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JAZZ CONVERSATIONS

★★★★★

The Place

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JAZZ CONVERSATIONS at The Place

★★★★★

“Virtuosic yet deeply moving. It is sexy and subversive, and quite revolutionary”


If you ask somebody why they love ‘jazz’, the chances are that they will not be able to put it into words. Which is why ‘Jazz Conversations’ is a bit of a paradox – especially when used for the title of the new show from Bop Jazz Theatre. Short for Body of People, ‘Bop’ was founded nearly thirty years ago by composer and trumpeter Paul Jenkins and choreographer Dollie Henry MBE. Describing the couple like I have just done, though, feels utterly inadequate. Their work – of which ‘Jazz Conversations’ is a shining example – encompasses far more than a mere fusion of dance, music and theatre. Like the jazz idiom itself, it defies definition, expectation, and explanation. It touches us in ways that cannot really be put into words.

A double bill, it mixes original music with that of Miles Davis. The first act, entitled ‘Footprints in Jazz’, is a collage of Paul Jenkins’ compositions and arrangements. The music itself is exciting and diverse. Drawing from many jazz styles, from traditional to contemporary and beyond, it creates a world of its own, but it is impossible to separate it from Dollie Henry’s unique and captivating choreography. And the dancers individually, collectively and constantly take our breath away with their virtuosity. But first up, they allow guest performers – the Impact Dance Youth Company – to open. As a curtain raiser it generously shines a fabulously energetic spotlight on the next generation. The future looks bright!

What follows are five beautifully eclectic pieces. ‘Footprints in Jazz’ opens with African rhythms, bathed in blood red lights and whispers of sound, from which the company emerge in sultry whisps of movement. Giving way to the plaintive piano chords of ‘Last Dance with My Father’, dancer Valentina Dolci sways in balletic grief, yearning and rejoicing in memories while the music swells into a fusion of Bebop and Classical. The story is almost as hard to grasp as the rapid-fire piano notes, but the emotion is unavoidable. Jenkins’ trumpet playing comes to the fore during ‘Directions’ while the synchronicity of the dance steps echoes every keening note. Nafisah Baba floats through ‘Tapestry of Life’, ethereal in pools of marine-blue light, before the act closes with ‘Through the Eyes of Woman’, the ‘BOP Ladies’ in red while Maya Angelou’s poetry weaves through the footsteps and the chord progressions. A powerful message made celebratory rather than bitter in the gorgeous juxtaposition of sight and sound, with experimental touches reminiscent of Maria Schneider in Jenkins’ arrangement.

The originality of the show continues into the second act even when covering the music of Miles Davis – the king of bebop, hard bop and even post-bop. Who recorded ‘Birth of the Cool’ three quarters of a century ago. More than a homage, ‘Touches of Miles’ is an extension of Davis’ output and personality. Paul Jenkins leads the onstage sextet through the numbers. Opening with ‘All Blues’, the free-flowing textures are mirrored by the dancers, sharp Fosse-like edges smoothed down by Henry’s sensitive staging. This is beyond cool! The musicians are each given their moment during the instrumental ‘Four’ and ‘Seven Steps to Heaven’. The eclecticism inherent in jazz flows throughout the evening, reaching out to the Latin rhythms of ‘Flamenco Sketches’ and also embracing Joaquin Rodrigo and George Gershwin. But above all it is Miles Davis, intermittently projected onto the back wall, commenting on his life and work. If he could, he would be approving of the spectacle taking place below in his honour.

“Jazz Conversations” is not recreating a style or a vision; it is undeniably creating its own. Virtuosic yet deeply moving. It is sexy and subversive, and quite revolutionary. “Jazz is the big brother of revolution” Miles Davis famously said; “Revolution follows it around”. “Jazz Conversations” is also a remarkable illustration of the depth of Jazz and its huge influence on every spectrum of the arts. This show is a tribute but also a love letter to the future. The music plays for the dancers but they both evolve from each other. It feels improvised and intuitive while still being polished and precise. And essentially beautiful and mesmerising. It recaptures its African origins and legacy of black artists while remaining thoroughly modern. It is High Art – alternative, yet somehow mainstream and as such it simply must be seen. Why? Well – let’s go back to the start – if you ask somebody why they love ‘jazz’, the chances are that they will not be able to put it into words.

