Music
Pygmies, Henry's Cellar Bar, Edinburgh
Rob Adams
THREE STARS
When they streamlined their name from The Pygmies of Jazz, Edinburgh band Pygmies were not only jettisoning a good natured joke at the expense of a group marketed as giants of the genre, they were also acknowledging a broader frame of reference than even the umbrella term jazz encompasses. Besides, The Pygmies of Jazz, Funk, R&B, African, Eastern European, Latin American, Caribbean Music Etc wouldn't fit on the posters.
All these styles fit with jovial ease into Pygmies' repertoire and sometimes more than one of them will happily co-habit the same number, as the 'la la la' Balkan chorus that emerges from the Moroccan flavours of Arab Dance proves.
The band's primary sales point, as it launches its recording career with a brand new, representative five track EP, Pygs Might Fly, is its three saxophone frontline, a potent triage of baritone, alto and tenor/soprano that accommodates a liking for the JB Horns, Average White Band and Brecker Brothers school of funky brass workouts. These and other, more exotic endeavours are well served by a tight, grooving guitar, bass and drums rhythm section.
If there's a certain ruggedness of approach at times and differing levels of quality in individual features, this is overridden by the general air of letting the good times roll throughout the gig. Even guitarist Ali Todd's well named, bluesy Angry Man is balanced by backing vocals that, in their high-pitched capers, would diffuse all but the severest temper tantrums and the daftness spills over into the next number's audience participation in a throwaway but fun chorus. Pygmies by name they might be but as entertainers, they're really quite big.
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