The Zoe Rahman Quartet

The Capstone, 17 Shaw Street, L3
Saturday 4th February 2012

Live Music Review by Sebastian Gahan

On the news it was heralding snow for the nation but at Liverpool's Capstone Theatre it was as warming as ever. My usual weather related stories associated with visits to this excellent venue aside tonight was the turn of the Zoe Rahman Quartet to grace the state of the art auditorium.

Having performed here previously with the ever cheerful Courtney Pine last year Rahman's return in her own right was to a deservedly packed house. Just after seven-thirty the lights dimmed and the Quartet came to stage to a rapturous applause. Launching straight into opener Cherry, originally performed by Abdullah Ibrahim, the pensive keys from Rahman were gradually augmented by drum and standing bass and the up tempo, virtuoso playing instantly blew away the quiet vibes that began the show.

Next came some tracks from her fifth album Kindred Spirits all of which were excellent examples of percussive, almost improvisational jazz steeped in both modern and classical traditions. Idris Rahman joined them from the third song of the set for a slower song ('It's a ballad...we're going to calm things down a bit!') and his clarinet soloing was impressive, reminding you of a quiet evening spent only with yourself in its lilting tones.

Next is a trio of songs performed as a continuous suite that celebrated the family heritage of the Rahman's. Irish jig melodies mixed with Bengali sounds and the sense of going on a journey was present and correct. The family theme continued on Conversations With Nelly where Idris Rahman's clarinet was as mellow as it could possibly be and Zoe's piano playing resembled raindrops falling from the sky in it's intimacy. 

Following the interlude the mood became more playful with a cover of Stevie Wonder's instrumental Contusion , an aurally humourous piece apparently inspired by a trip to Sweden entitled 'Red Squirrel' and some requests taken during the interlude. An encore in the form of an almost free style version of Duke Ellington's Blue Pepper is the perfect end to a night that promised much and certainly delivered. 

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