Review: Bryan Corbett and Al Gurr at Lichfield Music Festival
There’s no sound in music to compare to the gorgeously warm glow of a skilfully played trumpet, and Bryan Corbett is certainly a brass player who is always a joy to hear.
When he combines his talents with the inspired keyboard playing of Al Gurr, musical fireworks follow - for both musicians are immensely imaginative, with their improvisations full of unexpected twists and immense rhythmic drive.
On Saturday afternoon they performed at the Cathedral Hotel as part of the weekend’s Lichfield Music Festival, with a stimulating programme of great jazz standards and original pieces.
Bryan’s playing on trumpet and flugelhorn has long been one of the strongest features of the West Midlands jazz scene, but he has also performed, toured and recorded with a host of artists from the pop and soul scenes as well as the jazz world, among them Ben E King, Alesha Dixon, Mica Paris and Beverley Knight.
And his jazz credentials include performances as a soloist with the BBC Concert Orchestra - as part of the prestigious Cheltenham Jazz Festival - and the Big Band Malopolski in Poland.
Bryan and Al opened their Lichfield concert with a driving version of the standard song Softly As In A Morning Sunrise, with the trumpeter taking the first chorus totally solo, before Gurr brought in the underpinning chords, making full use of the electric keyboard with strong bass lines constantly running on the left hand.
The trumpeter’s own lovely ballad Crystal Waters followed, and there were two other gorgeous ballads later: a lyrical piece written for the legendary American trumpeter Blue Mitchell, with the sombre title Alone, Alone, Alone, and Duke Ellington’s In A Sentimental Mood.
But the sparks really flew on uptempo pieces; the jazz classic Bernie’s Tune and There Will Never Be Another You, with Corbett squeezing out the high notes and setting up thrilling grooves, all matched ably by the pianist. Fine music.
Review by John Watson
