28/03/2025
Have a read of this wonderful review written by Nick Lea for https://jazzviews.net about the Frank Griffith Quartet that played at The Heron Theatre on Saturday 22nd March.
"Jazz is often found in the least expected places. Back in January I wrote that there was a host of excellent jazz to be heard in Cumbria in the following months, and yet I was not expecting to find myself in The Heron Theatre in the village of Beetham on a Saturday evening listening to the excellent Frank Griffith Quartet heralding the arrival of spring.
Luckily, even though I had not been aware of the concert until relatively late in the day, there were plenty of savvy individuals who did know and turned up in sufficient numbers to fill this rather lovely venue. An intimate 75 seat theatre with a good acoustic and an atmosphere conducive to making fine music, we were duly treated to some top rate swinging jazz.
It is quite a journey from Eugene, Oregan to Liverpool via New York City and London, but that is exactly the route taken by US saxophonist and clarinettist Frank Griffith. Studying at the Manhattan School of Music to playing lead alto in the Glenn Miller Orchestra, as well as playing in the big bands of Toshiko Akiyoshi, Buddy Rich and Mel Torme. After moving to London, Griffith quickly established himself as a leading soloist as well as a composer, arranger and educator. In the recent years having moved to Liverpool we have been fortunate to have the opportunity to hear Frank perform on a regular basis around the north of England and is thankfully no stranger to the Lake District.
And this is how I came to hear Frank and his quartet playing a programme welcoming in the coming season under the banner of Jazz Springs to Mind with a couple of sets of standards all with spring in the title. Having heard the saxophonist on a couple of his albums recorded for the Hep label, the other members of the group were new to me in pianist Richard Wetherall, Eryl Roberts on drums and last-minute recruit Sam Quintana on bass standing in for the indisposed Grant Russell, and it must be said did a fine job.
Kicking off with an up tempo ‘Joy Spring’ by trumpeter Clifford Brown the quartet quickly settled into their groove with some swinging solos from Griffith on tenor and pianist Wetherall. This was the first of several compositions by trumpeters that also featured in the second set ‘Up Jumped Spring’ by Freddie Hubbard, and in a change to the scheduled programme (a set list had been handed out as the audience had taken their seats), Miles Davis’s ‘Swing Spring’ in a cracking performance that featured an excellent piano solo from the inventive Wetherall who then dropped out to leave the saxophonist strollin’ with just bass and drums with Griffith serving up a fine solo.
With tenor saxophonists regularly doubling on soprano, a particular delight was served up by Frank putting down his saxophone and playing some tasty clarinet. Not something that you hear too often in small group settings, Griffith’s pure toned clarinet which was also warm and woody in the lower register was a joy to behold in a lovely ballad reading of ‘Some Other Spring’, a lively ‘Younger Than Springtime’ and ‘They Say It’s Spring’.
The breadth of the music played with a fine choice of repertoire and Frank’s amusing anecdotes between tunes ensured that there was something for everyone to enjoy. The leader’s tenor playing has absorbed much from the post bop players and his forays into the instrument’s upper register along with his sparing use of multiphonics was tempered with some marvellous swinging tenor and masterful ballad playing as heard on one of my favourite compositions ‘Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most’.
As the evening drew to a close it was clear that Frank and the audience had enjoyed themselves immensely, and it is to be hoped that after taking the plunge in booking the quartet that The Heron Theatre will play host to more jazz concerts in the not too distant future, and more information about this wonderful venue can be found at theherontheatre.com."
Photo credit: Sharon Griffith
