Jaipur Kawa Brass Band vs. Tongues of Fire
St Bartholomew's Church, Jericho, 11th June 2005

Surely the people that come to St Bartholomew's to worship at the altar of far-out music must outnumber those who pay much attention to Jesus, or so I think as a swell of snare rattle and warm brass from outside the door heralds the arrival of Tongues of Fire. The nine-piece jazz band processes down the aisle past the full-capacity crowd, with two drummers, trombone, horn, four saxes including the beatific-looking band leader on baritone (how seldom does its rich, fat grunt get to take centre stage in our lives), and a guy looking rather out of place with a kitchen fork and metal guiro, whose true function becomes apparent only when he reaches his station and picks up the double bass. They play several pieces in succession, linked by solo improvisations, so that those with the urge to applaud are long frustrated, and they fill the space with their mighty sonic soup, although sadly the high reflective walls render the whole effect quite muddy, making the music seem at times more sluggish than it probably is. The highlight of their set is the kit-drummer's solo, which he manages to make both rhythmically tight and comical at the same time - no mean feat, this drummer can tell you. Clearly they are a talented lot, with some beautiful harmony going on, though this wasn't the place to see them at their best.

The second act, Jaipur Kawa Brass Band, begin with just three musicians on euphonium, trumpet and a small bass drum played with a stick on one side and a hand on the other changing the pitch. They are joined in time by alto sax, trombone, clarinet, snare drum and the band leader on cymbals (he is also the singer, but not at unmiked performances), all resplendent in their red and blue robes and turbans. The percussion section sounds like nothing so much as Carl Palmer (as in 'Emerson, Lake and') going crazy on the kit, the cymbals keeping the beat and the two drummers bouncing complex syncopations off each other, while the wind instruments play mostly the same melody - what they lack in chords they more than make up for in rhythm and sheer energy. They play some Bollywood classics, and some much older tunes, and then spring upon us a juggler-type entertainer who performs his tricks with balls, knives, gyroscopes and a 5-kilo stone which it must take some nerve to hang from your eyelid, but he does.

By the end I would like to be able to say everyone was up and dancing, but sadly, most remained seated despite the efforts of the band's own dancer, a slender 16-year-old with a flowing skirt and headdress doing her whirly thing. They are called back for a couple of encores, and parade out to the tune of 'Let it Be', bringing to an end a night of about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on.

David Hart, 13/06/2005