Mozes Rosenberg with Dave Kelbie and Louis Thomas
Dutch violinist Tim Kilphuis stole the show in this double bill afternoon celebrating the music of the legendary Stephane Grappelli and Django Reinhardt.
Fortuitously Grappelli had encouraged classically trained Kilphuis to explore a range of genres and he showed the technical virtuosity of a concert soloist of international calibre in his rendition of the Winter movement from Vivaldi's Four Seasons, ended with an immaculately timed coda from the bow of bass player Roy Percy.
Elsewhere an interesting range of melodies and rhythms were passed seamlessly between Kilphuis, Percy and Nigel Clark on guitar. Early in the fifty minute set we heard the easy swing of Hoagy Carmichael's ballad The Nearness of You underpinned by a solo by Clark.
A set entitled Ou Es-tu Mon Amour? brought the audience firmly into the realms of the jazz scene of Paris's Left Bank before World War Two. But Celtic strains were dominant in My Wedding Day delivered at a much faster pace than any celebratory dancers could keep up with.
In the second half a trio led by guitarist Mozes Rosenberg and with Louis Thomas on Bass kept more firmly on Reinhardt ground with Rosenberg's plectrum picking displaying remarkable dexterity. Rythmn guitarist Dave Kelbie provided a laid back and laconic commentary -somewhat of an antedote to the relentlessly fast paced rhythms.