Tooty Fruity and The King of Zen!

 Just a little bit of joy !

Jon Taylor – soprano sax / flute / harmonica

Kate Peters – vocals

Andy Chollerton – piano / keyboards

John Marley – bass

Caroline Boaden – drums

D B Toots is Jon Taylor’s Latin group and the Sunday afternoon gig at Seven on 10 January 2010 was their first gig together. To quote their leader “The band did great!”

The line-up was quite stunning in my opinion and it says much for Jon Taylor’s own musicianship that he can attract people of such a high calibre into his own band. 

The first half of the set kicked off with JT on flute leading us into the vocal on “The Owl and The Pussycat”. JT is known as The King of Zen and the introduction to the second piece made it clear why …. asking “What is time?” and “Is it possible to waste time?”

It was not clear to whom the questions had been directed - the audience, the band, himself or indeed some other higher force? Any rate, they went unanswered …. as the band played “Time Slips” …. flute and piano followed by a lovely drum solo from Caroline Boaden. It was clear though that “The time is right here and the moment is now!” …. That is indeed Zen!

I think the last time I saw Caroline was accompanying Alan Barnes & Ken Peplowski on their recent tour where she played a storm …. an extremely gifted drummer. She showed her versatility in the third number where she played a “one-drop” accompaniment to the reggae grooved “Thrill Me” …. with funky soprano sax and piano solos.

Another highly gifted musician Andy Chollerton gave a nice piano introduction to the next number “Georgina” followed by a super solo. As JT explained, the title had come to him when he was playing tennis in Meanwood Park some 30 years ago and noticed a bloke shouting to his  girlfriend “Come back Georgina”. It wasn’t entirely clear whether Georgina did return or not …. the lyrics implied she had done. It did however give an insight into how the muse works in the band leader.

The fifth number was a duet between JT and vocalist Kate Peters …. “Nature Boy”.  It was a stand-out piece, originally composed by another eccentric Eden Ahbez  ….

…. There was a boy
A very strange enchanted boy
They say he wandered very far, very far
Over land and sea ….

…. it seemed totally appropriate to Jon Taylor.

Next up was “Sue Song” - a rock groove with solos from all bar drums. JT’s voice has a ring of Hoagy Carmichael with a mental image of  Lounge Lizards and Mexican bordellos.

Last number in the first half was a tango “There Comes A Time” …. Sultry, sexy, fruity vocals … “When destiny meets your eye and sets you free” …. with flute / piano intro followed by respective solos.

There was an interruption at the start from a mobile phone, but Zen prevailed and it was in both time and key. Another example of the slightly surreal vibe accompanying the gig!

“Tell Me Baby” opened the second half …. flute intro, funk groove, piano with harmonica courtesy JT. Then another of JT’s questions …. “Where do thoughts come from? Do they come from within or outside of the brain?” Personally I think they’re electric impulses in the brain, but I reckon he should Google the question …. There are 409 million results!

It may have had something to do with the beer he was drinking – Modelo Especial …. But somehow I doubt it.

Next up we had another reggae groove with “Girl” which was changed to “Boy” to accommodate vocals by Kate. The curtains at the back of the stage were closed to reveal just a couple of panes of window …. Through them I happened to notice the trees appeared to be swaying in time also!

Andy Chollerton then played a double keyboard intro to “Once I Had A Secret Love” - another stand-out song with plenty of solos, a great scat / vocalese from Kate and JT also doubling up on harmonica / flute.

Courtesy of a flute intro, this song moved straight into the next number “I Can Feel Magic in the Air” and I felt that was true. The momentum was certainly maintained without preamble or introduction.

Penultimate number was Johnny Griffin’s “The Jamfs Are Coming” with solos from everyone including the excellent John Marley on bass and some “dooby dooby doos” from Kate. A cracking number all round!

With a couple of final gags, the set was closed as an encore with a reprise of the tango “There Comes A Time”.

Seven Jazz is a real gem as is the Arts Centre itself. I first came to the Sunday gigs in October 2008 and it’s a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. DB Toots was one of a long line of top quality musicians that have played at Seven’s Sunday gigs.

This is not meant as a criticism …. the audience mostly knew what to expect from Jon Taylor. He is a first-rate musician with great talent – as are this band. The audience was on his side right from the start. The gig was fun albeit slightly surreal …. no bad thing in itself.

There were occasional silences in response to JT’s musings though and it is more than likely that if the momentum could be maintained throughout the set, then this band could give even more than it did on this their first time out together. 

On Jon’s website www.jonsaxtaylor.co.uk the first words you see are

Just a little bit of joy!

How true that is. Thanks to Seven and D B Toots for a fun afternoon and I hope that the band is as big a success in the future as it deserves to be.

Barry Travena