Theon Cross
He enters the stage through the crowd carrying his tuba and proceeds to, almost exclusively, let the instrument do the talking. It’s a bold but excellent choice.
Theon Cross commanded the Norwich Arts Centre stage for the entire duration of his set on Saturday evening. Backed by a drummer and tenor saxophonist, the ex-Sons of Kemet Tuba-virtuoso was a completely compelling presence.
In comparison to his excellent ‘Affirmations (Live at Blue Note, New York)’ album from last year, this was a relatively stripped-down sound, allowing an even greater focus on the strange sonic worlds Cross is able to conjure up with the repetitive bass notes of the tuba. Often the listener - or at least this listener - becomes happily lost in the unpredictable cascades of low register sounds, only to become drawn to the more recognisable tone of the tenor sax or the rhythm of the drums, before being reminded by Cross’s energetic presence on the stage which sound is really the focus here. And the tuba does produce an utterly remarkable sound. There is something hypnotic about being asked to devote your focus to tones which often sit below the principal focus of music.
The Arts Centre does an excellent job in bringing a wide-range of eclectic music to Norwich - several times, I’ve seen performers use a portion of their set to attempt to explain something of their music, to put it in context in some way that, perhaps, makes it easier to engage with. Cross clearly feels no such need to do this. He enters the stage through the crowd carrying his tuba and proceeds to, almost exclusively, let the instrument do the talking. It’s a bold but excellent choice. For various reasons, I spent a good chunk of Saturday thinking about Artificial Intelligence, particularly in the context of art, and creativity generally. I seem to be inherently sceptical about AI without really fully understanding why, or being able to articulate that scepticism particularly well. Reflecting on Cross’s performance afterwards I wonder whether seeing and hearing a supremely talented jazz musician at work is the perfect demonstration of my AI-scepticism. I’ve no idea what it is about jazz that is occasionally able to move me so much, but I know that trying to put it into words is pointless. AI will never be able to explain jazz, because it will never be able to feel jazz, or indeed anything else. I certainly can’t fully explain this music either, but in a way, that’s the point: there is something communal, and potentially unifying about any musical performance that probably has no use for explanation.
It was a joy and a privilege to experience Cross’s music last night and I look forward to doing so again soon.
