Roving Jazz Troubadours at Fortingall
A smalll, but appreciative auience enjoyed an evening of jazz standards and original compositions at Fortingall Molteno Hall on Friday 8 June with the IAN MILLAR (tenor & soprano saxophone) and DOMINIC SPENCER (piano) jazz duo from Edinburgh.
The high polish on Ian's saxes was refelected in the dazzling playing technoque especially evident in the cascade of scintillating glissandos in the unaccompanied introduction to "You'd be so nice to come home to".
Despite lacking the conventional rhythmic aides of guitar, base and drums, the duo swung as in the romp through "How high the moon", while the rich tones of Ian's tenor gave body to the beautiful, timeless ballads such as "Just Friends" and Night and Day". |
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Original compositions inspired by a love of the Isle of Skye were evocative and melodic with interesting harmonic features.
Throughout, Dominic's keyboard accompaniment was sensitive and supportive.
Should the duo pay a return visit to Highland Perthshire, let's hope for a larger turnout.
Touring/Performances
The pair have played all over Scotland in recent months, concentrating on rural communities, often bringing jazz to these communities for the first time. The response has been very enthusiastic and warm to their unique approach to many classic standards by Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Duke Ellington, Jimmy Van Heusen, Henry Mancini and Jerome Kern.
This year they will play both the Glasgow Jazz Festival Fringe, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the MacRoberts Arts Centre in Stirling in the autumn, as well as an English tour taking in Bath, Bristol and other towns and cities.
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