By Ollie Heppenstall
World-renowned saxophonist Tim Garland stunned audiences at The Venue in Leicester on Thursday with two hours of outstanding jazz.
Putting a more electric and sometimes outlandish spin on conventional jazz, Garland’s virtuosity on the saxophone and multi-instrumental capabilities shone through, perfectly complementing the psychedelia of Jason Rebello’s keyboard, the bombastic percussion of Asaf Sirkis and the refined yet bewitching strings of Ant Law.
The quartet played a set that encompassed music from across Garland’s career, including Tynesong, The Eternal Greeting, One Morning, a rearrangement of Paco De Lucia’s Zyryab and several other numbers inspired by similar acts, including the Weather Report-inspired Paradigm Road.
Garland said: “I first realised I wanted to be a professional musician when I was in my teens, when I began writing my own music.
“Growing up in Canterbury, I was soon familiar with bands like Weather Report, and musicians such as Bill Bruford and Tony Coe.”
He added: “When you’re just getting into jazz music, or any form of music for that matter, and you want to make a career out of it, don’t expect instant success. You need to listen and learn, and to not have too many fixed opinions about what’s good and what’s bad.
“Two of my idols as a performer are definitely Chick Corea and Joe Lovano, as well as Paco De Lucia.”
