Album Reviews

DANIEL CASIMIR- Safe pt 1

Jazz Re:Freshed

Daniel Casimir - bass; Moses Boyd - drums; Al Macsween - keys; Nubya Garcia - tenor sax; James Copus - trumpet; Sean Gibbs,Tom Dunnet, Rosie Turton, Andy Davies - brass; Faye MacCalman Samuel Rapley Gareth Lockrane - woodwind; Julia Dos Reis, Miranda Lewis, Rebekah Reid Rhiannon Dimond - strings

This single is the first taste of Daniel Casimir’s forthcoming album release, its title derived from the Derek Owusu book of the same name that charts the British Black experience, and promises a giant step in Casimir’s career as a bandleader. Featuring the leader’s signature thick, precisely defined bass sound in tandem with a typically tumbling beat from Moses Boyd, spiced with chattering hi hats, the addition of strings and woodwind opens out the textures of the topline to create an imposing sonic landscape over which James Copus’ clear-toned trumpet soars. There’s a clear relationship to the very contemporary iteration of acoustic jazz that Nubya Garcia has developed with her own quartet, in which Casimir is a prominent member, and Garcia returns the compliment here by delivering one of the most compelling tenor solos of 2021, a masterpiece of phrasing, pacing and personality. The scope and ambition evoke the grandiose experiments of Kamasi Washington but there’s a distinctly Black British accent here and the album will be eagerly anticipated.

SAM BRAYSHER - Dance Little Lady, Dance Little Man

Unit Records

Sam Braysher - alto saxophone; Tom Farmer - double bass; Jorge Rossy - drums, vibraphone

Sam Braysher has long ploughed his own furrow across the crowded field of contemporary jazz, maintaining a profile that’s engaged with multiple European, American and UK scenes and sounds while never being exactly a part of any of them. His duo project with NYC pianist Michael Kamen excavated some of the Broadway roots of the Great American Songbook, managing to position itself deeply within the tradition, yet taking a tangent from its current iterations: this new project investigates a similarly mainstream set of compositions but re-examines them in a way that’s different but just as subtly individualistic and rewarding. The line-up reflects the current vogue for chordless trios, and the touchstone must surely be Lee Konitz’s seminal “In Motion” recording with the same format. Braysher’s alto sax, clear and sweet-toned yet resolutely unsentimental, seems to be a direct inheritor of the Konitz style, but the accompaniment provided by Euro-jazz lynchpin Jorge Rossy (who also played with Konitz) and the UK’s Tom Farmer (best known as part of the Empirical collective) is resolutely modern, carefully arranged in a manner that masks its intelligence under an appearance of ingenuous simplicity. The challenge seems to have been to retain a directness, intelligence and freshness no matter how over-worked or unpromisingly mainstream the material. Check their take on ‘One Note Samba’ - it avoids all the clichés of supper-club bossa nova while still retaining the light-touch airy accessibility of the original. ‘Heart And Soul’ jokily reproduces the classic two-finger piano motif ingrained into the psyche of generations of teachers and schoolchildren, but revives it in context through sheer conviction: ‘Reflection’ (from Disney’s ‘Mulan’ movie) is made to fit right into the timeless repertoire: ‘Walking The Dog’ uses a bassline so foundationally basic that it almost takes on an abstract quality against Rossy’s ingenious drum solo: ‘This Nearly Was Mine’ adds marimba for an Arthur Lyman feel, yet doesn’t sound remotely like muzak. Farmer’s bass is pin-point precise and accurate, with a preternaturally clean rounded tone that recalls Dave Holland. A triumph of intelligence and sentiment from all in this subtly stand-out recording, with a deceptive simplicity that reveals new depths with each listen.

MARCUS JOSEPH - Beyond the Dome

Available at arcusjoseph.bandcamp.com/

Marcus Joseph – Alto Saxophone; Vocals; Sheila Maurice-Grey – Trumpet; Theon Cross – Tuba; Eddie Hick – Drums
Lorenz Okell-Osengor – Keyboard; Wayne Matthews – Bass; Nathaniel Cross – Trombone; Tony Kofi – Baritone Saxophone
Benjamin Kwasi Burrell – Arranger; Ife Ogunjobi – Trumpet; Randolph Matthews – Vocals; Sophie Cameron – Cello; Jan Regulski – Violin; Carol Hultmark - Viola; Deidre Cooper – Violin; Blasio Kavuma – String

Leicester native Marcus Joseph has already racked up a wide-ranging set of musical experiences, from youth orchestras to stints as hip-hop DJ and MC, to jazz studies at Leeds, to fronting his own nu-jazz crossover band Major Ruse. This is his second solo recording, a big ambitious project with a cast list that reads like a who’s who of the UK’s young diverse jazz talent, combining jazzy solos, lush strings, spoken word, and punchy grooves courtesy of Sons Of Kemet team members Theon Cross and Eddie Hicks. Some of the music fits into the Kemet mould: driving Black Atlantic rhythms from Cross and Hicks serve as a base for raggedly energetic wind and brass charts with impassioned solos. It’s nice to hear veteran Tony Kofi tearing it up on baritone alongside the young bloods on ‘Challenge Day’, while Cross sibling Nathaniel takes honours on trombone for the reggae flavoured ‘Old Flame’ and Joseph himself adds succinct alto sax and words over the driving denbow of ‘Arrival Of The Giants’. Other tracks are built on the lush chording of Lorenz Okell-Osengor’s rhodes and Wayne Matthews’ bass guitar for a more retro jazz-funk flavour, with Ife Ogunjobi busting out some neat Lee Morgan chops on ‘Puzzle Paradigm’ alongside Josephs’ acerbically compelling solo. ‘What If’ adds strings and guest vocalist Randolph Matthews for a nu-jazz/soul crossover with conscious lyrics dealing with themes of ancestry and self-empowerment. This album takes it place beside Seed Ensemble’s Driftglass, Sons Of Kemet’s Your Queen Is A Reptile and Zara McFarlane’s Arise as part of the emergent sound of multi-cultural UK jazz and is a worthy addition to that company.

SHEZ RAJA - Tales from The Punjab

Ubuntu Music – UBU0077

Shez Raja - bass guitar; Fiza Haider - vocals; Ahsan Papu - bansuri; Zohaib Hassan - sarangi; Kashif Ali Dani - tabla;
Qamar Abbas - cajon

Shez Raja has established an outsize presence on the UK fusion scene, with his trademark white Kangol cap and Fodera bass guitar, and a back catalogue of album releases that lists such fusion luminaries as Wayne Krantz, Mike Stern and Randy Brecker among the cast list. This album takes a quieter, more reflective route as Raja sets out to explore the music of his Punjabi heritage with a set of collaborations with an impressive cast of South Asian musicians, from young virtuoso Zohaib Hassan to veteran classical players Ahsan Papu and Kashif Ali Dani. With Raja’s rich trebly bass guitar the only electrically amplified instrument, there is space for some finely nuanced dynamic interplay between the musicians on tunes that range from the still introspection of ‘Angel’s Tears’ to the quietly but urgently pulsating ‘Adventures In The City Of Wonders’. Fiza Haider’s clear vocals combine with sarangi to enchanting effect on ‘Mantra’ over Raja’s chord riffs. Attempts to marry South Asian music and jazz rock will inevitably invite comparison with heavy hitters like Trilok Gurtiu and John Mclaughlin, and ’Maharaja’ has a double-tracked Raja accompanying his own soloing over frantic percussion and what sounds like an electric sarangi for a more intense Mahavishnu-style fusion experience, but generally the mood is one of meditative calm, with Papu’s bansuri flute weaving webs of delight on the closing ‘Enlightenment’. A refreshing aural tonic for lock-down life.

KENDON / RYALL SEXTET - There Will Be Time

BeeBoss Records
(available from Bandcamp)

Jack Kendon (trumpet, flugelhorn); Imogen Ryall (voice); Al Scott (piano); Nigel Thomas (double bass); Peter Adam Hill (drums)
plus Juian Nicholas (tenor saxophone)
Recorded 3rd, 4th & 6th November, 2016

This album sets out its stall with aplomb by kicking off with a creative interpretation by bandleader/trumpeter Kendon of the old chestnut ‘Night And Day” - Ryall’s clear, unaffected tones dancing over Pete Hill and Nigel Thomas’ punchy rhythm track that moves easily between 3, 6 and 4 beat measures, with each of the soloists contributing brief but dazzling comments. There’s a nice balance of improvisation and careful arrangement in evidence throughout. Kendon and Nicholas blend together in some superhip charts on ‘There Will Be Time’: Ryall breaks out some airy scat on the effortlessly swinging arrangement of Larry Golding’s ‘Mixed Message’ that allows space for succinctly creative statements from bass and drums: Carla Bely’s’Lawns’ has new lyrics by Ryall, with pianist Scott tempering his Bill Evans chops with some laid back Fender Rhodes for a cool Steely Dan flavour, and a melting tenor solo from Nicholas. The quality of the arrangements really allows the band’s strong individual voices to shine on a well chosen programme of covers and originals by Kendon (the title track) and Nicholas (One January Morning), with Scott’s ‘Insomnia’ a particularly strong contribution that gives Kendon space for a gorgeously brassy, Tom Harrell-ish flugelhorn statement. There’s a restraint and economy to the playing that allows Ryall’s hip, crisp articulation and precise pitching to take centre stage and gives the album a direct, focussed quality that’s often missing from jazz vocal albums: singer and band are evenly balanced, and the quality of playing throughout is quietly excellent. Proceedings conclude with a swinging rendition of Bobby Wellin’s ‘C U B C’ with Kendon busting out some lovely bebop and bravura solos from Nicholas and Thomas. Recommended.

YOKO MIWA - Songs Of Joy

Ubuntu Music UBU0057

Yoko Miwa – piano; Scott Goulding – drums; Will Slater – bass; Brad Barrett – bass (track 11)

Miwa is a classically trained pianist who moved to Boston to pursue a love of jazz that she’d developed in her native Kobe, winning a scholarship to Berklee that enabled her to continue her studies after Kobe Conservatory was destroyed in the 1995 earthquake. She’s carved out quite a reputation since then, with a CV that now includes Sheila Jordan, Slide Hampton, Arturo Sandoval, George Garzone, Jon Faddis, Jerry Bergonzi, Esperanza Spalding, Terri Lyne Carrington, Kevin Mahogany, John Lockwood and Johnathan Blake among others. This trio album marks her Ubuntu debut, and her own tastes seem a clear match for the label’s eclectic, accessible personality. There’s an unusual choice of covers from outside the usual jazz repertoire: Richie Haven’s ‘Freedom’ provides the basis for a thunderous modal workout with impressive contributions from her longtime collaborator Goulding and Will Slater wielding his bow to dramatic effect, while the title track is from frequent Beatles collaborator Billy Preston, with Miwa keeping the harmonic and melodic directness of the original. Miwa’s originals fit within well-established mainstream templates, from the noirish latin-fusion feel of ‘Largo Desolato’ to the hip minor blues feel of ‘Small Talk’, the breezy bossa nova of ‘The Rainbirds’ and the Monk-isms of ‘Think Of One’, but each contains enough of her own personality to avoid cliché. Miwa has been endorsed by Ahmad Jamal and you can see why: she uses to keyboard to build drama and tension on familiar forms, always keeping anchored to the melody, with a powerful left hand to build excitement: she’s not afraid of a direct melody artfully harmonised, as the sweetly swinging ‘Inside A Dream’ illustrates. The overall impression is of a powerful virtuosity operating hand in hand with a natural good taste.

DAVE STRYKER - Baker’s Circle

Strikezone Records: 8821

Dave Stryker (guitar) Walter Smith III (tenor sax) Jared Gold (organ) McClenty Hunter (drums) Mayra Casales (percussion) Recorded in Paramus NJ, January 11th 2019The opening bars of ‘Tough’ put us straight into Larry Young territory, a driving minor key groove with Jared Gold’s organ and longtime Stryker associate/ex Kenny Garrett drummer McLenty Hunter setting things up for Stryker to show off his updated Kenny Burrell chops. Walter Smith III delivers the Joe Henderson role with his customary poise: his solo on the latin groover ‘El Camino’ is pitched between cerebral and earthy with his customary clear, limpid tone and crisp delivery. ‘Dreamsong’ is a bluesy lope, ‘Everything I Love’ a cool strut through the changes with everyone keeping things at an even temperature while displaying some impressive chops, ‘Rush Hour’ has a twisty theme that would have fit into a late sixties Blue Note session, though with some neat metric modulation to keep things up to date: Smith and Gold really fly on this one. ‘Inner City Blues’ is a tough take on the oft-covered classic that evokes Medeski Martin and Wood with some cool extra breakdowns added. Stryker’s tone is fat, his attack is clean and his language on this project shows his lineage to the genre’s greats: his laid back octaves on ‘Love Dance’ hark back to Wes, but he’s still his own man and this is a very satisfying addition to the genre, delivered with heart and soul and a large measure of understated intelligence. ‘Trouble #2’ is a direct quote from Turrentine which gives Smith a chance to show how down-home he can get within the context of contemporary post-Potter modern tenor playing. Recommended.

STFANOS TSOURELIS - The Wanderer

Available from Bandcamp

Stefanos Tsourelis - guitar, oud; Dave Jones - bass guitar; Eric Ford - drums

This elegant album of spacious fusion features Tsourelis’ precise, cleanly articulated single note lines and oblique chordal colours, all clearly drawn from a line of guitarists from Metheny to Mick Goodrick to John Abercrombie, but with some intriguing compositional twists that are all his own. The aptly named ‘Interplay’ has Tsourelis on acoustic playing pensive arpeggios that suddenly burst into frantic unisons with Dave Jones’ smooth-toned bass guitar, reminiscent of the virtuosic Bouzouki tradition. ‘El Divo’ has more of a down-home flavour, with some politely greasy backbeat work from the ever excellent Eric Ford and loads of tricky breaks to enliven proceedings, “Elegant Beauty’ is a slick LA sounding Larry Carlton strut, and ‘The Wanderer’ has Tsourelis picking up the electric for a full-bodied ballad exploration with contemporary indie-americana voicings incorporated in a manner reminiscent of Julian Lage. So far, so Compleat Modern Guitarist, but Tsourelis has other tricks up his sleeve as well: both ‘Calypso’ and ‘Moments’ feature him on the oud, using its deep sonority and microtonal capacity to invigorating effect while steering well clear of shallow orientalism, and ‘Waves’ closes with a multitracked duet where he unites all the above influences. Both Jones and Ford provided sympathetic accompaniment and stimulating solo features when required: this is a very superior product from a great band.

FLORIAN ARBENZ & GREG OSBY - Reflections Of The Eternal Line

Available from Bandcamp

Florian Arbenz - percussion; Grey Osby - alto & soprano sax

‘At first glance, a saxophone-drum duo may seem sparse’ says the promotional release for this set of recordings inspired by paintings by the artist Stephen Spicher and recorded in his Basel studio. And in less creatively ambitious hands that might indeed be the case. However, there’s a lot more going on here, and both men bring impressive CVs to the project. Though perhaps not widely known by UK jazz fans, Arbenz has a formidable reputation both as a jazz player (Kirk Lightsey, Bennie Maupin, Dave Liebman etc) and as an orchestral percussionist, and here he’s augmented his drumkit with a variety of textural and tuned instruments. Osby hasn’t been heard on record since his 2017 collaboration with Tal Cohen but his reputation as a founder member of M Base Collective is unassailable, and this recording shows his powerful rhythmic accuracy and harmonic imagination are as vital as ever. While there’s a high percentage of improvisation in this project, there are clear written parts to tracks like ‘Wooden Lines’ and ‘Truth’. both of which feature powerhouse backbeat drumming from Arbenz that meshes with Osby’s alternately flowing and fragmentary lines so closely that the overall sound feels full and complete. ‘Homenaje’ has a kind of modified guaguanco feel combined with a keening melody to captivating effect: the extended ‘Groove Conductor’ has a virtuosically creative performance from Arbenz across all manner of percussive textures that develops into a down-home New Orleans type swing under Osby’s lines that veer thrillingly from bluesy to abstract: ‘Passage Of Light’ floats soprano sax over chiming kalimba modulations while ‘Please Stand By’ finishes with a typically muscular statement from Osby. Not sparse at all.

FERGUS McCREADIE - Cairn

Edition Records

Fergus McCreadie - piano; David Bowden - bass; Stephen Henderson - drums

Fergus McCreadie’s debut album ‘Turas’ made waves on the scene with its decidedly Scottish take on the European chamber-jazz tradition, taking the impressionistic Nordic approach of Esbjorn Svensson as a foundational document but mixing in a healthy dose of modal Celtic cadences to create a distinctly original sound that won over audiences as well as delivering a clutch of awards. He’s back with the same trio for an assured follow-up that blends the same elements with a even greater degree of assurance. There’s a relaxed confidence to the way he interpolates space into the dazzling streams of notes in his solo on the title track that indicates an artist in full control of his talents: Bowden and Henderson now sound utterly, intuitively attuned to the leader’s every move and respond dynamically and creatively thoughout to follow the contours. Bowden’s bass solo on ‘North’ is equally confident and creative with a real original turn of phrase and a beautiful tone: Henderson is subtle and supportive, exploring a range of textural possibilities on ‘Across Flatlands’, and is equally capable of delivering the necessary fireworks when required. It’s a reviewer’s cliché to say that this kind of music describes a landscape, and when the artist is Scottish the temptation to evoke rolling moorland, purple heather and majestic lochs is very hard to resist: but in this case the comparison is so accurate that its justified. ‘Jig’ continues the conscious incorporation of Celtic elements but this is only part of the picture and McCreadie and co’s sophisticated and utterly modern rhythmic, harmonic and textural inventiveness provide the necessary context to make the fusion completely convincing - ‘Jig’’s unexpected development into a powerhouse loping almost-swing modal workout that pulls in sources as diverse as Corea and Meldhau is a case in point. This is no sentimental pastiche. Excellent.

TOMMASO STARACE - The Power Of Three

Music Centre BA 420

Tommaso Starace - alto & soprano saxophones; Jim Watson - piano; Lawrence Cottle - bass guitar

Since graduating from Birmingham Conservatoire and Guildhall, Milanese saxophonist and composer Starace has established a reputation as a versatile bandleader in a range of projects that showcase his ability to maintain a high level of creative musicianship while directly engaging the listener with his melodic accessibility. It’s a path that has made him a firm favourite with promoters and audiences, and this well-judged latest project should fit right in. It’s a live-in-the-studio recording, with the players set up face-to-face without headphones or separation in the Chapel Arts Gallery in Cheltenham and working through a repertoire of modern jazz standards, latin and funk material with excursions into the works of Ennio Morricone, Italian pop star Pino Daniele perennial favourite Stevie Wonder, and a single original by Starace himself. The trio are admirable balanced: session legend Lawrence Cottle is solid and swinging, with a smooth full tone that enables him to take beautifully structured guitaristic solos high up the neck when required, notably on Corea’s fusion staple ‘Got A Match’. His pop sensibility combines perfectly with Jim Watson, another accomplished jazzer who’s equally at home on a pop session as playing the 606 with Dave O Higgins (with whom Starace has co-led a project). His solo on ‘This Here’ is a thing of beauty, concise and artfully paced, and he quietly excels on the gentle original ‘Nina’ written by Starace for his niece. Starace himself displays his clear warm tone on both alto and soprano and blends his mastery of bop language with a direct, romantic melodicism and touches of Sanborn-style funk when required. This is not music that is intended to challenge or push at the boundaries, but rather to comfort and delight: it should find a ready response from Starace’s audience in these trying times.

VARIOUS ARTISTS - Spiritual Jazz 13 Now!
Modern Sounds For The 21st Century

Jazzman Records

Various artists including Shabaka and the Ancestors, Angel Bat Dawid, Idris Ackamoor, Nat Birchall, Jimi Tenor & KabuKabu, Chip Wickham, Steve Reid, Makaya McKraven Jamie Saft Quartet and others.

