Ronnie Scott

Press, 11 February 1986, Page 8

Ronnie Scott

Ronnie Scott, presented by Jazz South at the Limes Room, Town Hall, February 10, 8 p.m. Reviewed by Philip Norman.

Late to start and slow to warm up; for a while last evening it seemed that the concert appearance of Ronnie Scott was not going to live up to expectations.

The individual playing was of reasonable order, but the ensemble sound lacked cohesion. A Jangling piano tone apd an ill-judged balance within the rhythm section, both principally problems of amplification, did not help matters.

Gradually, though, the insistent, full-bodied sound of Ronnie Scott’s tenor saxophone and the sprightly rhythm work of Doug Caldwell (piano), Paul Dyne (bass) and Roger Sellers (drums)

pushed energy levels to a pleasingly high plateau of excitement.

Museum pieces perhaps, but the many oneliners Ronnie Scott wove into his patter were delivered with irresistible deadpan expression and a wickedly comic sense of timing. The ease with which such gems for jazz lovers as “Miles Davis once said to me— get out of the way” rolled off the east end of his tongue contributed greatly to the ever-increasing enjoyment of the evening. While the first set had its striking moments, not the least of these being the healthy honks from Scott on “Canteloupe Island” and his haunting multiphonic close to “Every Time we Say Goodbye,” it was the second set that featured the most satisfying sounds.

In “Blue Bossa,” Ronnie Scott wove a cleverly varied set of choruses that never faltered in melodic direction. “All the Things You Are,’’ taken at a startling clip, brought forth some robust, heartily coloured sounds from the sax.

That Doug Caldwell and Paul Dyne both hit peak form with finely-crafted solos in these numbers helped create an atmosphere that was electric. Doug Caldwell’s piano work was especially fluent, with tasteful ornamentation and a powerful rhythmic momentum. The closing item, “What is This Thing Called Love” brought the percussion work of Roger Sellers to the fore in a lengthy but cohesive solo. The variety and depth of tone he was able to draw from his snare drum in this was particularly impressive.