Lode4 at the Somerville
Review
On a cold winter night, it's so good to be curled up in a cosy pub with great company. Of course, it's even better when there's a live band as cool as Lode4 with a set that explores that distinctive jazz repertoire of material less cute than the great American songbook yet more melodic than the wilder reaches of fusion.
With David Hawkins on sax, Dan Higman on keys, Wal Warmington on drums and Stewart Duthie on bass, Lode4 are crisp, melodic and elegantly economic in their delivery - not only of classics including Killer Joe, Softly as in a Morning Sunrise and Green Dolphin Street bbut also some original compositions and wonderfully obscure unamerican material such as Pint of Bitter
As a bonus, this session also included three special guests. Chris Gibbons added sophisticated chord work and cool melodic improvisation. Blues singer Sarah Alllngton-Clench made her dubut as jazz styiist with a lively yet warm take on Fly me to the moon. Finally, Marc Devereaux layered some rich bluesy vocals over the solid groove of the Lode4 home team.
On a cold winter night, it's so tempting to take your shoes off and stay at home in the warm. But a performance this good is a powerful reminder of all the great music that's out there for the effort of a short drive and the price of a pint.
