This recording will definitely be one of my albums of the year.
Livia Records LRCD2602
John Wadham (drums); Brian Dunning (flute); Louis Stewart (guitar); Frank Hess, Martin Walsh (bass)
Recorded Pat Hays Studio, Bray 1978; Trend Studios, Dublin 1975
This is yet another gem of a release by label Livia Records, who continue to reissue albums highlighting the talent, sound and virtuosity of various musicians from the Irish jazz scene. Drummer John Wadham was born in England, but his family moved to Ireland when he was a teenager. At sixteen, he was sitting in with jazz bands and soon making a name for himself.
John Wadham (known as ‘The Wad’) was one of those musicians who could play almost anything: he performed with duos, trios, quartets, big bands and orchestras. He played Dixieland, hard bop and free jazz. He was an excellent sight reader and played on numerous jingles and recording sessions, and in live theatre productions. He was the drummer of choice for many touring musicians including, Zoot Sims, Gerry Mulligan, Ronnie Scott, Barney Kessel, Maynard Ferguson and Tubby Hayes. He was a member of the Jim Doherty Quartet, which wowed audiences at the 1968 Montreux Jazz Festival, with the band winning two Festival awards.
Wadham was also a great educator and mentored numerous young musicians. He was much loved by both fans and fellow musicians, and his death in 2003 at the age of just 67, was a tremendous loss to the music world.
This album was originally released as an LP in 1978. It was reissued in 2000 on CD, with a bonus track (‘Footprints’). This release contains the same tracks as the CD version, plus two additional bonus tracks. As is always the case with Livia Records, a lot of care and attention has gone into the packaging of the CD version of the album, which comes in a fold-out digipak with a nice glossy cover and several photographs. There’s also a sixteen-page booklet which contains more photographs, as well as the liner notes from the LP and CD releases, as well as a new set of highly informative notes by drummer Conor Guilfoyle, who was one of Wadham’s students.
This was Wadham’s first and only release as a leader, and as Guilfoyle astutely notes: ‘Being a band leader would not have suited him, he was happiest directing from the back…allowing the musicians space, drawing them into unfamiliar territory, and marking the boundaries when needed.’
It’s the perfect description of his performances on this album. There are no flashy solos; no grandstanding fills: Wadham lets the music breathe. He was superb at setting up a strong pulse, improvising and comping, as well leading his fellow band members into new and subtle directions. He was a great listener too, and that made him a superb follower. A soloist only had to make the subtlest of changes and Wadham would lock onto it in an instance. His drumming was as solid as a rock and as supple as a cat. He was a generous, inspiring musician.
This album has Wadham playing in several line-ups: a guitar/drum duo with the Irish jazz guitarist Louis Stewart; a trio with Stewart and bassist Martin Walsh, and a trio with flautist Brian Dunning that included bassist Frank Hess. Sadly, only Hess is still alive today. Stewart was a superb musician, described by Ronnie Scott as ‘one of the world’s greatest jazz guitarists,’ and Livia Records has done much to keep his legacy alive through a string of impressive album releases. Brian Dunning took up the flute relatively late in life, but was a master of the instrument. He was a bold experimenter, mixing bebop with folk, and putting together imaginative trios, like the one on this album.
The album starts off with four numbers from the Dunning Trio with a swinging rendition of Freddie Hubbard’s ‘Clarence’s Place.’ Dunning’s flute flutters and floats over a rock solid rhythm section, which never overpowers the reed instrument – just listen to Wadham’s delicate cymbal strokes and subtle accents and fills. At one point, flute and drums drop out, leaving the spotlight on Hess’s supple bass solo.
Gary Niewood’s ‘Floatin,’ is well-named, as the ballad seems to drift along, like morning mist. John Surman’s ‘Winter Song,’ is played at a brisk pace, driven along by Hess’s fast bass pulse and Wadham’s rapid rimshots and cymbal smashes. Dunning plays with great speed, power and control. The sound on Bobby Hutcherson’s ‘Pompeian’ is sweet and spacious, with the rhythm section again playing with delicacy and finesse as Dunning’s flute sings the melody.
The next two numbers are guitar/drum duos, featuring Wadham and Stewart. ‘Improvisation For Guitar And Drums,’ was a happy accident. The pair had just finished a session and Wadham was about to pack up his drums, when Stewart started jamming on guitar. He beckoned Wadham to join him in the studio. Fortunately, the recording engineer had the presence of mind to record the two of them, and the result is this exhilarating nine-minute-long free jazz improvisation. Conor Guilfoyle says that this is the only example of Stewart working in a free jazz mode. The drums and guitar fit like a hand a glove. Both musicians spur on each other; surprise one another, and sparks fly as the music is being created in the moment.
The second duo performance is the five-minute long, wistful ballad, ‘Lazy Afternoon.’ It’s almost a solo guitar piece, because apart from the addition of some light, chiming percussion here and there, Wadham steps back, allowing the beauty of Stewart’s playing to shine though. Wadham was clearly a musician who knew that less can sometimes mean more.
The last three numbers are all bonus tracks and all covers, starting with the Stewart Trio playing a nine-minute cover of Wayne Shorter’s ‘Footprints.’ The first three minutes are a slow build up to the song’s theme, with Stewart’s elegant playing to the fore, before the band break out and take off. Walsh plays a fine bass solo on this number.
Next up is ‘Seven Steps To Heaven,’ (it’s disappointing to see that Miles Davis given sole composer’s credit on the album sleeve – Victor Feldman was the main composer of this piece) and the Dunning Trio perform an outstanding version of the song. Hess kicks off with the song’s signature bass riff before Wadham and Dunning join in. Bass and drums keep things swinging with a driving 16th-note pulse, which is interspersed with tumbling drum fills. Dunning plays with great fluency, his flute fluttering like a hummingbird’s wings. Hess plays a fast bass solo before the song comes to a complete stop.
The album ends on a gentle note, with the closing number featuring the Stewart Trio performing Coltrane’s ballad ‘Naima.’ The song is a showcase for the grace and elegance of Stewart’s playing. It’s a moving performance from a musician whose name should be up there with the other jazz guitar greats. This recording will definitely be one of my albums of the year.
