Those looking for a bit of relief from the frenetic pace of the Festival can find it underground, in the idiosyncratic Jazz Bar on Chambers Street. Every day at 1pm, Paul Kirby and his jazz trio play a set of old favourites and new compositions for a relaxed hour.
Kirby’s trio - including double bassist Ed Kelly and drummer Chris Wallace - play like there’s nobody else in the room, as they perform covers of classic artists, such as Gordon Jenkins’ Bobby Timmins tribute ‘Goodbye’ and Bill Evans tribute ‘Time Remembered’, alongside original compositions of Kirby’s such as ‘If You Want Joy’ and ‘Eighty-Two’.
Highlights of the set included the Oliver Nelson tribute ‘Six And Four’, and the closing cover track of Radiohead’s ‘Exit Music To A Film’. The musicians are extremely skilled and very comfortable with each other. Despite it being his name on the bill, Kirby’s piano was matched at every point by the double bass of Kelly and the virtuoso drumming of Wallace, who opened up with an impressive drum solo at one point.
For both the uninitiated and the clued-up, the Paul Kirby Trio provide a interesting and engaging way of whiling away an afternoon.
