No rehearsal: Catalan singer and trombonist Rita Payés (a dazzling product of what one local journalist called the “irresistible magnetism” of the Sant Andreu Jazz Band) admitted to only having met her fellow musicians (Brian Kellock on piano, Mario Caribé on bass and Max Popp on drums) a mere two hours before her Scottish debut at the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival.
No sheet music: jazz, at its best, is rooted in the moment and the spontaneous interplay between Payés and Kellock’s trio (the latter’s trademark mix of raucous improvisation and subtle lyricism can best be described as a chase between an evasive mouse toying with a sharp-clawed cat) was both exhilarating and tender as they charmed a sold-out audience with a 90-minute set of samba and scat, breathy ballads and daring duets (Caribé and Popp’s playing as tight as it was inventive).
No fear: despite her youthful age (20) and sunny disposition, Payés sings with such depth and maturity; allied to which, her impressive technique, distinctive style and graceful confidence paints her less the “little lamb who’s lost in the wood” of George and Ira Gershwin’s Someone To Watch Over Me and more the shepherd of her own destiny which unlike the final line of Thelonious Monk’s Well You Needn’t is far from “It’s over now, it’s over”.
As the old saying goes: if you’re good enough, you’re old enough. And chico, is she good. Her husky tone and soulful depth breathing new life into such standards as Skylark and Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered. And her playful phrasing (elastic vowels stretched by dropped consonants; single-syllables punctuated by staccato) calls to mind many of her influences (Billy Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald) but is nonetheless intimate and inimitable. As is her impressive musicianship on trombone which, during songs, she wears on her left arm like a silk scarf.
No rehearsal, no sheet music, no fear. The combined effect of which left her appreciative audience with no regrets in choosing her Scottish debut over so many class acts in this year’s Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival which runs until 21 July.
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A Very articulate and enjoyable review, not least because Rita Payés is my favourite too…an extraordinary talent destined for stardom. Thank you Peter.