Cardiff jazz bar Palladino’s is getting a July visit from bassist Kyle Eastwood and his quintet. Don’t be shy about bringing up dad Clint, either, because there’s plenty of homage to his movies in their set, as Kyle explains to Amy Ford.
Palladino’s is a venue which has given Cardiff’s Whitchurch district a jazz and blues soundtrack since opening last year. Founder Marc Palladino is also the in-house drummer; the Palladinos are something of a local institution, with Marc’s brother Pino a bass guitarist of global renown since the 1980s. This month, it’s getting a visit from fellow bassist Kyle Eastwood, whose creative story also began in the family home.
The Kyle Eastwood Quintet will be performing two sets on both nights, and you can expect their selections to incorporate Kyle’s interpretations of themes from the filmography of his father, Clint. Eastwood Symphonic, released in 2023 and Kyle’s most recent album, saw him record with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, retooling iconic scores by Lalo Schifrin and Ennio Morricone among others.
“Anything Morricone has done is usually a pretty amazing score,” says Kyle. The Good, The Bad And The Ugl}, arguably the Italian composer at his Western-soundtracking peak, proved especially challenging to adapt into a quintet arrangement. “We’ve done something completely different than what you hear in the original film,” the bassist admits. “But it’s still recognisable!”
Kyle has also composed themes for several films from Clint’s later career. “Of my own, we’ll probably play the music I did for Letters From Iwo Jima – a film my father directed. That was one of the ones I was the most proud of. I don’t want to do [the scores] exactly the way they were recorded originally, so we try and play it a little differently every night, just to make it entertaining for us.”
Kyle’s childhood was shaped by music as much as cinema. “I grew up in a household where there was a lot of music, especially jazz. I started on the piano – both my parents play – and then picked up the guitar a bit. I actually did a film with my father when I was 12 or 13 [Honkytonk Man, 1982], and had to play a little guitar in it, so I learned a few chords for that, then fell in love with the bass and drums shortly after. By the time I was 18 or 19, I’d decided I wanted to be a professional musician.”
Nevertheless, around this time Kyle attended the University of Southern California to study film, with sights of a career in directing. But, he says now, “the passion for music was much too strong.” Later on, once established as both a bassist and composer, he would work on scores with his dad – first recording Clint playing the piano at home, before stepping in to flesh out the melodies and chords. This is how the theme song from 2008’s Gran Torino, a movie with Clint in the director’s chair and the lead role, came about. Shortly after the pair sent the instrumental to Jamie Cullum, the British jazzer added his lyrics; the Golden Globe-nominated version we hear in the film was recorded in Clint’s living room.
It’s coming on for 16 years since Kyle played in Wales – 2010’s Brecon Jazz festival, to be exact. “That was a nice one. Like you said, it’s been a long time, but the UK audiences are always good! We used to tour in the UK a lot more – we haven’t so much in the last few years.
“I lived in London for about a year and a half, maybe 22 years ago,” continues Kyle, who now spends most of his downtime in Paris. “That’s where I met all the members of the band, actually.”
The Kyle Eastwood Quintet are completed by saxophonist Brandon Allen, trumpeter Quentin Collins, drummer Chris Higginbottom and pianist Andrew McCormack. “When you put together a band, it’s important to find guys you don’t mind spending a lot of time with when you’re on the road. We’re all great friends and we’re excited to play music together again.”
The Kyle Eastwood Quintet, Palladino’s Jazz & Blues Bar, Cardiff, Wed 8 + Thurs 9 July
Tickets: £30. Info: here
words AMY FORD
