muscular in the best sense, influenced by jazz-funk, acid-jazz and rock, as well as more obviously by Brazilian and Cuban music.
The rhythm – so necessary to all good ensembles as well as the relaxed interaction we love in jazz – is evident throughout, as you’d expect from a band made up of leaders in their own right. The third key element for great performances, variation, thus takes care of itself given the calibre of the musicians. So the first set opens with the album title track, followed by the funkier Ex-Machina and the more chilled Possible Bossa. The latter features a delicious and expressive solo from Mantovani that maintains the groove throughout brilliantly. “Dust Devil” features Paul Booth on soprano, building on the opening theme above the powerful drumming that evokes the power of nature a twister brings. On Flex, dedicated to Tristan’s brother Dexter, the insistent riff stays with you, a characteristic of the leader’s compositional style, which establishes a memorable riff or melody early, rather like Nile Rodgers’s funk tunes.
The second set opens with the excellent “Cidade Alta”, followed by the interesting two-contrasting-heads tune Polycephaly. A stand-out in the latter tune is John Crawford’s masterly use of his Roland as a percussive instrument during his startling solo. Batida, a tune not on the album follows, and as you’d expect from a word meaning both groove and a cachaça based drink, the tune has a real kick, with the rhythm rolling like a freight-train under and around Paul Booth’s soprano. “Capelinhas”, another album stand-out tune, gives Crawford another chance to excel, with shard-like high notes complementing Booth’s soaring flute. After “Tempesta”, one more Latin-influenced tune, the set ends appropriately enough with a version of Milton Nascimento’s “Vera Cruz”, providing a final splash of drum rolls and bass notes and soloing to a delighted cheering audience. A tremendous evening of jazz is triumphantly concluded.
Tristan Banks, who also manages the award-winning venue The Verdict in Brighton, gives a generous and well-deserved shout-out to brothers David and James Hatton and their team at The Lighthouse, which is a truly delightful and friendly jazz-venue on the Kent coast. Their recent success in attracting top jazz musicians to Deal monthly is to be commended. Long may it continue.
