CyberHalides Jazz » 2018 » WANG - Alex Stuart Quintet - 2 Nov 2018

I was fortunate to have seen this band for three of their Australian performances on this tour, and they just kept getting better and better.  Most reviews and websites (Fairfax, Ausjazz, ABC Jazz) ranked them as one of the highlights of the festival, and the reported CD sales backed this up, although inexplicably one well-known reviewer apparently didn't get the memo and must have missed both their sets. 

 

This was a very tight performance of some high quality music, with great ensemble playing and arresting solos.  The motifs in Alex's compositions have become more sophisticated over his career, and in this, his fourth CD, they result in music in which the motifs shape the tunes without dominating, and give each musician the opportunity to improvise while retaining the overall coherence of the tune.  Their second set in St Pat's hall resulted in a standing ovation.