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Gifts from The Morning Star
Paul Dunmall Quartet, Cafe Oto, London
Exhilarating set from band of jazz brothers
Insurgent: Paul Dunmall [Richard Kaby]

THERE’S a sense of insurgency from these four outstanding outlaws of jazz at Cafe Oto, with their musicianship streaming beyond the frontiers of the expected.

In their 45-minute opener, Paul Dunmall’s tenor and soprano saxophones stretch notes to their limits with a heat and raw beauty.

Yet tenderness is never left behind, nor allusion, as he suddenly switches to the quasi-theme of Erroll Garner’s Misty.

Beside him on piano is Liam Noble, whose explosive keyboard rhythms, snatches of melody and sparkling clusters of notes continually create new directions.

Bassist John Edwards dances with his plummeting sound, as his fingers pluck and slap in a blur of underground power.

Percussionist Mark Sanders attacks an array surfaces — drums, cymbals, gong, woodblocks, sticks, mallets, rods, hands and brushes — as he listens, provokes and responds to his confreres at every sonic moment.

Individually, each musician is gripping but together they are a freedom-loving, dexterous band — a foursome of musical boundary-breakers in every sense.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
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