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The Qow Trio: The Hold Up

By Neil Duggan
January 22, 2024
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Anyone whose musical taste yearns for the type of '50s and '60s sounds of artists such as

Sonny Rollins

saxophone
b.1930

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

Jackie McLean

saxophone, alto
1932 - 2006

" data-original-title="" title="">Jackie McLean and

Lee Morgan

trumpet
1938 - 1972

" data-original-title="" title="">Lee Morgan, may find The Hold Up is just what they seek. This is the second album from the

Qow Trio

band / ensemble / orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">Qow Trio (pronounced Cow). Taking their name from a composition on

" data-original-title="" title="">Dewey Redman's album, Coincide (Impulse, 1974), the trio are linked by a love of the tradition and the freedom to explore the saxophone, bass and drums format, without a chord in sight.

The elder statesman of the trio is British drum legend,

Spike Wells

drums
b.1946

" data-original-title="" title="">Spike Wells. He helped put the swing into swinging '60s London and is best known for his long association with two of the greatest British tenor saxophonists,

Tubby Hayes

saxophone, tenor
1935 - 1973

" data-original-title="" title="">Tubby Hayes and

Bobby Wellins

saxophone, tenor
1936 - 2017

" data-original-title="" title="">Bobby Wellins. He also played with many musicians from the same scene including

Dick Morrissey

saxophone
b.1940

" data-original-title="" title="">Dick Morrissey,

Humphrey Lyttelton

trumpet
1921 - 2008

" data-original-title="" title="">Humphrey Lyttelton,

Gwilym Simcock

piano
b.1981

" data-original-title="" title="">Gwilym Simcock and a host of others, His long association with

Ronnie Scotts

" data-original-title="" title="">Ronnie Scotts also led to him accompanying international names of the calibre of

Dexter Gordon

saxophone, tenor
1923 - 1990

" data-original-title="" title="">Dexter Gordon,

Stan Getz

saxophone, tenor
1927 - 1991

" data-original-title="" title="">Stan Getz,

Art Farmer

flugelhorn
1928 - 1999

" data-original-title="" title="">Art Farmer and

Cedar Walton

piano
1934 - 2013

" data-original-title="" title="">Cedar Walton. It is quite a career and there are few that could match him when it comes to name-dropping.

Bassist

Eddie Myer

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Eddie Myer, a member of the rock band Turin Brakes, also leads his own band, the hard-swinging Eddie Myer 5tet. Based in Brighton, he also works as a teacher, a promoter and leads a number of jazz-based projects in the area for young musicians. The line-up is completed by saxophonist

Riley Stone-Lonergan

saxophone
b.1990

" data-original-title="" title="">Riley Stone-Lonergan, a former member of

The National Youth Jazz Orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">The National Youth Jazz Orchestra, he has played in various group formats and has released recordings with Family Band, Perpetual Motion Machine and Locus. He also plays with Myer in the Eddie Myer 5tet.

Here there are eight covers and four Stone-Lonergan compositions, three of which open the album. Starting with "High Noon," the vintage atmosphere is immediately apparent. A repeating saxophone motif builds into a fast-moving improvisation over bustling drums and bass. The title track shows Stone-Lonergan's compositional ability with a catchy vamp, before moving off into a solo, supported by short drum interjections from Wells and a bass solo from Myer. Stone-Lonergan is at his free-flowing and expressive best on "I Gotta Grape Drink," aided by a supple bass whilst Wells makes drumming and shifting rhythms seem effortless.

The highlights among the covers include a gracefully controlled version of

Billy Strayhorn

piano
1915 - 1967

" data-original-title="" title="">Billy Strayhorn and

Duke Ellington

piano
1899 - 1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Duke Ellington's "Star-Crossed Lovers." "Along Came John," by American organist

Big John Patton

organ, Hammond B3
1935 - 2002

" data-original-title="" title="">Big John Patton, is underpinned by fluid and open drumming from Wells. Myers rhythmic bass supplies the lines originally created by Patton's Hammond, while Stone-Lonergan carries the melody. The trio also brings neat timing and swagger to the buoyancy and bustle of Jackie Mclean's "Hip Strut."

Elsewhere there is a surprising, but neatly arranged, version of Stephen Foster's "Hard Times Come Again No More," great interplay in

Thelonious Monk

piano
1917 - 1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Thelonious Monk's "Bright Mississippi," and Stone-Lonergan's "Bastard Gentlemen" finds the trio pushing hard but in full control.

The trio keep everything loose and fun, while keeping the quality of their exchanges and energy levels at a high pitch. Their fluency in melding tradition-grounded language with contemporary jazz, together with sparkling spontaneity, keeps the entertainment standard high. As well as the name of a Dewey Redman track, QOW is also associated with an American military term for Quality of Work; in this instance, it is perfectly apt.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

High Noon; The Hold Up; I Gotta Grape Drink; The Starcrossed Lovers; Along Came John; Hip Strut; Our Man Higgins; Bastard Gentlemen; Bright Mississippi; Hard Times Come Again No More; Straight Ahead; I'm An Old Qowhand.

Personnel

Eddie Myer

bass

Spike Wells

drums

Riley Stone-Lonergan

saxophone

Album information

Title: The Hold Up | Year Released: 2024 | Record Label: Ubuntu Music

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