A funny thing happened on the way to the theatre. No, it is not the beginning to a corny comedy routine from the Fifties, a funny thing really did happen to me on the way to the theatre. I try to avoid going into Leeds on a Sunday during the NFL season, as that is my real passion and I don’t trust the 36 bus at weekends, but, as the performer at Howard Assembly Room was the incredible pianist, Zoe Rahman, I decided to make an exception. I have seen her twice backing the jazz legend Courtney Pine so thought I would see what her solo show was like.

Because the bus service can be a little ‘unpredictable’ at the times I need to get to Leeds, and because I still see going to the theatre as a treat to be savoured, I usually set off far earlier than is necessary and grab a bite to eat before indulging in a pint of proper, hand-pulled ale at The Templar pub which is just round the corner from the Grand Theatre and Howard Assembly Room. So, there I was with my pint of Kirkstall Brewery Three Swords and my traditional Sunday lunch of a packet of salt and vinegar crisps, when a middle aged chap came in wearing trakky bottoms, trainers, a padded jacket and woolly cap, got a half of lager and asked if the empty seat at the next table was taken. I told him it wasn’t and got back to my pint and Telegraph crossword, the crisps had long since disappeared. Being Sunday afternoon there was a football match on the television, Arsenal v Manchester City. For those of you who are not familiar with the Templar it is the nearest thing to a proper local in the city centre. The customers are regulars and the drinks range caters for drinkers, although its gastropub credentials include, not only the provision of crisps but peanuts and even pork scratchings. It would, however, be a bit of a fruitless exercise to order a cocktail. As the strap line for the News of the World used to say, All Human Life Is Here. By the way, not only is the beer cheap at the normal rate, there is a 10% discount if you show them your Grand Theatre ticket for that night.

Anyway, the match seemed to be drawing – literally – to a conclusion at 0-0 when an Arsenal player scored a magnificent goal to break the deadlock. My drinking companion leapt to his feet, let out a cheer, punched the air and did a mini lap of honour in front of the table. He then ran out of the boozer, leaving some of his drink. The rest of the customers were in stony silence as, because this is a Leeds United pub, no one gave a monkeys as to who would win. He reappeared a few moments later with a couple of pals and engaged in more discrete conversation before they left and he resumed his seat to down his lager and get another. He made short work of that one and left.

Zoe Rahman

I thought that it was time I followed suit and made my way to the gig. I took my seat and the fragrant Ms Rahman appeared, taking her place at the piano. She was joined by seven other musicians, a couple of whom I thought I recognised. It was only when I looked at the drummer, who had been obscured from my view by a music stand, that I realised they were the two chaps who had joined the Arsenal fan in the pub, and, looking more closely at the stickman, the penny dropped that he was the said Gunner! Why do jazz musicians seem to have a built-in GPS system to find the best pubs? OK, on to the recital.

As already mentioned, the two previous occasions on which I had seen Zoe Rahman was as an accompanist for Courtney Pine. The programme on those occasions comprised familiar tunes by a wide selection of composers, providing a variety of styles. This evening the pieces played in the main section of the show were all composed by the performer, mostly taken from her new album, you guessed it, Colour of Sound, none of which I knew. Even the encore, a piece by Duke Ellington, was something I had not previously heard.

Left to right: Helena Kay, Tori Freestone, Mark Armstrong and Rosie Turton

Being just a duo, the Courtney Pine gigs were intimate and engaging, whereas an eight-piece orchestra took some of that feeling away. I also found the tunes and arrangements, also done by Zoe Rahman, to be a lot more hard-core modern jazz and a bit beyond my comprehension.

There is no getting away from the standard of the musicians which even I could tell was superb, a conclusion echoed by the reception given to the ensemble by the audience after their respective solos. The introductions to each piece were very informative and showed how personal the stories behind the tunes were. One in particular, called Peace Garden, was concerned with a project at her local primary school during lockdown when a lot of the overgrowth in the school grounds was cleared revealing some beautiful features. It also only involved a few of the band, the others vacating the stage for its duration.

Not being a jazz aficionado, therefore unable to go into the nuances, I think that the best thing I can do is to add this link to the album’s title piece, Sound of Time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rMLHBN3s64&t=28s

Please don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the show as far I was able, music being played live is always far more engaging than via any other medium. The one constant running through the three performances I have witnessed from Ms Rahman is her smiling throughout. A facial expression I echoed every time I caught sight of the drummer!

Musicians, left to right:

Rowland Sutherland – flutes

Zoe Rahman – piano

Helena Kay – alto sax and clarinet

Alec Dankworth – bass

Tori Freestone – tenor sax

Mark Armstrong – trumpet

Gene Calderazzo – drums

Rosie Turton – trombone

Colour of Sound Tour concludes in Liverpool on Friday, 13th October in Liverpool. Please see https://www.zoerahman.com/live/ for details

To see what is coming to Howard Assembly Room please see https://www.operanorth.co.uk/event-tag/har/

Feature image provided by Opera North. Photos by Stan Graham.

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