PRESS / F-IRE Collective CMN tour 2005

Evening Standard 25 October 2005

DON'T MENTION THE J WORD

The multifacted F-ire Collective fielded their strongest side for the final date fo this CMN British tour, with singer Julia Biel, guest pianist Robrt Mitchell and guest guitarists Jonny Phillips and Jonathan Bratoeff augmenting the First VX.

Jazz fans who cringed at the band's amateurish rehearsal antics on a TV arts programme last week found them a much tougher proposition last night.

Propelled by three synchromeshed drummers- Leo Taylor, Sebastian Rochford and Maurizio Ravalico, the ensemble roared through futuristic arrangements full of challenging counterpoint and
uplifting cross-rhythms. Their air of joyful experimentation harked back to the early days of Loose Tubes, a similarly anarchic young band whose starlets went on to greater things but probably never had as much fun again.

In the brass section, tuba wizard Oren Marshall and trombonist Joe Bentley demonstrated rock like dependability while tenorist Ingrid Laubrock, drummer Rochford and young trumpeter Tom Allan all made eloquent solo statements.

Tenorist Pete Wareham, cellist Ben Davis and guitarist David Okumu had quieter nights and so tight was the programming that altoist Barak Schmool, who founded the whole shebang, didn't blow a solo note. It was left to the amazing Mitchell to provide the evening's outstanding virtuosity.

F-ire's acronymic title remained unexplained ("Foundation of Improvisers of Ready Expertise" would do) and even with several jazz award winners on stage, one had to search hard to find the J word in the programme. You can't be too careful in marketing today.

Jack Massarik