The term ‘Spiritual Jazz’ has been much bandied about of late, in a manner that has not been universally welcomed: a certain amount of suspicion has arisen in some quarters that the concept itself is an intrinsically meretricious piece of marketing-speak and that true spirituality has no need to declare itself. Such an attitude, however justified, will surely be mollified when encountering the contents of this double LP set, as the music itself is generally so unaffectedly sincere as to allay criticism. In general the genre title refers back to the loose, anything-goes attitudes of the late 60s and early 70s when the stern standards of modern jazz had been thoroughly infiltrated by hippie consciousness and sincerity and a kind of blissed-out experimentalism took precedence over rigorous theoretical explorations. Before long of course the experimentalism congealed into its own set of clichés, and the entire scene was rather looked down upon by the establishment until its relatively recent excavation. The classics of the genre can be received as either unjustly neglected fountains of inspiration or faintly embarrassing relics of an indulgent era, depending on the listeners’ tolerance for side-long mellow minor-key jams spiced with tambura, groovy hand percussion and raggedly enthusiastic chanting. There’s something in the open-ended directness of the style that appeals today, and this release follows on no less than 12 volumes of historic material from the 50s to the 80s already reissued by Jazzman to include only material recorded over the past 15 years. It’s a fascinating overview of how the music has adapted and evolved reflexively: tracks by original operatives like Idris Ackamoor and Steve Reid sound like they’ve travelled directly from 1973, preserving a certain artless quality while others like Chip Wickham’s ‘Shamal Wind’ and Jamie Saft’s ‘Vessels’ wear their influences on their sleeves but sound tidied up for a new generation. There are punchy, focussed efforts like Makaya McCraven’s gimbri-driven ‘Gnawa’ or Jimi Tenor’s ‘Suite Meets’ alongside deliciously woozy eccentricities like Akeebu’s ‘Slow Sweet Burn’, bigger names like Shabaka Hutchins and the Ancestors and Nat Birchall, and generally enough variation on the theme to keep things interesting throughout. Sometimes, as on ‘Palms To Heaven’ by Cosmic Range, we seem to skirt dangerously close to exotic pastiche, but one the track starts cooking it makes more sense. And by the end the ‘Spiritual’ tag does genuinely seem justified, as everyone seems like they really mean it - whatever ‘it’ may be.

WILL GLASER - Climbing In Circles

Ubuntu Music

Will Glaser - drums; Matthew Herd - saxophone; Liam Noble - piano

Will Glaser has established a reputation as one of the most compellingly musical percussionists on the busy London jazz scene, lending his quick ears, empathetic touch and impressive chops to improve any number of situations from avant-garde to swinging. This is the third instalment of his Climbing In Circles project: the initial offering was a series of duets with his former pianist Noble, with Glasers’ old Guildhall pal Matthew Herd joining for number two. The chemistry was so evident that they’ve returned with another offering mixing freeform explorations, original compositions and a satisfyingly off-kilter selection of standards. ‘Mood Indigo’ and ‘I’m An Old Cowhand’ are handled like much-loved favourite toys, with a mixture of boisterous familiarity and gentle reverence, even as the handling itself causes them to fray and disintegrate around the edges and assume new forms. Noble is a master at skating over the frail interface between lyricism and abrasive freedom and his unique musicality shines in this company. ‘Mopti’ has a minor-key afro-jazz 12/8 lope to it, with Herd soaring above and Glaser making the drumkit sing: ‘Fish Pillows’ is all atmosphere and textures: ‘Mumbo Jumbo’ has an Ornette-ish melody over tumbling free-time percussion, while ‘Lonely’ is a stunningly realised ballad, with all three players combining their palette to create a swooning depth of colour and texture. The ominous ‘Song For The Snake Man’ and the reflective ‘The Magician Longs To See The Master’ close the set: unique, highly visually evocative music from three masters at work.

JIM RATTIGAN - When

Three Worlds Records - TWR0005

Jim Rattigan - french horn; Nikki Iles - piano; Michael Janisch - bass; James Maddren - drums
The Tear Quartet: Julian Tear - cello; Alison Gordon - violin; Nic Barr - viola; Nic Cooper - cello

Jim Rattigan in one of a select group of musicians who can lay claim to the title ‘pioneer of the jazz French horn’, as well as being a key player with all the London symphony orchestras. He’s released two highly critically acclaimed albums of Gil Evans-ish big band jazz with his Pavilion project, and returns here with a an equally ambitious but far more intimate set of recordings. Neatly bridging the worlds of jazz and classical, the album features music for two simultaneous quartets: a french-horn fronted jazz one with a superb line up of supporting players, and a string one with an unusual cello-heavy line-up. All the compositions are by Rattigan and have the flavour of classic modern/mainstream jazz repertoire pieces: Rattigan’s horn is far nimbler and more expressive than the bebop experiments of his predecessor Julius Watkins, sounding a bit like a more clearly articulated trombone, and his contributions are judiciously paced to leave Iles to provide the lead voice on tracks like the bluesy, insouciantly swinging ‘It’s Not Quite The Same’ or the reflective ‘Patrick’s Song’. Her piano playing is a lesson in poise, phrasing, and effortlessly stylish economy, and the team of Janisch and Maddren are the model of tasteful, supportive restraint. The string section are superbly well integrated throughout - Rattigan’s writing for the quartet is warmly romantic with echoes of Ravel and classic Hollywood (in the best sense): tunes like ‘Now And Then’ allow the strings to set the mood before the jazz team join them so seamlessly that the change of texture never jars. A far cry from some of the mismatched efforts of the Third Stream movement, this is a beautifully realised fusion that bridges the genres by finding common ground in mood and dynamic: resolutely determined to charm rather than challenge the listener and succeeding on all counts.

OSHUA JASWON OCTET - Silent Sea

Ubuntu Music – UBU0065

Anna Serierse - vocals; Joshua Jaswon - alto & soprano saxophone; Marc Doffey - tenor & soprano saxophones; Miguel Gorodi - trumpet & flugelhorn; Jan Landowski - trombone;
Johannes Mann - electric guitar; Sidney Werner - double bass; Aarón Castrillo - drums

London-born, Guildhall-trained Jaswon took a proactive path amidst the post-Brexit handwringing and decided that if the riches of Europe’s jazz scene were to be arbitrarily placed beyond the reach of most UK players, he would become European himself by relocating to Berlin. Here he is now, heading up a band of players from Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam and Copenhagen alongside Dutch vocalist Anna Serierse in a determined display of cross-border unity. Each composition of the album is based on the text of a contemporary British poem, by writers Jackie Kay, Maura Dooley and Rachael Boast. The poems deal with the themes of Brexit and the environment and the album’s title originates from Boast’s poem: a hushed, introspective environmental lament with Seieirse’s crystal clear tones soaring high as the subtle rhythm section breaks into a loping 6/8. There’s no keyboard and Johannes Mann’s carefully precise guitar, leavened with tasteful distortion á la mode leaves plenty of airy space above and below the horns: Jaswon’s own alto sax is sweet and full-toned, offset with plenty of tough boppish phrasing: trumpeter Miguel Gorodi and tenor player Marc Doffey both impress on ‘Extinction’. Trombonist Jan Landowski has plenty to say on the artfully wrought ‘Still Life With Sea Pinks And High Tide part 1 ’ - ‘Part 2’ introduces some tricky polyrhythmic adventures for a more contemporary fusion feel, but without capsizing the delicate balance of the endeavour. The quality of the playing throughout is exemplary and the band are very well-matched: rhythm team of Sidney Werner and Aarón Castrillo can swing or deliver the contemporary enthusiasm for odd number meters with ease. There’s a lyrical precision to the writing, with the occasional echo of folk melody, that ironically recalls the very British sounds of the Johnny Dankworth band, thoroughly updated for our post-Brexit, environmentally challenged times.

ROB BARRON TRIO - From This Moment On

Ubuntu Music UBU0064

Rob Barron - piano; Jeremy Brown - bass; Josh Morrison - drums

Rob Barron is thoroughly embedded in the Uk’s jazz mainstream as pianist of choice for the likes of Jacqui Dankworth, Stacey Kent, Claire Martin, Dave O’Higgins, Steve Fishwick, Allison Neale, Anita Wardell, Georgia Mancio and Jean Toussaint, and his versatility and awesome technique are also evidenced by his parallel career as a film composer, players of jingles and theme tunes and forays into more diverse territory with Kairos 4tet. None of the latter activities have in any way blunted his appetite for the purest swingingest expression of jazz, or reduced his capacity for delivering it with passion and conviction, as evidenced by this latest offering. We’re firmly in the territory of the Golden Age piano trio: The clearest antecedent is perhaps the super-hip, fleet-fingered but streamlined bop arrangements of the Sonny Clark (notably the edition of his trio with George Duvivier and Max Roach) or classic Wynton Kelly trios, rather than the florid bluesyness of Oscar Peterson or Phineas Newborn, the introspective modernism of Bill Evans (though there is a poised, bossa version of the latter’s signature ‘My Foolish Heart’) , or the gospel roots of Les McCann or Horace Parlan. There’s some evidence of later updatings of the formula by the likes of Kenny Barron (no relation) in the unison lick that introduces ‘Lover Man’ for instance, but in general Barron knows exactly what he likes and what he’s trying to achieve, and delivers it magnificently without feeling the need to mess with the formula. His choice of accompanists couldn’t be more simpatico - Jeremy Brown’s full warm tone and light, precise, uncluttered quarter-note swing is a dead ringer for Paul Chambers, beautifully captured in this great-sounding recording, and Josh Morrison knows exactly when to turn up the heat without overcooking the dish. Oliver Nelson’s ‘Butch And Butch’ is a masterclass of uptempo swing, Johnny Mandel’s ‘A Time For Love’ is a perfectly rendered ballad (while ‘In A Sentimental Mood’ and ‘As Time Goes By’ gently confound expectations by rocking along at pace) and Barron’s own originals fit seamlessly into the tracklisting. The sound of masters at work.

JUDITH & DAVE O'HIGGINS - His 'n’ Hers

Ubuntu Music – UBU0066

Dave O Higgins - tenor sax; Judith O Higgins - tenor sax; Graham Harvey - piano; Jeremy Brown - bass; Josh Morrison - drums

Here’s an unexpected treat - a revamping of the ‘tough tenors’ format popularised in the 1950s by Johnny Griffin and Eddie ‘Lockjaw’ Davis in particular, but with the added twist that our battling tenors are also husband and wife: their press release makes a comparison to the uxorious hitmen of the movie ‘Mr and Mrs Smith’: while the O’Higginses are a comely enough couple, they are unlikely to challenge Brad n’ Angela for pin-up status, but amply compensate in well-matched musical talent. Mr O’Higgins may be more familiar to UK listeners as a consistently rewarding practitioner of what you might call the modern mainstream, but Mrs O’Higgins is also a published author and practising forensic pathologist and therefore wins the first round before the needle even hits the record. Once the music starts playing, we’re struck by the restraint shown by both parties: ‘Fourth Dimension’ is the kind of breezy, bluesy modal offering that might have graced a mid 60s Hank Mobley album and an ideal vehicle for extended side-long blowing, but the tenor solo is carefully structured and concise and there’s space made for the excellent band as well: Graham Harvey’s thoughful, melodic piano solo evokes the post-bop fluidity of Kenny Barron with a touch of the McCoy, while Jeremy Brown’s bass is a warm-toned swinging delight and Josh Morrison gets a series of tasteful trades. Part of the fun is in trying to guess who’s responsible for which tenor statement and the pair are so well-matched in terms of light, centred tone, graceful deployment of bop language and swinging phrasing that it’s truly hard to tell, as when they trade phrases on the waltz-time contrafact ‘We’ll Forget March’. ‘Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most’ gets a stately reading with a nice arrangement of the oft-ignored verse: ‘Los Bandidos Bagnarolles’ has some mid-tempo strolling choruses where the contrast between the first, boppishly Rollins solo and the second, marginally more Shorterish one really set the listener guessing, before Jeremy Brown artfully conjures up the spirit if Paul Chambers with a beautifully poised solo. ‘Save Your Love For Me’ gets a mini-Basie type treatment, Dorham’s ‘Soy Califa’ rollicks along sounding very close to the original sans Kenny, though perhaps at a slightly lower temperature, and Dexters’ amusingly named ‘Hanky Panky’ is the ideal closing statement. Superbly accomplished, impeccably judged (especially in the warmth and clarity of the Van Gelder style audio capture) and highly enjoyable.

JAMES BECKWITH - Long Distance

Available at: https://jamesbeckwith.bandcamp.com/

James Beckwith - Piano/Rhodes/Hammond; Organ/Percussion/Synthesizer/Synth Bass/Vocoder; Zoe Kypri - Vocals; Chelsea Carmichael - Tenor Saxophone; Alex Hitchcock - Tenor Saxophone; Joe Downard - Bass/Synth Bass; AJ Brinkman - Synth Bass; Harry Pope - Drums/SPD; Will Harvey, Olivia Holland, Dan Oates - Violin; Lizzie Boyce, Pippa Bint - Viola; Greg Duggan - Cello

James Beckwith has cropped up repeatedly as pianist of choice for a range of intriguing projects by the likes of Nubya Garcia, Yazmin Lacey, Judi Jackson, Alex Hitchcock, SEED Ensemble, Cherise Adams Burnett and others, as well as running his own fusiony trio project - this is his debut proper, and it’s a big ambitious statement of contemporary fusion, like an updated London-based descendant of Herbie Hancock’s ‘Sunlight’. Lead track ‘Topimpa’ has lush piano chords, hip beat-displacement stabs, vocoder vocals from Beckwith blending with Zoe Kypri’s soulful stylings, all coming together in a very assured, Gilles Peterson friendly blend of contemporary fusion. ‘Retro Machines’ has Pope pushing out some super hip metric modulations under big Weather Report style chordal textures and Alex Hitchcock brings his own distinctive voice in the Wayne Shorter role: it’s a very impressive achievement that sits well alongside anything from the genre’s foremost practitioners. The whole record is laced with unexpected delights: ‘With You’ has the under-represented Chelsea Carmicheal’s tenor sax over a late-night D&B groove: ‘Money’ is indeed a cover of the famous Pink Floyd number that delivers an afro-beat flavoured kick in the pants to the gloomy proggers to terrific effect: ‘Long Distance’ is a string laden downbeat exploration with a faint Radiohead echo: SAAD uses a tanpura drone and heavy, accelerating backbeat to create a vibe somewhere between Byrne and Eno’s My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts and something by classic era Ozric Tentacles.Submotion Orchestra’s ‘All Yours’ is a powerful closing statement with Hitchcock returning to tear it up. There’s a wealth of great ideas here, confidently brought off, and delivered with skill, aplomb, and a nice touch of humour, that makes this album terrific fun to listen to. Recommended.

DAVE BEEBEE - Planet B

Beeboss bbcd 2023
Available at https://davidbeebee1.bandcamp.com/album/planet-b

David Beebee - piano; Dave Jones - bass; Eric Ford - drums

David Beebee keeps up the formidable rate of production with this set of all-original material for piano trio that showcases his original voice as a composer. The acoustic piano/bass guitar/drums trio set-up has been fruitfully explored by Michel Wollny, and this set takes a similar course around the hinterlands of jazz fusion, sophisticated funk and dark classically influenced harmony, with an extra dash of proggy rock thrown in as well. Beebee’s compositions are impressive in their detail and in the assurance with which he blends his ingredients - ‘Dark Matter’ mixes up tricky hits and unison runs over altered chords with a pulsating, ominous 16th note funk groove, ‘Planet B’ develops a similar vocabulary of hits and runs and adds some neat metric shifts as well, while ‘Devil’s Kitchen’ boasts a lushly romantic intro that evokes Debussy by way of Bill Evans. ‘Dappled Light’ is a pensive ballad that develops into a shimmering suspended filigree of sound, sensitively handled by the band, but they really come into their own on the more uptempo numbers. Dave Jones is a terrific player who manages to avoid post-Pastorius clichés and establish a distinctive, quirkily offbeat voice on his instrument with an attractively growly tone, and he and Eric Ford negotiate the complex hits and breaks with aplomb - ‘B Is For Blues’ is a great example of his groove, imagination and chops all working together in harmony. Beebee’s own piano playing is assured and characterful: he loves dissonance, long fluent runs that veer in unexpected directions, chiming cross-rhythmic figures high up on the keyboard, and the occasional dash of bluesy phrasing. ‘What Is This Thing Called Life’ finishes up with a Chick Corea-styled contemporary swing workout on the reconfigured standard. With nine densely written tracks over six minutes long, there’s plenty of music to get yourself lost in. Impressive.

JONNY MANSFIELD - Portrait

Available at: https://jonnymansfield.bandcamp.com/album/portrait
​
Jonny Mansfield - vibraphone, drum kit, percussion, pandeiro, piano, Korg Minilogue, Critter, Guitari Organelle, vocals.

This release truly deserves the title ‘solo album’ and perhaps sets the standard by which all others should be judged as not only does Mansfield supply all the compositions and play all the instruments, he also recorded, mixed and mastered it all himself. As if that wasn’t enough, he did all of this in a single day, waking at 5am on August 6th and releasing it via Bandcamp at 12 on August 7th. If you think you’ve been productive over lockdown, perhaps you will now be thinking again. The question, of course, will be ‘but is it any good?’ and fortunately the answer will be a yes for anyone who has ears for melodic contemporary instrumental music: jazz in the broadest scope. Mansfield’s main axe is vibes, and his four-mallet technique is formidable: he’s also an excellent drummer, and there are definite sounds of jazz language in the vibes solo on ‘Speak’, but overall the emphasis is more on mood and texture, as on the hypnotically chiming ‘Guilt’. The miniature study ‘Choro’ makes plain the connection between the Brasilian form and the clear harmonic structures of Bach before briefly developing in a fascinatingly off-kilter direction - ‘Sanctuary’ uses lush, moody synth textures to paint a muted sound picture, like an audio Rothko: ‘Little Sunshine’ has an engagingly unaffected vocal, and though a fruitful career as a singer may not be indicated the sincerity is unmistakeable and the results are uplifting. ‘Clouds’ is a suitably nebulous closing track. An intriguing experiment into musical possibilities - check it out.

ALLISON NEALE - Quietly There

Ubuntu Music – UBU0062

Allison Neale - alto sax; Peter Bernstien - guitar; Dave Green - bass; Steve Brown - drums

Seattle-born Alison Neale has established an enviable reputation on the UK jazz scene for her thorough assimilation of the West Coast jazz style associated with Paul Desmond and Art Pepper, though her meltingly full, sweet tone makes her presence lean more towards the former than the more acerbic, bittersweet Pepper. This record matches her with an eminently sympathetic rhythm team: veteran UK bassist Dave Green is the ideal accompanist, sure and full-toned, always on had with the perfect supportive note choice or subtle shift of feel, and his solos are masterpieces of understated musicality, playing their part in the ensemble so tactfully yet satisfyingly that other more prolix bassists seem obtrusively show-off by comparison. Steve Brown is a frequent partner to Green on the mainstream scene and their empathy and swing are impeccable. With their flawlessly swinging backing, Neale is free to soar above, her unfailingly melodic sense and thorough engagement with the harmony of the standard-based repertoire shining through in a deliberately understated, compellingly poised personality that never sounds trite even on such familiar material as ‘Darn That Dream’, delivered here in a bouncy waltz time. Completing the ensemble, New Yorker Peter Bernstein adds tasteful comping, carefully constructed solos delivered with a deliciously stringy tone, and exactly the right amount of space in all the right places: his intro to ‘I Should Care’ is a small masterpiece in itself. Check out the solos on John Lewis’ ‘2 Degrees East 3 Degrees West’ for a lesson in how to deliver a swinging straightahead blues without degenerating into cliche. Everyone is so in tune, so relaxed and yet so engaged with the material, and so in command of their technique in every aspect, from articulation to tone to the sure melodic development of every solo: it’s rare that a jazz record so unapologetically mainstream is so satisfying to listen to, and so quietly compelling that you don’t want it to end.

