Alan Glen Trio

Review and photo by Lance Liddle from Bebop Spoken Here, 9 Jan 2016

Alan Glen (pno); John Pope (bs); Paul Wight (dms).

The wet weather continued and I pondered upon the wisdom of making the tortuous bus/metro/bus journey to Jazz Coop HQ as opposed to sitting in the warmth of a centrally heated home with a glass of wine, a book of verse and a CD playing.

Fortunately, the former prevailed, a rare outing by the Alan Glen Trio was not to be passed by and I’m pleased to say that many others were of the same mind. The tables in the small room were all occupied creating a warm ambience enhanced by the music.

The music! Three players at the top of their game blending seamlessly. Paul Wight driving with sticks, cajoling with brushes; John Pope – the Kreisler of the double bass and Alan ‘The Monarch of the’ Glen.

To describe Alan as the doyen of northeast jazz is but to state an indisputable fact. From the opening Love For Sale to Tune Up (there was more but bus beckoned) we were treated to a feast of piano trio jazz.

Like Someone in Love; Beautiful Love; Nightshade (Glen original?); If I Were a Bell; What’s New? (The ultimate ballad performance!); All Blues; Woody’n You; If I Should Lose You; How Deep is the Ocean filled in the gaps.

Timeless piano playing.

Brilliant bass playing, not without a few humorous phrases.

Fours with some meaning.

It was still raining as I left but who cared?