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| ZOO
with Guy Barker performed for Jazz Steps at the Bonington Theatre in Arnold on
Thursday 13 August 2009. Bonington
Theatre, neatly tucked away on top of a leisure centre, home to Jazz Steps - Nottingham's
definitive jazz connoisseurs - this is a delightful little venue: intimate, atmospheric,
and ultimately the perfect spot to succumb to the wiles of the genre.
Introducing
ZOO: a Derbyshire based quintet praised for their distinctive vocal approach and
laid-back style. Arriving on stage with them was trumpet maestro Guy Barker; a
collaboration that incites a delicious evening of fabulous music.
These
guys are undoubtedly amazing musicians, and boast that enviable talent where every
instrument they touch becomes a natural extension of the body. In the second half
of the evening ZOO and guest, Barker, really began to cook. There was some stunning
pieces that screamed seedy jazz club: swinging-hip grooves, rich harmonies and
Barker's trumpet growling over the top. Now maybe I'm just partial to a bit of
smut, but it was such moments of unified sleaze that rendered me that little bit
hot under the collar.
ZOO do showcase some exceptional musical capabilities
and their approach to the jazz fusion genre offers an interesting blend of acoustics,
electronics and vocal dominance. This is a group about which you should definitely
make up your own mind.
Photos courtesy of Bob Meyrick (c)
ZOO on myspace | Guy
Barker website | Jazz Steps website
Left
Lion Review, Leftlion.co.uk, Aug 09
Hannah Boylin went to see ZOO with Guy
Barker at the Bonington Theatre in Arnold
| Jazz
with Alan Joyce
Friday,
August 07, 2009, 07:30
Nottingham Evening Post.
DERBY jazz fusion group
Zoo, which has made a favourable impact locally with frequent visits to Jazz At
Dexter's, provides an early opening to the new Jazzhouse season in the Bonington
Theatre, High Street, Arnold, next Thursday. For the occasion Zoo teams up with
UK trumpet ace Guy Barker.
Zoo bases its music around the song writing
skills of multi-instrumentalists Paul Biggins and husband and wife team Karen
and Reg Clegg and has recently gone from a trio to a quintet with the addition
of highly accomplished saxophonist John Sanderson and versatile drummer Ian Beestin.
Barker
took up the trumpet as a child and studied formally at the Royal College of Music.
One of several brilliant British musicians to come up through the ranks of the
National Youth Jazz Orchestra, he has always attracted media attention. Barker's
pure-toned melodic playing, allied to a crackling, boppish attack, makes his solo
work particularly attractive and exhilarating.
| Review
of ZOO at the Lichfield Real Ale, Jazz & Blues Festival, July 2009, by TheJazzMann.com
Saturday's
proceedings commenced with ZOO, a quintet of Midlands based musicians centred
on the Derby area. Their music is based around the song writing axis of Karen
Clegg (voice,keyboards,melodica), Reg Clegg (guitars and bass) and Paul Biggins
(guitars, keyboards and bass). This core trio are now complemented by the highly
accomplished saxophonist John Sanderson and the versatile drummer Ian Beestin.
With
ZOO's music there is an element of grit in their writing that makes them far more
interesting than their smooth exterior might suggest. Fundamentally this is a
song based band and those songs are intelligent and well crafted with a welcome
touch of both bile and whimsy in the lyrics. That is not to say that the group
lack instrumental expertise. The husband and wife team of Reg and Karen Clegg
plus songwriting colleague Biggins are all talented multi-instrumentalists and
Sanderson an inspired soloist on the moments when he cuts loose. Drummer Beestin
offers flexible and sympathetic support in a thoroughly dependable manner.
ZOO
are nothing if not prolific. Their new album "End Of The Telegraph Wires"
(which will be reviewed on this site in due course) follows swiftly on the heels
of "Endangered Species" (2006) and "Greenhouse" (2008).