TIM THORNTON - Little One

AMP Music & Records
Available at: ttp://www.ampmusicrecords.com/releases-1/tim-thornton-little-one

Tim Thornton - bass; Riley Stone Lonergan - tenor sax; Ant Law - guitar; Chris Draper - drums; Rosanna Brandi - vocals

Tim Thornton’s big sound, sure intonation, and awesomely fleet fingered technique have become a staple foundation of London’s jazz scene, and his distinctive musical personality, at once powerful and playful, has underpinned any number of projects at the straight-ahead end of things, most notably tenorist Leo Richardson’s powerhouse bebop-plus outfit. This recording, his third under his own name, takes us in another direction. His last solo outing, Back And Forth was very much in the style of a classic ECM piano trio, with some diverse takes on classic repertoire alongside some adventurously free-wheeling originals: this time the palette is expanded, with Ant Law’s clean-toned, incisive guitar and fluent, full-toned tenor sax from Riley Stone Lonergan sharing out the solo duties with Thornton’s gorgeously rich bass,and vocalist Rosanna Brandi providing texture: the resulting blend, without keyboard chords to thicken the mix, sounds like a mix of interweaving voices, as on the dancing ‘Chilean Pavilion’ where everyone trades phrases with joyous abandon. Chris Draper on drums is sensitive in support, his contributions throughout supremely musical - the compositional style has the kind of pastoral uplift you might associate with Jarrett or Metheny, touched with elements of folk and, on ‘Passengers’, some gospel flavours - it’s intriguing to hear the often knottily abstract Law bust out some soulful blues-inflected licks with such conviction, and repeat the trick on ‘Big Feet’. ‘Little Feet’ is a solo feature for anyone who wants to bask in the warmth of the Thornton tone and marvel at the assurance with which he wields his considerable chops. Stone Lonergan is a perfect fit in terms of musicality and language, and everything he does is charged with a real palpable emotional content that delivers some of the album’s most affecting moments, as in his bravura solo on the barnstorming ‘Omage’ - a tune that simultaneously evokes the intensity of ‘spiritual jazz’ and a very Brit jazz-rock sensibility. The record was inspired by Thornton’s experience as a new father, and judging by the joyful uplift emanating from this session it seems the sleepless nights have invigorated rather than enervated him. Good job too.

NUBYA GARCIA - Pace (single)

Concorde Jazz - available at
https://nubyagarcia.bandcamp.com/track/pace

Nubya Garcia - tenor sax; Joe Armon Jones - piano; Daniel Casimir - bass; Sam Jones - drums

This is the first single from Nubya Garcia’s forthcoming album on the legendary US imprint Concorde Jazz, co-produced by Kwes, who has also worked with such major players as Bobby Womack and Solange as well as Nerija, the Domino-signed outfit in which Garcia also plays. Given how much she has been touted as the face of the new UK jazz movement, and the resulting pressure there must be to deliver commercially, it is heartening to hear how true Garcia is staying to her identity on this 8-minute cut. The track preserves her long-established band line-up, without any extraneous studio additions, and is built around a powerful ostinato from Casimir’s thick-toned bass. There’s a relatively simple harmonic hook, but it’s all about the way that Garcia and her bandmates build the tension up to towering heights under Garcia’s opening statement, bring it down again to introduce Armon-Jones’ piano, then build and build again for Garcia’s return. Her strategy as an improviser follows the path set out on her previous releases: clear, simple but logical melodic statements delivered in a full bodied, nicely rounded tone into which she injects the necessary grit at the required moments. Sam Jones doesn’t hold back on the drums either. Very satisfying.

DAVID GILMORE - From Here To Here

Criss Cross Jazz - 1405

David Gilmore - guitar; Luis Perdomo - piano; Brad Jones - bass; E.J. Strickland - drums

This release was created as a tribute to Gerry Teekens Sr, the founder of Criss Cross Jazz records. Teeken’s Netherlands based label became the home for many of the generation of rising players throughout the 1990s, and Kenny Garrett, Steve Wilson, Benny Green, Bill Charlap, Chris Potter, Mark Turner, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Orrin Evans, and Seamus Blake all made their debut on Criss Cross. Given this history, and the personnel on this recording, you might expect to be treated to some very high-end contemporary NYC jazz, and you’d be absolutely right. ‘Focus Pocus’ starts off with some ominous chording and knotty unison parts before bursting into high-velocity swing over which Gilmore files, his tone full and rounded and his articulation awesomely clean and precise at any tempo. There’s a brief return to the vamp so that Strickland can do his polyrhythmic thing, longtime Ravi Coltrane associate Luis Perdomo flies away in a dazzling display of contemporary language. The high standards are maintained throughout this collection of Gilmore originals and a couple of seldom-seen standards - Bill Evan’s ‘Interplay’ gets a reverent reading that preserves the poise of the original while maintaining the urgent energy of the quartet throughout Jone’s effortlessly virtuosic solo statement, and Sam River’s ‘Cyclic Episode’ provides fertile ground for some brisk interaction. ‘Child Of Time’ introduces acoustic guitar for a hushed, proggy feel that’s full of atmosphere: ‘When And Then’ has an electric bass shuffle that evokes echoes of Steely Dan: ‘Innerlude’ as the title suggests is all introspective textural explorations with a very creative approach to the rhythm part writing: ‘The Long Game’ is underpinned by a dancing bass ostinato, and ‘Free Radicals’ has stunning extended solos from everyone. The playing and writing are of the very highest quality, and the quartet are so cohesive that the diversity in the writing doesn’t detract from the unity of the album as a whole. This is definitely an album for those who enjoy a lot of very high end electric guitar playing - parts are reminiscent of what one of Chick Corea’s Akoustic bands might sound like if Al DiMeola had somehow been invited as well - but there’s much to marvel at and enjoy for all fans of high-end, high intensity jazz.

Ant Law has established a formidable reputation as a fiercely intelligent, uncompromisingly forward looking musician, able to muster an impressive technique in the service of a rigorously organised musical vision. Of late he’s been part of Tim Garland’s band along with Asaf Sirkis and Jason Rebello, and Garland is here to lend his distinctively precise, clear-toned tenor things off with the twinned title tracks ‘The Sleeper Sleeps ’ and ‘The Sleeper Awakes’, which develop through a cleanly articulated bass solo from Tom Farmer into a joyously swinging piece of post-bop, with plentiful creative soloing spiced with Adam Kovac’s percussion, before shifting gears into a delightfully poised, elaborate coda. Law has previously embraced the knottier end of contemporary prog-jazz, notably with his last release ‘Life I Know’ and this album sees a deliberate lightening of the mood, though without compromising either complexity or quality. So while ‘Magic Mike’ starts with a typically adventurous statement from the consistently remarkable Chillingworth, it develops into a keeningly melodic minor-key piece over a steady groove, with a lovely Corea-flavoured solo from Ivo Neame, ‘Our Church’ is a hushed, lyrical ballad, and ‘Harvest’ has a gently pastoral ambience with bass clarinet and shuffling brushwork from the ubiquitous Maddren, who as ever fits perfectly into whatever space he is called upon to occupy. ‘Her Majesty’ shows that Law remains a demanding employer as he puts his band through the paces of a complex multi-metered piece: all the players are well chosen for their compatibility and their ability to combine an adventurous disposition with a very high level of precision so that the complex compositions sound natural and unforced. There’s even a standard, ‘My Old Flame’, preceded by a beautifully wrought and executed solo from Law that shows his real originality on his instrument. ‘Swan Song’ is a lovely closing ballad, full of warmth. This is a very well conceived and executed album from one of the UK’s most original talents, at the helm of an all-star band, showing that he’s not afraid to embrace the light as well as the darkness, and that complexity can be tempered with accessibility without loss of quality.

ZARA McFARLANE - Songs Of An Unknown Tongue

Brownswood Recordings - BWOOD0209

Zara McFarlane - vocals; Kwake Bass - percussion, drums, drum machine, synths, synth bass, guitar, bass guitar; Wu-Lu - percussion, synths, guitar, bass guitar; Camilo Tirado - percussion; Lyle Barton - Rhodes;
Biscuit - flute; Idris Rahman - tenor saxophone; Robin Hopcraft - trumpet

McFarlane returns for her third release on Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood imprint with a powerful vision that chimes with the times. Out go the band of youthful UK jazz luminaries who provided the backing for her last album, and instead producers Kwake Bass and Wu-Lu create beds of ambient electronics, chattering percussion and deep bass to produce a contemporary urban but smooth-edged sound that’s very in keeping with the vibe Mr Peterson’s Radio 6 Music show. Zara’s superbly tuneful, warm-toned voice remains unchanged out in front of every mix, layered up into choirs on tunes like ‘Broken Water’ to provide harmonic depth, as does her ability to express depths of passion and commitment while maintaining her ineffably cool poise. What gives the album its extra resonance is the subject matter. McFarlane spent time researching Jamaican folklore as the basis for another project, a musical version of the famous Jamaican legend ‘The White Witch of Rose Hall’, and her investigations into the island’s historical and cultural legacy led her to reconnect powerfully with the array of rhythms associated with Jamaican folk rituals, and her own family’s engagement with these traditions. ‘Run For Your Life’ presents a stripped down electro version of folk drumming with McFarlanes’ voice soaring above in ghostly harmonies: the stunning introduction to ‘Saltwater’ is meltingly powerful and utterly beguiling at the same time, before breaking into a muted groove based on the Bruckin Party tradition: elsewhere there are echoes of Nyabinghi, Dinki Mini, Revival, and Kumina, all reinterpreted through digital studio tech to present a sound that’s very contemporary but feels rooted as well. The lyrics to ‘Native Nomad’ and ‘Black Treasure’ deal with issues of identity and belonging in the context of post-colonialism that are particularly timely. However the overall effect is more personal and intimate that didactic: the spacious, muted soundscapes and subtle programming create an atmospheric backdrop for McFarlane’s impassioned vocals that make this a powerful but also eminently listenable statement.

MERAKI - Meraki

Ubuntu - UBU0044

Jacky Naylor - piano; Nick Jurd - bass; Jonathan Silk - drums

Meraki is the vehicle for the musical imagination of pianist Naylor, an impressively accomplished player with a particularly well developed two handed technique which he uses to great advantage on this collection of original pieces. There’s an acknowledged debt to European stylists working in the wake of the great Esbjorn Svensson: lots of tumbling, straight-8s grooves, pulsing minor chord ostinatos (as on the rushing, exciting ’43’) that build up and up without ever resolving, interspersed with carefully written twisty ensemble parts, which the trio negotiate with aplomb. Fans of Michel Wollny will find much to enjoy here: Naylor has a penchant for sombre Scandinavian minor key moods, as on ‘Two Sides Of The Same Coin’, but also isn’t afraid of allowing in melody and accessible chord progressions, and there’s a consistent attention to mood and atmosphere that makes for compelling listening. Jurd is an exciting soloist in his own right, adding nice arco textures to ‘Dr Jeckyll and Mr Hyde’: he and Silk bring the intricate grooves of ‘Sherpa’ and ‘9 Lives’ to life and deliver them with a well judged blend of precision and gusto. Naylor mixes things up with atmospheric downtempo interludes and finishes on the quietly simmering ‘Simple Things’. Fans of the towering club-influenced mournful grooves of Gogo Penguin might find much to enjoy here, but Naylor works with more subtlety and less bombast to produce highly accomplished and satisfying results.

PATCHWORK JAZZ ORCHESTRA - The Light That Shines

Spark SPARK009

James Davison, Adam Chatterton, Alex Ridout, Tom Dennis - trumpet; James Copus, George Hogg - trumpet; Kieran McLeod, Tom Green, Jamie Pimenta – trombone; Yusuf Narçin - bass trombone; Tom Smith, Sam Glaser - alto saxophone; Sam Miles, George Millard - tenor saxophone; Tom Ridout - baritone saxophone; Liam Dunachie - piano & hammond organ;
Billy Marrows - electric guitar; Misha Mullov-Abbado - double bass; Scott Chapman – drums; Gareth Lockrane - flute

This release sees the very welcome return of Patchwork Jazz Orchestra under the stewardship of Tom Green (and on his Spark label), brought to you under seemingly impossible circumstances that makes the eminent professionalism of all aspects of its production seem all the more amazing. One might think that COVID and lockdown would spell the absolute end for bands of all sizes and big bands in particular but the Patchwork crew have made full use of the affordances of digital technology to assemble this joyous album via the painstaking procedures of remote recording. First, the composer would create a click track which was sent to the rhythm section, who recorded a first draft. This was sent to lead players of each section who would record their track ahead of their colleagues. The soloists on each track would then improvise over these materials, ahead of the rhythm section re-recording their initial takes to allow for sympathetic improvising in the solo sections. The results of this complex to-and-fro are a delight: mercifully free of the smell of too much midnight oil, the tracks sound as fresh and spontaneous as on their last in-person offering. A superb cast of some of the UK’s finest young players contribute tight ensemble sections, locked, responsive rhythm tracks and too many outstanding solos to enumerate. Jaunty LA-studio flavoured opener ‘New Ansonia’ has a barnstorming statement from its composer, bassist Mullov-Abbado, and much excellent work from the alto saxes: ‘Endless Stars’ is a typically creative arrangement by Tom Green of a Fred Hersch composition: ‘If I Were A Bell’ is an unashamed uptempo big band romp that Nelson Riddle would appreciate: ‘Genmaicha’ has a notable contribution from the indefatigable Gareth Lockrane over a sophisticated samba: and ‘The Light That Shines’ has the effect of a poignant hope for better days ahead. Uplifting.

TRYPL

Ubuntu - UBU0063

Trevor Mires - trombone; Ryan Quigley - trumpet; Paul Booth - saxes, flute, bass clarinet; Alex Wilson - piano; Edwin Sanz — percussion; Tristan Banks - drums; Davide Giovanni - drums; Dimitiris Christopolous - bass

This outfit, named after an acronym of the first names of the three-horn frontline and co-founders, has the energy and enthusiasm of a pure labour of love. It’s an unashamed celebration of the kind of muscular, R&B-influenced Latin Jazz that came out of the LA and New York studios in the 1970s and remains a touchstone for high-energy high-end playing. All three leaders have impressive credentials as players, arrangers, bandleaders, and general high-end operators at the top levels of the biz and the supporting cast have been chosen to match their accomplishments. Opening track lays out the stall: Edwin Sanz and Tristan Banks lays down a rock-solid cha cha, the latter building up to his trademark flamboyance on the outro, over which Qigley hits the high notes, Mires the low ones, Booth builds up a fire, and all three combine to set out some satisfying punchy charts. Davide Giovanni and Alex Wilson get to do their thing on the uptempo salsa of ‘Nodge’ the latter topping his montunos with a stunning solo workout, ‘Bailar Toda La Noche’ ends on a deep Cuban groove, and ‘Scallywag’ introduces some furious merengue to raise the temperature still higher. Everyone plays so well that it’s impossible to single out any one player and the quality of the material is consistently high - ‘Sacucido No Revuelto’ mixes things up with a odd-number fusion groove that still preserves the Latin feel. This band should be dynamite live, if we ever get the chance.

JAMES COPUS - Dusk 
Ubuntu UBU0058

James Copus - trumpet, flugelhorn, voice; Tom Cawley - piano; Conor Chaplin - bass; Jason Brown - drums

James Copus has already established quite a reputation as one of the most accomplished, forward thinking and hard working young trumpeters in the UK today, and for once it would be fair and accurate to describe this debut album as ‘eagerly awaited’.  He’s assembled a killer band of top musicians for this programme of original compositions - Chaplin and Cawley are among the UK;s finest and international standard players in their own right, but the biggest coup of all is the securing of the services of the mighty Jason Brown on drums. Brown is best known as drummer for Ambrose Akinmusire, who currently heads the list of influential contemporary trumpeters in the USA or anywhere else: employing his services is an indication of the project’s ambition, and  comparisons with his other celebrated employer are inevitable. Copus, however, is definitely his own man, and this is a very carefully conceived and executed affair with plenty of originality on display alongside the awesome levels of chops and energy. Opening track “Early Hours’ shows the expected influence of Kenny Wheeler in its compositional style and general atmosphere of airy melancholy, and Copus’ clear, precise, pitch perfect delivery is reminiscent of Wheeler’s own. Jason Brown’s contribution raises the general energy level, there are some punchy fusion-style written unisons for the rhythm section, and Tom Cawley contributes some memorable solo improvisations, as he does throughout. Copus is a hell of a player but holds back on the obvious high-note-specialist fireworks in favour of a precise approach that gives every note its true value, building his melodic lines with a powerful logic. ‘The Line’ has some dizzyingly accurate unisons, but really takes off when Cawley deploys his tastefully configured banks of synths to provide some grandiose sweeping textures. The title track has Copus’s own unaffected vocals, drifting over a rock backbeat to create a poignantly proggy atmosphere that’s quite different from Akinmusire’s approach, or indeed anyone else’s. ‘From The Source’ continues the fusion mood with a tightly written rhythm track and big synth textures, ‘Straight Ahead’ connects back with the swing tradition for some stimulating post-bop, and ‘Yearning’ gives the awesome Chaplin space to shine. This is a really outstanding release of cutting-edge, international quality contemporary jazz that aims high and lands squarely on target every time. 

NIELS LAN DOKY - River Of Time
Inner Adventures - IA002

Niels Lan Doky - piano, keys, glock,percussion; Tobias Dall - bass; Niclas Bardeleben - drums 

Lan Doky has a prodigius reputation, built over 40 years between  the heart of the Danish jazz scene and the fiercely competitive New York jazz world, and his list of collaborators reads like a who’s who of the elite players from Europe and the USA. This record is part of a strategy to ‘ consciously cultivate  his Nordic side’, which seems to mean prioritising a predilection for melody and melancholy. With its jaunty melody overdubbed with tinkling glockenspiel ‘Pink Buddah’ actually sounds closer to the breezy jazz-lite of Pat Metheny, until Lan Doky unleashes his fearsome chops in the brief solo section, and the uncharitable might find that ballads like ‘River Of Time’  veer dangerously close to  lounge music. The rollicking, bluesy ’Greasy Sauce’ has more bite, and Lan Doky’s power and precision are unmistakeable and are matched by his accompanists   ‘Sita’s Sauce’ shows what they can do with a ballad if there’s a little more heft to the compositional content, the gospelly ‘Are You Coming With Me’ manages to combine accessible tambo-slapping funk with a truly dazzling display of pianistic virtuosity, and ‘Houellebecq’ celebrates the gloomy French controversialist with some suitably robustly edgy jamming. The album also contains a selection of radio edits of many of the tracks so we can assume that Lan Doky has his eye firmly on the commercial prize and after all, he’s earned it.

ANDREW McCORMACK - Solo

Ubuntu - UBU0059

Andrew McCormack - piano

Pianist McCormack has established an enviable reputation as a jazz pianist ever since the BBC recognised his originality and talent to award him the 2006 Rising Star Award and Kyle Eastwood signed him up for his quintet. Since then there have been a string of projects, ranging from trio albums, orchestral commissions and some highly regarded duo albums with Jason Yarde, as well as numerous sideman appearances, but his recent activity with his Graviton project has moved away from more traditional forms and into what he himself describes as ‘prog-rock math-jazz’. This is his album of solo performances and gives us a chance to see what the results are when there’s only McCormack, his musicality and a Steinway Model D Concert Grand involved. McCormack plants a foot firmly in the jazz camp with a version of Monks’ ‘Wee See’ that engages thoroughly with the master’s rhythmic quirks, and the standards repertoire is represented by a reading of ‘I Can’t Believe That You’re In Love With Me’ that owes very little to Armstrong (or Dean Martin), quite a bit to Bill Evans, something to the 20th classical tradition, and a substantial amount to McCormack’s own restless imagination. All the other compositions are originals and have a storytelling element to them that perhaps derives from McCormack’s classical influences, artfully blended with more identifiable jazz elements: ‘Crystal Glass’ has echoes of Chick Corea’s fleet right hand against dark, brooding chords, interspersed with chiming Prokofiev figures, and ‘Nomad’ definitely suggests a journey through contrasting terrain. The moods is predominantly serious and intense but McCormack isn’t averse to letting a lyrical light break through the clouds - there’s a huge amount of unobtrusive craftsmanship in evidence that never obscures the emotional intent, and his sure, accurate touch and precise control of dynamics ensures that every piece is beautifully realised. An impressive achievement.  

