IN June last year, the adventurous multi-national trio NeWt travelled to the northernmost part of the Shetland Isles, to a former RAF base turned holiday resort at Saxa Vord on Unst.
As was reported in the Herald at the time, this retreat was no holiday, however. Over the course of their week's stay in the islands, they were to create an entirely new set of music in preparation for its first performance at Shetland Jazz Festival at the end of the week.
There was no hiding place, either, as their efforts were being filmed and streamed live via the internet.
The fruits of these labours have just been released on a handsomely packaged CD/DVD set and for Jazz Thursdays' latest instalment, the documentary evidence of their trip was shown as a taster for the live performance of the music that makes up NeWt North.
As the film confirmed there was much rugged beauty to draw on as inspiration and this was reflected in the guitar, trombone and drums conversation the group struck up.
If the music didn't have the matured, further-developed quality of the works from their back catalogue that came in the second half, it did show them responding aptly to their surroundings: the military background echoing through a suitably martial drum figure from Chris Wallace and guitarist Graeme Stephen and trombonist Chris Greive, with electronic enhancement, creating impressions of the elements.
There were strong melodic passages - one had a certain whiff of jazz standard On Green Dolphin Street - and some impressively tight ensemble riffing but I got the sense that the best incarnations of these pieces may still be to come.
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