JCM
VENUE ROBIN 2, BILSTON DATE 10/04/2018
Given the fact that JCM are really an offshoot of Colosseum, there’s little surprise that the level of musicianship is exceptional. But this is never allowed to become too clinical or sterile. The trio onstage behave in a relaxed manner – they’re clearly having fun with this project.
Clem Clempson proves himself to be a consummate guitarist, while Mark Clarke is definitely a performer for connoisseurs of the art of bass playing. Behind his kit, Jon Hiseman is a master drummer.
What the three have done is strip back Colosseum’s renowned jazz rock approach, giving it a more powerful focus. And it works sublimely.
Opening with Colosseum’s The Kettle, the first of two sets darts across songs taken from the mother ship and Colosseum II’s extensive catalogue, a couple of compositions from Tempest (a band that featured both Hiseman and Clarke), plus tracks from the just-released Heroes album, wherein they pay tribute to some of the great musicians who have died in recent times.
Clarke and Clempson both handle the vocal side of things, and they do it well. A cover of Jack Bruce’s Grease The Wheels is especially memorable, allowing the band to take the original blues base of the song and give it their own sheen and complex arrangement. And this part of the performance finishes with a bouncing run-through of Tempest’s Yeah, Yeah, Yeah.
In a way, it’s a shame the band feel the need to take a break. There’s a noticeable loss of momentum when the second part begins by again going into Tempest territory for Strangeher. They then tackle Larry Coryell’s The Real Great Escape, which is very much suited to the style and timbre of the band. With purpose and poise now re-established, JCM then return to the bosom of Colosseum for a sprightly run at Watching Your Every Move, allowing Clempson to show his strengths as a tidy guitarist with virtuoso confidence.
Going back to his early days, Hiseman delivers a homage to Graham Bond with Only Sixteen. Maybe in this era of Yewtree, that choice is slightly questionable (take a look at the lyrics!), but even without a brass section and keyboards, it’s a musical masterclass. And the set ends by revisiting Colosseum II for a brilliant strike at The Inquisition.
You’d expect solo spots to be part of the occasion, but there’s only one: that comes from Hiseman at the start of the encore. The deft and incisive work underlines his right to be regarded as a percussive great. This leads into Jack Bruce’s Theme For An Imaginary Western, which is a suitably climactic way to end this rather magnificent two-part show.
JCM are a covers band. But their approach has undoubted authority and passion.
“JON HISEMAN’S
DEFT AND INCISIVE WORK
UNDERLINES HIS RIGHT TO BE REGARDED AS A PERCUSSIVE
GREAT.”