Live jazz is a difficult thing to find in this day and age, unless you know where you’re looking. All too often venues masquerade as “Jazz Clubs” when really they are just a space you can see live music well into the night-time hours – Casablanca we’re looking at you here. So it was a great pleasure to be able to see an actual jazz band, especially one in a basement usually confined to the world of dance music.

Patterns’ impressive neon-style lighting behind their stage was the perfect backdrop for the journey Alfa Mist would come to take us on, a journey made greater still by an electrifying atmosphere created by the near sell-out crowd.

Tracks from both projects Nocturne and Antiphon were played, often giving way to extended jams before sliding straight into the next number with no pause. Silence wasn’t a common thing during the set and it was all the better for it, really helping to sustain the near constant atmosphere of quiet awe. Particular highlights, although it’s very difficult to choose, have got to be renditions of “Keep On” and “Breathe”. The latter of which saw bassist Kaya Thomas-Dyke (who also provided a wonderful support set with her own band) grace the microphone with her hauntingly beautiful vocal prowess.

The whole band, in fact, were excellent and it was evident each member had completely mastered their instrument. Gaspar Sena’s drumming was incredibly tight, the choppy jazz grooves were on-point the whole set and moved perfectly with the dynamics and pace of the music. The intermittent trumpet from Johnny Woodham also was marvellous, giving some moments a genuinely climactic feeling and adding an extra dimension to the band’s sound.

At the risk of sounding too hyperbolic the quality of the music really was absolutely astounding, especially some of the long sections of improvisation during and after songs which you could really end up losing yourself too. It was evident the group had a deep musical connection as they moved perfectly with each other throughout the set; all led by Alfa playing the piano so hard it looked like it would burst into flames.

Honestly the way he played that thing was jaw-dropping at times; there was such feeling and emotion it felt almost as if the piano itself was talking. I luckily ran into him after the show and he was just as genuinely nice as he seemed on stage. There was a humble glee at the turn-out, and, as we remarked, the demographic of the people there. It was a very youthful crowd, really pleasing to see considering jazz’s frequent reputation as a relic of the elder generation. One evening is really all it took for Alfa Mist to show that jazz really can be cool once again.