Hot Cool Jazz With the Dylan Howe Quartet at the Plough

Dylan Howe Quartet at the Plough Arts Centre in Torrington, North Devon

Dylan Howe - drums

Brandon Allen - sax

Ross Stanley - piano/synth

Tim Thornton - double bass

In a world where bad means good and cool means hot then loose should be a fitting jazz-word to describe absolute tightness of the Dylan Howe Quartet.

I was at The Plough in Torrington last night to immerse myself in a night of what Howe describes as an eclectic mixture of jazz tunes from Blue Note to Bowie.

The mix may have been eclectic but with the Quartet's arrangements the set had a definite integrity to it.  When I dine out on jazz I would not expect to be served up a helping of Coltrane with a side order of Bowie but nothing in last night's set seemed out of place. 

Dylan Howe is like a box of fireworks on the drums. His solo on Bowie's Weeping Wall took us from dainty sparklers through catherine wheels on to a finale of explosive rockets leaving a stillness and whiff of gunpowder in the air.  Howe is charismatic and his passion for his art shines through his performance.

For me, jazz is the most romantic music of all.  I defy anyone to listen to Brandon Allen's superb tenor sax playing without being moved.  Allen is as one with his sax and handles it with tenderness and screaming fury in equal measure.

Ross Stanley's brilliant piano playing shone without hogging the limelight.  He was a perfect fit in the Quartet jigsaw and played McCoy Tyner, Gershwin and synth sounds for the Bowie numbers with fitting sensitivity.

The benefit of sitting auditorium-wise in the theatre of the Plough, as well as great acoustics, meant that we could see every move on stage.  However, I did have to check twice to confirm that Tim Thornton on double bass had no more fingers than me.  I for one, was grateful for the tradition of every player having their moment in the spotlight so we could really appreciate this young player's talent.

Chatting with Howe after the gig he told me that he had "always been a fan of Bowie from that (Berlin Albums) era" and the Quartet's arrangements of the Bowie material added a dream-like quality to the set.  The performance had certainly wowed the audience and as I walked away after thanking Dylan for a wonderful evening I heard an excited fan say "See you again next time, and the next, and the next ..." and I would certainly second, and third, that myself.

We left the Plough in howling wind and torrential rain and Howe's earlier introduction of Coltrane's After the Rain as "the most romantic piece of music ever written" came back to me. I slipped my hand into my husband's and walked off into the dark North Devon night with a spring in my step and jazz in my heart.

The Dylan Howe Quartet continue the tour with a gig at the Future Inns in Bristol on Sunday, 27 February.  I'll say it again - if you get the chance to go to this gig - don't miss it!

For more info on the tour and Howe's other projects go to http://mofly.typepad.com/dylan_howe/