AHMED ABDULLAH'S DIASPORA Meets AfroHorn, Jazz: A Music of the Spirit, Out of Sistas’ Place

Available at: https://www.ahmedian.com/music/diaspora-meets-afrohorn/

Ahmed Abdullah - trumpet, flugelhorn, vocals; Francisco Mora-Catlett - multi percussion; Monique Ngozi Nri - poetry and vocals; Alex Harding - baritone saxophone; Don Chapman - tenor saxophone; Bob Stewart - tuba; Donald Smith - piano; Radu ben Judah - bass; Ronnie Burrage -multi percussion; Roman Diaz - percussion

Ahmad Abdullah has been a central figure in the evolution of that particular iteration of jazz that coalesced around the imposing figure of Sun Ra in the 1970s, that looked back to the accessible, riotous popular music of the past as much to the expanded sounds of the interstellar future, and conceived of jazz as an enterprise for solidarity and social change as much as an art or entertainment form. After joining the Arkestra in 1975 he’s continued to develop as a performer, a bandleader and composer, an educator, the musical director of the Sista’s Place and other prominent NYC lynchpins of the community, and this recording brings together all those strands into a gloriously life-affirming statement of togetherness.

​The supporting cast includes fellow Arkestra graduates Radu en Judah and Alex Harding alongside other luminaries of the scene such as Arthur Blythe’s longtime associate Bob Stewart on tuba, freebop drummer Ronnie Burrage and Don Smith (brother of Lonnie Liston) on piano, while the lesser known Don Chapman contributes some outstanding clear-toned tenor sax solos throughout - check him on ‘Eternal Spiralling Spirit’ -and Abdullah’s wife Monique Ngozi Nri declaims some righteous verse on ‘Accent’. The music delivers everything that late-career Arkestra devotees could hope for - there’s plenty of long, freewheeling modal jams, the solos flip effortlessly between the tradition and the outer reaches of freedom, there’s percussion and low-end bass grooves aplenty, and even some nifty afro-futurist rap on ‘Discipline 27’, and the ensemble pieces have the kind of raggedly joyous spontaneity that reach back through the Arkestra to the Mingus bands and beyond to the dawn of the music. Abdullah’s unfailingly committed, earthy trumpet is a unifying thread throughout. A joy from start to finish.

AuB 

Edition Records EDN1155

Alex Hitchcock - tenor sax; Tom Barford - tenor sax; Fergus Ireland - bass; James Maddren - drums

Twin tenorists Hitchcock and Barford have already established formidable reputations as up-and-coming saxophone hotshots: both combine a deep engagement with the jazz tradition with an awareness of cutting edge manifestations, the comprehensive technique of post-Brecker stylists like Chris Potter and Seamus Blake, and the adventurous rhythmic conceptions of the contemporary NYC players. 

Their voices, both as composers and performers, are very well-matched - Barford has a little more edge and stridency to his tone but when they blend together as on the ingeniously structured “Valencia” it’s hard to tell who’s playing what. This project toured as a kind of post-Coleman twin-horn free-bop outfit, but this studio offering presents a far more developed vision. The writing is closely plotted to allow bursts of freedom within some very tight structures, and the textural palette is expanded with harmoniser effects, distortion and washes of analogue synths - sometimes, as on ‘Glitch’ all at once - to create a kind of very contemporary fusion sound. All the tunes are around the five minute mark and there’s not a single wasted moment in the tight, punchy arrangements. Maddren and Ireland tackle the challenging rhythmic figures with tremendous gusto and step forward to provide additional melodic content when required, as on the sonorous solo bass intro to ‘Rufio’: Maddren moves effortlessly between punchy deep-toned snare rock groove and subtle textural playing on ‘Ice Man’ under Ireland’s virtuosic explorations. ‘Dual Reality’ has an extended twin-part written piece for both saxes that slowly peels apart into freedom over a deep bass tone: ‘Groundhog Day’ has the kind of polymetric flexibility pioneered by Dave Holland’s various outfits over which both horns soar. 

This is a real gem of an album with a distinctive sound of its own, an impressive attention to detail and some red hot blowing to seal the deal.

DAVID BEEBEE QUARTET 

Beeboss Records 
available at https://davidbeebee1.bandcamp.com/album/david-beebee-quartet

Dave Beebee - piano; Julian Nicholas - tenor sax; Jakub Cywinski - bass; Eric Ford - drums

Dave Beebee is one of those infuriating individuals who seem to excel at everything they turn their hand to. Piano is only one among the several instruments he plays professionally: he also wrote all the tunes on this album, arranged them, recorded them in his own studio, and took the striking photos adorning the cover. He’s assembled a blue-ribbon quartet for this release - Loose Tubes/Brotherhood Of Breath saxist Julian Nicholas will need no introduction to followers of top-flight UK jazz: after a period out of the spotlight his profile has been rising again of late, and it’s a real treat to hear his slightly rough-edged, unsentimentally romantic tone, and unfailing instinct for finding the surest melodic path through the most abstruse harmony, in such sympathetic settings. He’s a real original talent and this music is perfectly suited to his conception. “Strawberry Moon” sets us off, establishing the quartet’s character as firmly within the European iterations of contemporary jazz, with echoes of Jarrett’s great European Quartet in its airy pastoral mood, while ‘Model T’ shows off a darker side with a knotty melody over a  moody vamp and a characteristically creative drum solo from Eric Ford.

There’s eleven original compositions here, which makes for a lot of music, but the quality and variety of the writing is high enough to carry it off - ‘Why’ is a beautiful ballad, ‘X marks the spot’ combines dark harmonies and plaintive shenai-like reed from Nicholas to stunning effect, and ‘Jay’ moves from an impressive extended solo from the excellent Cywinski into a dramatically impressionistic soundscape. ‘U-turn’ unleashes the wonderfully clear-toned Nicholas soprano sax for an afro-celtic flavoured workout, and closing track ‘Duke’ has a beautifully delivered duet between soprano sax and bass highlighting Cywinski’s precise articulation and awesome accuracy. The leader’s own piano delivers a wealth of ideas, intricately conceived harmony, fleet fingered soloing and lush arpeggiated textures. An ambitious project, impressively realised. 

JOE DOWNARD - Seven Japanese Tales

Ubuntu Music 

Joe Downard - bass; Alex Hitchcock - tenor sax; James Copus - trumpet; Will Barry - piano; Rupert Cox - synths; Felix Ambach - drums

Royal Academy graduate Downard came to attention last year holding down the bass chair in Alex Hitchcock’s highly regarded quintet: here Hitchcock returns the favour, adding his powerful tenor sound to riveting effect on solo statements - ‘Aguri’ is a particular stand out. Bandmates Copus and Barry are along as well, but Downard shows that he’s  very much his own man on this set of original compositions inspired by a trip to Japan. He cites Radiohead and James Blake as influences alongside the jazz tradition, and it’s apparent from the start that this is not just an exercise in modish name-checking: Downard’s awareness of the importance of production in assembling his sonic palette, and his native assimilation of the sounds of contemporary avant-pop, mean that his range of influences combine to form a harmonious whole rather than an awkward cut-and-shut. Felix Ambach’s snare is fat, dry and close-miked on ‘A Portrait Of Shunkin’ combining with Downard’s full, deep bass to create a powerful sonic rhythmic bed for James Copus’ soaring post-Wheeler trumpet lines: Rupert Cox’s array of synth textures are carefully chosen to integrate into the soundscape and subtly expand their scope, as on the reflective ‘Bridge Of Dreams’, or to supply a third convincing front-line voice. Downard’s own voice on bass is rich and full and his solo statement on ‘The Tattooer’ refreshingly invokes the melodicism of Haden rather than the rapidity of Patittucci. 

​The writing has plenty of space for the band to stretch out and show what they can do - Barry has some great features and Copus shines throughout - but there’s a consistent impressionistic mood of uplifting melancholy and attention to texture and atmosphere that should resonate as convincingly with the post-rock crowd as the more overtly jazz-fusion feel of ‘The Thief’  - with Copus and Hitchcock playing up an absolute storm - does for Weather Report fans. Downard has managed to curate all his different influences together into a coherent whole, and aided by his superb crew of simpatico young players, he’s delivered a really exciting debut that should attract plenty of attention.

KEVIN FIGES QUARTET - Changing Times

Pig records - PIG10

Kevin Figes - Saxes, Flute, Voice; Jim Blomfield - Fender Rhodes, Prophet, Piano; Thad Kelly - Bass; Mark Whitlam - Drums; Emily Wright - Vocals
Kevin Figes studied saxophone with Soft Machine’s Elton Dean: his career has encompassed work with such diverse leaders as Keith Tippett on the one hand and Pee Wee Ellis on the other: and his solo projects to date, including an Octet and the 4-Sided Triangle project with guitarist Mike Outram, have drawn from influences from David Binney to Hermeto Pascoal and from Gentle Giant to Paul Hindemith. This latest release draws from a similarly idiosyncratic grab bag of inspirations to present a highly individual exploration of jazzy prog-rock fusion. There are definite echoes of the kind of sounds that Soft Machine’s 70s contemporaries would have identified:  Thad Kelly’s chunky fender bass sound mixes with warm Fender Rhodes future-retro synth textures on ‘Enid Dodd’s Ruler”, “Soft Escape Bed” has free-form passages mixed with some unaffectedly eccentric vocals that would have matched anything by proggers  Henry Cow for sheer quirkiness, ‘Toothpick’ is a very retro sounding minor key groove with added fuzz bass in deliberate hommage to Elton Dean and ‘Strange Place’ is inspired by 70s horror movies with some classic wordless vocals and lush hammond chords that recall Hatfield And The North, before unexpectedly breaking into into comedy screams.

Figes has a nicely abrasive tone on alto sax and also contributes some satisfyingly raspy baritone and soft toned flute on the fusion-groove ‘Sea View’. ‘Guiding Light’ dials down the eccentricity to deliver a soprano sax ballad that meanders affectingly over a stepladder of piano chords, leading us onwards to a poignantly unresolved ending. This is the sound of a true original at work, with a sensibility that’s at once very personal, very international in its inspiration, but somehow identifiably English in it’s character. Utterly intriguing.

HOWES3 - Moving Forward

Deep Matter - https://www.deepmatter.co.uk/howes3

Oli Howe - keys; Marcus Porter - bass; Luke Campbell - drums

This young Brighton trio wear their influences on their sleeves on this debut release that takes the sunny west coast groove based sound of George Duke, Don Blackman and Dexter Wansel and gives it a reboot for the current era. Like a much-loved 1970s hot rod taken out of the garage, fitted with the latest engine and transmission upgrades and given a shiny new spray job, this music cruises along a sunlit highway of heavy backbeats and lush chords: the rhythm team of Porter and Campbell make sure there’s always plenty of power under the hood  when it’s time to burn along the straight stretches and are tight and flexible enough to negotiate the twisty curves with ease. 

Tracks like ‘Lucid’ have a very contemporary pop-soul feel with hints of the heavy gospel techniques: Porters’ bass is used melodically, with plenty tastefully deployed pedals and Sharay Reed slides and slurs, and he avoids an excess of outdated slapping and popping that might tilt this too heavily towards retro, though ‘Avenue’ shows he can pull it out of the bag when appropriate. Campbell is an absolute powerhouse on the fusion-y ‘Too Many Kicks’ (which also sports some super hip piano stylings) specialising in thunderous tom fills and crisp kick-snare-hat gospel chops interaction, but can do laid-back as well when required. Chief composing duties are shouldered by Oli Howe and he shows his facility with the style, knack for melodic hooks and thorough command of boppish language on solos, whether on synth for the jazz-smart ‘Avenue’ or piano for the crisply funky ‘Noop’. This record is a ton of fun and should brighten up your summer: get it while the sun’s out.

DOMINIC INGHAM - Role Models
​
available from http://www.dominicingham.com/store/rolemodelspreorder

Dominic Ingham - violin; Jonny Mansfield - vibes; David Swan - piano; Will Sach - bass; Boz Martin-Jones - drums

​Dominic Ingham will be familiar to some already from his role in the much-touted contemporary fusion outfit Bonsai alongside his trombonist brother Rory and a line-up of other forward-looking young UK jazzers. Bonsai’s drummer Jonny Mansfield is here as well, in his more familiar guise as an extremely gifted vibraphonist, and the unusual frontline combo provides ample opportunity to develop an intimate chamber jazz feel. Pulling in the opposite direction, Boz Martin-Jones’ drums and Will Sachs’ bass can supply plenty of polyrhythmic heft to keep things moving briskly forwards, so that the title track swaps seamlessly between contemplative and urgent moods. Ingham’s own violin is a supple and precise voice, full of artful slurs and vocalisations. ‘Fall’ has an elegiac feel with a wordless vocal doubling the pentatonic melody - with a nocturnal vibes solo alongside the violin we’re gently entering undiscovered folk/jazz/rock/fusion territory - while ‘Phones’ bounces briskly along over a springy carpet of rhythm and Ingham’s violin soars above. Young Scottish pianist David Swan impresses with his fluency and accurate articulation - his intro to ‘Phones’ is a miniature gem -  and Sachs and Martin-Jones have more than enough hip rhythmic tricks up their sleeves to give this a contemporary feel - check the artful intro to ‘Pj’s’ leading into Sach’s hip bass solo, and the skein of offbeats underpinning ‘Daydreaming’. ‘Bottles’ is an amazing display of high-wire elegance over endlessly shifting ground. This recording a unique personality: there’s a coherent original sound with an accessible fusion feel but none of the overwrought airlessness of fusion - everyone leaves plenty of space in all the right places and there’s a real focus on melody that makes this a joy to listen to.

MISHA MULLOV-ABBADO - Dream Circus

Edition - EDN1157

Misha Mullov-Abbado - double bass; James Davison - trumpet & flugelhorn; Matthew Herd - alto saxophone; Sam Rapley - tenor saxophone; Liam Dunachie - piano & Hammond organ (track 4); Scott Chapman - drums
This is the former Kenny Wheeler prize winners’ third album of wide-ranging contemporary jazz, produced by fellow bassist Jasper Høiby, and it continues to showcase the range of his talents impressively. As before, the music is rooted in the kind European jazz developed over the 70s with a distinctly British turn, recalling some of the light-touch and lyrical work of Michael Garrick or Johnny Dankworth.  ‘Some Things Are Just So Simple’ starts with a solo statement from the leader’s clear, precisely articulated bass before the ensemble enter with a Vaughan Williams style folk-tinged melody with hints of bluesy phrasing, neatly summarising the way that Mullov Abbado can blend together his empathetic understanding of European classical and popular forms with the jazz tradition. 

As on his previous releases, he deploys his band of outstanding players with skill, in places suggesting a much larger ensemble with a flavour of some of the great US studio bands on the swaggering horns of ‘The Famous Grouse; : arrangements are carefully organised and there’s a range of different moods on offer here, from the rumbustious burlesque quirkyness of ‘Little Astronaut’ to the pastel ballad settings of ‘Equinox’ or ‘Little Vision’. There’s a lightness of touch and playful sense of humour in evidence as well that seems to have spread to the players, and everyone seems to be having a fantastic time with the arrangements, and to have been energised to deliver some really outstanding solos - Sam Rapley on tenor delights, as does Liam Dunachie on piano, but really its unfair to  single out any one contributor as everyone plays so well, and it’s in the blowing sections that the excitement really develops, as when the Mingus-style collective  group wig-out on “Seven Colours’ acts a springboard for Matthew Herd’s bracingly acerbic alto sax. While those seeking anarchic energy, deep repetitive grooves,  or faithful recreations of bop might want to look elsewhere, fans of contemporary big band, of top quality cutting edge playing, and of generally uplifting high quality musical creativity will find much to delight them here.

CLARK SOMMERS Ba(SH) - Peninsula

Outside In Records

Clark Sommers - bass; Geoff Bradfield - tenor & soprano sax; Dana Hall - drums
Chicago bassist Sommers has an impressive CV both as sideman and educator: his most high profile gig is probably holding down the bass chair for Kurt Elling’s band. The typographically challenging Ba(SH) Ensemble is a long-established solo project running alongside his other activities, and anyone expecting something along Elling lines will be in for a surprise: this is a set of modernistic originals played in the trio format that sacrifices some degree of textural variation to allow for a good measure of freedom and interplay, and aligns nicely with current trends. 

​The interaction between the players is paramount to the success of this kind of venture and its evident from the first listening that these guys are longtime friends, possessing the kind of empathy and trust that comes from a well evolved musical relationship. Sommer’s big-toned bass is central to the sound, leading the way with powerful ostinatos on ‘High Tide’ and making full use of the resonating open strings. There’s a modal, riff-based feeling to some of the writing, like ‘Morning Bell’ and the mellow, hypnotic ‘The Forgotten’ that suits the bass-led format, but the trio are versatile enough for Sommers to incorporate free blowing, as on ‘Going Around’ , and suggest more intricately plotted harmonic structures, as on the quizzically melodic ‘Maybe Never ‘’. Dana Hall is a mercurial polyrhythmic force throughout: Bradfield has a light, under-emphasised touch which actually makes the perfect balance for the muscular rhythm team. A highly characterful recording that manages to reach some impressive peaks while wearing its virtuosity lightly, this makes for a highly enjoyable listen.

DAVE STOREY TRIO - Trio - Jouska

 Impossible Ark Records - IALP 026

James Allsopp - Saxophone; Conor Chaplin - Double Bass; Dave Storey Drums

This is the follow-up to 2019’s ‘Bosco’ and is a glorious continuation of the formula. The first track ‘Green Monkey’ presents an unashamed exploration of that jazz cornerstone, the ‘I Got Rhythm’ changes, with total panache: Allsopp’s sax has the kind of contemporary flow and precision we’d expect but his language is nicely pitched to be boppish without being cliched and intricate without sacrificing melody - there are hints of Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh in his fluid and even delivery but with an extra bite, and Storey and Chaplin groove along responsively behind, the trio in perfect balance. 

Chaplin steps up to deliver some impressive (and expressive) solos, on Storey’s original waltz-time ‘Bibi’ in particular, and holds down the harmony with some crisply executed double stops under the Coltrane-meets-Songbook style melody of ‘Forest Far From Home’ : the leader also contributes the reflective latin flavoured ‘Con Dao’ and the title track ‘Jouska’, which  has a Hendersonian swing and bluesy darkness, as does Allsopp’s ‘Gravel Baron’. There’s a ton of great playing which never overburdens the compositions and the band show the positive effect of a year on the road together in their empathetic conversations: the open-ness of the trio format enables them to pay tribute to their influences without ever being overwhelmed by them. 

Allsopp really shines on his own compositions -  the theme of ‘Wooden Hats’ manages to mash together elements of Ornette Coleman and Eddie Harris’ towers of 4th intervals to come up with something very distinctive -  and while everyone wears their hearts on their sleeves regarding their favourite influences there’s no feeling of familiarity or cliche, just some really swinging, genuinely enthusiastic and very technically capable performances. Highly recommended.

ROB LUFT - Life Is The Dancer 

Edition Records EDN1152

Rob Luft - guitar; Joe Wright - tenor saxophone; Joe Webb - hammond organ, piano; Tom McCredie -  bass; Corrie Dick - drums
Featuring: Byron Wallen - tpt (tracks 2 & 10); Luna Cohen - voc (tracks 2 & 10)

Rob’s last run of public appearances were with the very in-the-tradition organ and tough tenor combo with Dave O Higgins: this new release shines the spotlight back on his own eclectic versatility.  While he’s chosen a crew of top-drawer young jazz musicians to work with on this programme of Luft originals, there’s a wide range of international influences at work, and the common thread is a preoccupation with melody and an eagerness to engage with the many folk and pop applications of his chosen instrument. In this respect there are parallels with Julian Lage, with whom Luft also shares a delicate precision of articulation and a wonderfully accurate rhythmic sense. There are definite echoes of the hypnotic grooves of the West African guitar tradition in ‘Life Is A Dancer’ (enhanced by Byron Wallen’s lush-toned trumpet), while ‘Tanpura’ has a brief glimpse of the vocal glissando technique of South Asia, but Luft is too canny to succumb to the temptations of shallow musical tourism, but rather incorporates the techniques into his own idiosyncratic fusion. ‘Synesthesia’ is the closest we get to the language of twitchy contemporary jazz, and even here it is tempered by Luft’s accessible melodicism, echoed in Joe Webb’s wonderfully fluent solo. ‘Sad Stars’ has a bucolic mid-western feel that Metheny might appreciate, with Joe Wright’s tenor sax mournfully delicate: Byron Wallen returns on the elegaic closer ‘Expect The Unexpected’ along with Luna Cohen’s evocative vocals, and makes a beautiful closer: while the infectiously grooving ‘Berlin’ makes an irresistible opening invitation, showing how carefully this project has been put together for maximum listening pleasure. Luft only continues to grow in stature as a composer and performer and this latest offering will delight his fans and should widen his audience outside the jazz clubs and beyond. 

