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Brilliant Corners 2018
Sons of Kemet hasn't stood still since its debut Burn (Naim Jazz Records, 2013) , as this set, drawn largely from the band's third release, the cheekily titled Your Queen Is a Reptile (Impulse!, 2018), showed. The dual drum set-up of Eddie Hick and Tom Skinner cooked up a pulsating rhythmic stew, while tubaist Theon Cross ploughed ferocious grooves, occasionally falling into melodic unison with Hutchings, who riffed and probed tirelessly. As tightly knit as the unit surely was, there was freedom aplenty to take the music this way and that, with Cross every bit as compelling as Hutchings in the improvisation stakes.
The crowd, pressed close to the stage, moved to the hypnotic beats from the outset, with more and more drawn to dance as the concert progressed. Caribbean roots music, heavy dub, futuristic funk, New Orleans second-line and free-jazz fused in a wildly euphoric fusion that was trance-like in its unrelenting intensity. At an hour and fifteen minutes this was, relatively speaking, a short headlining set, but trying to sustain music this potent, this explosive, or trying to dance to it for that long, rendered it something of a marathon experience—and an unforgettable one at that. Unlikely to be the party band at England's upcoming royal wedding, but highly recommended for all other festive occasions.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Marcin Wilkowski
The crowd, pressed close to the stage, moved to the hypnotic beats from the outset, with more and more drawn to dance as the concert progressed. Caribbean roots music, heavy dub, futuristic funk, New Orleans second-line and free-jazz fused in a wildly euphoric fusion that was trance-like in its unrelenting intensity. At an hour and fifteen minutes this was, relatively speaking, a short headlining set, but trying to sustain music this potent, this explosive, or trying to dance to it for that long, rendered it something of a marathon experience—and an unforgettable one at that. Unlikely to be the party band at England's upcoming royal wedding, but highly recommended for all other festive occasions.
Wrap-up
The best edition of Brilliant Corners so far? Such things are subjective but promoter Moving On Music does seem to keep on raising the bar. For the stylistic range and quality of music on offer, and for the adventurous nature of the programming, which often seems to say 'let's see what they think of this,' Brilliant Corners is arguably more progressive than many bigger and more illustrious jazz festivals. Still with the potential to grow its audience, there will be many, no doubt, who feel that the one main venue—with the odd satellite concert—and the intimate nature of Brilliant Corners is precisely its forte. An essential event in Ireland/Belfast's packed festival calendar.Photo Credit: Courtesy of Marcin Wilkowski
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Live Reviews
Sons of Kemet
Ian Patterson
United Kingdom
Belfast
Wayne Shorter
charles lloyd
Ahmad Jamal
Keith Jarrett
brad mehldau
pat metheny
laura jurd
Trish Clowes
Kaja Draksler
Ronnie Greer
Jim Mullen
Dick Morrissey
Gary Husband
claire martin
Scott Flanigan
Dominic Mullan
Toots Thielmans
Wes Montgomery
Sonny Rollins
linley hamilton
Joseph Leighton
Conor Murray
James Anderson
Jack Kelly
Dan Bodwell
Francesco Turrisi
Paul Dunlea
Marshall Gilkes
Taylor Eigisti
Cassandra Wilson
Peter Washington
Lewis Nash
Billy Drummond
Alyn Cosker}], bassist {{Barry Donohue
Leopoldo Osio
Ben Castle
sam comerford
Ingo Hipp
Chris Guilfoyle
matthew jacobson
Hendrik Lasure
Jan Bouttery
Eliott Galvin
Tom McCredie
Corrie Dick
Brian Irvine
Captain Beefheart
Frank Zappa
Wadada Leo Smith
anthony braxton
Caolan Hutchinson
Jake Holmes
oscar peterson
John Coltrane
Gigi Gryce
Hampton Hawes
david lyttle
Andreas Varady
Kurt Rosenwinkel
Michael Janisch
Steve Hamilton
joe lovano
Melaina Gillard
shabaka hutchings
Eddie Hick
Tom Skinner
Theon Cross
Jimmy Witherspoon
