Ladies and gentlemen, may we present the first ThreeWeeks reviews for Edinburgh Festival 2008. These are all from the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival, which has been playing loud and proud all over the city for the last seven days. Our reviewers have been there and you can read their first helping of reviews right now - look out for more reviews and a festival round up from our jazz correspondent Tom Bragg once fest has reached its finale on Sunday. Meanwhile, you will find more Jazz Festival features, plus our annual free Best Of The Jazz And Blues Festival download album, at www.threeweeks.co.uk/jazz

ThreeWeeks Ratings Explains
1/5: Bad
2/5: Mediocre
3/5: Good
4/5: Very good
5/5: Excellent

Cathie Rae and Colin Steele Salute Chet Baker
Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival
This evening of Chet classics presented a chilled-out contrast to the frenetic hubbub of a city readying itself for the festival.  There may have been little to challenge the senses here, but that's not really the point – which was to wind down, relax, and give yourself in to the forlorn romance of Chet's love ballads, rendered intimately in the atmospheric surroundings of the Spiegeltent.  Though the beginning of the set felt a touch slow, the band's own version of 'You Don't Know What It Is' was excellent and 'Dancing on the Ceiling' was performed with all the cheeky gentle humour it deserved.  This show was a pleasant and undemanding way to unwind on a humid summer's night.
Spiegeltent, 29 Jul, 7.00pm (8.30pm), £10.00, jbfpp 13.
tw rating 3/5
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Chris McNulty and Paul Bollenback
Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival
The two New Yorkers were at their ease in the darkly-lit confines of The Lot. McNulty has the twang of a genuine Manhattan diva and Bollenback accompanied her well on bass guitar, the pair quickly generating a laid back, finger-clicking atmosphere which the medium-sized crowd responded to. They play together with different groups all over the world and, in September, will perform in Australia accompanied by a big band. Such a combination might better showcase a song format which, within the confines of a duo, sometimes became a little repetitive. It was, however, a treat to hear an original McNulty performance of "I have often walked down the street before", and this certainly tasted like a genuine slice of the Big Apple.
The Lot, 26 July, 9.30pm (11.30pm), £9.50, jbfpp 7.
tw rating: 3/5
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Chris Tyle's Silver Leaf Jazz Band
Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival
They brought the house down again and again. Orange Kellin's clarinet danced above Chris Tyle's trumpet, and John Gill and Conal Fowkes kept the rhythm on drums and piano respectively. This was dusty traditional New Orleans at its best; glowing showman Tyle introduced each song, giving its history and crediting the composer as the quartet served up 'Fidgety Feet', 'Whinin' Boy Blues', and a selection by Henry "Red" Allen. Towards the end, the clarinet screeched occasionally and the vocals became a bit weary, but these guys have a packed festival schedule and were bound to tire after playing together for the first time in six years, and putting out some of the finest New Orleans jazz this city has witnessed.
Royal Overseas League, 28 July, 12.30pm (2.30pm), £8.50, jbfpp 10.
tw rating: 4/5
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Colin Steele Stramash
Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival
An awesome display from one of the greatest Scottish talents that saw Steele move from his quintet of a few years past to this ensemble, and thankfully, his music has retained much of its traditional complexion. Stramash were experts at generating atmosphere then releasing tension with a series of calming and uplifting phrases, as demonstrated on songs like 'Journey Home' and 'Shindig At The Lochside'. Although the arrangements were very structured, they retained shimmering excitement and unpredictability thanks to the presence of such accomplished improvisers as Phil Bancroft on sax, Aidan O'Donnell on bass and, of course, Colin himself. A keenly awaited album by this outstanding troupe has been recorded and will be available soon. 
