MARK LOCKHEART AND DREAMERS
Live on set image by Trevor Lee
“ I don’t think I have ever heard anything like them” murmured one vintage jazzer”
No glitz no schmaltz, this is jazz for grown-ups. Perfect for the newish venue in Jesus Lane. Mark Lockheart and his band were a sublime booking for Cambridge Modern Jazz by the indefatigable David Gower.. The line-up regularly packs’ em into the gloriously faux -shabby atmos -charged underground bar – newly re-discovered after years in the lounge wilderness But this was something extraordinary .Mark ‘s new band ,Dreamers, has provoked envious admiration ."The sound of surprise is still with us" burbled BBC music Magazine at the their early outings. And this sure was a ‘ I’m glad I didn’t miss that’ gig ,where you get much more than you bargained for .
So what is so different here? Mark Locheart has already starred in Radiohead's Kid A and Prefab Sprout's Steve McQueen. And as a founding member of Loose Tubes and Polar Bear he is well celebrated on the scene. Yet Dreamers gathers in elements from all that groovy past to synthesize a remarkable new sound. The signature song ‘Dreamers’ says it all. Elliot Galvin keyboards take electronic music to a mystical and magical level. Where is that sound coming from? you wonder, just as another layer of unfamiliar wizardry floats past the ears. Unique is an over -used term but you certainly will never have heard music quite like this before – and you will love it. Tom Herbert’s brilliant bass and Dave Smith’s demonic drums all combine to create a wall of sound against which , insouciant as ever, Mark Lockheart soars with saxophones .
Transported into some mystical miasma as the music circulated round the space and seemed to soak into the listeners with a calm yet relentless pressure. British jazz at its very best, the vibe is otherworldly , somewhat psychedelic– the effect supremely relaxing.
And just as we nearly floated off, Mark was back for an encore with a driving rhythm and electronic wall-of- sound as rocking and rhythmic as Little Richard on form.
Charming ,humorous ,relaxed unpretentious -t hey don’t come much more fun in the music world. But the aftermath of a Mark Lockheart Dreamers concert goes on through the night. Wonderful.
Live image of Elliot Galvin captured by Mike Harris
Mark Lockheart in action - Mike Harris photography
