Patrick Hadfield (LondonJazz News) e Richard Williams (The Blue Moment) raccontano dello splendido debutto in concerto pochi giorni fa della Band of Bands, il progetto di Mike Westbrook ideato per celebrare i quarant'anni del Trio in forma di settetto superstar: Mike e Kate Westbrook con Chris Biscoe, Pete Whyman, Karen Street, Marcus Vergette e Coach York.
"Westbrook, who is 87, formed his first band in Plymouth in 1958, and the Band of Bands celebrates longevity", scrive Williams. "Mike and Kate have been working, writing and performing together for 50 years. Biscoe first joined them 40 years ago, to create the Westbrook Trio. Street and Whyman have been with them on various projects for 30 years. Vergette and York, the newcomers, were called to the colours a mere 20 years ago, and are now the heartbeat of the Uncommon Orchestra."
E Hadfield: "Many of the pieces played were songs, highlighting Kate Westbrook’s words and voice. On South of Toulouse, she growled and whistled whilst the band conjured the sounds of Camargue. My Lover's Coat, like What I Like from the suite Fine 'n Yellow, was heartbreakingly moving, as she described the grief of losing a loved one. There were songs too from the Westbrook’s Art Wolf project, Unsigned Panorama and Art Wolf Sketches, as well as In meinem Puppenhaus, which described the artistic process. The tour de force was Gas Dust Stone, most memorably featured on A Bigger Show. Despite the Band of Bands’ small size relative to the Westbrooks’ big big band The Uncommon Orchestra, their sound seemed to expand to fill the size of the music. It was a tremendous couple of hours. Even those pieces written to commemorate the dead were full of life, music from hard times suffused with joy and vitality. The audience who seemed to have gathered from across the country applauded rapturously."
https://www.westbrookjazz.co.uk/BandOfBands
https://thebluemoment.com/mike-westbrooks-band-of-bands
https://londonjazznews.com/mike-westbrook-band-of-bands