Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Matt Anderson: Live at Leeds Jazz Festival

Matt Anderson: Live at Leeds Jazz Festival

By Neil Duggan
March 18, 2024
View read count

Matt Anderson: Live at Leeds Jazz Festival

To appreciate the synergy and spirit of a band it often pays to hear them play live. The quality of their playing and their abilities to interact are laid bare. Releasing their first live recording, the

Matt Anderson Quartet

band / ensemble / orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">Matt Anderson Quartet can do so confidently having spent nearly a decade touring and recording together.

Live at Leeds Jazz Festival was made at HEART in Headingly as part of the 2023 Leeds Jazz Festival. It features two tracks from the band's previous release, The Town and the City (Hidden Threads, 2022), reviewed here. Also included are four new compositions from Anderson. The sound quality (courtesy of sound engineer, James Hamilton) is excellent.

The band members met whilst studying at the Royal Academy of Music, where Anderson now teaches. It consists of bassist

Will Harris

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Will Harris, drummer

Jay Davis

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Jay Davis and pianist

Alberto Palau

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Alberto Palau. Between them they have shared studios or stages with such artists as

Alex Hitchcock

saxophone

" data-original-title="" title="">Alex Hitchcock,

Charles McPherson

saxophone, alto
b.1939

" data-original-title="" title="">Charles McPherson and

Ivo Neame

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Ivo Neame.

Opening with "The Conversation," the energy is immediately apparent. Davis and Harris set a complex African-influenced rhythm, Anderson's bustling tenor sax climbs above setting up a neat contrast with Palau's sweet-toned piano. "New Old Blues" is perfectly titled with a bluesy and relaxed late-night feel. The whole has a vintage atmosphere and oozes sultry swing. The changes of tempo are neatly handled and there are inventive piano and bass solos.

Palau's composition, "Northern Journey," was one of the stand-outs from the previous album. It makes a smooth transition to a live set and opens with plaintive sax leading into Harris' fine bass work. Palau and Davis play combinations that suggest movement while Anderson's soprano sax explores folk-influenced soundscapes and Palau's solo sparkles. As the driving and optimistic "Green Shoots" shows, the quartet utilise their skill in sounding fresh and contemporary at the same time as wearing their influences from the 1950s and '60s proudly.

A tribute to

Wayne Shorter

saxophone
1933 - 2023

" data-original-title="" title="">Wayne Shorter follows. Named after his school nickname, "Mr Weird," the band deliberately capture phrases and spacing in their music to echo the kind of mood that Shorter could create. The set closes with Anderson showing influences from

Kenny Wheeler

flugelhorn
1930 - 2014

" data-original-title="" title="">Kenny Wheeler in "Teleforce." Davis catching the ear in his drum fills and conversation with the sax.

The quartet's interactivity make this a terrific live set. Individually and collectively, the performances are first-rate. Anderson takes his influences from Wheeler,

Sonny Rollins

saxophone
b.1930

" data-original-title="" title="">Sonny Rollins and

George Coleman

saxophone, tenor
b.1935

" data-original-title="" title="">George Coleman but adds his own freshness and open approach showing a vibrant, warm tone throughout. The material is well-chosen and sequenced making for an engaging listen.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

The Conversation; New Old Blues; Northern Journey; Green Shoots; Mr Weird; Teleforce.

Personnel

Matt Anderson

saxophone, tenor

Alberto Palau

piano

Jay Davis

drums

Will Harris

bass

Album information

Title: Live at Leeds Jazz Festival | Year Released: 2024 | Record Label: Hidden Threads Records

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Tierney Sutton and Tamir Hendelman a...
< Previous

Love Is Passing Thru
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.