ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2010 No. 14 – NIGEL KENNEDY QUINTET – Shhh!

Nigel Kennedy has for a long time made clear his mission to fuse together the worlds of classical, rock and jazz. In so doing he has worked wonders for classical music, surely standing alone these past 20 years as a figure who has brought the music to people who may not have previously paid it any attention. Some classical purists may have turned their noses up at his punk attire but they ignore the fact that the rather stuffy, formal dress code normally adopted in their world can give off the air of exclusivity. Of course Kennedy can silence any doubter with his prodigious talent on the violin but it could be argued, despite previous work on Hendrix material and his stylised ‘Blue Note Sessions’, that the moves towards jazz and rock have never been as fully realised as the classical excursions. Until now that is.

‘Shhh!’ is an out-and-out jazz-rock odyssey that works because it firmly places Kennedy as a vital cog in the ensemble, adding texture rather than constantly leading. When he does take centre stage there’s absolutely no pointless virtuoso showboating, displaying a real restraint in his playing and a feel for the mood of the particular piece. This helps the quintet make sense as an authentic jazz unit, you get heaps of electric guitar and keyboard as well as driving rhythm. Opener ‘Transfiguration’ shows how closely Kennedy has studied the methods of those classic Blue Note albums of the 50s and 60s. Playing the main theme on violin at the beginning and end while, for 8-9 minutes in-between, the whole group get to cut loose with some thrilling improvisations. By contrast the version of Nick Drake’s ‘Riverman’ is fairly respectful to the original, as if kennedy is saying that if you’re working with perfection there’s little point in trying to improve upon it. That track also features a notable guest appearance from Boy George delivering one of the vocal performances of his career. The middle of the album softens up and allows the romantic, melodic style of Kennedy to flourish but by the time we hit the end with ‘Oy!’ (which sounds exactly as its title suggests it should) the Nigel Kennedy Quintet are rocking a fat one in your face. Nice!