Corto.alto
This electric jazz performance had me shocked with how good it was.
N&N festival
Chappelfield gardens was abuzz with the excitement of the talented individuals celebrating the Norwich and Norfolk festival with us. Food vendors and their varied cuisines filled the stomachs of festival goers. And whilst I didn’t get to enjoy the delicacy of food, I still left fulfilled with the talented performance by corto.alto.
It was in a small tent that jazz composer corto.alto infused Norwich with a mix of instruments and funky rhythms. It was an hour and a half of excitement and good music - probably going down as my favourite performance of the entire festival. Unbeatable in the way I was completely immersed in the melodious euphony. The hour and a half of constant playing felt far too short, honestly, it could’ve gone on for 3 hours and I wouldn’t have noticed!
Liam Shortall aka corto.alto was phenomenal on the trombone - subverting the standards of the typical jazz genre, and while the whole band ensemble contributed to the improvised, electric melody, that trombone stood out massively next to saxophonist Mateusz Sobieski - who, by the way, was also absolutely incredible. Each musician had their time to shine, hitting those jazzy notes with efficiency, completing it with an electric rhythm. We had Graham Costello on the drums providing a bass that literally reverberated through the floor - wonderfully so. And finally, Fergus McCreadie on piano who transfixed the crowd with their exceptional skills. All musicians were a complete virtuoso on their respective instruments, you need only attend a concert for proof, hardly a small feat when you’re getting such an unforgettable performance.
Call me extra, maybe even dramatic, but it almost felt like I was in some hole in the wall exclusive jazz bar on the streets of New York City. Especially when I heard Slope from corto.alto’s 2023 album “Bad With Names”. It was a sonorous crescendo of piano, trumpet, drums and saxophone with a groovy rhythm to back it up.
Corto.alto was the perfect mix of traditional jazz with a hint of electronic and modern tunes. With Kendrick Lamar samples making a cameo, I was delightfully surprised. I hadn’t expected it.
Truthfully, I hadn’t listened to any of corto.alto’s music before I went to the concert, hoping to completely base this review on what would be a fantastic first impression. I can only hope that the future of corto.alto holds many more concerts in much bigger cities and tents. I left the concert with a new favourite jazz musician and a whole bunch of blues.
