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David Preston Trio At Magy's Farm
Magy's Farm
Dromara, N. Ireland
May 25, 2024
In the same week that guitarist David Preston brought his trio to Ireland, two historic events served as reminders that jazz can mean very different things to different people. Firstly, news came of the July launch of a previously unreleased
Louis Armstrong
trumpet and vocals1901 - 1971
Marshall Allen
saxophone, altob.1924
Sun Ra Arkestra
band / ensemble / orchestrab.1956
Though the music—and personas—of Armstrong and Sun Ra were as different as chalk and cheese in many respects, swing and blues were central components to both their ensembles. That musical grammar, not to mention plenty of bebop and post-bop, have been staples of the majority of gigs held at Magy's Farm in the rural venue's short but stellar life to date.
David Preston's music, however, is cut from a slightly different cloth. In the
Preston-Glasgow-Lowe
band / ensemble / orchestraKevin Glasgow
bassLaurie Lowe
drums
Allan Holdsworth
guitar, electric1948 - 2017
Preston's debut as outright leader came with Purple / Black Vol. One (Whirlwind Recordings, 2023). This album, and the music that seems bound for the inevitable Vol. 2, delivered the bulk of this evening's set. Scottish-born, Northern Ireland-raised Glasgow on electric bass, and
Sebastian Rochford
drumsThe set began with an unaccompanied guitar intro—sculpted with pedals—that segued into "O. Winston," an arresting mélange of bustling drumming, a spare though unrelenting bass pulse and atmospheric guitar architecture. Solo guitar intros were the norm for most tunes, a little repetitive in terms of the set's dynamics, perhaps, but each provided a window into Preston's personal harmonic language.
Glasgow is another who follows the path less trodden. His seemingly effortless finger-flicking grooves proved subtly irresistible, while his solos were darkly lyrical forays into the unknown. The bassist's deft harmonic punctuation chimed ethereally with Preston's own adventures. Rochford—making a swift return to these parts following his March appearance at the Brilliant Corners festival with pianist
Zoe Rahman
pianoA new tune, built upon cantering rhythms, saw Preston toggle between quicksilver runs of visceral charge and elegant chordal progressions. At the rockier end of the spectrum, as on "Purple/Black" and the freshly minted "Elves," there were shades of the Power Tools trio of
Bill Frisell
guitar, electricb.1951
Melvin Gibbs
bass
Ronald Shannon Jackson
drums1940 - 2013
Another new composition morphed from arpeggio-driven, chamber-esque refinement, via rhythmically clawing bass and drum patterns, into wildly abstract, hallucinogenic guitar sound-sculpting. Acid tab anyone?
The brushes, economic bass figures and slowly curling guitar lines of the following piece—a slow waltz of sorts—offered more warmth, and arguably Preston's most affecting playing of the set. The trio signed off with the upbeat "Cassino Dream," Glasgow and Rochford's bouyancy sparking Preston to scintillating heights on his Gibson archtop. The guitarist's soaring lines in turn pushed Rochford to terrific animation—a thrilling finale to an absorbing set.
What might Louis Armstrong and Marshall Allen have made of the David Preston Trio? Armstrong might have shuddered at the pedal-induced sci-fi sound effects, but he would surely have applauded the trio's virtuosity and its spirit of adventure. Allen, on the other hand, might say, "Hell, Sun Ra was making those sounds back in the '60s!"
Regardless of any divergences and continuities in the jazz timeline, Preston is making his very own waves. Plus ?a change...
Tags
Live Review
David Preston
Ian Patterson
United Kingdom
Belfast
Louis Armstrong
Marshall Allen
Sun Ra Arkestra
Laurie Lowe
Allan Holdsworth
Purple / Black Vol. One
Sebastian Rochford
brilliant corners
Zoe Rahman
Bill Frisell
Melvin Gibbs
Ronald Shannon Jackson
Magy's Farm
Kevin Glasgow
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