THE NEIL MAYA QUARTET

Coming up from the deeper south-west to Ilminster was a treat for jazz fans and music-lovers generally. It was a well-organised and convivial evening

With a quartet of experienced musicians perhaps they could not fail to make their mark: Neil himself, on saxes and clarinet produces an unusually well-rounded sound in any register, his RCM training still standing him in good stead. Not for him squeaks or experimental double-stopping; rather, a passionate expression in all he plays. Neil’s droll, self-effacing introductions belie a high level of musicianship. The first set included a number of Neil’s own compositions, including All Change Please and Ode to a Great Shed.

Equally passionate, and physically active at the piano, is co-founder of the quartet in 2001, Tom Unwin. He was out to take full advantage of the quality instrument the Meeting House owns – at times perhaps he was too invasive. There’s no stopping a jazzer when he’s really wound up! The quartet’s take on Greensleeves didn’t impress as much as Tom’s Copshow Kapow, or their encore, also by him, Fingerprints.

For drummer Nick Carter there was little reason to hold back either. One admired the subtleties and sensitivities that a player of this calibre contributes; but in the modest-sized venue the explosions were highly energising.

The programme also accommodated fine demonstrations by bassist John Donnelly, and it was a high-point of the evening when he was heard either solo or in intimate musical conversation with one of the others.

The second set featured John Carisi’s Israel and the highly inventive Guataca City by the legendary Chick Corea.

One problem for a non-specialist jazz listener is in accepting a repeated formula: for all their own promotion as a jazz quartet performing an eclectic mix, there was a limit to the breadth of their improvisation skills. Maybe the evening was a little long, but there was no denying the quartet’s enthusiasm or the audience’s delight.

Anthony Pither, May 2009