Yugoslav-born horn player Dusko Goykovich, backed by the Jim Doherty Trio, was the pre-Christmas offering from the Dublin Jazz Society last Tuesday. The evening began with a great 90minute set from the trio (Doherty, in superb form, on piano, bassist Dave Fleming and John Wadham on drums).
In fairness to Goykovich, arriving late due to a missed flight, and without much time to rehearse, he was going to find it difficult to hit his stride early on. Alternating between flugelhorn and trumpet, he performed solidly - but no more than that - on Recado Bossa Nova and I'll Close My Eyes, which was most noteworthy for a fine, striding solo from Fleming. But his playing soon began to make itself felt - the understated solo he played on You Don't Know What Love Is characterised his mainly introspective playing, particularly through his extensive use of a muted trumpet. And with Dizzy Gillespie's Ow, the trumpeter, now unmuted, really started to stretch himself through some lively and inventive improvisation. His soloing on I Remember Clifford, from an arrangement he'd done in his Woody Herman days was delightful, while his delicate playing on Everything Happens To Me was matched by Doherty's wonderful chordal solo, the piano highlight of the evening.