Julian Arguelles Trio - Gig Review
Here are my thoughts on the Julian Arguelles Trio, which I saw last night in Nottingham. I’ll keep it brief.
First impressions: a few minutes before the gig’s scheduled start, the trio saunter through the auditorium to their warm up room, evidently returning from dinner or perhaps a trip to the pub. Most artists go round the back, so that the audience don’t actually see them until their act begins. Not this lot. A refreshing attitude, if perhaps a little underwhelming. ‘But it’s jazz, you see, so these things don’t matter.’
Second impressions: my word these guys are laid back: jeans, super scruffy shirts etc. But still, you say, it’s jazz, so that’s OK.
On the charisma score I’m afraid these guys score very poorly. Poor chat, a few half-hearted naff jokes, shoddy patter.
Music: I first saw Julian Arguelles a couple of years ago on Islay, at the jazz festival there. He’s a superb player, with a rock solid command of his tenor sax. Last night he played some marvellous jazz, and I thought he was great. But throughout the night he was always playing second fiddle to drummer Ton Rainey, who, by dint of the rather bright acoustic in Lakeside’s Recital Hall, consistently overpowered the other two musicians. This is a shame, but I’ve come to expect it in that venue. The only drummer I’ve ever witnessed turn the place to his advantage was Jarle Vespestad, but that’s another story.
They were playing a bunch of original stuff, some of which was interesting, but most of which was forgettable. The sax/drums/bass configuration worked pretty well, but on many occasions I was yearning for the harmonic depth of a pianist or guitarist. But that’s just me I suppose.