Not having been to Eddie's Friday evening workshop since an enjoyable all-day session in September, I entered 2011 resolved to attend regularly. Not weekly, but regularly. There are too many good gigs on Fridays for me to promise myself that I'd attend every week. Friday 14th January, the Charles Gayle trio were on at Cafe Oto, and were amazing. Seymour Wright was at that gig too, I noticed, so wasn't at the workshop - which salved my conscience somewhat! On Friday 28th January, I am going to the Vortex for the album-launch gig by Hans Koller. Having already reviewed the album for All About Jazz (five stars!) I am looking forward to this gig. Koller's twelve-piece ensemble features Bill Frisell and Evan Parker, although Frisell will not be at the Vortex gig, I hear.
Sandwiched in between those two unmissable gigs, I managed to get to the workshop this week, on 21st January. It was like coming back to a group of old friends, even though I did not know many of the participant well. As ever, Eddie was welcoming and friendly to everyone. How he does it week in week out is beyond me - the man is a marvel! There were nineteen of us there, with enough regulars there for me to feel the reassuring sense of belonging - a sense that is reinforced by the act of playing with people - tonight in two duos and a quartet at the end; in the duos (with cello and then with electronics) I was rather restrained - too rerstrained, maybe - a result of coming back after a lay off. For the quartet - my sax, another sax, Eddie on percussion, Paul Abbott on electronics etc - I felt more relaxed (maybe quartets suit me better than duos?) and was more outgoing. Pity I won't be back for two weeks. Looking forward to it.
At the workshop, there was news of a two-day festival called As Alike As Trees (great name) over the first weekend of March, featuring lots of workshop regulars as well as Hubbub and AMM. Looks exciting. Follow this link for more info: http://www.asalikeastrees.org/
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