NOEMI NUTI - Venus Eye

Ubuntu UBU0042

Noemi Nuti - vocals, harp; Garath Lockrane - flute; Chris Eldred - piano; Tom Herbert - bass; Emiliano Caroselli - drums

New York native Nuti released her first Brasilian-flavoured album on Ubuntu in 2015 to widespread acclaim. It’s taken a while for this follow-up to appear but she’s been busy in the meantime: last year her contributions to Andrew McCormack’s gnarly prog-fusion Graviton project highlighted her astonishing control and accuracy, and showed her versatility across a range of genres. With this follow-up we’re closer to the kind of sophisticated adult AOR territory where folk, jazz and pop meet and swap notes. Joni Mitchell is an obvious reference point and her influence is apparent in the wordy rush of images in ‘Sunny Perfect Sunday’, every bit as buoyantly uplifting as the title suggests. ‘Beautiful Life’ adds textures of harp and arco bass to a liltingly intimate number that recalls Suzanne Vega: ‘Hush The Sadness’ has a chamber-folk feel that frames Nuti’s exceptionally clear, controlled delivery and translucent tone. The band are superbly responsive, amply flamboyant enough when the occasion demands,  but the playing is never allowed to overwhelm the material: fusions of jazz and pop can often seem like an uneasy pairing if the weight of the band’s chops capsize the capacity of the songwriting, and while the hot bebop swing of ‘Cornflake Girl’ stands out as a demonstration that everyone can really play, ballads like ‘Nevermind’ and ‘Always A Woman’ are delivered simply but wth equal conviction, so that the songs can stand alone, driven by the understated power of Nuti’s voice. ‘Crazy Dance’ allows her to revisit her favourite  Bossa Nova territory for some stunning Joyce-style vocal gymnastics.  Despite the bold range of genres employed the record really hangs together due to the attention to mood and tone, the quality of the songwriting and the sheer exuberance of the performances. A triumph.

SPANISH HARLEM ORCHESTRA - The Latin Jazz Project

Available at: ArtistShare

Oscar Hernández - leader, piano
Special guests:
Bob Mintzer, Miguel Zenon, Kurt Elling, Bob Franceschini, Tom Harrell, Jimmy Haslip, Dave Liebman, Jonathan Powell, Michael Rodriguez, Joe Locke, Jermeny Bosch.

The Spanish Harlem Orchestra have been running under the guidance of pianist/leader Oscar Hernandez for seventeen years, accumulating three Grammy awards and too many festival appearances and accolades to list here. The folk roots of their music reach deep into the African diaspora and its multicultural mingling in the slave colonies of the Caribbean, but the particular iteration they specialise in has a distinctly American accent, growing out of the Latino community in New York as it developed from the prewar Rumba craze through the modernistic Afro-Cuban big bands of visionaries like Machito and into the fusion of Caribbean styles with modern jazz that blossomed in the 1970s with the additional input of the Puerto Rican community Spanish Harlem into the hybrid style known as Salsa. Spanish Harlem Orchestra are working firmly in the tradition of the great 70s labels like Fania and epitomise the enduring strengths of the music: tight, intricate arrangements, with modernistic chord colourings from the super-tight, lushly textured horns over beds of immaculately grooving percussion, thumping bass tumbaos, breathtaking audacious arrangements full of perfectly executed breaks and hits, and flamboyant soloing. There’s an all-star cast of top NYC jazz talent on hand here to spice up the salsa: Bob Mintzer and Tom Harrell provide some top-notch NYC chops, Kurt Elling contributes a somewhat incongruously nocturnal ‘Invitation’, Bob Francheschini adds a touch of the unpredictably outside, Dave Liebman adds his unmistakeably big-toned, adventurously melodic soprano, but the overall standard of playing is so high that it’s impossible to single anyone out. Pure Salsa delight of the highest quality. 

EMMA JEAN THACKRAY - Rain Dance

Movementt – MVMTT01

Emma-Jean Thackray - trumpet, flugelhorn, trombone, bass, keys, drums, voice; Dougal Taylor - drums; Lyle Barton - rhodes; Ben Kelley - sousaphone; Elliott Galvin - synth

 Super-hip London based multi instrumentalist Emma Jean Thackray follows up her Ley Lines ep and enriches her resumé of eclectic jazz-plus projects still further with this latest offering. ‘Rain Dance’ has a Silent Way era Miles feel in to its shifting thirds chords on fender rhodes, but there’s a harder, contemporary Lndn club edge to the rhythm and the fashionable brass bass sound to bring us firmly into 2020. Vels Trio sticksman Taylor excels himself at the kit, bringing some real excitement to proceedings as Thackray blows jazzy squiggles over the groove and Elliot Galvin enriches with squelchy synth textures. ‘Movementt’ ’s compelling club groove sounds very like the jazzy hipster house of St Germaine and will fit seamlessly into the playlist in coffeeshops and branches of Urban Outfitters across the nation. ‘Open’ has spoken word contributions from Thackray herself, crooning vocal choruses and a woozily wonky beat, like a mix of contemporary r&b and beat poetry. It’s super-urban, up to the minute, confidently evocative of late-night urban life, and showcases Thackray’s strong trumpet playing nicely, though there’s the feeling that these sketches only represent a partial view of her abilities. 

THE NECKS - Three 

ReR Megacorp Necks14

Chris Abrahams - piano, keys; Tony Buck - drums, percussion, guitar; Lloyd Swanton - bass

This is the Australian post-jazz improv trio’s 21st album release, and while it’s too much to say that there’s an element of career retrospective here there are nods to their own more recent past: the rocking ‘Body’ from 2018 or the atmos-jazz of 1994’s ‘Aquatic’ . Three long tracks make up the album, crafted from the long spontaneous free-form jams on which The Necks have built their live reputation, enriched with overdubs and textural additions to widen the screen. ‘Bloom’ has a hint of the Dusseldorf motorik in unyielding chatter of percussion, like a busy factory working at full output, creating a dense bed of sound onto which Lloyd Swanton gingerly lowers massive blobs of bass guitar, while Abrahams drapes poignant minor chords over the top. There’s additional synth textures working away as well, but everything gets a bit lost in the sheer sonic density and the cumulative effect is either hypnotic or deadening depending on your taste. ‘Lovelock’ is a textural piece, with dense clouds of sonic steam drifting dreamily overhead, colliding and reforming in slow-motion - it clocks in at just over 22 minutes but seems much longer. ‘Further’ has the kind of loping 5/4 groove and repeating bluesy bassline that Alice Coltrane et al specialised in in the 1970s, and which has returned to vogue rebranded as ‘spiritual jazz’. There are mellow organ  and Morricone-style guitar overdubs,  clanking percussion, and tinkly minor key piano, and the whole drifts pleasantly by for twenty minutes or so before fading away, though it could just as easily have continued for the same amount of time, or ended fifteen minutes earlier. The Necks occupy a space that’s all their own and this record will only enhance their reputation for uncompromising creative fearlessness. 

MOSES BOYD - Dark Matter

Exodus (8) – XOCD001

Moses Boyd - drums, producer; Ife Ogunjobi - trumpet; Theon Cross - tuba; Nathaniel Cross - trombone, bass trombone; Binker Golding - tenor sax; Nubya Garcia - tenor sax; Michael Underwood - tenor sax, flute; Chelsea Carmichael - baritone sax; Arnaud Guichard - alto sax; Joe Armon Jones - keys; Artie Zaitz - guitar; Philip Harper - percussion; Poppy Ajudha - vocals; 
Obongjayar - vocals; Steven Umoh - vocals; Nonku Phiri - vocal; Klein - vocals

Boyd came to the fore with his strident sax and drums duo with Binker Golding,  and followed up wth the dubstep-abstract ‘Rye Lane Shuffle’, so it’s something of a surprise that his first album release as leader, songwriter and producer should be dominated by a relatively easy-on-the-ear Afrobeat inflected contemporary jazz funk. ‘Stranger Than Fiction’ features ambient keys, mournful sax melodies and nocturnal muted trumpet over a scintillating rhythm track of skittering hi hats and low-end brass bassline from the Cross brothers - the feel is actually quite similar to some of Eddie Henderson’s 1970s fusion LPs for Blue Note. ‘B.T.B’ has massed horns over a pulsating afrobeat groove climaxing in some fluid, biting-toned guitar work from long-time associate Artie Zaitz: ‘Y.O.Y.O’ has a similarly afro feel with dreamy horns floating over Theon Cross’ tuba growl and some alternately psychedelic and jazzily clear-toned interludes from the superb Zaitz. Keys man du jour Joe Armon Jones gets a feature as well, his piano rippling effortlessly over an uptempo two-step on ‘2 Far Gone’, reminiscent of the Yusuf Kamaal format.

The vocal contributions are nicely judged to inject a contemporary feel to the album - Poppy Ajudha is cooly soulful over an ambient Sonar Kollectiv groove background while Nonku Phiri’s track pushes the envelope a bit further, with her voice and Nubya’s sax drifting together over a darkly abstract electronic soundscape. ‘Only You’ has a similarly ambient-electro feel,  but the general vibe throughout the record is warmer and more organic. The intensity rises noticeably for Obongjayar’s feature ‘Dancing In The Dark’ -  no relation to the Dietz/Schwartz song popularised by Artie Shaw, it’s an angry tale of urban alienation that simultaneously lifts and darkens the impact of the album. It’s nice to hear some candid audio clips from much-loved elder statesman Gary Crosby featured on the epic downtempo closer ‘What Now'

ANDRE CANNIERE - Ghost Days 

Whirlwind WR4753

Andre Canniere - trumpet, flugelhorn; Tori Freestone - tenor sax; Brigitte Beraha - vocals; Rick Simpson - keys; Tom Farmer - bass; Andrew Bain - drums

Pennsylvania native, UK-based Canniere has assembled an impressive cast of top-flight UK players to realise his follow-up to his acclaimed The Darkening Blue release from 2016. It’s a development of his adventures into this territory between jazz, folk and fusion, and opening track ‘Suicides’ (actually about ladybirds) sets out the stall to good effect. There’s an insistent, funky ostinato groove from rhodes, acoustic bass and Andrew Bains’ tight but light drums over which Beraha’s clear, uninflected vocals float, then combine with the horns to sketch out coolly minimalist horn charts: then the track builds into more jazz-fusion territory,  from an explosive  drum break into some increasingly intense trades between the leader’s trumpet and Freestone’s sax. Both horns lay out their customary hip cpntemporary jazz language, but Freestone especially seems to be relishing the jazz-rock setting and her sax is full-toned and rhythmical. ‘Colours’ is particularly powerful as a piece of post-rock shot through with impassioned soloing from the horns over a tight punchy rhythm track, while ‘Erasure’ has the kind of sombrely uplifting melodic structures that recall Radiohead or Bon Iver as much as Miles Davis, and ‘My Star’ has the hushed, relaxed simplicity of a Norah Jones tune until it opens out into a pair of truly stunning solos from Canniere and Klammer supremo Rick Simpson. 

Throughout Canniere and co manage to keep the balance of rock’s directness and linear melodic development with a healthy quotient of genuine high-level jazz music content - Canniere says he still sees the music as jazz, as informed by his love of Miles and Freddie Hubbard as by the influences he’s absorbed from alt-rock, and followers of both genres will find his engagement to be authentic and engaging.  The whole adds up to a fascinatingly individual package that is accessible and challenging at the same time - approach with an open mind for uniquely satisfying results. 

GEORGE COLLIGAN - Live In Arklow

Ubuntu Music

George Colligan - piano; David Redmond - bass; Darren Beckett - drums

Colligan has gained a formidable reputation as a toughly virtuosic all-rounder who’s equally at home playing funk, free or at the cutting twisty-composition edge of the contemporary mainstream. What sets him apart in particular is his ability to swing, and swing hard - a facility that places him in the lineage not only of post-Herbie Hancock and Jarrett impressionists but also of later interpreters of the legacy of Wynton Kelly and Sonny Clark like Mulgrew Miller, Benny Green and John Hicks. It’s this latter side that is triumphantly brought to the fore in this super-vibey set of live recordings from the recent Bray Jazz Festival. 

The live sound from the Arklow Methodist Church is detailed and punchy but free of studio sheen and enlivened with a very natural sounding reverb that conjures up some of the raw, unvarnished directness of classic sides from the 1950s, and the trio’s energy and empathy simply bursts out of the speakers. Opener Up Jumped Spring crackles with hot, swinging ideas from the inexhaustible Colligan, while the rhythm team drive him ever onwards. Darren Beckett’s drums sound enormous, all the better to capture the energy of his explosive  trades on Spring, while his snare backbeat drives the funk-rock Lost On Fourth Avenue to stadium levels of intensity. Again With Attitude dials in some crashing McCoy Tyner left hand for added drama, and Dave Redmond impresses with the fluency and accuracy of his solo statement, while Beckett gets an opportunity to set off further fireworks of his own. What Is This Thing Called Love is refreshed by an unexpected ballad interpretation: The Influence Of Jazz is a high-intensity latin romp: and closer Usain captures the headlong rushing speed and focus of its eponymous athletic hero, with Redmond solid as a rock and Beckett dropping bombs aplenty. There’s an abundance of inspired playing on this album but at the same time it feels like there’s never a wasted note, so in tune are the trio with each other, and so undeniable is their collective energy. A ton of fun. 

TOM GREEN SEPTET - Tipping Point
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Spark!-008

Tom Green - trombone; Sam Miles - tenor sax; Tommy Andrews - alto & soprano sax; James Davison - trumpet & flugelhorn; Sam James - piano; Misha Mullov-Abbado - bass; Scott Chapman - drums

Trombonist  Tom Green has been exerting a wholesome influence for the good on the UK jazz scene for some years now: as well as creating employment opportunities for his fellow young jazz artists by pursuing a busy schedule as bandleader and arranger, he’s joint boss of the Spark! label whose mission statement is ‘to support emerging jazz and creative music artists’: this is the second release for his own septet, with a line-up populated by an impressive array of bandleaders, composers and performers and fellow Royal Academy graduates who are also personal friends: and 20% of proceeds are to go to various charities dedicated to restoring the forests across the world. 

​However, this isn’t an academic exercise in worthiness or an exhibition display of chops: the band as as tight, responsive and accomplished  as you might expect, but the album derives its power and character from the quality of the compositions, all written by Green (apart from an imaginative expansion on Joni Mitchell’s ‘My Old Man’) and evidencing a thorough command of the band’s resources, a sure feel for melody and a real breadth of emotional engagement. The contrapuntal voices and big brassy chords of ‘Kaleidoscope’ demonstrate how  Green makes the most out of the four-horn line-up to create a breadth of textures that imply a much larger line-up: all the soloists excel, from Tommy Andrew’s cuttingly bittersweet alto on ‘Tipping Point; to Sam Miles’ tenor workout on ‘Jack O Lantern’ while the rhythm team revel in the challenges of the material and audibly delight in being as precise or flamboyant as the occasion demands - check drummer Chapman’s workout on the end of the phrygian Gil Evans flavoured ‘Kaleidoscope’. Green’s trombone is full-toned and nimble, sitting nicely alongside Mullo-Abbado’s equally precise and athletic bass, and pianist Sam James fills out the arrangements adroitly and impresses with his dynamic sensitivity on features like ‘Champagne Sky’ - his trades with Mullov-Abaddo on ‘Jack O Lantern’ are a delight.  There’s an impressive attention to detail in the arrangements but they flow very naturally and never sound fussy or cluttered, and the sense of comradeship and benign good intentions comes across very clearly even in the complexity of ‘Jack O’Lantern’ which still retains an almost folkloric melodicism. Uplifting music for these trying times.

HEISENBERG UNCERTAINTY PLAYERS - Gradient

available at huplayers.com

John Dorhauer - director; Natalie Lande, Kelley Dorhauer, Dan Burke, Matthew Beck, James Baum - saxes; Micheal Nearpass, Josh Torrey, Chris Shuttleworth, Dan DiCesare - trombones; Adam Roebuck, Jon Rarick, Bennet Heinz, Emily Kuhn - trumpets; Chris Parsons - guitar; Dan Parker - bass; Jonathon Wenzel - drums

HUP are something of a Chicago institution, as well as being a distinct anomaly - a 17-piece big band specialising in original compositions and arrangements by the band members, who have managed to survive and thrive since 2011 playing regular shows around their home town. They’ve evolved a sound that’s contemporary and broadly pop-based, but stake out a different territory to acts like Snarky Puppy. Slickly funky tracks like ‘Boombox’,  ‘Plasma’ and  ‘Nevertheless She Persisted’ evoke the slinky sound of LA studio fusion, like an expanded vocal-free Steely Dan - ‘Subject/Verb/Object’  and ‘Four Sides Of the Circle’ borrow from the more adventurous vocabulary of modern classical composers (a debt made explicit in their reworking of the 1st movement of Mahler’s 3rd) - ‘Schedule Loss’ has a kind of contemporary funked-up James Last feel. 

The trombone-heavy, super-tight horn sound is quite distinctive, the soloists all have something to say, and Dan Parker and Jon Wenzel are a superb and flexible rhythm team. Director John Dorhauer supplies all the compositions (apart from the Mahler, of course), and while he can turn his hand convincingly to a range of styles, this diversity comes at the expense of a clear identity over the course of the record. Nevertheless there’s a great deal to enjoy here and fans of contemporary big band sounds, and of high-quality listening in general, should check it out.

EXPANSIONS / DAVE LIEBMAN GROUP - Earth

Whaling City Sound 

Dave Liebman - soprano sax; Matt Vashlishan - reeds; Bobby Avey - piano; Tony Marino - bass; Alex Ritz - drums
Soprano sax specialist, patrician educator and author of several books on jazz theory and practice, veteran of Miles and Elvin Jones’ bands and well-respected bandleader and recording artist in his own right, Dave Liebman is an artist who doesn’t believe in standing still. This album is the latest in a decades-long project to “musically depict manifestations of the four natural elements”, and to this end Liebman has surrounded his fluid, biting-toned soprano with an array of electronic instruments and signal processors to create a kind of electro-free-fusion. His credentials as a major compositional force in the music are evident in the startlingly original, carefully wrought theme that’s stated in unison at the end of ‘Earth Theme’, which comes after a protracted free-time textural exploration with all manner of harmonisers and modulation effects being freely applied to sporano, keyboards, bass guitar and miscellaneous unidentifiable reeds alike. 

The album’s compositions are created according to an intervallic scheme of Liebman’s own devising, and there’s no denying the power of his artistic imagination or the rigour of his theoretical framework but unfortunately the preponderance of outré electronic squelches, bleeps, squeaks and wibbles have a cumulatively comic effect that unintentionally undermines the seriousness of the intent. ‘Grand Canyon/Mt Everest’ dials back the textural experimentation in favour of a hushed sense of space that is genuinely evocative, and ‘Concrete Jungle’ shows how fast and tight the band can swing - ‘Galaxy’ is a kind of utterly demented 16th note funk that defies categorisation, showcasing the extraordinary polyrhythmic talents of drummer Alex Ritz. The band are awesomely accomplished, and there’s a powerful musical intelligence throughout that leaves a lasting impression: this certainly sounds like nothing else currently on offer.

