NEIL MAYA QUARTET

The Neil Maya Quartet made a very welcome return to the Exeter Jazz Club atthe Globe Inn on Thursday 28th Sept and produced a superb, masterly performance. On this showing this must be one of the finest 'Modern Jazz'[whatever that means these days!] in the SW, if not the UK.The session was a mix of originals and standards with various tempo's andrhythms played by four very fine musicians indeed; Neil on reeds, Tom Unwin;Keyboards, the ubiquitous Marcus Vergette on Double Bass and Mark Heywood,drums.The first set included Slinky in waltz time [sorry - ¾], a swinging'Fingerprints', Delores [a samba by Tom]], and the ballad 'Undercurrents' -but for me the high spot of the first set was 'Django'; a John Lewis tune,superbly played on clarinet by Neil [why did he apologise? - Tony Coe wouldbe proud of him].The 2nd set featured 'Ethan' written by Neil for his new son and 'Ode to aGreat Shed' also written by Neil! The band sang [all of them!] on 'Fables ofFaubus'; got in a great funk groove on 'Round the Bend' and went out with'La Fiesta'.A great evening of Jazz music; entertainment by a superb quartet ofmusicians playing ensemble and solo's of the highest quality - and you didn't need a PhD to understand it!I understand that the Quartet is bringing out a new CD soon with some ofthese tunes on - I look forward to hearing it and having them back at theGlobe as soon as they can make it."
Ian Emby, Exeter Jazz Club, Globe Inn (19-10-06)