Review: Andy Hague’s Sixtytet, Bebop Club – respect is most certainly due!

Halfway through this celebratory gig marking Andy Hague’s 60th birthday the trumpeter claimed that this reviewer had once likened him to Rodney Dangerfield, a New York comedian from the ‘60s known for the catchphrase “I don’t get no respect!” It is possible that I wrote that but I certainly don’t think it is true: within the Bristol jazz community Andy is massively respected as trumpeter, drummer, bandleader, composer, arranger, educator, promoter and single-handed organiser of the Bebop Club.

Later in the evening (highly respected!) pianist Jim Blomfield would make this point on behalf of us all, including the evening’s sell-out audience who made the appropriate amount of noise in response. Perhaps what Andy could more reasonably complain is “I don’t get the acclaim!” Because in the main he just quietly and (mostly) tirelessly gets on with it all and we get to enjoy it. Nevertheless, to put the record straight, let’s agree: respect is due!

Andy Hague’s Sixtytet

Andy’s previous Big Birthdays were marked by memorable big band concerts but he has one of those lined up for the Lantern in December. Instead he used this evening – it was his actual birthday, by the way – to plunder the considerable archive of sextet arrangements he has written over the years. For the occasion he picked a crack team including pianist Jim Blomfield and tenor sax player Ben Waghorn with whom he has been playing in Bristol since the 80s. They were joined by later arrivals to the city Riaan Vosloo on bass and alto sax player Luke Annesley with the line-up completed by comparative youngster Ryan Thrupp on drums with the birthday boy on trumpet and flugelhorn of course.

Andy Hague, Riaan Vosloo and Ben Waghorn

To anyone familiar with the Bristol jazz scene that is a very reliable formula for some fine music and factoring in the general party vibe and mutual familiarity of the players compounded expectations. We were not to be disappointed, and over the first three numbers – Cedar Walton’s Book’s Bossa, Tom Harrold’s Moon Alley and Harold Arlen’s My Shining Hour – the players opened up and relaxed into the warmth of the arrangements. That latter number had an energetic pace with a fine hard bop solo from Luke, followed by Andy’s Dizzying trumpet and a full-throated rejoinder from Ben Waghorn. It was followed by the contrastingly languid waltz Tenderly, very much a full-band arrangement topped by some Ben Websterish alto sax. The first set finished with Frim Fram Sauce, a deliberately cheesy swing number that Ben Waghorn had particular fun with, prompting the question: how do you play a saxophone with your tongue so firmly in your cheek?

Drummer Ryan Thrupp and Andy Hague

The second set opened with a hard-edged reading of Dave Holland’s Pass It On that saw Jim Blomfield unleash a trademark dazzling solo flight of swerving ideas and technical wizardry and a sharply stylish drum solo from Ryan Thrupp, whose tasteful creativity (and impeccable timing) throughout the evening belied his junior status amongst his more venerable bandmates. Eddie Harris’ implausibly named Boogie Woogie Bossa Nova very much did what it said on the can, a meltdown of grooves that Ryan could play with. The number allowed Jim to smoothly slip in and out of his much vaunted Latin piano chops, finally landing in a cocktail lounge where Riaan Vosloo took off on a bass solo that nurtured the tune with acrobatic finger work.

Andy Hague, Riaan Vosloo, Ben Waghorn, Luke Annesley and Jim Blomfield

And so it went on in a pleasingly varied sequence of moods and styles, each tune richly arranged by Andy and embellished with the easy accomplishment of confident talents enjoying themselves together. It was the kind of stuff that we have come to rely on from the Bebop Club under Andy Hague’s stewardship, ‘proper’ jazz rooted in tradition yet full of the individual character of the players themselves. As a vital pillar of the music scene in Bristol for over thirty-five years it is a key reason why the city is widely acknowledged to be a centre for UK jazz. Factor in all of Andy’s other achievements and contributions and it seems worth repeating: Andy Hague? Respect is most certainly due.

(All pictures: Tony Benjamin)

Andy Hague’s Silverado is at FringeJazz (Wed 12 Nov), his Sexteto Gringo is at The Bell (Mon 17 Nov), the Andy Hague Big 6-0 Band at The Lantern (Sun 14 Dec) and the Text Messengers are at The Bebop Club (Thur 18 Dec)