JURE PUKL - Broken Circles

Whirlwind Recordings

Jure Pukl - tenor & soprano saxophone, bass clairnet; Charles Altura - guitar; Joel Ross - vibraphone; Matt Brewer - double bass; Kweku Sumbry - drums

Slovenian saxist and composer Pukl is thoroughly embedded in the vanguard of young NYC players: he and his wife Melissa Aldana comprising something of a tenor sax power couple on the scene. This latest release features a band of forward-looking coevals in a programme of originals: the unusual guitar/vibes lineup might suggest a chamber jazz feel but the consistent power and sheer unbridled imagination of the astonishing Kweku Sumbry on drums constantly drive the band to greater heights of energy. 

Both Joel Ross and Charles Altura are capable of delivering dizzying sweeps of 16th notes, as their playing on opening track ‘Sustained Optimism’ demonstrates, and their tones blend together to create an intriguing texture over which Jukl’s plaintive, sometimes hoarse-toned sax sketches out twisting melodies that skirt around the harmonic centres in a manner that recalls the idiosyncratic post-bop adventurism of Sam Rivers. ‘Broken Circles’ alternates super-tight written unisons with short blowing interludes over a chattering rhythm from Sumbry that evokes his African heritage without being in thrall to it. ‘Separation’ has more of a chamber feel, with Matt Brewer stepping forward from his pivotal role as the band’s anchor to make a considered solo statement. ‘Compassion’ uses  the additional ghostly rattling of Chilean kalimba to introduce a pensive soprano-led ballad. ‘Triumph Of Society’ builds through dazzling guitar and drums tours de force into an almost symphonic conclusion. 

Pukl switches to dark-toned bass clarinet for a reading of morbid classic ‘Gloomy Sunday’ that provides an album highlight, building from darkness into light. Brewer comes to the fore again for the bustling ‘Half Past Five’, a classic slice of straight-eights odd-meter contemporary jazz: ‘Kids’ opens with  some candid audio of a child’s sax lesson as a refreshing corrective to the high-intensity virtuosity and develops into a lovely limpid ballad, and ‘Sky Is The Limit’ ends on a similarly accessible, uplifting note. Pukl uses his impressive resources as a composer to create music that displays the full range of his band’s impressive talents, but there is also a sense of development, striving towards a unified vision where composition, improvisation and texture all combine to produce a highly individual and accessible sound that’s more than the sum of its impressive parts.

HARISH RAGHAVAN - Calls For Action 

Whirlwind WR 4749

Harish Raghavan -bass; Joel Ross - vibes; Kweku Sumbry - drums; Micah Thomas - piano; Immanuel Wilkins - alto sax 

This is Harish Raghavan’s debut under his own name, but fans of the younger end of the NYC scene, especially as represented by Whirlwind, will already be familiar with his big-toned powerful attack and deep gutty sound,  through his work with such luminaries as Walter Smith III and vibes sensation Joel Ross. In fact Ross here repays the favour and joins in, along with his regular altoist Immanuel Wilkins and a band of hip young players from the same scene. They share a common vocabulary that matches Raghavan’s very contemporary take on what you might call the avante-mainstream. Newe has a tumbling odd-number time feel with a complex melody dancing above the churning rhythm figures and some wide-open post-bop solos - Los Angeles has a hushed yet  celebratory feel with traces of gospel in the melody, with the impressive Sumbry adding dropping funked-up bombs throughout - Sangeet showcases the light-toned Wilkins in a bright, Jarret-like dance. There’s a lot of music here over the 70 minutes and the pace, energy and complexity keeps at high levels throughout - the solemn, resonant bass intro to I’ll Go And Come Back is a delight, and while sadly The Meters is a bombastic multiple-time textural exploration rather than a tribute to the Cissy Strut crew, the Art Ensemble Of Chicago tribute Calls For Action is a stately triumph of deep bass,shimmering vibes and clear-toned sax developing into a dizzyingly virtuosic ensemble. Young gun Micah Thomas excels, but so does everyone really, and the solo interludes for bass are especially satisfying. The sheer amount of musical content can sometimes overwhelm the listener but its worth it. 

IAN SHAW / IAIN BALLAMY / JAMIE SAFIR - What’s New?

Silent Wish records SWRCD1

Ian Shaw - vocals; Iain Ballamy - tenor saxophone; Jamie Safir - piano
Recorded 21, 22 & 23 April, 2019

A simple proposition, simply delivered - a programme of evergreen standards performed by the UK’s leading specialist in such matters, backed by his regular accompanist and, for good measure, further enriched by one of our most acclaimed tenor players. Shaw and Ballamy are very well matched: the former’s precise delivery, sure pitch and effortlessly hip phrasing are already the stuff of legend and Ballamy also scores highly on all three counts. On ‘You’ll Never get To Heaven’ his saxophone shadows the voice so closely that you can really appreciate how their respective tones blend together - smooth but with a hint of rasp and a crisp articulation that keeps an edge to proceedings and prevents any hint of schmaltz, even on such well-known tearjerkers as ‘Prelude To A Kiss’ or ‘Alfie’.

‘It Might As Well Be Spring’ is taken at a faster pace that brings out the sophisticated uplift of the melody - ‘I Wish I Were In Love Again’ is suitably rollicking and allows Ballamy space to show off some nifty rhythmic conceptions and his melodic Getz-ian sensitivity, which Shaw matches with his flamboyant delivery. Shaw lays out on ‘Come Sunday’ and Safir and Ballamy create an enchanting duet: ‘I’ll Only Miss Him When I Think Of Him” is a suitably poignant and heartfelt closer, demonstrating Shaw’s ability to match outstanding technical execution with genuine deep emotion without letting the former obscure the latter. A perfect showcase for three outstanding talents.

WILL VINSON - four forty one

Whirlwind WR4752

Will Vinson - alto sax; Sullivan Fortner, Tigran Hamasyan, Gerald Clayton, Fred Hersch, Gonzalo Rubalcaba - piano; Matt Brewer, Matt Penman, Rick Rosato, Larry Grenadier - bass; Obed Calvaire, Billy Hart, Clarence Penn, Jochen Ruckert, Eric Harland - drums

Will Vinson is celebrating his twentieth year in NYC since relocating from his native London, and a glance through the credits on this landmark album give a good indication of his status among the city’s A list of jazz players. This record was conceived as a tribute to some of Vison’s formative influences, but also as very good excuse to assemble a dream team of five of Vinson’s favourite ever pianists to explore different sides of his musical personality. So we have Sullivan Fortner, favourite keysman for the late lamented Roy Hargrove, on some artfully deconstructed versions  of the classic standards-to-bop repertoire (Heyman/Young’s Love Letters, John Lewis’ Milestones) - culture-crossing time-shifting virtuoso Tigran Hamasyan on the terrific Vinson original Banal Street and Keith Jarret’s mournful Oasis, and young gunslinger and Charles Lloyd associate Gerald Clayton on the mediative low-slung groove of Cherry Time. There’s still space for master composer Fred Hersch to lend his utterly original harmonic imagination to Monk’s Work, while Vinson’s longtime collaborator Gonzalo Rubalcaba lends his powerful attack and pinpoint rhythmic accuracy to a pair of Vinson originals. As if this wasn’t enough, the rhythm teams are consistently outstanding throughout, and perfectly matched to their respective pianists: Brewer and Calvaire’s work on Love Letters is a particular delight, and its great to hear  much-loved veteran Billy Hart in such unaccustomed surroundings.  While the Rubalcaba band may seem to wear the laurels in terms of current profile, it’s really impossible to pick a front-runner: the less well-known teams all hold their own in terms of originality, ability and conviction. Vinson’s bitter-sweet, unsentimental alto is the common thread that ties everything together. Outstanding.

ZEÑEL - Extreme Sports

Available on Spotify and across all digital platforms

Laurence Wilkins - trumpet, programming; Noah Stoneman - keys, programming; Zoe Pascal - drums
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Precociously talented teenagers Zeñel have already attracted attention for their high-energy live sets, not only on account of the youthful zest of their playing but also because the way that their mastery of the digital affordances of Ableton software enables them to create a spectacular digital soundscape without resorting to prerecorded playback. This is their first recorded offering, re-creating their live set in the studio without overdubs, and the results are outstanding. Go to ‘Zozo is Zozo/The Curse’ for a full on blend of low end squelch, dark dubstep influenced electronic textures and powerhouse drumming from Pascal. All three players have convincing jazz level chops - check out Wilkin’s confidently modernistic, fleet and supple trumpet work, with a hint of Christian Scott, on the previously mentioned track, and throughout the album, and Noah Stoneman’s nimble Hancock-isms on Rhodes on the swaggering ‘Ewok Dance’. They are also not scared of writing a catchy tune or two, as evidenced by the insouciantly jaunty ‘Bubbleleaves’ and the naggingly catchy ‘Bi’. What impresses most about this release is the way that they have managed to blend their jazz sensibilities with their instinctive understanding of contemporary electronic dance music to create a genuinely original and integrated musical vision that’s both impressive and hugely engaging. This promises to be the start of a really enjoyable musical journey. 

HARRY CHRISTELIS / MOOSTAK TRIO

Clonmell Jazz Social 

Harry Christelis - guitar; Andrea Di Biase - bass; Dave Storey - drums

This extremely accomplished debut from young guitarist Christelis matches him with two simpatico talents for some meditative introspection. Drummer Dave Storey is already a bandleader in his own right, and his imaginative technique, grounded in jazz but flexible enough to accommodate all sorts of textural experiments, gels perfectly with the superb Andrea Di Biase’s rich tone and sure intonation. Christelis keeps the tone clean with some judicious use of reverb but adds some tasteful electronic touches to the free-leaning explorations of ‘Solenganis’.  

‘Stella’ and ‘Blues For Jo’ are hushed, languid melodic pieces with an ECM feel, while ‘Haring Tree’ picks u the pace for some puckish pirouetting lines before developing into a tasteful minor key groove that recalls the 90s collaborations between Bill Frisell and Marc Johnson. All the tunes are linked with some short textural sketches, spontaneously improvised in the studio, which contrast with the carefully constructed written pieces like ‘The Garden’ with its meticulously plotted counterpoint between guitar and bass. ‘Zero Hours’ is an attractively simple melody with a distinctly folk feel that develops gently though subtly different iterations to provide the album highlight. The album’s consistently hushed mood makes this an inversion of the standard guitar power trio, but there’s plenty of personality to engage the attention throughout. 

RICHIE GOODS & THE GOODS PROJECT - My Left Hand Man: A Tribute to Mulgrew Miller

Richie Goods - bass; Lil John Roberts - drums; Shedrick Mitchell - piano; Mike King - piano; Tariqh Akoni - guitar; David Rosenthal - guitar; Jean Baylor - vocals; Chein Chien Lu - vibes; Danny Sadownick - percussion 

UK listeners may not be familiar with Richie Goods’ name, and more shame them, as he’s amassed a truly remarkable CV that includes work with everyone from Milt Jackson, Russell Malone, Vincent Herring, the Manhattan Transfer and Walter Beasley to Brian McKnight, DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, Whitney Houston  Christina Aguilera and Alicia Keys. As his own bio puts it, music is the fulfilment of Richie’s destiny, and listening to his assured playing on both upright and electric bass at the head of his high-octane fusion band it’s hard to disagree. This album explores the legacy of one of his formative influences: doyenne of mainstream pianists Mulgrew Miller, with whom Good played for a remarkable nine years, and who originated the nickname that forms the album’s title. Miller commands respect not only for the vigour and originality of his playing, but also for his commitment to the cause of mainstream jazz at a time when its stock was lower than it is today: but Good has chosen to commemorate his legacy by re-working his ex-boss’ compositions  into a contemporary fusion template. At best, as on ‘Eastern Joy Dance’ and compelling, acoustic bass-driven  ‘Know Wonder’, the results are fresh and invigorating: the latter tune especially evoking comparisons with the acoustic Return To Forever cuts in its driving energy. Tracks like the Rhodes and wah-wah laden ‘Farewell To Dogma’ and the vocal-led ‘Second Thoughts’ devolve into a pleasant but unremarkable smooth-jazz which may or may not engage fans of Mulgrew. Throughout the band’s playing is as uniformly superb as you would expect from such an accomplished cohort: Goods and Roberts create some impeccable pockets: there are string arrangements from Geoffrey Keezer on ‘Song For Darnell’; Goods and co show off their acoustic jazz chops on ‘The Sequel’ and everyone sounds like they are having a lot of fun. 
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ROSS McHENRY - Nothing Remains Unchanged 

One World Records 

Ross McHenry - bass guitar; Eric Harland - drums; Ben Wendel - sax; Matthew Sheens - keys
This is the fourth solo release from the energetically irrepressible McHenry, and he’s assembled an outstanding band of international talent to realise his compositions. Fellow Australian Matthew Sheens joins on acoustic piano - based in New York, he’s already accumulated an impressive CV working with bass superstars John Pattitucci and Linda Oh: Canadian Ben Wendel is best known as a member of high-intensity fusion gymnasts Kneebody but has also performed with the likes of Tigran Hamasyan and Antonio Sanchez, and Eric Harland will need no introduction to anyone who follows upper end of the NYC jazz-plus scene. With this line-up of top-flight practitioners you would expect a programme of high-end contemporary jazz-fusion, and this is exactly what you get.  ‘Adelaide’ serenades that rather somnolent city with an uptempo 7/8 major key melody, adorned with cascading piano lines from Sheens, and ’Complicated Melody’ is just that, over a super-sophisticated rhythm grid: both tunes end with the band hitting an repeated figure over which Harland does his polyrhythmic stuff to dazzling effect. ‘East West’ has a more mellow reflective feel: the long, winding melody delivered by Wendel to set up Sheen for an outstandingly assured solo over the oblique harmony like a super-charged version of an ECM record, after which he obliges with some flawlessly executed Brecker-isms of his own. ‘Forest Dance’ has a hint of the Jarrett/Garbarek band, pitched between European and US accents, and a fleet fingered solo from the leader. ‘Processional’ breaks the mould with a solemn folk-tinged theme, as suggested by the title, allowing Wendel to emote over the rubato backing to powerful effect: ‘This I Give To You’ is the nearest we get to a ballad with a beautifully simple unaccompanied section from Sheens that leads into a powerful build. ‘Highway Morning’ restates the Jarrett link with a gospel-flavoured midtempo that is the perfect showcase for Wendel’s high-ranging virtuosity. This is a powerful, accessible and beautifully realised contemporary fusion record - if no new ground is broken, the quality of composition and performance is such that McHenry’s reputation will only continue to grow. 

SEN3 - Live 

Available at https://sen3.bandcamp.com/

Max O'Donnell - Guitar; Dan Gulino - Bass; Saleem Raman - Drums

As well as releasing two acclaimed studio albums since 2017, SEN3 have developed a fearsome reputation as a live act, with regular appearances across the capital and beyond. Their idiosyncratic approach to fusion combines some tight written sections with wide open improvisations that concentrate on playing with texture and dynamics on top of killer grooves: the live setting gives them plenty of room to develop their ideas and roll with them, building up monstrous amounts of energy on uptempo explorations like ‘The Drop’. Guitarist Max O’Donnell wears his Wayne Krantz influences on his sleeve but has plenty of personality of his own to add to the mix, whether through the chiming whammy bar chords of ‘Night Pay’ or the thrilling high velocity shreds of ‘Pigeon’ and his mastery of his banks of effects pedals means that the textural explorations are always deployed effectively and never drift off into electronic overkill. He also has a nice line in altered-scale soloing that Allan Holdsworth might have enjoyed, but keeps it in check to concentrate on a more contemporary post-rock values of dynamics and atmosphere. Bassist Dan Gulino and Ronnie Scotts’ regular Saleem Raman have all the necessary precision and power to keep the energy up and to maintain focus so that the long improvisations don’t languish in a sea of reverb but stay crisply creative - Gulino’s punchy chording on ‘Plate Vice’ is particularly satisfying and Raman is on point throughout, tight and grooving or extrovert as the occasion demands. SEN3 are a band who’s truest representation is perhaps in a live setting and this clear and punchy recording is a compelling document of how exciting they can be.

DARIO NAPOLI MODERN MANOUCHE PROJECT - Joie De Vivre

Available at: darionapoli.com/store/

Dario Napoli - lead guitar; Tommaso Papini - guitar; Tonino De Sensi - bass guitar

Sicilian-born and Milan-based bandleader & guitarist Dario Napoli has developed an enviable reputation on the European Sinti Guitar circuit as a talented exponent of the deathless style created virtually singlehandedly by the mighty Django Reinhardt, the popularity of which continues undiminished across a European network of festivals and concert tours. Modern Manouche Project is his personal contribution to the genre: while staying within the boundaries of a style the rules of which have been strictly codified for over half a century, he has used the project to introduce his own original compositions and expand the repertoire to include material by such diverse composers Johnny Mandel and Charlie Haden. The latter’s Our Spanish Love Song is given a modern tango feel that recalls Piazolla: Mandel’s The Shadow Of Your Smile is given a subtly swinging ballad reading over which Napoli spreads skeins of flawlessly articulated arpeggios and storm clouds of tremolo chords in the approved manner. He’s a superb technician, his speed, fluency, accuracy and imagination matched by a clear delivery and an infectious sense of swing: Tonino De Sensi matches his speed and accuracy on his signature series bass guitar, so that the two of them can break into burbling high-speed unison on the introduction to the Napoli’s original You, and De Sensi is more than capable of sharing solo duties throughout, duplicating Napoli’s fluent runs and arpeggios in a lower register. The choice of instrumentation gives the album an intimate chamber feel: Napoli’s compositions mostly sit well within the tradition, with some nice sophisticated arrangement touches (as in the infectiously joyful title track), though No Regrets ventures into a smooth jazz-funk that’s equally easy on the ear, and Simple Pleasure ventures into unexpected blues-rock territory to inconsequential effect. Highly accomplished in both conception and execution, this is a worthy addition to the genre, though its appeal to its constituency may hinge on the listener’s appetite for solos played on the bass guitar rather than the more traditional violin. 

Maria Chiara Argiro

Hidden Seas

(Cavalo Records CRMCACD01)

Italian keyboardist Maria Chiara Argirò maintains a busy presence around London’s cutting edge of jazz-based musical activities, most recently with Liran Donin’s post-Avishai Cohen outfit 1000 Boats. A formidably accomplished musician, she’s emblematic of the kind of international, wide-ranging scene that’s grown up in London, with musicians from across the world drawn to the vibrant scene arising from the various jazz undergraduate and post-graduate teaching courses. For this record she’s surrounded herself with a team of like-minded international collaborators, all of whom are equally at home working in the area where jazz intersects with other adventurous musical forms. Opening track Beneath The Surface introduces us to an impossible-to-categorise sound world where the structures of ECM style piano jazz intersect with the effects-laden sonorities of Tal Janes’ guitar and Leila Martial’s clear, evocative folk-inflected vocals to create a very individual, atmospheric and accessible song-based project. The mood is generally introspective but Argirò’s keyboards and production ideas combine with the range of textures produced by the band – bowed bass, percussion, artfully deployed analogue synths – to create a cinematic, widescreen impression that might reflect the influence of Argirò’s former employers, the art-rockers These New Puritans. From One Land To Another makes the contemporary jazz influences more obvious, but one of the pleasures of this highly characterful record is that it evades categorisation while still establishing a very clear identity. There’s an understated, carefully considered feel to the playing that belies the high level of virtuosity available when needed – on Watery Universe for instance – and the recurrent themes of watery elements and empty oceans are powerfully evoked. A really outstanding creation from a unique musical vision.

Maria Chiara Argirò, piano, keyboards; Sam Rapley, tenor sax; Tal Janes, guitar; Andrea Di Biase, bass; Gaspar Sena, drums; Leila Martial, vocals.

THEON CROSS - Fyah
Gearbox GB1550 

Theon Cross - tuba; Moses Boyd - drums; Nubya Garcia - drums; Wayne Francis (Ahnanse) - tenor sax; Artie Zaitz - guitar; Tim Doyle - percussion; Nathaniel Cross - trombone

Theon Cross is something of a tuba phenomenon on the new London jazz scene; his virtuosity, imagination and sheer stamina on the unwieldly brass monster have powered such of the pivotal outfits as Cassie Kinoshi’s Seed,  Moses Boyd’s Exodus and, of course, Shabaka Hutching’s current Mercury-nominated, globetrotting Sons Of Kemet. His huge tone and powerful rhythmic chops have been a defining characteristic of the Hutchings band; the amorphous, wooly low end, often doubled with electronically generated sub-bass, is perfect for evoking the kind of contemporary urban club styles that this cohort of musicians turn to for inspiration, while the tradition of the ‘brass bass’ simultaneously links back to the earliest beginnings of jazz as a more communal, dance-based form; the sound is at once ancient and futuristic.

