Seeing Oscar Jerome at Newcastle’s The Grove promises to be the perfect start to a long Easter weekend; he visits the city for the first time as part of The Fork tour, supporting the brilliant newly released album of the same name.
I penned a review on this album just before the gig, so I won’t dwell too much on that here – apart from saying that you should absolutely give it a listen if you haven’t already. The themes, ideas and sounds translate excellently to stage, despite the OJ band being just three strong.
Supported by drummer Ben Grose, and bassist J. Moko, the trio were always going to have their work cut out conveying The Fork’s richness, layers and atmosphere. However, what they lack in depth (through no fault of their own, of course) they more than make up for with impressive musicality and an assured tightness and confidence as a group. Jerome’s use of a handful of effects pedals adds effective layers to the sound, too, in particular for the more electronic elements – which are a huge part of his studio sound.
Jerome and his band duly provide a superb opening, with the bass-driven and groovy Sun for Someone, before settling into a selection of newer tracks, and plenty of older ones too. Album opener Desert Belly is a perfect example of where the limitations of playing live could easily underwhelm; the studio version of this track has thumping, cinematic bassy hits, which would be near impossible to replicate perfectly here. Between Jerome, Grose and Moko, however, they do a darn good job, and I am impressed.
Tracks such as The Spoon are relaxed yet powerful, with drawn out passages and phrasing exposing just how good and self-assured Jerome and his group’s sound and skill are, whilst the likes of Easier and Do You Really are full of life and infectious groove.
A solo acoustic version of Make No Mistake, roughly around the halfway point of the set, allows Jerome to express a vulnerability both instrumentally and vocally. Without his rhythm section and rich effects, he showcases a brilliant cover of the John Martyn tune, and allows his vocals to shine, which are so often overshadowed by his immense guitar playing and soloing.
Ahead of seeing Jerome live for this first time, his skills with six strings, particularly when let loose with a solo, was always the element of his sound I was most excited for – and rightly so. This is, unsurprisingly, the absolute highlight of seeing Oscar Jerome live. An unbelievably talented player, his solos are wonderfully crafted. He isn’t the type of soloist to simply shroud his sound with relentless shredding and nothing but a showcase in how fast one can move their fingers over a fretboard. No – Jerome is a guitarist who clearly appreciates that there is so much more to a solo than that. He builds even the shortest of solos from the ground up, reaching beautiful climaxes before setting you back down again in whichever song he’s blessing at the time (if you can remember which one you are actually listening to by that point). His solos are made up of beautiful harmonies, melodies and licks, which transport you away into a dreamy, almost meditative soundscape – pairing perfectly with his signature atmospheric sound. And don’t worry, he can shred pretty well too.
In my recent review for The Fork, I called Jerome one of the strongest forces the UK jazz scene has to offer. After experiencing his live performance, I can say with certainty that this is the case. A superb songwriter, powerful performer and soulful soloist, Jerome is an all-round magnificent musician.
Waxing Lyrical 