So we are here, at Ta’ Liesse, Valletta, for the final evening of this year’s Malta Jazz Festival. As the MC for the night said in his opening remarks, “wow, are we still buzzing from the Ghost-Note performance last night?” The resounding response was most definitely in the affirmative. So how would tonight’s acts stand against such a memorable Friday night?
As with the previous evening, the show opened with a band with a strong local connecton. The Daniel Sant Trio, led by pianist Daniel Sant who hails from just down the road in Mosta (the Rotunda of Mosta, with its domed roof is a stunning piece of architecture), gave us six numbers, five originals and a cover. The opening tune was Ballad for Bugge, a fine modern jazz number with a good main theme, nice changes on the melody, an easing of the tempo into the bass section played by Simon Osuna before returning to central theme: a very good opening number and a fine introduction to the band.
The Depression Party is about being happier after being low. Great use of shifting dynamics, a wistful main theme, and good drum section from William Smith. Apparently, As We Grow came to Daniel whilst out on a bike ride (the only thing that comes to me on a bike ride is the utter relief that that was the last hill climb of the ride), the fact that this was a ballad suggests that it may have been a relaxed ride. The tune has a beautiful melody and the interplay between bass and piano was a delight.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Fireman with its upbeat tempo, its touch of humour, and its good mix of piano runs and block chords – William Smith played a great solo to finish. The other track that stood out for me was Vibe FM, which had a good swing to it. This number harked back to an earlier age of jazz and was good to hear. The final number of this set was the cover, Out of Nowhere (a 1931 jazz standard by Johny Green). This was a great choice to follow-on from the previous number and is, perhaps, an indicator the type of music that influences Danel Sant’s compositional style (I know from having spoken to him that he has a deep respect for jazz music’s history).
The Daniel Sant Trio played a very well structured opening set and I look foward to hearing the forthcoming album release. The Kurt Rosenwinkel Group were next to the stage. The music was largley drawn from the live album release The Remedy (recorded 2006, released 2008). The band comprised of Kurt Rosenwinkel on guitar, saxophonist Mark Turner, the superb Jeff “Tain” Watts on drums, pianist Aaron Goldberg and Joe Martin on bass.
The title track from the live album, The Remedy kicked things off. As it turned out, this was a good indicator of what we would be hearing across the set: well played sax melodies over repeating phrases from guitar and piano with a steady rhythm from both bass and drums. I would say it had quite an intence feel about it, something that ordinarily I would listen to through headphones and then pause for reflection at the end of the number – not something easily achieved at a jazz festival.
There is no doubt that that this was a set of intelligent, lyrical, highly polished, technical jazz music but, for me, it lacked a connection: I did not feel it. There was very little raport with the audience, but I am aware that the musicians listening alongside me really appreciated hearing this band play – but I would suggest that they will be listening in quite a different way from people like myself who have no musical training.
So to the band that brought the week’s events to a close, Terri Lyne Carrington, who I have seen at the Malta Jazz Fetival before. This evening’s set was a reimagining of Max Roach and Abbey Lincolns landmark album We Insist: Freedom Now Suite. This was a set of social commentary and in many ways it is sad that the message still needs to be stated and heard. The lyrics and spoken word of We Insist! 2026 was delivered impeccably by vocalist Christie Dashiel. The tone was warm, forceful when it need to be but emotionally grounded. The diction was exceptional, with every word given its due weight, the timing and phrasing sublime.
This music is a re-imagining of Roach’s work with excellent contemporary trumpet work from Milena Casado, strong bass lines from Mats Sandhal and, of course, a masterclass in drumming from Terri Lyne Carrington. Unfortunately, guitarist Matthew Stevens suffered technical issues which broke up the performance until the matter was dealt with by the onsite technicians. This was social commentary for the twenty-first century, texturally layered, current but without losing sight of the source material: a powerful, challenging but engaging performance.
SimplyJazzTalk 