The Union Chapel is a working church located in North London where the acoustic currency is envied by other modern venues. This is a hotspot for many celebrated modern performers, especially those associated with the EFG London Jazz Festival.
Bill Laurance explained this is his first return to the venue since attending the William Tyndale School at the tender age of 9. During the performance he explained he gained street cred by playing the theme to Beverly Hill Cop’s on the same organ at the Union Chapel. I’m not sure he had discovered jazz then.
As a founding member of Snarky Puppy, Bill Laurence delivers an evening of entertainment seen in this live recording. I know the performance was sold-out as I struggled to get tickets.
Listening to the album , I wished I had been there...not William Tyndale School, Union Chapel.
This talented musical virtuoso is part of the neo-collective who is busy delivering his style of jazz genre to a new audience. Call him an educator if you must.
When you asked someone, “do you like jazz?” their response is usually a blank and confusing facial expression, as though you spoke to them in Klingon. Now, when you re-phrase the question “Do you like Snarky Puppy's Bill Lawrence?” The response is “I have all their albums and signed T-Shirts". This is the effect they have on the modern music world. I dare you to try this conversation with your work colleagues. You too will become an educator.
The songs from the evening’s performance are taken from Flint (2014) and Swift (2015) albums; all on the Ground Up! record label. There is nothing new on this album; however, the entertainment value is priceless.
Bill is not quite the Herbie Hancock or Chick Corea of jazz yet! However, I'm confident the spiritual leader of Jazz has great things in mind for Bill; perhaps his music may one day be included in 'The Real Book’ for future generations to learn.
I greatly appreciate what Bill Laurance and Michael League have done for Snarky Puppy and for the progression of music. I read other reviews disliking the use of the synthesizers and strings together as it appears to clash. However, in my personal opinion Bill nailed this live performance. His delivery is refreshing to hear and is emulated by other upcoming independent musicians; and why not? That is the biggest accolade to have as long as you are rewarded/credited one way or another.
The album is well produced and I have to extend credit to the mixing skills of the Studio Engineers and Mastering gurus. The occasional crowd clapping, announcement of songs and musicians introductions lets you know this is a live recording. A job well done and worth adding to your collection for unlimited listening.
If there was a downside to this album, it was released way too late! The demand for modern music diminishes over time, until they are once again catalogued as classics.
Don’t miss the next gig ! Bill's scheduled European tour is to commence on 28 February 2017 to 27 March 2017 and surprisingly does not include London. Let’s face it. It's just is not a European tour without London. That is another debate I will save for the Politicians.
This album is firmly in my collection on random play.
Review: Fernando Rose
