Jazz fans were treated to a feast of musical entertainment as the ever popular Isle of Wight Jazz weekend returned.
There had been discussions over whether to go ahead following the Queen's death, but it was unlikely the same artistes could all re-book again soon, and protocols allowed the event to continue.
The weekend opened at Mountbatten with a rousing set from the Island’s own Cameron Rossi.
A graduate of The Island Free School and the Isle of Wight Youth Jazz Orchestra, Cameron is now studying in London where he is rapidly becoming one of the rising stars on the jazz scene.
With a band drawn from his fellow students, a full house applauded loudly a set that included excellent covers of Pent-Up House by Sonny Rollins and Moment’s Notice by John Coltrane.
Many people said it was their highlight of the festival.
Friday opened at Newport Methodist Church — the ideal setting for a sublime piano duet performance led by multi award-winning David Newton.
He was joined by Euan Stevenson who is classically trained, but by his mid-teens had become a devotee of the music of Miles Davis, Duke Ellington and Bill Evans.
The duo opened with the jazz standard On the Sunny Side of the Street before entertaining with a smooth set which included an outstanding version of Dave Brubeck’s In Your Own Sweet Way.
The afternoon continued with a set from Dave O'Higgins and Rob Luft playing the music of Theloneous Monk and and John Coltrane. In 1958, Monk and Coltrane recorded an album together and the set opened with a high powered version of Trinkle, Tinkle from that album, before going into John Coltrane’s nod to Sonny Rollins — Like Sonny.
Also included was the Dave O’Higgins composition, Pluto, which was his own tribute to Coltrane. A high powered set left the audience wanting more.
And then to Quay Arts. Described by critic Dave Gelly of The Observer as "one of the most stylistically flexible pianists around, with a marvellous, slightly husky singing voice" Liane Carroll is no stranger to an Isle of Wight audience.
The gig sold out weeks ago. Liane led the band through a rousing set that included a moving tribute to her friend, the late Edana Minghella, in the theatre named after her brother Anthony.
Saturday opened with the award-winning Karen Sharp in a trio setting with Colin Oxley on guitar and Simon Thorpe on bass, showcasing tracks from Karen’s latest album Another Place.
Next it was over to the Apollo Theatre for two magnificent performances. Opening was Ian Bateman’s It’s Trad Dad with a nostalgic trip down memory lane featuring many of the well known trad numbers from the 1950s and 1960s including The March of the Siamese Children from The King and I, and Humphrey Lyttelton’s Bad Penny Blues.
Previous jazz weekends have included a big band and this year was no exception.
With a project to celebrate his 60th birthday, saxophonist Alan Barnes brought together eleven of the countries best musicians to celebrate the music of 1959, the year of his birth. New arrangements by trombonist Mark Nightingale got the Apollo Theatre rocking to its very foundations.
The day concluded back at the Methodist church, where powerhouse guitarist Nigel Price with his Hammond Organ Quartet entertained with a set list that showcased the songbooks of artistes as diverse as Wes Montgomery and Henry Mancini. The performance of young star drummer Joel Barford was breathtaking.
As a complete contrast, Sunday saw the appearance of Hexagonal. The band was formed in 2016 and focuses on the work of McCoy Tyner and Bheki Mseleku. There was no drop in energy throughout the entire gig, with the alto sax by Jason Yarde a real highlight.
There were two closing events at the Apollo, with vibraphone player Nat Steele leading his tribute to the Modern Jazz Quartet, and award-winning vocalist Sara Dowling with her backing trio. Her performance to a full house was an ideal way to close the festival.
Hexagonal at the Isle of Wight Jazz Festival. Pictures by Ian Mitchell.
Elsewhere, there was a well-attended fringe, with local jazz acts playing at One Holyrood, The Bargeman’s Rest, Quay Arts and Caffé Isola.
Event director Jim Thorn said: "Everyone said how much they enjoyed the weekend and rest assured we will be back next year. The September dates appeared to work well but we will announce our dates and headline acts soon."
He thanked sponsors Red Funnel and the County Press.
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