Fergus McCreadie’s award winning trio came to Crookes Social Club on Friday 3 September as part of the Sheffield Showcase event and put on a mesmerising show which delighted the sell-out crowd.
Opening with an extended version of the Satie-esque North from this year’s Edition Records release Cairn, the trio ably demonstrated why they have taken the jazz world by storm since the release of Turas in 2018.
From lilting melodies through brooding musical depictions of rugged landscapes and stormy
seas this performance was a bit of an emotional roller coaster with McCreadie leading at the piano, alternating between lyrical melodies and driving rhythms and ably supported by David Bowden on bass and Stephen Henderson on drums, both of whom contributed excellent solos throughout the 2 sets.
With tracks from both albums, including Across Flatlands, Jig, and the title track from Cairn, and Mull & The Old Harbour from Turas plus a couple of new tracks which gave an indication of the flavour of things to come, this was a performance which delivered power and beauty in equal measures and I’m sorry for anyone that missed it.
Needless to say the crowd called for an encore and the trio closed the evening with a delicately beautiful rendition of An Old Friend. I would have loved to have heard more, but as the old saying goes, all good things come to an end, and this was undoubtedly a very good thing.
All photos © Pete Woodman photography © emuliJazz 2021