Nick Costley-White Quartet – Traverse Theatre
Although small in number, they certainly weren’t small in sound—Nick Costley-White and his band absolutely rocked the Traverse with their unique jazz sound. Pulling inspiration from Brazil, West Africa, Malta, and more, Costley-White has curated a full-on hubbub of sound with an inventive and experimental flair.
Those pieces which used these multi-cultural influences all began with a distinctive fusion sound. However, as improvisations took over from the pre-written work, we lost those cultural distinctions, falling into patterns and conventions that are perhaps more stereotypical to the traditional western jazz sound. It would have been exciting to hear the themes and ideas presented at the beginning of each piece carry over into the solos. Nonetheless, the quality of the solos was unq...