Nauta, a five-piece instrumental group based in Newcastle, showcased their debut releases of ‘Our Time’ and ‘Gotta See About a Girl’ on 12th October. Held at Cobalt Studios, in Ouseburn, Newcastle Upon Tyne, the group were supported by Wingbeats, another talented and local jazz group, and captivated the audience from start to finish.
The band composes itself of five young musicians, forming in 2023 with each member bringing something individual to the group. Featured is Olly Styles on saxophone, Jacob Egglestone on guitar/trumpet, Louis Wild on keys, Jamie Watkins on bass and Bailey Rudd on drums. The EP as a whole showcases two differentiating sides to jazz, with Our Time having a more experimental sound in comparison to Gotta See About a Girl’s classic feel.
Our Time is definitely a building piece, with layers that listeners can really sink their teeth into. Wild on the keys introduces the track with a flowy piano motif, soon to be joined by Egglestone’s complimentary riff on guitar, a steady driving groove from Watkins on bass and Styles’s freeing embellishment of sax to complement it all. When the drums from Rudd come into play, that’s when we can really see the fun musicality of this track. You can hear each instrument clearly delivering what they need to to make the track cohesive, but also the experimentation from each player and how that showcases them and their best talents in just 4 minutes. Each player gets their moment to shine throughout the track, whether it be a short solo or complicated rhythm, so the band have definitely put their best foot forward in showing what they’re capable of.
As mentioned previously, Gotta See About a Girl is a completely contrasting piece to Our Time, which gives the EP a well-rounded execution. The track itself exudes romance and everything you would associate with classic jazz, reminiscent of the sounds of Chet Baker or Billie Holiday, minus the vocals. Many tracks in jazz (and other genres) rely on vocals to portray a feeling to the listener, but Nauta has encapsulated these feelings with smooth melodies from the sax, keys and guitar, and gentle, soothing rhythms of the drums and bass. Like Our Time, it’s clear this track gives something to each instrument that enables them to showcase their skill.
The debut showcase featured other original pieces that the band have in their repertoire, with a notable piece being the Nauta’s modern adaptation of Sir Hubert Parry’s Jerusalem, transforming the classical piece into something more intricate and impressive. The band’s skill and stage presence charmed the crowd from the first note to the very last, resulting in a few encores and lots of happy audience members. Nauta’s presence in the ever expanding jazz scene is exciting and fresh, likely becoming ones to look out for in Newcastle and perhaps beyond.
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