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05/07/2004 Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Dave Holland thrill Barbican
In the world of jazz and improv music, they don't come any bigger than pianist Herbie Hancock and sax player Wayne Shorter. Friday's concert at London's Barbican Hall showed why they are so highly regarded. Best known as fellow members of Miles Davis's second great quintet, Hancock and Shorter went on to become key players in 1970s jazz-rock fusion, Hancock with his funk band which recorded Head Hunters, Shorter in Weather Report. Both have made outstanding music before and since. Dave Holland, who also played with Miles Davis, on some of his most notable electric albums, is a revered bass player. The trio's current tour line-up is completed by Brian Blade, Shorter's talented drummer. Friday's eclectic set showcased compositions by the three big names, as well as Hancock-Shorter collaborations. Half a dozen tunes in two hours - extended work-outs, then, rather than populist jazz-lite. Hancock's delicate piano and Shorter's fluid saxes developed some engaging conversations, and the rhythm section anchored the groove. If you didn't already know it, the sell-out crowd's fevered response told you you were being treated to a performance of assured authority by a quartet of charismatic musicians. In a mid-gig explanation, Hancock aptly described the set as "deconstruction", but changed that to "decomposition" after an off-mic ad lib from Shorter. He chuckled mightily at that description of the evening, liking it so that much he repeated it in the encore. The odd longueur is to be expected in a free form workout - some conversations are inherently more interesting than others, regardless of the participants. And chamber jazz can struggle to fill a big hall - my late-booked seat, on the back row of the balcony, had good acoustics and sight lines, but didn't exactly place me in the centre of the action. But attention waned for only short periods, and was quickly restored by yet another virtuoso passage. You can catch this superb show, as it's to be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on Friday 16 July. Most Radio 3 broadcasts are also broadcast on the web for a week after transmission, so readers outside the UK should be able to hear it on Radio 3's splendid web site: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/ (click on Playlists, then Jazz on 3) Gerry Smith
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