Pee Wee Ellis, Ronnie Scott's, London W1, 5/4/10

Live Review

Pee Wee Ellis & his Jazz Quartet @ Ronnie Scott’s, London W1, Monday 5/4/10

**** (Really quite good)

Did you know you are not allowed to take pictures in Ronnie Scott’s? (My excuse for the poor picture here.)

You are, however, obliged to mingle with some of music’s greatest talents.

On previous occasions I have found myself backstage with the superb Carleen Anderson and attempting to embrace the legendary Dr John as he made his way through the club.

On Monday night I ended up, stood on a Soho pavement, offering the great saxophonist and bandleader Pee Wee Ellis a smoke and explaining my favourite Pee Wee sax solo was when he took Van Morrison’s “Tupelo Honey” to another level during a performance at Montreux in 1980.

This moment of admiration outside a packed Ronnie Scott’s was one of many on an evening in which Ellis’ skills as a saxophonist, bandleader and all-round great guy were on show.

Pee Wee Ellis now resides in Frome, Somerset and had bought with him a homeboy, fellow tenor sax player Josh Arcoleo. The youngster, blessed with fantastic ability and tone added a touch of youth to a line up that was experienced and highly skilled.

Pee Wee’s theme for Monday night was jazz (he returned Tuesday evening with his Funk Assembly). However, the two highlights of the show came with a break from the tight, yet highly improvisational nature of the performance with a little blues number that swaggered with real character and “a song I wrote for James Brown” called “Chicken”. The soul vibe took the show up a notch.

Ronnie’s is a great place to see some great up-and-coming talent alongside famous names from the past. Pee Wee Ellis was James Brown’s musical director (JB Horns) and arranged Van Morrison’s live shows for years at the prime of his powers (Into The Music and onwards). His reputation is enough to sell a club full of tickets. His performance was good enough to sell more.

At 68, Ellis is no spring chicken. But his musicianship is still outstanding. In Arcoleo, he has found a saxophonist that will gain so much from being onstage with one of the most influential horn players in soul and funk music - and the youngster confidently holds his own against a seriously big name in sax music.

So excuse my poor picture taking… but Pee Wee and his band really were too good to take your eyes off.

Steve McNeill

Groove Armada, Forum, London NW5 3/3/10

Live Review

Groove Armada @ Forum, Kentish Town, London NW5 – Wednesday 3/3/10

** (solid performance)

Pulling in a packed house to Kentish Town’s Forum on Wednesday night, Tom Findlay and Andy Kato’s Groove Armada seemed keen to leave their arrival on stage to the very last minute.

Perhaps concerned that the crowd would still be funneling out of nearby boozers having watched the most anticipated England friendly in years, Groove Armada finally emerged at nearly a quarter to ten.

Huge applause, massive sound and a great venue, Forum was packed to the rafters with a crowd that was more experienced than baby faced but still punched its fair share of appreciative youth.

Introducing a heavy load of new material from recent album Black Light, the band met with a warm early reception. Too many seemed uninterested in new singer SaintSaviour – a bleach-blonde futuristic reincarnation of La Roux with a penchant for Yoga-style arm workouts.

In contrast, when long-time collaborator MC M.A.D landed, the show took off. Effortlessly guiding the band through Get Down, M.A.D’s performance went down a treat. A return to the stage in the encore saw the band finish with a rollicking Superstylin’ creating chaos in every corner of the venue.

Underneath the tripping laser show (no drugs were consumed by the writer), Groove Armada lacked true musicianship, leaving the show rather two-dimensional. A going-through-the-motions approach to Ibiza classic At The River had more than a few people wanting more in an encore that was worth the entry fee alone.

Everything was solid – everything sounded fine – everyone enjoyed the show. Black Light may demonstrate that Groove Armada’s sound is changing, but their live act still shows they are a band that can easily operate at the highest level.

Leaving themselves just an hour and fifteen minutes to wow an audience that could probably have danced all night was a hard task. Unfortunately tonight, Groove Armada didn’t quite hit the mark.

Steve McNeill