More musical experiences

After Thursday's free show featuring The Pax Trio, Friday evening saw yet another quality act visiting the National Theatre. Maverick Italian guitarist Andrea Quintarelli was joined by his quartet: Adrian Zolotuhin on backing guitar, Julian Ferraretto on violin and Buster Birch on percussion. They played a vibrant combination of Quintarelli's original compositions and jazz standards.

The gig started off with a few minor complications: the band started to play and were then abruptly stopped when some kind of NT staff member walked up onto the stage and told them to wait a little longer. It was very annoying.


When they did finally get to begin properly, it was spectacular - as you can see in the clip above. Every musician distinguished themself in an individual way. Buster Birch on percussion provided a wonderful rhythmic background with a huge variety of different instruments, going far beyond the tools most drummers frequently use. He used his talent to explore a great range of musical styles, from swing to bop to Latin, which all combined brilliantly during his solos.

Both guitarists were also of a very high standard. Zolotuhin was effectively taking second fiddle to Quintarelli - I felt sorry for him for never getting a solo - but he went about his task with considerable aplomb. Quintarelli himself was quite unbelievable. Shaking, swaying and shimmying endlessly on his three-legged stool, he played with such expression, flair and imagination that most people couldn't stop concentrating on the long improvised passages he produced when soloing. Born in Rome, he apparently travelled round the world in search of inspiration and to learn about different musical cultures. This was clearly reflected in his compositions, which featured a vivid mixture of different traditional styles from Arabian to Baltic.

Julian Ferroretto was often confined to extended periods of silence for Quintarelli's improvisations, but showed equal verve when he had his own chance. They are clearly attempting to produce something similar to the memorable partnership of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grapelli, both in their selection of some pieces and frequent musical interactions. But in terms of genres covered, they may well have already gone beyond the achievements of this historic double act.

For the last two numbers the band was joined by a female saxophonist, named Jo Fox I believe (her name wasn't in the original listing), who added another dimension to the sound as an extra treat. She didn't go over the top with improvisation, choosing instead to employ measured phrases delivered with charming finesse. A sizeable audience, full of Friday-night theatregoers, had developed during the course of the show and at the end it fittingly went wild with appreciation.


I think this was probably the best free gig so far. I wish I could have recorded the whole thing - the two clips here don't illustrate the complete extent of this group's talent. At the end I couldn't resist buying Quintarelli's CD, which also features Ferraretto, and it's pretty amazing. "Bazaar", the album he made after returning from his musical travels, combines different regional genres to an even greater length than the band did on Friday. The result is a delightful concoction of compositional genius and virtuosic intrementalism. Look out for it!

On Saturday night it was time for music of a completely different kind, when I attended the Xfm "Rock Idols" competition final at the University of London Union in Euston. It was put on in association with MedXstock, a student charity organisation raising money which raises awareness and funds for HIV worldwide. £4 to get in.

Nine bands in total played, including a couple of really unusual groups working within the rock style. My favourite was Titan System, a five-person band which combined rock, dub and ska genres. In the middle of the stage was the crazy lead singer, with a huge afro of curly hair, hammering away on his keyboard and the same time. The skiled duo of bassist and guitarist leapt around like madmen and the drummer was a blur of motion. It was blatantly the most talented band and also the most popular amongst the crowd, but guess what... they didn't win. I think it was blatant a fix that the judges unanimously chose another one of the faceless indie outfits nowhere near Titan in terms of creativity and originality.


But I suppose that happens sometimes. At any rate, everyone had fun at the gig and the band didn't seem to mind too much that they didn't win. Music isn't about competition after all - it should simply serve as the catalyst for producing higher standards and better shows.