Tim Garland Electric Quartet

Brighton Dome Studio Theatre

Wednesday 16th March 2016

    Tim Garland last appeared in Brighton with the same personnel in October 2014. This time round the band is now his ‘electric quartet’ featuring Jason Rebello on keyboard and Ant Law on an assortment of guitars.

    Performing a number of original compositions from his latest album, One, many of the tunes got their first airing in front of a live audience. This included the ten-beat composition Sama’i For Peace and the Bill Bruford-dedication Prototype.

    With Garland performing on tenor and soprano saxophone, the addition of a sampling pad gave him the chance to supplement percussion sounds, though sometimes with mixed results. But this was an evening of musicianship of the highest order with rhythmic interplay from master drummer Asaf Sirkis and numerous instances of virtuosity from pianist Rebello together with some tight, highly-developed sax playing from Tim Garland.

    Hearing the band play the Chick Corea waltz Windows gave some insight into what the band sound like when playing a jazz standard but it was their reimagining of Garland’s beautiful ballad  Rosa Ballerina (from his 2002 Soho Story album) that was the highlight of the evening.

Charlie Anderson

Tim Garland’s One is released by Edition records on 6th May 2016.

Guitarist Ant Law returns to Brighton with his quintet as part of New Generation Jazz at The Verdict in Brighton on Friday 29th April.