Joe Webb: Neath Beat

Joe Webb's Neath Beat is the work of a fascinating artist. Obsessed with both football and Britpop, Webb fuses those passions with his love for South Wales, filtering it all through the musical vocabulary of legendary piano titans like Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Oscar Peterson and Count Basie. The result is an album that not only pays tribute to those influences but also stands as a compelling and unique artistic statement on its own.

You could easily describe Webb's piano playing in terms of the pitch. His left hand patrols the midfield, helping to anchor the groove along with bassist Will Sach and drummer Sam Jesson, while his right hand acts as the striker, waiting for the melodic pass that he can rocket past the goalie and into the back of the net.

Nowhere is this more evident than on the appropriately-named opening track "Goalmouth Scramble." Webb and his rhythm section immediately lock in on his left hand. Sach's bass is steady and driving, but it is Jesson's drum rolls that build like the breathless anticipation that runs through the stadium as the ball is dropped into the box, Webb receives the pass and then erupts with the swagger of another one of his influences, James P. Johnson, and launches his shot with the rockstar confidence of Liam Gallagher, powerfully driving it all home as the silent crowd suddenly erupts.

As is the case with any great football match, Webb understands that there is a natural ebb and flow that occurs. You simply cannot play at full speed for the entire match, and Neath Beat is constructed similarly.  "I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)" serves as a beautiful breather, the calm before the next attack. For those who love the Peterson-Basie version on The Timekeepers (Pablo, 1983), Webb's playing is reminiscent of both here; he displays the grand flourish of Peterson, but at other times displays the precision of Basie, wasting absolutely no notes.

With "KDB," Webb pairs the immaculate field vision of footballer Kevin De Bruyne with the wit of Monk, an artist who was also deeply influenced by the Harlem stride of Johnson. Like Monk, Webb weaves in beautifully broken notes, combining both the joy and eccentricity of Monk's finest work with the uncanny ability of De Bruyne to see and execute passes that others would not dare to try. "Duke" is a tribute to Ellington, but it is the dynamic and aggressive Ellington from Money Jungle (Blue Note Records, 1963), not the melodic "Take the 'A' Train" Ellington. Appropriately, the track is fiery and short, like a quick strike on goal.

After the final whistle blows and the match ends, Webb, Sach, and Jesson walk off as the sounds of the final track, the gorgeous Welsh ballad "Myfanwy," wash over them. It is easy to envision the stadium crowd spontaneously erupting in song as they leave the pitch triumphantly.