Ray Comiskey reviews Danny Moss/Louis Stewart Trio at Mother Redcap's in Dublin

Danny Moss/Louis Stewart Trio

Mother Redcap's, Dublin

Presented by the Dublin Jazz Society, the great British mainstream tenor, Danny Moss, played in Dublin for the first time in many years when he appeared with guitarist Louis Stewart's trio at Mother Redcap's on Wednesday. Perhaps it was a combination of jetlag (he had arrived a day or so previously from Australia , where he now lives) and anno domini (he's in his mid-70s), but there was a certain lack at the core of his playing.

The sound is still big, recalling Ben Webster on ballads, and he can summon a lifetime of ideas when he states a melody and takes a solo, but the facility is not quite what it once was. He's still a fine player, not lacking in authority, but he seemed a little tired, and his work lacked the snap he had at his best. The fire is gently dimming.

This was constantly - and unintentionally - underlined by Louis Stewart. Capably backed by the familiar Michael Cody on bass and Myles Drennan on drums, the guitarist was in typically world-class form. The music entered a different dimension whenever he took off on one of his solos, or improvised an unaccompanied introduction for one of the pieces chosen.

This was especially true when he was confronted with some standards he probably hasn't touched in years. Faced with the now seldom-played ballad, Street of Dreams, for example, he produced a sublime solo, sensitive, full of imagination and superbly executed, undeniable evidence of an extraordinary musician at work.

And he did it time and again. In a first set which, apart from Stewart's contributions, somehow never caught fire, his guitar enlivened what would otherwise have been a highly competent but unremarkable canter over the familiar territory of Just Friends, Stompin' at the Savoy, Just in Time, Too Late Now and Moten Swing.

Refreshed by the break, Moss was livelier in the early part of the second set. He produced one of his better solos on What A Difference A Day Made and really grooved with the trio on a relaxed I Thought About You. Stewart and he duetted on The Shadow of Your Smile, with the guitarist unveiling a beautiful, unaccompanied opening chorus to set up Moss's breathy tenor.

After that, the temperature gradually subsided. A few blues, a ballad - Weaver Of Dreams - and an uptempo Indiana that tested the tenor's mobility brought the concert to a conclusion when, frankly, it was beginning to run out of steam.