Imperious playing from Rachael Cohen at Ladbroke Hall — review

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The weekly Friday jazz nights at Notting Hill’s glamorous Ladbroke Hall present a rich seam of mainstream London jazz in a supper-club setting. At this full-house gig from alto saxophonist Rachael Cohen, a short first set came with diners’ chat. That subsided for a second half that was spiced by an American guest. Cohen, who has a longstanding late-night residency at Ronnie Scott’s, was imperious throughout. Drawing disparate influences into a singular voice, she applied her full sound and devious turns of phrase to a set of modern jazz covers that avoided the obvious without being obscure.

The evening opened with Cohen and the rhythm section easing into “Swinging at the Haven”, a jaunty mixture of piano vamp and walking bass swing written by the late pianist Ellis Marsalis. Cohen, phrasing across the pulse, built excitement from within, double bass and drums cushioned their support and pianist Deschanel Gordon drew notice for his rhythmic urgency and flowing lines.

Cohen’s quartet is a classy act, but featured trumpeter Mark Kavuma took the evening up a notch. The saxophonist and trumpeter are frequent associates with common musical roots in 1960s modern jazz. Here, tight phrasing, tonal warmth and brash harmonies brought to life three pieces from Blue Note’s back catalogue. The declamatory “Lotus Blossom” was followed by the gorgeous harmonies of “La Mesha”; the first was taken at speed, the second captured resilience and longing at a medium pace. Highlights included Gordon’s dense and detailed piano solo unfolding without pause, and Kavuma’s controlled flurries and sensitive turns of phrase. The set ended with Wayne Shorter’s “Edda”, a mid-Sixties mixture of modal waltz and walking bass swing. Dan Winshall’s strum and counterpoint bass solo was the highlight, delivered with a finesse that almost mastered the crowd.

The second half opened with the twisty theme and funky rhythms of Eddie Harris’s “Freedom Jazz Dance”, followed by an in-style Cohen original, “Prima Vera”. The first built tension in a single key, the second softened the mood with unfolding harmonies and a light-touch melodic line. Then came a ballad, “Never Let Me Go”, with rippling piano, feather-light James Maddren drums and Cohen probing harmonic possibilities with melodic flair.

Kavuma returned for the fourth number with guest American tenor saxophonist Nicole Glover adding an extra voice and tonal depth. The tune, Lee Morgan’s “Ceora”, is an awkwardly paced bossa nova, but the poised phrasing and muscular sound were just right. The two saxophonists recently toured together in the US band Artemis and, alongside Kavuma, now complemented each other’s solo strength and sonic warmth.

The gig ended with the evening’s MC Zhenya Strigalev joining the ensemble on tenor sax. “Blues in the Closet” was the crowd-raiser, but an awkward theme and tricky harmonies ensured this was no throwaway jam. Indeed, the band’s discipline held through the encore, a spicy ad hoc arrangement of “I’ll Remember April” with solos for all to warm the crowd.

★★★☆☆

rachaelcohenmusic.com