UK Jazz News

Winston Clifford Quartet

606 Club, 20 January 2025

L-R Bruno Heinen, Riley Stone-Lonergan, Oli Hayhurst, Wimston Clifford. Photo Adam McCulloch

Drummer Winston Clifford is a long-time regular at the 6, on many occasions through his playing with saxophonist Dan Reinstein’s bands, and has been a powerhouse behind the kit for a wide variety of great bands, led by the likes of Gwilym Simcock, Monty Alexander, Stanley Turrentine, Benny Golson and Courtney Pine. It should be no surprise then that he’s rather special, but still – seeing and hearing is believing. 

A master of a huge array of drum techniques, Clifford is constantly inventive, immersed in a stream of consciousness yet with ears wide open to hints, suggestions and prompts from his playing partners. He wrought an astonishing array of sounds from the house kit throughout the two sets, at one point playing polyrhythms on a half-filled bottle of water and a glass borrowed from a front row table. He regularly played around the kit with his bare hands for softer timbres, another card to play in the constant search for dynamic expression and imaginative phrasing. 

“Polyrhythms on a half-filled bottle of water.” Winston Clifford

This was not a regular quartet for Clifford but he found instant rapport with Bruno Heinen, who brought a compositional and angular style to the keyboard, and bassist Oli Hayhurst’s muscular, technically brilliant and resonant bass playing. On tenor, Riley Stone-Lonergan was sinuous, lyrical and interesting harmonically, deploying the full range of the instrument on tunes such as Don Grolnick’s “Nothing Personal” and a poignant feather touch to Wayne Shorter’s “Infant Eyes”, segued with Coltrane’s “Naima”.

Clifford’s set list was challenging but always accessible to the audience, kicking off with Lennie Tristano’s take on Out of Nowhere’s changes, “317 East 32nd Street”. A delightful version of Chaplin’s “Smile” – in 7 – followed, with that great Tony Williams tune “Sister Cheryl” getting a fine rendition, too.

Clifford had chosen some real gems and was happy to give the audience a sense of his respect and awe for the compositions and their composers by explaining the history of each tune in a style as playful and original as his kit work. “L’s Bop”, by another great drummer, Lenny White, was a highlight of the first set, as was Wayne Shorter’s “502 Blues” with a superb preamble by Hayhurst.

Set 2 got under way with George Coleman’s “Low Joe”, during which Clifford playfully traded motifs played by Heinen in his solo, continuing with Kenny Dorham’s bop anthem “Short Story”. Here Clifford was obviously inspired by Elvin Jones’s virtuosic playing on the Joe Henderson album In ‘n Out. Monk’s striking “Evidence” followed before the gig closed with two impeccable choices: Hermeto Pascoal’s infectious, euphoric “Capivara” and Joe Henderson’s joyful “Y Todavia La Quiero” – a tune that builds momentum with just four chords, allowing each soloist to ‘nip outside’ the changes with Hayhurst’s bass a constant, reassuring presence around the roots.

Whether trading fours, supporting other soloists, or playing extended solos himself, Clifford showed immense musicality, never impressing for the sake of it and constantly finding something interesting to say. Outstanding.

Winston Clifford: drums
Riley Stone-Lonergan: tenor saxophone
Bruno Heinen: acoustic piano, electric piano
Oli Hayhurst: double bass

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