Unfortunately
I missed the start of their first set but arrived in time to hear the reflective
"Could've" with Karen's rueful lyrics and vocals complemented by a fine
tenor solo from Sanderson. Many of the group's songs are about relationships gone
wrong but they avoid all the clichés and the lyrics have a bitter-sweet,
poetic edge. "That's It" from "Endangered Species" falls into
this category and here boasted an intriguing arrangement for twin guitars (Reg
Clegg and Paul Biggins) with Clegg's solo making good use of effects to produce
ghostly scratchings and scrapings that were wholly in line with the arrangement
and subject matter. The first set closed with Biggins' "Leave It All Behind"
a more optimistic song of escape featuring Sanderson on soprano.
Their second
set included "Life In A Day" featuring Reg on slide guitar and Sanderson
on tenor.
"Big Red Bus" combined a story "about someone's
life" with a reference to the tragedy of 9/11 and saw Reg on bass with Sanderson
on soprano.
A new song "December" saw Karen demonstrating her keyboard
skills with an electric piano solo. She had already amply demonstrated her vocal
abilities with an assured, controlled performance throughout. Sanderson weighed
in with another fine soprano solo. He is very much the band's star instrumentalist
and his addition to the permanent line up has given the group a considerable boost.
The
ethereal "Walking Not Running" saw him switch to bass clarinet with
Reg adding guitar atmospherics and Beestin deploying finger cymbals for a novel
but effective touch.
The insistent "Changes", another of Biggins
songs about the nature of reality and the escape from it was based around a shuffling
beat with Sanderson's tenor solo taking the instrumental honours.
Finally
came "Disguise" another Biggins song based around Karen's semi spoken
vocal and keyboard solo. This was an effective and fun way to end the set.
ZOO
have a lot going from them and show considerable vocal and instrumental talent.
They use a lot of jazzy chords and ideas, a touch of Norma Winstone here, a dash
of Brazilian jazz stylings there. Ultimately they're rather difficult to pigeon
hole which may count against them, but having said that I was very pleasantly
surprised by ZOO (who are all very nice people by the way ), making this a very
enjoyable way to start the day.
(Read
the JazzMann's review of End of the Telegraph Wires)
|
General Zoo-related
comments by
The Que 98.2 Internet Radio, Utah, May 2008
Quite interesting
and a band (also from London, UK) that could very well set the new standard for
the Jazz Fusion genre is 'Zoo' with their, song you'll never guess the name will
you? That's right the song is actually named 'Dirty', but there's nothing dirty
about it at all. In fact the lyrics present quite an interesting story. The delicate
arrangement of keyboard effects in this song makes it quite interesting to listen
to.
Inspired
by many of the Jazz greats like Miles Davis, Zoo is setting the trend for Jazz
fusion in the future. I
would like to invite all of you to learn more about the band and sample some of
their unique music. Go to: zoo's websites at: www.zoo-music.co.uk
Zoo with their song Dirty still
remain at number two this week. Miles Davis inspired I learned after Sunday night's
radio interview. Popular these guys are. Will they ever come down off the top?
Probably not.
|
| "ZOO...nice
music, but with a sinister edge..."
Andy Hawkins,
Pravda Studios, Leeds | "SMOOTH!
:-)"
Alex C, Stamford RiverCare Event, 2006 |
| "ZOO's
music has a great portability and accessibility, whilst still belonging to a contemporary
framework..."
Arts Council, England |
"
'Endangered Species' draws you into its own beautiful world and makes you
want to listen right 'til the end"
'Blinded', Review 2005 |
"
'Greenhouse' reaches out and enchants."
Review by FATEA,
2007 | "
'Suddenly' is slick and sexy, gently persuasive and very easy on the ear."
Review by ToxicPete,
2007 | | "ZOO...a
band you should look out for - mellow but jazzy and at the same time mesmerizing
..."
Brian Maher, The Marrs Bar, Worcester | "ZOO...when
they are most inventive they are at their best. Being daring really suits"
Live Review, 2003 | | |
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