The Spice of Life’s underground music venue is a gem of Soho. Walking into the jazz bar felt as though I had entered a film – it was a classic scene, with old rockers drinking pints, a chap reading a newspaper, another chap getting a CD out on his lap, and the jazzers themselves mingling with the audience. It was so vibrant that by the time I had settled into my comfy central table spot on the upper level, I had completely forgotten it was only 12:30 in the afternoon.
The gig started amidst the ambience, with the bassist and trombonist warming up while the drummer sat down and the sax guy heading over to his spot still with a pint in hand. The ‘Five’ were drums, tenor sax, double bass, trombone, and piano, then there was an acoustic guitarist in the back corner. The trombonist clicked the 1 2 3 and off they went.
I was struck by audience members immediately singing along to the head, and cheering as soon as it started. This set a brilliant atmosphere from the get-go, characterized by the different musical personalities of the Five (six). The bassist played completely carefree and effortlessly, the drums and the sax occasionally spoke and had a laugh mid-song, the guitarist was happily jamming along in the corner, and the trombonist led the proceedings, sometimes shouting over the sound or lifting the trombone to communicate to the rest of the group. It goes without saying that the solos were absolutely stunning, and I won’t even begin to try to describe them – instead I’ll bring the attention to what was happening underneath the solos. While the trombone soloed, the sax had some gorgeous held notes, and he stepped away from his microphone so as to not overpower the focus. When the sax then took over the solo, this swapped around, and then both came together for some exciting trading twos with the drums.
Trumpeter Mike Henry, dressed in all black, was welcomed in for the slower and smoother introduction of the second song with the trumpet as the main focus, in which he included a beautiful subtle dialogue with the trombone. The quieter nature of this introduction meant the guitar could be heard more clearly, adding a lovely new colour to the texture. In this one I especially loved watching the other members while the saxophone soloed – notably how the trombonist walked off the stage to grab his pint and have a chat with audience members, and occasionally shouted out encouragement for certain cool sax moments. It was also fun watching the drummer adjusting the kit while he was playing!
‘Tin Roof Blues’ showcased Henry’s virtuosic skill, so much so that when he was soloing, all the other band members put down their instruments to listen. There was some sort of new idea forming between the saxophonist and the trumpet as they had a chat on the left, which was then shared with the trombonist – this idea was to have the trumpet solo over the top of the acoustic guitar, and nothing else. The song had a thrilling dynamic build up after this section, with the trumpet going higher and higher and the trombonist pointing his instrument to the ceiling with his eyes closed and sliding. At the end of the song he introduced the guitarist – Ricky from Barcelona – and had some witty comments once he’d overstayed his applause.
I will mention a few other specific moments from the fourth and fifth songs. I loved the pairing of bass and drums whenever the bass soloed, with the drummer doing some really cool stick work each time. Also when the sax and the trumpet shared a microphone and faced each other during a trombone solo, forming a temporary double act. And the sax’s multiphonics, and the trumpet balancing a mute AND an extra mute on top of that. And every time there were trading ones or trading twos with the drums. I could go on for hours, as you can probably tell.
My personal favourite was ‘Sweet Georgia Brown’, from the very end of their first half, which had a different feel to all of the other songs. By this point I had realised that it was a cornet, not a trumpet – was it a cornet the whole time, or had Henry swapped over? This song also included the introductions to each of the band members, with the drummer doing a dramatic drum roll for each member, and throwing the drum stick in the air and not quite catching it. There was then a thirty-minute interval, undoubtedly followed by more brilliant music, but I unfortunately had to set off after only the first half.
As I packed up, I was approached by the ticket man, who was disappointed to see me go, and told me to make sure I come back for the next time the Uptown Five are playing. I felt instantly a part of this wonderful underground jazz community, all with brilliant characters, and found myself wishing I could stay for the second half. I enjoyed the gig immensely, and will definitely try to catch those guys again – let’s get some more young people in there, to fully appreciate some of the most class jazz in the city.
My only criticism? Ricky’s guitar needed to be amplified.
