Looking for the best live jazz in Brighton? As the weather settles in this cold snap we’ve found your antidote…
There was a crackle in the corner of the Green Dragon on Sydney Street last Tuesday, the kind that comes from a cozy pub fireplace but this time emulated from Big Trio, Brighton based jazz collective who fit snugly into the warm bar for what has now become a weekly staple of no frills jazz being brought back to Brighton.
This wasn’t polite-applause jazz, or the sort that makes you afraid to breathe. This was jazz with no frills, back where it belongs: in a boozer, with people chatting and music climbing over the sound of pints clinking.
Behind the keys was Miles Simpson, coaxing warm, smoky voicings and leading some tunes he’d composed himself. On drums, Lukas Castella, whose playing was nothing short of insane; elastic, ferocious, constantly prodding the band into new shapes. Each time he split into a solo people would shake their heads in disbelief. The best part? Whilst delivering a performance powerful in technicality, precision and passion, he was grinning ear to ear. Holding it all together was Kit Mellis on bass, grounding the chaos and on guitar, Sam Webster, ridiculous in the best possible way. People tend to throw around the word mesmerising when writing up reviews for gigs or how a musician plays his instrument but there really isn’t any other word for it.
Then came their guest: trumpeter Andre Mali.
He doesn’t usually play with the group, and you won’t find much about him online, mystery seems to be part of his charm. Word around the room was that he’s shared stages with some big names but what mattered last night was his tone that cut through the chatter without demanding silence, and a playful swagger as he and the band tossed lines back and forth.
At one point you could see he was sight reading some chord charts but the freedom was obvious. The whole band played like kittens tumbling over each other, instruments leaping and chasing and colliding, only to land on their feet.
This wasn’t a quiet-room, reverent-nod sort of gig. People chatted at the bar. Someone laughed too loudly. People dipped in and out to smoke outside, peeping through the glossy gaps in condensation on the windows, and the music just kept roaring.
The whole night had the feeling of a fire crackling in the corner of the pub, beckoning people in off the street.
It’s free entry and music starts from 8pm so whether you’re looking for a new date night or something to get you out of the house for a bit of me time mark your calendar for this recurring event.
