The Ben Sarfas Quartet // Joogleberry’s

A cold and dark Friday night, at the end of my first work in the Real World of work, and any kind of social activity was unusually far from my mind. On the other hand, I’ve been meaning to catch the Ben Sarfas Quartet for a while now and tonight they’re playing at the Joogleberry and despite the weather I venture out. After a few drinks at the St. James we walk down to Manchester Street to find the restaurant/bar upstairs bustling and a queue already forming on the stairs leading down.

Having been lucky enough to grab the last table, its not long before a waitress appears to take our order. Table service is a nice touch, but be wary “an extra” 2.90 glasses charge seems to be tacked on each bill, and for that price I could walk the 10ft to the bar myself.

The Joogleberry is a nice venue, intimate without being crowded and atmospheric. I like the fact that you can call and reserve your tickets if you’re organised enough to know what you’re doing by the afternoon, thus enabling a jump of the queue.

Anyway, tonight is all about the music and not long after nine the band take to the stage. Ben Sarfas is well known on the Brighton jazz scene; fusion fans might have seen him play at his regular Wednesday night show at Casablanca as part of the house band Oomph! Tonight is a different kettle of fish entirely, and caters more towards genuine jazz lovers as opposed to the younger party crowd found at Casablanca.

First up is Maiden Voyage – in which feature some excellent solos from Ben on violin and from Tom Phelan on keys: A nice introduction that showcases the talent on display tonight, if a little melancholy. The next tune is bouncier and it doesn’t take long for people to start dancing in any available space. Tristan Banks on drums and Andre Fry on bass make up the remainder of the quartet and all four seem to be enjoying themselves immensely on stage. Why is the violin not as widely used in jazz as other instruments, enquires my companion: I don’t know, because Ben easily conjures as much soul on the violin as on the sax. It’s fantastic to see him in a lead role rather than as part of a larger set up, much as Brighton loves the tried and tested Oomph formula.

The set seems to be featuring lots of Jaco Pastorius so far, which is no bad thing. “Quality Jazz!” says the poster upstairs, and it doesn’t lie. The crowd tonight is like a microcosm of Brighton, with all sorts represented and they seem particularly appreciative when Ben’s brother and fellow Oomph member Sammy Sarfas joins the band on stage for Van Morrison’s Moondance.

After a break, the second set opens with a mind-blowing solo from Tom only to be rivalled by the one from Andre that follows. This band seems to appreciate each other so much as musicians and rightly so – watching Tristan during a drum solo the way he moves his arms is more akin to gymnastics than music but it sounds good. Another classic follows, with Vocals from Sammy on Marvin Gaye’s “Heard It Through The Grapevine”. One of his strengths as a vocalist lies in his ability to do something a little different with old favourites, and follow that with a solo beatbox. He stays on stage for “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” – if they?re playing Stevie Wonder songs I know its nearly over. I swear Ben is actually bouncing on the stage at one point. Rarely have I seen such genuine enthusiasm for making music on stage. Ben has exceeded my expectations as a violinist – every stroke is calculated and executed to perfection. As a saxophonist, he was excellent as ever.

This is a true example of Brighton-grown talent. I know everyone here is an artist of some sort and most are crap at following their dreams or actually achieving anything, but Ben and his band are exceptions to the rule. Keep your eyes on the ever-growing assortment of listings in circulation and be sure to check out their next gig.

Joogleberry’s
Currently no Website

14-17 Manchester St
Brighton
BN2 1TF
01273 625619

Words: The Marror Stuffer