There was no grandstanding introduction when Kyle Eastwood and his quintet take to the stage at Palladino’s. Instead, they ease comfortably into the evening: relaxed, understated and perfectly in sync from the opening notes.
This tour is a homage to the film career of Eastwood’s father Clint – a man synonymous with kickass cop Dirty Harry, Sergio Leone’s lone gunmen and, in later years, an extraordinary directorial and producing legacy. Rather than simply playing familiar themes, however, the quintet dismantle and rebuild them through jazz, funk, Latin rhythms and some exceptional improvisation.
John Williams’ score for 1975 mountain thriller The Eiger Sanction evokes an era of Cold War thrillers, The Conversation, Gene Hackman and television cops chasing villains through grubby streets. Pianist Andrew McCormack and trumpeter Quentin Collins help bring it to life in a full Technicolor soundscape.
The main theme from Clint’s 2006 film Letters From Iwo Jima, composed by Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens, is soft, melodic and occasionally stark, punctuated by haunting drumbeats from Chris Higginbottom. The film music of this period lends itself beautifully to tension-filled, atmospheric jazz, and the quintet know exactly when to hold back and when to let rip.Saxophonist Brandon Allen is outstanding throughout, although there’s no weak link in a band that’s tight, intuitive and clearly enjoying themselves.
Eastwood swaps his double bass for an electric bass and dons spectacles for Lalo Schifrin’s theme to Dirty Harry quasi-sequel Magnum Force; the frenetic score is transformed into something dark and funky, with the piano and trumpet conjuring images of chaotic chases through violent city streets. The mood shifts again for Gran Torino, created by Kyle, Clint and Stevens with input from Jamie Cullum. Eastwood returns to double bass for a beautiful, piano-led arrangement, its mournful melody lifted by Collins’ trumpet: restrained, reflective and one of the evening’s loveliest moments.
The film scores were joined by Caipirinha, a Latin-infused blast of Brazilian jazz, funk and soul. With shades of Brasil ‘66, plenty of brass and an expansive saxophone solo, Allen almost disappeared into the music before Higginbottom’s drums pulled everyone sharply back together.
The inevitable finale, Ennio Morricone’s theme from The Good, The Bad And The Ugly, is one of cinema’s most recognisable pieces of music, up there with those ominous two notes from Jaws. This isn’t the tense, sweat-dripping standoff of Leone’s original, though, but something faster, funkier and gloriously unrestrained. Allen loses himself in the moment, launching into a wild, joyful saxophone solo which shouldn’t work but absolutely does.
Intimate, relaxed and very cool, the Whitchurch venue proved the perfect setting for a brilliant evening in the company of five incredible musicians who play classic film scores without treating them like museum pieces. Film history, family legacy and first-rate musicianship: Kyle Eastwood and his quintet made it all look effortless.
Kyle Eastwood Quintet, Palladino’s Jazz & Blues Bar, Cardiff, Wed 8 July
Also performing at 7pm and 9pm on Thurs 9 July (sold out; check online for resales – social media links here)
words ANTONIA LEVAY photos PAUL WINDSOR
