Jazz Camera

Live jazz reviews

By John Watson

Aidan Amann Trio, Cathedral Hotel, Lichfield

It's always a joy to hear a promising young band for the first time and to look forward to following their progress. That was certainly the case when I heard drummer Aidan Amann's Trio last year at the Lichfield Jazz and Blues Festival in Staffordshire, UK, organised by Lichfield Arts.

Aidan, a graduate of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, has already achieved a great deal, appearing at the prestigious Cheltenham Jazz Festival and in Paris. With him at the Cathedral Hotel in Lichfield, Staffordshire, UK, were pianist Nick Manz, a finalist in the Young Jazz Musician of the Year contest and in his final year at the conservatoire, and the brilliant young bassist James Owston, who has already performed and recorded with some leading names in British jazz.

Right from the opening bar, the trio made a powerful impression: Their playing on the standard song 'How Little We Know' demonstrated extraordinary technical skill and also strong musical invention and immense passion. Close your eyes, and you could imagine you were listening to a masterclass by experienced, established players rather than young men taking early steps towards the highest musical peaks. 

Owston's own lyrical triple-time tune 'Lottie' flowed beautifully, and the trio then went back into high gear with another standard, 'The Song Is You', played at furious tempo to great effect. Two more original pieces- Manz's tune 'Helsinki' and Amann's epic 'The Water Mill' - showed that their composing skills were developing strongly.

The works of Scandinavian pianists Tord Gustavsen from Norway and Esbjorn Svensson from Sweden are close to Amann's heart, and there were deeply felt versions of Svensson's 'Believe, Beleft Below' and 'As The Crow Flies', plus Gustavsen's tranquil 'The Other Side'. They showed what a marvellously musical drummer Amann has become - he can float gently around the cymbals for these pieces, as well as generating great power around the kit when it is needed.

The Amann trio are certainly musicians to watch out for, and to look forward to hearing again in the future.