Cheltenham Jazz Festival: Portico Quartet - Cheltenham Town Hall

Monday 4th May 2009

Crackerjack rating: 8 / 10.

Just hype? Definitely not was the reply encoded in these young Londoners’ exciting and focused festival debut.

A year on from their Time Out album of the year and Mercury Prize nomination this sell-out show proved these bright young stars have depth and variety in their repertoire.

The set opened with new composition Dawn Patrol. The beautiful melody was played on soprano sax with Wayne Shorter-esque intensity by Jack Wyllie. Other impressive new material was based around the different possibilities of the hang: steel drum-like tuned percussion played by leader Duncan Bellamy.

The group were able to play Steve Reich-like minimalism, world music rhythms and free jazz stylings all held together with this original and enchanting sound.

A rapturous reception from the festival crowd augurs well for the quartet: on this form even more hyperbole is a certainty.

Hadrian Briggs