Benn Clatworthy

Last night Googlies jazz club saw a guest appearance by tenor saxophonist Benn Clatworthy. As a sax player myself I am always looking to learn from the technique of others, particularly the professionals. But there was nothing I saw last night that is going to help me with my playing. Clatworthy plays in his own strange but effective style. He holds his tenor low down in front of him so that he has the appearance of someone holding a heavy weight around his neck. He contorts his face in an expression of severe pain and even his exaggerated leg movements suggest he is in a great deal of discomfort.

But this is only the visual side of this wonderful jazzman. To my ears his music is just superb. I watched and listened all night in sheer fascination. He fills his solos with a myriad of harmonics squeaks and barks from every compass range of his instrument. From the highest note to the lowest he made sounds that were not only musical but also challenging to the aural senses. His use of extended cadenzas without the accompaniment of the house band at the end of many of the numbers was a major part of the night’s entertainment. They were packed full of emotion, tension and excitement. I felt exhausted just watching him.

The only down side of this was that I don’t feel that this type of jazz mixed well with the standard modern swing style of the house band. It is not that the Colin Peters Quartet are not good musicians. They are very good and I always enjoy listening to them. It’s just that their style did not blend well last night with Clatworthy’s more free method.

Still a great night though!