The Slowlight Quartet at Newcastle Lit & Phil

Having heard some glowing reviews of The Slowlight Quartet recently, on Friday I took my seat in the Lit & Phil with a feeling of anticipation and I sensed similar in the sizeable crowd around me (extra seating having to be carried in from other rooms). But would I be disappointed, I wondered.

Well, the answer to my own question was no: I was not disappointed!

Comprising of Paul Loraine on piano, Ian 'Dodge' Paterson on upright bass, Jonathan Marriott on drums and Tom Quilliam on saxophones, this young Newcastle based outfit have played together for about 18 months and the reason for their growing reputation soon became apparent. Unlike other acts I have seen at the Lit & Phil, these lads did not play the usual repertoire of jazz standards, but presented to us a dozen of their own compositions. Also, unlike other jazz acts, they steered away from lengthy self indulgent solo improvisations. The emphasis from the Slowlight Quartet is on tight melodic sounding pieces  with interesting chord structures and varied, exciting rhythms.

Taking 'In Flight' as an example, it begins with some gentle, stately piano and as each instrument is added, the piece grows until Tom Quilliam is allowed free rein to provide some soaring sax phrases to bring the song to it's conclusion. Throughout their performance, Jonathan Marriott provides a wide range of textures using every part of his kit, constantly switching between sticks, brushes and mallets, even within the same piece of music. Staring at the ceiling as he keeps a rock steady rhythm, he and Paterson provide the foundation upon which Quilliam and Loraine build sublime melodies. Loathe as I am to single out any individual from this fine unit, I have to make particular mention of Tom Quilliam. Boy can he play!

As if these four musicians were not enough, an extra dimension was given to many of the pieces by the addition of a string quartet who came to the fore during some of the quieter moments. The contrast between the hard driving saxophone and the more pastoral piano and strings added considerably to the whole listening experience. 




The ovation for these wonderful musicians felt like it might never end and perhaps it only did to allow people to join me in the queue to purchase the limited edition five track EP. Personally I can't wait to hear their first full length album and hopefully to see many more performances from this exciting new band.

Please check out the website for the band at http://www.theslowlightquartet.co.uk/
This also contains a stream of four live tracks recorded at a Newcastle gig in March 2013.
I hope you enjoy as much as I did.