The Hub, 28 Jul, 8.30pm, £15.00 (£12.50), jbfpp 10.
tw rating 5/5
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Little Feat
Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival
Blasting us back into the 70s, Little Feat's latest comeback tour is mostly a nostalgic trip for old fans, with their familiar mix of rockabilly funk-boogie and an audience of dancing mums in hippie dresses, greying afros, and tambourines jingling like a twilight zone of TOTP2.  Having said that, the retro sounds are definitely authentic, compounded by some juicy chunks of jazz, Clayton's rich bass voice and some classic guitar licks from Paul Barrere. There may be nothing new here, but fans of that 70s boogie style will surely not be disappointed. Nonetheless, I couldn't escape that uncomfortable feeling of having to watch my parents dance at a disco, with insufficient funds (years?) in my nostalgia bank to join in.
The Queen's Hall, 28 Jul, 8.00pm (10.00pm), £29.50 (£23.50), jbfpp 10.
tw rating 3/5
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Moishe's Bagel
Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival
Six men with at least twelve instruments between them, the Bagels plus guest bagel Fraser Fifield stormed the stage with an eclectic mix of Balkan riffs, Middle Eastern rhythms, Jewish klezmer and rich bluesy bass tones.  Playing "old tunes in a new way and new tunes in an old way", the band's inventiveness, improvisation and broad collection of instruments all added to the rich global mix.  Each set built up momentum with a dynamic energy and intricacy that made even the most reserved of the very Scottish audience stamp their feet to the beats by the end of the gig, while others openly danced in their seats. If only The Hub had a dance-floor...
The Hub, 25 Jul, 10.00pm (11.30pm), £12.50 (£10.50), jbfpp 4.
tw rating 4/5
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Paul Towndrow Quartet
Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival
There was a lot going on at this gig, besides the music, which detracted from the performance and made for a disappointing evening. A film crew interviewed the musicians less than an hour before the show, then recorded the set, and two members of the original quartet were replaced. Instead of Alyn Cosker on drums there was Stu Brown, and Ross Hamilton replaced Michael Janisch on bass. Saxophonist Towndrow is brilliantly dexterous with a very pure tone, but this evening his phrasing was repetitive and had just two gears - either very rapid or note-holding. A special mention, however, should go to the only other billed member of the quartet, pianist Steve Hamilton, who nearly saved the show with one or two outstanding solos.
The Lot, 25 July, 9.30pm (11.30pm), £8.50, jbfpp 5.
tw rating 2/5
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Phil Bancroft Quartet
Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival
This was an outstandingly constructed set from one of the most pioneering musicians in the genre. The quartet worked well together and explored abstract jazz without becoming laboriously intense, starting with a number which, despite being called 'Finlay MacDonald Ate My Hampster', was conventional and upbeat. Another pleasing original followed and then, halfway through the third song, a more abstract feel was introduced as the composition lost all tune and became a mass of discordant ringing bells and scratching cymbals. The hypnotic mood was subsequently relieved by a resounding bass solo before the break. The second set was more of the same; a tight and palatable journey that swayed from conventional to experimental.
The Hub, 26 July, 2.00pm (4.00pm), £10.50 (£8.50), jbfpp 6.
tw rating:4/5
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Rigmor Gustafsson
Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival
The delicate Rigmor Gustafsson hobbled on stage aided by her musical entourage - she'd had a riding accident before the show and consequently couldn't move her right leg, but bravely battled through the set. The singer has a magnificent stage presence, and combines outstanding vocals with a collection of poignant, original songs. She adds a unique charm by singing in English, which is not her native tongue, and so allows her to deliver turns of phrase that would sound odd coming from a native speaker.  She is forthright, but retains style and mystique by emphasising her Swedish accent. An accomplished lyricist and a charmingly bright songstress, who is full of quirks and character.
