One Night in the Life of Bryan in OUTSIDELEFT

Bryan Corbett
Bryan Corbett Blue Note Quartet live at the Silvershine Jazz Club

Oh wow WTF! They are trading on a storied history over there at the Silvershine Jazz Club, each Thursday in Corks ballroom in Bearwood, but getting legendary trumpeter Bryan Corbett and his trio of superskilled compatriots is still a sensational coup. Where were you when it happened?

Anyways. The last great gig of 2018 in Bearwood saw Bryan joined by Tom Hill on upright bass, he's grrrreat, Al Gurr tinkling, teasing and traipsing his fingers all over his piano and Carl Hemmingsley who's just my favorite type of drummer - I swear he sits there looking like a member of the audience, no drama yet all the while the beautifully constructed patterns underpin the mellifluous meanderings and direct attacks of the rest of the band. The sum. Oh man, this thing swings like a swinger. Breathtakingly brilliant.

Bryan is as ever, a laconic, exculpatory and self-effacing presence as a front man for the group. There's enough information about each piece of music to meet the needs of any average trainspotter in attendance. "The set," I'm saying he says, "pays homage to several legendary Blue Note artists." And the band open the show with a version of Hank Mobley's Funk in Deep Freeze.

Once we've caught our breath, the band move through Grant Green's Idle Moments, which well, you know, time stops, it's so captivating, I can't see or hear anything that's not coming from the stage. All else a blur. Another Hank Mobley tune, Caddy For Daddy, followed with jacked up languid virtuosity and smiles all around.

By now, I guess you'd know, Bryan Corbett and his band are a joy not to be missed.