TODD Gordon's Jazz International programme provided a platform for saxophonists Paul Towndrow and Nigel Hitchcock to lead a superb quintet in an encounter that seems certain to be repeated. Towndrow is one of Scotland's leading younger players, and
Hitchcock was a major name on the London scene before moving to Skye a few years ago.
The burly Englishman has been part of the Celtic fusion sound of Peatbog Faeries, but has not been heard much in a straight jazz context since moving here.
With Paul Harrison on piano, Mark Hodgson on bass and Alyn Cosker a galvanising force on drums, the saxophonists had a perfect platform for their complementary but contrasting stylistic approaches.
They chose to pay tribute to some of the great saxophonists in jazz history, including a new tune by Towndrow on that theme. They opened each set with a ballad for quartet – Towndrow chose Wayne Shorter's oblique Infant Eyes and Hitchcock opted for Thelonious Monk's Round Midnight.
An extemporised duet on Sony Rollins's Doxy featured the saxophonists on their own. Otherwise, it was alto and tenor in a quintet setting all the way. Highlights included a fiery Limehouse Blues (referencing the Adderley-Coltrane version), Shorter's angular Yes or No and a glorious account of Ornette Coleman's Ramblin'.