Spiegeltent, 26 July, 7.00pm (8.30pm), £10.00, jbfpp 7.
tw rating:4/5
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Samuel James
Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival
With streamlined sideburns, and hunched over his steel resonator guitar, Samuel James delivers his gutsy, visceral delta blues in a violently passionate set. Sounds range from unrestrained wailings and dirges in the style of Son House and Mississippi Fred McDowell, to upbeat tongue-in-cheek North Carolina ragtime blues, and back again to the metallic no holds barred dramatic treatment of John Lee Hooker's 'Hobo Blues'.  At the end of his European tour, knee-jerking James' acoustic slide playing and story-telling intimacy with the (apparently most polite) Edinburgh audience suggests a real vision of his wizened delta blues forefathers. The Maine guitarist stomps out echoes of a true spiritual and personal blues music, and the result is both gritty and authentic.
The Minto Hotel, 29 Jul, 8.00pm (10.00pm), £9.50, jbfpp 13.
tw rating 4/5
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Simon Nabatov and Nils Wogram
Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival
Making their first appearance in Scotland at the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival, pianist Simon Nabatov and trombone player Nils Wogram delivered a wonderfully inventive yet controlled set, using a variety of styles and maximising the potential of their instruments with ease and playfulness to create a truly rich atmosphere. Mutes, wind noises and scratched strings featured in their improvised workouts, from wildly free jazz passages, sparse atonal dabblings and absent rhythms, to classic resolutions through touches of blues and Latin rhythm, the duo creating the sound of syncretic modern jazz with a natural sublimity and grace. A truly organic style, Nabatov and Wogram's set was a consistently surprising wander through a fusion of influences by two musicians of the very highest calibre.
The Lot, 26 Jul, 6.30pm (8.15pm), £10.50, jbfpp 7.
tw rating 4/5
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Stan Tracey Trio and Bobby Wellins Play Monk
Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival
This gig vacillated between interpreting Monk and appreciating his work. During his time as a composer, Monk developed a lot of great standards, and the eight played here were well recreated, but he was a challenging musician, and one of the things that lifted him above the ordinary was his ability to break down the rhythm and swerve onto his own improvisational path. This was only sporadically recreated by Stan Tracey, who was too often brought back onto rhythm by a fiery drummer. There were some great renditions, especially of 'Well You Needn't' and 'Friday The 13th', but can this band deliver an exposition of Monk's technique, as well as an appreciation of the legend's composition? Possibly not.
The Hub, 27 July, 6.00pm (7.30pm), £15.00 (£12.50), jbfpp 9.
tw rating: 3/5
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Steve Kettley's Odd Times
Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival
This is an extremely well-formed group, and it's clear the Odd Times play together on more than just the odd occasion. Capable quartet leader Steven Kettley guided them through some original and thought-provoking songs; highlights included 'Inanimate Object' in the first set and 'Scuttle' in the second. But Kettley's faltering introductions broke the mood up a little between songs, and the solos ran on too long; Kettley regularly blew two bars extra for the purpose of rounding a route off, and such determination to leave things 'even Stevens' detracted from the impact. However, in the main it was a very pleasant performance, and a lot of good music was played despite one or two cracks.
The Lot, 25 July, 6.30pm (8.30pm), £8.50, jbfpp 5.
tw rating: 3/5
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Stochelo Rosenberg with Biel Ballester Trio
Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival
A stunning performance by an absolute master of gypsy-swing and dazzling Hot Club acoustic guitar, Stochelo Rosenberg at The Hub was electrifying. He and classical guitarist Biel Ballester and trio blazed through renditions of fast-paced Reinhardt classics, standards and Ballester's own introspective compositions – songs dedicated to wandering naked through gardens, for example – with speed and expressive clarity, echoing the guitar work of such maestros as Pacode Lucia, all with flawless interplay and impressive passion. A guest appearance on violin rounded off a mesmerising display of agility and virtuosic skill, playing the Reinhardt standards out to a warm applause and encore. Exciting, toe-wriggling and foot-jiving, this show was an audio-visual sensation.
The Hub, 26 Jul, 10.00pm (12.00am), £15 (£12.50), jbfpp 7.
tw rating 5/5
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Reviewer details are online at www.threeweeks.co.uk