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Gareth Roberts Quintet – 'Attack of the Killer Penguins'

Gareth Roberts Records: GRR001

Gareth Roberts, Trombones; Marcin Wright, Clarinet/Saxophones; Paul Jones, Piano; Chris O’Connor, Bass; Mark O’Connor, Drums.

This is the first album by The Gareth Roberts Quintet. Recorded at Easter this year it comprises Gareth’s arrangement of a traditional Welsh folk tune (Track 1) followed by 6 tunes written by him. Each is illustrated by a cartoon drawn by Rhys Bevan Jones and this provides attractive, cheerful sleeve notes. That’s appropriate to what amounts to quite a jolly, albeit brief album (just under 48 minutes). I’m not convinced entirely that the material was written as a single entity, as there seems to be lack of cohesion overall, but that does not detract from individual numbers and by no means from any of the musicians.

This band is of course the same line-up as the Marcin Wright quintet, though the sound is quite different, courtesy no doubt of Gareth’s writing. The rhythm section is also known as the Jones-O’Connor trio, another popular band throughout the region. Marcin needs no introduction: as with Gareth he is widely known and hugely experienced and the quintet plays to packed houses here in Cardiff and further afield. That I think is an indicator of the difference between my listening to this album and hearing the band’s live performances. I know for the latter what I might expect in the broadest terms and in a 2-hour gig a range of materials from Welsh folk through Blue Note funk, collecting maybe Bitches Brew bass lines on the way is not overloading. Yet, although there seems to be an attempt to fit all of that into this very compressed space, I find in these 48 minutes a sense of repetition. I could not find, on a personal note, a balance in the juxtaposition of trombone and clarinet, but the title track is very strong, as is ‘Neverending Journey’, an excellent equilibrium of trombone riffs laying down solid roots through which the saxophone steps, across the river of the Jones-O’Connor rhythm patterns.

Perhaps the album is an experiment for Gareth and he should be supported in his efforts. His playing here is more restrained than his live performances and that is not a bad thing: I can hear his control and that is everything when skills are to be exploited. I look forward to hearing his next, when time provides the material for more breadth.

Reviewed by
ken cheetham
July 2006