Ben Shankland Trio with Helena Kay and Ben MacDonald review: 'A band out to enjoy themselves'

Friday’s opening night concert of the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival (which runs until the 21st) was yet another reminder, as if we needed it, of the current productive vigour of Scottish scene. Pianist Ben Shankland, current BBC Radio Scotland Young Jazz Musician of the Year and his trio with double-bassist Elie Afif and drummer Chun-Wei Kang were joined by two other fine Scottish players, Helena Kay on tenor saxophone and guitarist Ben MacDonald.

They played mainly Shankland’s compositions along with a couple of standards, opening with his own Gratitude, his ruminative piano deliberations ushering in a winsome melody taken up by the band, sax then guitar floating off with it, and if Kang’s industrious drumming initially seemed a little overloud in the mix, it settled in.

Shankland’s playing combines lyricism with drive and precision, as well as a penchant for melody which shone in numbers such as the faintly folky-sounding Bleu II or the slightly kooky but eminently swingable waltz, Back and Forth.

The band’s zesty, straight-ahead yet tuneful approach worked well with their covers too: Night and Day opened with MacDonald’s guitar sighing out the intro over drum taps and bass murmurs before Shankland’s emphatic chords and Kay’s articulate yet warm-toned sax carried it off. Another Cole Porter classic, Just One of Those Things, also enjoyed a no-nonsense excursion, with Shankland ranging nimbly around the keyboard.

Another Shankland number, The Road Ahead, further underscored his ability to come up with an appealing ballad, while the purposeful drive of their closer, Looking Glass, sax snorts heralding a catchily laconic tune that ended with a bang, reinforced the general impression of a band out to enjoy themselves.