 

 


JAZZ CONVERSATIONS at The Place

Reviewed on 20th September 2024

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Punjab2000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More reviews from Jonathan:

TWO OF US | ★★★★ | WATFORD PALACE THEATRE | September 2024
THE STORY OF MY LIFE | ★★★★ | STAGE DOOR THEATRE | September 2024
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING | ★★★★ | THE RED LION | September 2024
THE GATES OF KYIV | ★★★★ | THEATRE ROYAL WINDSOR | September 2024
DEATH OF ENGLAND: CLOSING TIME | ★★★★ | SOHOPLACE | August 2024
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF | ★★★★★ | REGENT’S PARK OPEN AIR THEATRE | August 2024
MADWOMEN OF THE WEST | ★★ | RIVERSIDE STUDIOS | August 2024
DEATH OF ENGLAND: DELROY | ★★★★★ | SOHOPLACE | July 2024
DEATH OF ENGLAND: MICHAEL | ★★★★★ | SOHOPLACE | July 2024
WUTHERING HEIGHTS | ★★★★ | CROSSRAIL PLACE ROOF GARDEN AMPHITHEATRE | July 2024
HELLO, DOLLY! | ★★★★ | LONDON PALLADIUM | July 2024
CELEBRATING LIONEL BART | ★★★ | JW3 | July 2024

JAZZ CONVERSATIONS

JAZZ CONVERSATIONS

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TWO OF US

★★★★

Watford Palace Theatre

Reviews, , , , , , , , , , , ,

TWO OF US at the Watford Palace Theatre

★★★★

“Both actors are pretty accomplished pianists, and we feel the bonhomie as they jam together”

“You and I have memories – longer than the road that stretches out ahead”. Although Paul McCartney wrote those lines – from the song ‘Two of Us’ – for his wife Linda, it has always been interpreted as a gesture of affection to John Lennon; made all the more moving as the Beatle’s were well on the way to breaking up. When the Beatles eventually split, the rift between Lennon and McCartney was famously chronicled in the pair’s musical output. Lennon’s “How do you Sleep?” was probably the most scathing, rebuffed by McCartney’s deliberately lightweight and tongue-in-cheek “Silly Love Songs”. The global phenomenon of McCartney’s “Yesterday” was always a bugbear of Lennon’s. The reality was always kept close to the couple’s chests, but speculation was fuelled across the media and around gramophone players as fans pored over the lyrics looking for extra layers of meaning.

Among them was self-confessed Beatles nut, Mark Stanfield, who used the song title for his 2000 film “Two of Us” which became a cult favourite. Now, re-written for the stage with Barry Sloane and Richard Short, it has evolved into a poignant study of friendship, of falling out, reconciliation and looking out for someone. “Two of Us” could be you and me; could be anyone. It’s an ‘everyman’ story, but built around the Lennon-MacCartney duo, it is an inspired choice that dishes out some gripping and honest dialogue.

We are in Lennon’s apartment in The Dakota, overlooking Central Park in 1976, and Paul McCartney turns up unannounced. It was to be the last time they met. The atmosphere is immediately evoked by Amy Jane Cook’s sparse but functional whitewashed apartment – complete with white grand piano. Adrienne Quartly’s realistic sound design firmly places Manhattan six storeys below. Barry Sloane’s Lennon is alone, dressed in a white kimono, jittery and distracted. We immediately wonder if he is okay. Cold Turkey comes to mind, but is it depression? Anxiety? Sloane masterfully gets under the fame, and the skin, to reveal Lennon’s vulnerability beneath the incisive shell. When Jay Johnson’s McCartney crosses the threshold, they initially tread cautiously around each other afraid to break the shell, yet past gripes are clearly seen through the cracks. Johnson is convincing as ‘Macca’ – at times the cheeky-chappy-Scouser whilst also having the gravitas and licence to neutralise Lennon’s acidity. But moreover, Johnson reveals a deeply caring soul who lives with the regret of being unable to fully express his love for his lifelong friend.

The ice breaks at the piano. Both actors are pretty accomplished pianists, and we feel the bonhomie as they jam together. But old wounds resurface, replaced almost as quickly by fond memories, adolescent mischief and a generous supply of wacky baccy. Scot Williams directs with a Pinteresque eye, allowing the action and the emotions to unfold in real time. Sometimes the pauses and silences drag, but for the most part they give us time to prepare ourselves for the next twist in the encounter. In a similar way, McCartney seems to be constantly bracing himself for the attack.

The two actors give powerfully realistic performances, although occasionally hindered by platitudes. And, although not necessarily a revelation, we see another side to the characters. Historical facts are teased out (sometimes via cringeworthy puns) rather than force fed to us, which is a refreshing change from the exposition that often plagues plays like this. Ultimately it is a love story. Of sorts. It comes from the writer’s heart. The final scenes hover between pathos and schmaltz, not quite sure which side of the boundary to land. Yet we are moved. And entertained. Whatever issues underlie the relationship, or sorrows that remain unresolved, “Two of Us” knows how to ‘take a sad song and make it better’.


TWO OF US at the Watford Palace Theatre

Reviewed on 17th September 2024

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Ross Kernahan

 

 

 

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE 1936 | ★★★★ | March 2023
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST | ★★★★ | December 2022

TWO OF US

TWO OF US

Click here to see our Recommended Shows page