Music, George Crowley: Can of Worms
Glasgow Art Club
By Rob Adams - three stars
Can of Worms isn't the most flattering of group names and the inner cover of saxophonist George Crowley's forthcoming CD of the same name may have an appeal limited to those of a certain biological interest but after experiencing Crowley's quintet at close quarters in this latest of Bridge Music's Jazz Thursdays presentations, the choice of name begins to make a lot of sense.
There's an impression of musical lines and an almost physical interaction between the players wriggling away in several of Crowley's compositions, some of which are invited to develop entirely spontaneously once the initial theme has been stated.
Rum Paunch is a case in point, its dark origins as a, possibly cautionary, lament to lifestyle and liver growing into an intense and concentrated collective effort that may well be intended to suggest a cleansing or detox. It's certainly invigorating, as is Crowley's writing and playing generally.
A tenor saxophonist whose wholehearted improvisations often find him grasping for just the right expressive phrase as he plots their path on the hoof, he also composes with a determined sense of purpose. Last Days, inspired by the occupants of his house having to leave what's become a long-established creative hub, aptly captures an atmosphere of musical industry, and his liking for catchy high register saxophone motifs was emphasised attractively by his own and fellow tenorist, Tom Challenger's plaintive voicings.
Overall the music was a shrewd mix of the unashamedly melodic and the fairly abstract, with pianist Dan Nicholls, bassist Sam Lasserson and drummer Jon Scott, like Crowley and Challenger, showing individual skills and musical strengths that coalesced impressively.
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