When it comes to unusual instruments, the harp probably is somewhere in the top 5. It’s normally more associated with relaxing overtures than the hustle and bustle of a jazz club. So credit is due to Magdelena Reising and her band members for trying to do something with different with jazz. However, the result was mixed to say the least.
The hour was a mixture of Reising’s own tunes and covers of other artists and poets. She had two guest musicians in her Blue Café Jazz Band. Graham Robb was on the bass and Louis Durra on the piano. While they gelled very well together, with Robb producing some inspired plucking and Durra adding his talented improvisation to the proceedings, the harp simply did not stand out as the main instrument. At anything other than low-key involvement it fell flat and her strumming lacked Durra’s flair. Reising also seemed uncomfortable with her backing performers, and this performance felt very much like they were getting to know one another. However, by the end they seemed to have ironed out the majority of the teething problems.
Reising covered Polish war poetry, Robbie Burns and Edith Piaf’s ‘La Vie En Rose’. Away from the harp, her powerful voice added an extra dimension to the band, especially during the Piaf. She even achieved her aim to recreate a little bit of Paris in Edinburgh. However, the decision to sing in French and Polish and then translate detracted from the performance and smacked of indecision, adding an unnecessary layer of repetition. On her own piece, the mournful ‘Passing Through’, heartfelt lyrics melted over sparkling piano and the steady engine of the bass. It was a promise of what, with a bit more time, these talented musicians could produce. If the trio can become even more than the sum of their parts, it promises to be a real treat.
