Jazz Club Highlights 1990 DVD

The Jazz Club Highlights 1990 was recorded live at the Theaterhaus Jazz Festival in Stuttgart and is not to be confused with The Fast Show sketch of the same name. This concert showcases 11 contemporary and veteran jazz artists, with a number from each featured. At one end of the spectrum are the likes of Steps Ahead, whose baggy trousers and ponytails bespeak an unhealthy penchant for third-generation jazz/funk/rock fusion. Michael Kerstang's Baterie also indulges in too much guitar twaddle, with a lengthy drum solo thrown in. A refreshing contrast is struck by Beirut's... Rabih Abou-Khalil on "Dusk", the pensive, acoustic strains of his traditional Oud unspoilt by a contemporary setting. Sixties new-jazz saxophonist Archie Shepp offers "Mama Rose", a track reminiscent of John Coltrane in his unbridled mid-60s mode, though with an astringency to his playing that is all his own. John Zorn & Naked City represent the avant-garde here with the excellent "Mystery Song", a free interplay of claustrophobic sax squiggles and decaying electronic drones. This release also affords a rare opportunity to witness the late and rather great Michel Petrucciani and his Trio. Just three feet tall, due to a condition known as "glass bones", Petrucciani, with the aid of a special device to work the pedals nonetheless forged a sweeping and vivaciously romantic jazz piano style. Sadly, he died aged just 36. On the DVD: no extras at all on this 85-minute set, but the soundtrack options, including Dolby 5.1, offer excellent clarity.--David Stubbs [show more]

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