This record follows the template established by both Exodus and Kemet; the tuba lays down heavy, repetitive syncopated basslines (though Cross also has the chops to solo convincingly when required) while the drums hammer out a groove and the sax dances over the top with simple, pentatonic riffs and melodies. Nubya Garcia steps into the role occupied by Hutchings - ‘Activate’ and ‘Letting Go’  show her bringing her own accessible melodic sensibility to the party, with the latter tune having a distinctly roots-reggae flavour with echoes of Dean Fraser in her keening lines. Fortunately Cross is also prepared to mix up the formula to an extent - ’Radiation’ has the currently hip dragging beat;  ‘Candace Of Meroe’ adds congas for a stripped back afrobeat vibe;  ‘Panda Village’ adds layers of electronica to the tuba for a more overtly grime feel; ‘Ciya’ benefits from the addition of Artie Zatiz’s guitar and some extra harmonic and textural content, and some beautifully laid-back playing from Wayne Francis and Cross’ brother Nathaniel. ‘LDN’s Burning’ revisits the Sons Of Kemet territory and matches that band in danceable ferocity.

Another artist who was similarly inclined to radical reinterpretations of the roots, Arthur Blythe, used brass bass on his early albums to similar effect; his collaborations with Bob Stewart were similarly pitched towards the past and future of the music. Cross adds his own distinctly London accent to the discussion, as part of this cohort of players whose constant cross-collaboration is such a feature of this scene, and this record is feels like the latest episode in a series that they are all writing together.

BINKER GOLDING - Abstractions of Reality Past and Incredible Feathers

Gearbox - GB1555

Binker Golding - tenor sax; Joe Armon-Jones -piano; Daniel Casimir - bass, Sam Jones - drums

Binker Golding constantly confounds expectations. His duo act with Moses Boyd opened the doors to TV appearances and international touring with its raw yet accessible streetwise distillation of beats and melody: his role as sideman with Mr Jukes and Zara McFarlane might lead some to suppose that his muse tends towards the radio-friendly. Yet he’s simultaneously involved in a very progressive free-improv duo with Elliot Galvin, takes an active role as an educator with Tomorrow’s Warriors, and has been described by Gary Crosby as “an incredible composer, probably the best we have now.” So what can we expect from this, his first quartet release?

As ever, the results are something of a surprise. Golding has chosen to work within the area developed in the late 80s and early 90s by artists like Michael Brecker and Joe Lovano, sometimes described by the loose catch-all ‘post-bop’, that married the harmonic sophistication developed in the 1970s with the punchy rhythmic complexity of fusion. The twin streams of M-base and Marsalis-style revivalism placed the emphasis on traditional acoustic instrumentation and original compositions that sought to tie together the jazz-rock, free and bop languages and you can hear traces of all these influences here.  

Golding’s saxophone sound is the dominant voice throughout, punchy and centered through all the registers, crisply articulated with a tough chewy tone reminiscent of Joe Henderson or New Yorkers like Jerry Bergonzi and Bob Berg. A second listening reveals the care and attention to detail evident in the compositions: these are not minimal blowing vehicles but carefully wrought artefacts. ‘I Forgot Santa Monica’ starts with a jaunty, bluesy melody/groove combo that Eddie Harris might have enjoyed  but quickly veers off into a more complete harmonic development over powerful swing. ‘Exquisite Sea Green’ has a tightly plotted rhythm track, like an acoustic Weather Report. ‘Skinned Alive, Tasting Blood’  has a bassline that suggests dub reggae and see-saws artfully.  between dark altered-scale tension and melodic release. ‘… and I Like Your Feathers’ is reminiscent of some of Roy Hargrove’s soul-flavoured compositions, ‘You, That Place, That Time’ is warmly melodic. Joe Armon-Jones really shows his mettle as a boldly imaginative soloist, by turns lyrical and crisply modernist,  and a very accomplished acoustic pianist with a light but assured touch. His more familiar guise as a purveyor of wavy dub-heavy funk has rather obscured his talent as a straight-ahead jazz player with a distinctive voice, and his blend of gestural devices, modern jazz language and occasional soul-jazz inflections is a perfect mirror of Golding’s own voice. The rhythm team of Casimir and Jones is crucial to the success of the project: tight, precise and powerful with Jone’s high-tuned snare nicely captured in the mix to give the necessary fusion clout. The compositions hang together to give a real sense of unity and progression not always found on contemporary jazz releases. ’Fluorescent Black’ starts with a nagging two-note motif before swinging off into some tasty modal jamming as a suitably celebratory closer. This album sits well alongside Sarah Tandy’s Infection In the Sentence release (on which Golding was the featured sax player) as an example of contemporary Brit players engaging with the transatlantic mainstream and making it their own.

NÉRIJA - Blume

Domino Records

 Nubya Garcia - tenor saxophone; Sheila Maurice-Grey - trumpet; Cassie Kinoshi - alto saxophone; Rosie Turton - trombone; Shirley Tetteh  -guitar; Lizy Exell - drums; Rio Kai - bass   

Nérija were at the forefront of the new musical wave bursting out of the South London/Tomorrow’s Warriors nexus back in pre-Brexit Britain - we booked them for New Generation Jazz’s second ever show in 2016, and featured them again on the Love Supreme bandstand the next year. Four years is a long time in politics and a a long time in music as well; Nérija were snapped up by uber-hip tastemakers Domino records, but since then the individual careers of the entire five-woman frontline have taken off and rather overshadowed the memory of their collective. Here they are, back with their long-awaited debut, and with a wealth of extra experience to bring to the mix. Each of the band members contributes a composition, including bassist and relative newcomer Rio Kai  who also supplies some tough and supple bass grooves and a nifty solo on ‘Riverfest’. The bold, stridently declamatory frontline arrangements surely owe something to Cassie Kinoshi’s experience with her own Seed Ensemble big band (Kai is bassist for that outfit), but everyone brings their own personality to the mix. Shirley Tetteh’s guitar is a central component to the sound - her biting tone and deftly economical chord and texture work operate in the gap between the punchy rhythm section and the hefty frontline, adding touches of Afrobeat, Caribbean  styles, and even indie rock while  leaving a minimalist, spacious canvas for the other soloists to paint over.  Kinoshi’s alto burns with passion on ‘Swift’ and  her own ‘EU’  - Nubya’s  percussive phrasing and attractively foggy tone are unmistakeable  on ‘Last Straw’,  Turton builds up a head of brassy steam on ‘Equanimous’ (and adds some neat rhythmic displacements to the finale of her composition ‘Unbound’) and Maurice-Gray shines on her ‘Nascence’ and her own ‘Last Straw’. But ultimately it’s very much an ensemble creation, with the different voices complementing rather than competing.

Domino have kept the production pretty minimal - Lizy Exell’s drums are crisp and high in the mix, and there are subtle additions like the banks of textural vocals on ‘Blume’ and the subtle panning and ethereal reverb that steals up like a mist to cloak Nubya’s solo on ‘Last Straw’ - the result is curiously closer to the kind of clean-but-processed sound that recalls acts like Portico Quartet or Gogo Penguin rather than the earthier club vibe favoured by a lot of the current crop of young players. Nérija are back, all the stronger for their absence. 

DARIUS BRUBECK QUARTET - Live In Poland

Ubuntu Music UBU0033

Darius Brubeck - piano; Dave O’Higgins - tenor sax; Matt Ridley - bass; Wesley Gibbons - drums

This release comes amidst an upsurge of interest in Brubeck pére as his December centenary approaches: an appraisal of his work as a musician, but equally as a sort of jazz evangelist who took the music to places it had never reached before - the college circuit in the USA, and a range of destinations out in the wider world, including a 1958 tour of Poland - the first American jazz group to play behind the Iron Curtain. Szczecin Jazz invited Darius on a tour to commemorate the 60th anniversary of that momentous occasion, and this album is a document of the last night in Poznan’s famous Blue Note.

The occasion is loaded with meaning and the band rise to the occasion magnificently, whether on the powerful minor key modality of “Earthrise” or the bright bop of “Matt The Cat”. Dave O’Higgins plays with his customary full-toned precision, Matt Ridley is solid in support and flamboyantly virtuosic in his solo breaks , and South African native Wesley Gibbins is swinging and dynamic throughout, grooving subtly on fellow countryman Hugh Masekela’s ‘Nomali’ that shows Darius’ affinity for the gospel-flavoured chording of Abdullah Ibrahim. Brubeck junior shares his dad’s approach to jazz, eschewing the fast-paced flow of the beboppers in favour of a personal synthesis of an older generation of pianists like Teddy Wilson and Errol Garner with his favourite classical composers - ‘Dziekuje’, with its mix of bluesy phrases with a kind of deconstructed rhapsody, is a classic example, given an emotionally charged reading here: Ridley’s sonorous arco is the perfect complement. Darius was deeply moved to find that the Solidarity Museum in Poland associated his father’s tour with the beginning of the Polish liberation movement, and the final, inevitable ‘Take 5’ benefits from the audibly emotional commitment of the whole band - the tune is taken at a brighter tempo and you can hear Brubeck and O’Higgins pushing each other to reach for ever greater heights of expression as the rhythm section respond magnificently to create a really outstanding reading of this oft-cited, seldom played classic.

REZ ABBASI - A Throw Of The Dice

Whirlwind WR4741

Rez Abbasi - guitar; Pawan Benjamin - tenor & soprano sax, bansuri, flute; Jennifer Vincent - bass & cello; Rohan Krishnamurthy - mridangam, ghatam, khnajira; Jake Goldblas - drums

Karachi born, California raised and New York based Rez Abbasi has carved out a career exploring the interfaces bwtween his diverse musical heritage and this album, his 13th release under his own name, continues to deepen and broaden this exploration. it was conceived as a soundtrack for the 1929 silent film of the same name, itself something of a cross-cultural collaboration as it was based on the Mahabharata and shot in Rajasthan by German director Frank Osten. In contrast to some of Abbasi’s fusion-orientated electric bands, this is a more intimate, reflective sound palette based around his acoustic guitars, including a specially modified instrument that produces the sitar-like sounds of ‘Love Prevails’, with Rohan Krishnamurthy’s array of Indian percussion instruments as the key collaborators.

As befits a film soundtrack, the pieces are predominantly short and impressionistic: Pawan Benjamin adds evocative bansuri and Jennifer Vincent joins him on cello, their voices interweaving with Abbasi’s precise, cleanly articulated guitar lines to create a series of linked musical sketches. The ensemble is highly versatile: here’s some free improv on ‘Amulet And Dagger’, while ‘Jugglers’ and “Moving Forward’ feature soprano sax and drumkit alongside electric guitar to create a more riff-based, fusiony effect that will please fans of Abbasi’s previous releases. “Wedding Prepartion’ has some thrilling exchanges between guitar and sax and ‘True Home’ is a suitably emotionally charged finale. A highly unusual release with a wealth of original creative ideas.

CALUM GOURLAY QUARTET - New Ears

Ubuntu - UBU0043

Calum Gourlay - bass; Helena Kay - tenor sax; Kieran McLeod - trombone; James Maddren - drums

Dark hues prevail in this bass-led project, with the higher register of Helena Kay’s precise, clear-toned tenor and drummer du jour James Maddren’s restless, polyrhythmic cymbal patterns providing the upper frequencies over the rich low end of bass and trombone. Gourlay is a mainstay of the London jazz scene, his powerful tone and accurate intonation having provided support for a wide range of local and visiting artists from Kit Downes to Kurt Elling: he also runs his own big band project with a monthly residency at the Vortex, and this quartet poaches three of the key musicians from that ensemble for a set of carefully arranged compositions that still leave plenty of room for free-ranging group improv. “Blue Fuguates” points towards the groups origins: the head arrangement has a distinct flavour of big-band horn charts, then there’s some swinging bop-to-free solos from the horns over a loping groove before a shout chorus kicks in - Mingus would have approved.

Elsewhere contemporary straight-eights feel predominates “New Ears” has a starker, euro-jazz feel with complex horn lines over an urgent pulse : “Solstice” showcases Gourlay’s superb pitching in a chordal bass line, “Ro” mixes in some more bluesy sensibility with a pastoral, almost country-flavoured piece that recalls Charlie Haden."‘Emotional Trombone” has a similarly reflective mood and actually features Kay and McLeod equally in dialogue, with a particularly satisfying bass coda from Gourlay; all three are highly complementary players in terms of their delivery and vocabulary. The writing is strong and characterful and the playing is superbly assured throughout, from the young horn players as much as from the masterful rhythm section - ‘Trinity” and “Be Minor” have a declamatory energy that’s really exciting, and this confident debut bristles with potential.

MARIA CHIARA ARGIRO - Hidden Seas

Cavalo Records CRMCACD01

Maria Chiara Argiro - piano, keyboards; Sam Rapley - tenor sax; Tal Janes - guitar; Andrea Di Biase - bass; Gaspar Sena - drums; Leila Martial - vocals

Italian keyboardist Maria Chiara Argiro maintains a busy presence around London’s cutting edge of jazz-based musical activities, most recently with Liran Donin’s post-Avishai Cohen outfit 1000 Boats. A formidably accomplished musician, she’s emblematic of the kind of international, wide-ranging scene that’s grown up in London, with musicians from across the world drawn to the vibrant scene arising from the various jazz undergraduate and post-graduate teaching courses. For this record she’s surrounded herself with a team of like-minded international collaborators, all of who are equally at home working in the area where jazz intersects with other adventurous musical forms.

Opening track ‘Beneath The Surface’ introduces us to an impossible-to-categorise sound world where the structures of ECM style piano jazz intersect with the effects—laden sonorities of Tal Janes’ guitar and Leila Martial’s clear, evocative folk-inflected vocals to create a very individual, atmospheric and accessible song-based project. The mood is generally introspective but Argiro’s keyboards and production ideas combine with the range of textures produced by the band - bowed bass, percussion, artfully deployed analogue synths - to create a cinematic, widescreen impression that might reflect the influence of Argiro’s former employers, the art-rockers These New Puritans. ‘From One Land To Another’ makes the contemporary jazz influences more obvious but one of the pleasures of this highly characterful record is that it evades categorisation while still establishing a very clear identity.

There’s an understated, carefully considered feel to the playing that belies the high level of virtuosity available when needed - on ‘Watery Universe’ for instance, with its twisting rhythms and remarkable vocal performance - and the recurrent themes of watery elements and empty oceans are powerfully evoked. A really outstanding creation from a unique musical vision.

MIGUEL GORDI - Apophenia

Ubuntu - UBU0021

Miguel Gorodi - trumpet & flugelhorn; Gareth Lockrane - flutes; Michael Chillingworth - alto & clarinet; George Crowley - tenor & bass clarinet; Kieran Mcleod - trombone; Ray Hearne - tuba; Ralph Wyld - vibes; Conor Chaplin - bass; Dave Hamblett - drums

Miguel Gorodi impressed as featured soloist on Cassie Kinoshi’s ambitious large-ensemble SEED project earlier in the year; here he presents his own project, deploying an equally ambitious sound palette over a set of meticulously plotted compositional structures. While Kinoshi’s project presented a joyous, raggedly inclusive portrait of contemporary London jazz, Gorodi’s record is more introverted, and unashamedly cerebral. There are references to Sartre, to Per Norgard’s infinity series (‘a never-ending, self-perpetuating sequence of numbers that creates as fractal pattern, balancing familiarity with novelty’ in case you were wondering) and Gorodi’s own lived experience with OCD and depression. The result is a record that seems at once meticulously plotted and intensely personal. Gorodi really knows how to use his large ensemble effectively to create an almost theatrical sense of space; the swirling figures of the brass and woodwind intro to ‘La Nausee’ swim giddily in and out of focus, tuba and bass interact down in the low end to create a subliminal sense of unease on ‘Time Sigmund’; vibes create an icy stasis on ‘Search’ before the horns enter with clusters of long tones, like shards of light over a frozen landscape. There’s plenty of ingenious rhythmic figures from the on-point team of Chaplin and Hamblett to satisfy the contemporary hunger for broken beats; a typical compositional device is for the band sections to be assigned different, fiendishly intricate patterns that intersect and merge, as on ‘Soma’.

Over the course of an album this might prove forbiddingly intellectual, but the sheer quality and commitment of the soloists rescues proceedings from turning into an exercise in self-absorbed abstraction. Gorodi’s trumpet is logical and controlled as his compositions; Chaplin, George Crowley and Kieran Mcleod all deliver memorable moments; and there’s so much passionate, creative blowing that every tune simply bursts into life and it’s really impossible to single anyone out, though Michael Chillingworth’s solo on ‘Time Sigmund’ might just qualify him for man of the match. An outstanding debut.

GABRIEL GROSSI QUINTET - # Motion Live

Gabriel Grossi - harmonica; Sergio Coelho - trombone; Eduardo Farias - piano; Andre Vasconcelos - bass; Rafael Barata - drums
Special guests: Mauricio Einhorn; Hermeto Pascoal

Beloved of film scoring composers and lonely convicts in their jail cells, the harmonica has a small but important niche in jazz, and Gabriel Grossi here combines its mournful tones with the sounds of his native Brasil and the sophistication of that country’s modern jazz tradition in a recorded-live resumé of his influences to date. Grossi has collaborated with Brasilian legends Chico Buarque and Ivan Lins as well as with Snarky Puppy and his musicality is wide-ranging and adventurous. There is an exploration of ‘Bachianas’ by national composer Villa-Lobos, sensitively accompanied by the wonderful Farias on piano, an exploration of Brasilian music’s African roots on ‘Banzo’ and a smooth as silk ‘Samba For Toots’ in honour of the instrument’s leading jazz exponent, where Coelho’s mellifluous trombone adds some of the flavour of a refined Samba Gafieira after the band breaks into some very modernistic unison cross-rhythms. Further tributes come in the form of a guest appearance from the godfather of Brasilian melodica (and one of the country’s most adventurous composers) on the Northeastern flavoured ‘Play Raul’(for trombonist Raul De Souza) and another by Grossi’s mentor, the legendary Mauricio Einhorn for a moving duet, while Milton Nascimento gets a namecheck on ‘A Tribute To Bituca’ with an extended feature for the excellent Vasconcelos. ‘Different Beat’ is a jaunty chorinho, complete with ‘Tico Tico’ quote and the album closes with a touching duet with the 85-year-old Einhorn. The harmonica has attracted ridicule from some quarters: this album should go some way towards re-establishing its reputation, as well as highlighting the depth, diversity and sheer quality of Brazilian musical culture.

JOEL HARRISON - Still Point: Turning World

Whirlwind WR4745

Joel Harrison - guitar; Anupam Shobakar - sarod; Ben Wendel - saxophone, bassoon; Dan Weiss - drums, tabla; Hans Glawischnig -bass; Stephan Crump - bass; Selvaganesh - kanjira, udu, konnakol; Nittin Mitta - tabla
Plus the Talujon Percussion Quartet

Joel Harrison’s musical career spans twenty albums as a leader across an astonsishing breadth of musical genres, from jazz to blues to classical to Appalachian folk music and more besides. This project allows him to explore the musical legacy of South Asia in a manner that would be familiar to fans of Ralph Towner’s work as part of Oregon. Album opener ‘Raindrops In Uncommon Times” sets out the stall: there’s steel string acoustic guitar chordal textures, tumbling percussion, hypnotic marimbas, konnakol vocalisations and sarod improvisations from the South Asian tradition alongside dirty distorted blues guitar tones and some superfast post-Mclaughlin shredding to boot. Somehow Harrison makes it all work together: his engagement with the principles of South Asian music seems to be deep and genuine, enabling him to incorporate its rhythmic and scalar concepts convincingly into his own post-rock/classical/modal jazz take on fusion.

​ “One Is Really Many” reinforces the Oregon comparison with Wendel’s bassoon standing in for Paul McCandless’ oboe - “Pemanent Impermanence” adds some Scofield-style swagger to the mix plus more marimba and Konnakol derived rhythmic subdivisions before we’re off into a double time D&B type groove, over which Wendel launches into a frantic multi-scalar sax improv. ‘Wind Over Eagle Lake” promises some respite from the frenzy and delivers an oasis of calm via orchestral chimes and ambient percussion: the same textures return for the ominously portentous intro of ‘Creator/Destroyer”, to be joined by a host of other items in a dizzying, mathematically complex piece using the full gamut of Indian and Western orchestral percussion, and thence into a kind of Mahavishnu workout for with a guitar/sarod duet, then a dazzling sax solo over a complex rhythm track with added wah-wah. The levels of imagination and skill from all are superlative and it all adds up to a fascinating and highly original if rather exhausting listening experience.

SCOTT KINSEY - We Speak Luniwaz

Whirlwind WR4743

Scott Kinsey - keys, vocoder; Katise Buckingham - tenor & soprano sax, flutes; Hadrien Ferraud - bass guitar; Gergo Borlai - drums
Plus: Bobby Thomas - percussion; Arto Tuncboyaciyan - percussion, voice; Jimmy Haslip - bass; Michael Baker - bass; Danny Carey - Simmons drums; Cyril Atef - percussion; Brad Dutz - percussion; Naina Kundu - voice

Scott Kinsey is something of a leading light in the world of fusion thanks to his collaborations with the likes of Scott Henderson’s Tribal Tech, Alphonso Johnson and John McLaughlin, new-school types like Matthew Garrison and Tim Lefbvre, and hipsters such as Thundercat and Flying Lotus, not to mention a host of movie scores. Here he returns to the fusion well-spring by exploring the legacy of one of the genre’s founding fathers, with whom he also enjoyed a fruitful working relationship as keyboard programmer and whose legacy he already supports via the official Zawinul Legacy Band. There’s a host of well-loved Zawinul Weather Report classics on offer here, plus Wayne Shorter’s ‘Port Of Entry’ and a pair of originals by Scott and the band (essentially the same line-up as the Legacy Band plus Hungarian power drummer Borlai). In addition, in the best Weather Report tradition there’s a pool of percussionists, many of whom worked with the man himself.

The band sound terrific, and Hadrien Ferraud in particular continues to justify his place as the current holder of the Jaco mantle with his awesome speed, accuracy and creativity. There’s a slightly disconcerting rap from saxophonist Buckingham on ‘Cucumber Slumber’ but elsewhere the creative choices throughout are totally in keeping with the genre. While the project has the whole-hearted endorsement of the Zawinul family, and undoubtedly keeps the flame burning for his unique vision, one may feel that this album points the listener back towards the brilliance of the originals rather than holding the attention in its own right. But maybe that’s the idea.

NEW YORK ALL STARS - Live Encounter

Ubuntu - UBU0030

Eric Alexander - tenor sax; Seamus Blake - tenor sax; Mike LeDonne - piano; Erik Soderlind - guitar; Aldo Zunino - bass; Bernd Reiter - drums

A long-treasured project for Ubuntu boss Martin Hummel, the first All Stars line up featured the veteran and late lamented Harold Mabern on piano. That set was so well received that a follow up was a must, and with Mabern’s health no longer permitting his participation so top-flight Bop specialist and long-time Benny Golson associate Le Doone was invited in, and as Seamus Blake had just moved to Paris it was a short hop for him to cross the channel to London and join proceedings.

The music, recorded live at the last of a three-night run at Pizza Express, is the kind of powerful contemporary hard bop that acts like the New York Standards quartet have helped to re-establish as a default, with extended workouts on ‘Naima’ allowing both tenorists to flex their modern-traditionalist muscles. The temperature remains high thoughout on the long, modal flavoured ‘Encounter; - Le Donne switches to organ for a rollicking blues on his own ‘Incazzato’ that features Blake leaping out of the starting blocks, with his powerfully centered tone in contrast to Alexander’s no less powerful but lighter-voiced personality to create the classic two-tenors dynamic, while the international rhythm team keep things swinging powerfully throughout and Soderlind contributes a flawless demonstration of that art of bop-to-blues guitar.

Vocalist Ian Shaw makes a surprise, typically characterful appearance on Lionel Richie’s ‘Still’ before we’re back to te post-bop verities with a high-speed modal romp on ‘Second Impressions’ (reminiscent of the Stanley Turrentine/George Benson pairing on Turrentine’s ‘Impressions’ album for CTI) and a tribute to Eddie Harris’ classic boogaloo groove on the eponymous closer. A delight for fans of the blowing session and a vibrant document of the kind of impromptu but inspired session that’s the essence of jazz.

JIM RATTIGAN'S PAVILLON - The Freedom Of Movement

Three World Records

Jim Rattigan - french horn; Martin Speake - alto sax; Andy Panayi - tenor sax; Mick Foster - baritone sax; Percy Pursglove - trumpet & flugelhorn; Steve Fishwick - trumpet; Robbie Robson - trumpet; Mark Nightingale - trombone; Sarah Willimas - bass trombone; Hans Koller - piano; Dave Whitford - double bass; Martin France - drums

Jim Rattigan shares with Gunther Schuller and Julius Watkins the unusual qualification of approaching jazz through the medium of the french horn, though he has also served with distinction in the orchestras, including both the London Symphony and the Royal Philharmonic versions, and toured and recorded in a variety of large-ensemble settings with a galaxy of contemporary jazz stars from Michael Brecker to Kenny Wheeler.

The respect he commands on the scene can be measured in part by the quality of the talent he can call upon for his Pavilion project, the line-up of which reads like a who’s who of talent for his generation: and the breadth of his experience in large ensemble playing is evident in the scope and imagination of his writing. His own horn lends a distinct flavour to the ensemble parts where it’s unusual texture is clearly audible, and it’s also effective when featured in expressive solo on the mellow ballads “Oh, Yeah, Great Thanks” and ‘Eclipse” with a wry delivery full of vocalisations, but in general he gives the bulk of solo space over to his collaborators, and they amply repay his generosity by rising to the occasion every time, from Mick Fosters’ nimble baritone solo on the opening barnstormer “TimBuckThree” and thoughout.

The writing draws on a range of contemporary influences from the mainstream on outwards, operating in a similar area to Gareth Lockrane’s similarly energetic and virtuosic big band; “Sweet Tamarind” could be a mid-70s pop-jazz chart from Johnny Dankworth, and “Crout’n Confusion” is alive with jagged polyrhythms. Dave Whitford and Martin France keep things swinging throughout; the superb quality of the playing never overburdens the playful good humour evident in the titles, though the title track itself provides a more sombre reflections on current political circumstances. Outstanding.

JEAN TOUSSAINT ALL STAR 6TET - Live At The Jazz Cafe

Lyte Records LR049

Jean Toussaint - tenor saxophone; Byron Wallen - trumpet; Dennis Rollins - trombone; Andrew McCormack - piano; Daniel Casimir - bass; Williams Cumberbache Perez - congas; Shaney Forbes - drums

The warmth of the respect accorded to Jean Toussaint, accurately described by Ivan Hewitt as ‘a genial presence on the UK jazz scene for over 30 years’, can be gauged by the warmth of the applause that greets his opening welcome at the start of this extensive 2-disc set, recorded live at the Jazz Cafe to mark what would have been Art Blakey’s 100th birthday.

The Jazz Cafe is as used to hosting dance bands as straight-ahead jazz acts, and the crowd react with a liveliness that you might not get in the more staid surroundings of a typical seated jazz club - as well the might, because Toussaint and co are simply on fire from the very outset. There’s a neat generational split between the frontline soloists, with Wallen and Rollins as leading lights of an earlier generation of Jazz Warriors and the rhythm section representing the younger bloods - all combine to thrilling effect on the latin flavoured ‘Amabo’, with Forbes and Casimir driving groove inspiring all three horn players to play to the heights - the big-toed Rollins is a perfect foil for Toussaint, and the return of Byron Wallen’s distinctive trumpet voice, reminiscent of 70s adventurers like Charles Tolliver, is especially welcome: everyone is playing their hearts out right from the outset til McCormack’s typically vituosically intense outro statement. Wallen’s own ‘The Gatekeeper’ is a pulsing afrocuban 6/8; ‘Doc’ is a marathon 18-minute workout kicking off with a dazzling with a high-energy drum solo over which the crowd’s screams of approval are still audible, before moving into darker, mellower territory; ‘Major Changes’ brings back the afro-cuban feel with able assistance from Perez on congas. New blood Daniel Casimir gets a featured composition on CD 2: a reflective mid-tempo that’s a perfect showcase for Toussaint’s enduring Shorter-esque affliliations, and the set closes with a wide-ranging exploration of ‘Moanin’ - a kind of foundational document for the inclusive, blues-and-groove-based approach to jazz documented here that has room for all kinds of sophisticated explorations without straying far away from the kind of sounds that can whip up a storm.

Dave Storey Trio 

Bosco 

(Impossible Ark Records 025) 

Dave Storey has emerged from the same London scene based around the RAM post-graduate study program that has incubated so much cutting-edge young talent; his associates on this record are deeply involved with such cross-genre ventures and Golden Age Of Steam (Allsopp) and Laura Jurd’s Dinosaur (Chaplin); so you might expect a similarly forward-looking, boundary- smashing exercise from this debut trio release, featuring a programme of original compositions by Storey with a lone obscure standard. Instead the trio have created an accessibly direct offering, very definitely to be filed under ‘jazz’, that attempts to embrace the legacy of the music without being in thrall to it. So everything was recorded direct to tape under the direction of Ben Lamdin in the Fish Market Studio’s legendary live room, the focus is very much on swing and melody, and the players delight in exploring the traditional roles laid out in the famous sides by Rollins, Henderson and Warne Marsh. So Big Chicken is a Rollins-style exercise in uptempo bop with some niftily arranged shout chorus breaks that suggest a larger ensemble thanks to Chaplin’s superbly supportive bass – The Sun Is Big has an afro- flavoured 6/8 reminiscent of Blakey; Allsopp’s compositional contribution Cautious Tortoise has twisty breaks that are tied together by a sure sense of swing; Bosco uses a bass quote from Bolivia to build a very different, subtly grooving vehicle for Allsopp’s clear toned, accurate but free-ranging blowing; and Yo-Yo has a bit of Ornette-ish quirkyness to set Chaplin up for some fleet-fingered soloing. The empathetic interplay between the trio is in evidence throughout, and as players they all share a similarly considered, simpatico ethos that precludes showboating without sacrificing excitement. Like Helena Kay’s KIM Trio, who also released a debut this year, this album revisits the tradition and adds a very welcome injection of freshness and vigour – not by pursuing any particular stylistic innovation, but by the sheer gusto and affection for the music that shines through. The live shows should be a joy to witness.

Eddie Myer 

James Allsopp, saxophone; Conor Chaplin, double bass; Dave Storey, drums.

Various Artists 

Jazz New Blood Alive 2018 

(Jazz New Blood) 

Jazz New Blood Alive 2018 is the third compilation recorded live at the annual showcase series with the same name, part of EFG London Jazz Festival and supported by Waterloo Creative Studio. Patricia Pascal and her team have been documenting the thriving young London jazz scene since 2016, providing a helping hand to acts like Kokoroko, Seed Ensemble, Mark Kavuma, Zeñel, Alex Ridout, Sam Barnett, and Cesca, all of whom have gone on to make waves on the national scene (and, not coincidentally, have been featured as New Generation Jazz artists at Brighton’s Verdict as well!). 

All the artists here are under 24 years old and there’s a heartening display of talent on offer. What’s equally impressive is the range of styles and influences on display, showing how diverse the vocabulary of the scene has become. 

Hot trumpet tip Ife Ogunjobi presents a groove-laden track with an electronic afrobeat flavour, reminiscent of the approach pioneered by Sons Of Kemet or Theon Cross; Quinn Oulton offers a highly idiosyncratic mix of proggy fusion featuring his unaffected vocals that evoke echoes of the quintessentially English Canterbury scene from the distant 1970s; Rosie Frater Taylor opts for a jazzy, folky blend like Nick Drake mixed with Joni Mitchell that still finds room for some hot Benson-esque guitar/vocal scatting; pianist Roella Oloro offers spacious modal jazz with some nice blowing from Kaidi Akinnibi on sax and Joseph Oti on trumpet; Zeñel keysman Noah Stoneman lays out some authentically heavy contemporary jazz with his piano trio, featuring some of the strongest playing on the album and a great solo from Luca Caruso on bass; and Brothers Testament round the session off with the laid-back after hours groove of Nights Of Contentment, ploughing the same post-fusion furrow as BadBadNotGood. Strength in diversity is much championed as a solution to the tensions of contemporary life and there’s abundant musical evidence on offer here.

NIGEL PRICE ORGAN TRIO - Live At The Crypt

NERVYCD-001
Available from https://nigethejazzer.bandcamp.com/

Nigel price - guitar; Ross Stanley - hammond organ; Matt Home - drums; Vasilis Xenopolos - tenor sax

Nigel Price. London, UK. Over a career spanning more than 25 years, award winning jazz guitarist Nigel Price has become widely acknowledged as one of the hardest working musicians in the business. His blend of flowing bebop lines, deep blues sensibility and his mastery of chording continue to delight audiences and fellow musicians alike.

Nigel Price is well known for his inexhaustible energy and his commitment to the cause of UK jazz, best exemplified by the epic national tours he and his cohort of like-minded players regularly embark on around the nation’s jazz clubs. His release ‘Heads And Tales’ provided exhaustive documentation of the group’s focus and talent; this album provides a clear, in-focus snapshot of them at work in their natural environment. The material is all from the Heads And Tales release, consisting of contrafacts by Price on well-known standards - a choice that nicely illustrates his approach to simultaneously preserving the legacy by playing to his established audience, and refreshing it by adding his own energetic take. The recording was made mid-tour, and the empathy between the band members is impeccable as they tear into the material, using the familiar changes to draw forth a seemingly inexhaustible supply of swingingly creative ideas. Price’s own articulation is a wonder of crisply swinging precision, his solos artfully built up in the manner of his inspiration Wes Montgomery from biting single notes into tides of chordal melodies: but he’s no Wes clone and his solo intros to tunes like “All In” reveal an original ear for harmony and chord voicing. Ross Stanley is rock solid in support and endlessly inventive in solo, deploying the mighty Hammonds’ full range of textures: his accompaniment on ‘Don’t Look Back’ is a masterpiece of restrained, textural variation and artfully maintained drama. Matt Home is tastefully in the groove throughout, and Xenopoulos reaffirms his eminent suitability as a partner for Price, complementing his clean articulation, immaculate sense of time and thorough grounding in bebop language. A very satisfying document of a band doing what they do best, and doing it to perfection.

DAVE O'HIGGINS & ROB LUFT - O’Higgins & Luft Play Monk & Trane

Ubuntu UBU0029

Dave O’Higgins - tenor sax; Rob Luft - guitar; Scott Flanigan - organ; Rod Youngs - drums

Monk and Trane still bestride the music like a pair of colossi. Monk’s reputation as a composer has continued if anything to grow in the decades since his death, and a working knowledge of ‘Criss Cross’ and ‘Trinkle-Tinkle’ are now de rigueur for any serious young jazz student. Trane’s compositions are perhaps by comparison rather overlooked, or regarded as etudes or blowing vehicles, but he took his writing very seriously and created plenty of certified classics as well. What neither of them ever did was record with the typical 60s Blue Note organ combo, and this album provides a fresh take on the legacy by enlisting Belfast-based Flanigan to add that distinct Hammond flavour.


The band are all well suited - Luft’s precise articulation and impeccable timing and phrasing are mirrored in O’Higgins’ crisp clear sax lines, and the band fly along on boppish numbers like Jackie McLean’s ‘Little Melonae’ and Tommy Flanagan’s ‘Minor Mishap’. A calmly meditative take on Monk’s ‘Locomotive’ sees the frontmen trading lines to emphasise how sympathetically matched they are. Flanigan is rock solid in the engine room and serves up some tasty solos of his own when called upon to do so, and Rod Youngs on drums is subtle and discreet in support, though he drives the band powerfully to up the temperature from JC’s original 1958 take on the standard ‘Spring Is Here’, adding an Elvin Jones inspired intensity that Trane himself wouldn’t benefit from til later in his career. O’Higgins is well known and respected as a player who’s very at home incorporating some of the post-Brecker harmonic adventurism into a mainstream jazz approach, and continues to demonstrate that he’s got the chops and the imagination to deliver every time, but the revelation for many here will be Luft: known perhaps for a more contemporary take on the music, he simply tears into this classic material and seems gifted with an inexhaustible supply of fresh, tasteful ideas, whether on the uptempo numbers, the affecting ballad ‘Ill Wait And Pray” or the moody “Like Sonny”. “Naima” provides an opportunity for him to deploy some spacious reverb effects but otherwise his tone is clean and rounded, with none of the stringy bite of the classic 60s organ guitarists. If there is any criticism to be made, it’s one of omission rather than commission. Where Monk’s own recordings still crackle with edge-of-the-seat manic energy, as though a collapse into chaos is only just being averted by the impeccable swing of the participants, and Coltrane’s performances on the tritest of standards burn with a fierce questing passion, on this record while the performances are uniformly excellent there is an overall air of tasteful restraint that while it may be true to the letter of the compositions might be felt to miss something of the spirit. It will be interesting to see how this plays out live: a tour of epic proportions is underway and should not be missed.

REBECCA NASH - Peaceful King

Whirlwind WR4748

Nicholas Malcolm - trumpet; Thomas Seminar Ford - guitar/electronics; Rebecca Nash - piano/keys; Chris Mapp - bass/electronics;
Matt Fisher - drums; Sara Colman - vocals; Nick Walters - electronics

Rebecca Nash operates in a nebulously bounded territory that includes areas of the jazz mainstream but also includes intriguing connections to other areas of both improvised and composed contemporary music. As an educator with the National Youth Jazz Collective and Birmingham Conservatoire she’s thoroughly conversant with a style of modern harmonic composition with a distinctly European flavour: ‘Dreamer’ features a starkly beautiful trumpet and piano intro that evokes the carefully paced, harmonically sophisticated pairing of Kenny Wheeler and John Taylor, but the crediting of three band members with additional input on unspecified electronics indicates that her musical route maps lead to a host of different places. Opener ‘Peaceful King’ starts with the chiming rhodes and complex patterns of accents that you’d associate with post-Weather Report fusion, with Nick Malcolm’s trumpet melody painting pictures of spacious landscapes that are coloured in by layers of keyboards and effects. The rhythm section, who play together under the band name Stillefelt is tight and flexible; Matt Fisher’s power and precision on drums impress in counterpoint to Nash’s reflective, melodic solo. Nash is a versatile composer and shows herself to be adept at changing the focus, so that while ’Tumbleweed’ foregrounds Seminar Ford’s reverb-heavy guitar for more widescreen fusion vibes, Sara Colman’s vocals on ‘Hot Wired’ and ‘Grace’ bring us in closer for a more intimate, Joni-style experience. ‘Lokma’ shows the band’s mettle in some powerful jazz-rock improvisations and ‘Inishbofin’ adds fuzz bass to up the prog rock quotient before introducing some very jazzy trades between guitar and trumpet. The band, drawn from outside the London jazz nucleus, are tight and powerful throughout, with Malcolm impressing in particular. Exciting, muscular contemporary fusion.

BATL QUARTET - BATL Quartet Live

Brandon Allen - saxophone; Tim Lapthorn - piano; Arnie Somogyi - bass; Lloyd Haines - drums

Transplanted Perth-to-London tenor man Allen is a well respected fixture on the UK scene, sharing with Paul Booth the enviable position of being first-call session player for a host of big names while still preserving an unimpeachable name as an echt practitioner of modern jazz. This album will only enhance the latter reputation, capturing his full tone and powerfully confident delivery as co-leader with the similarly well-rounded Tim Lapthorn and a superbly compatible rhythm team in a set of live club performances.

All the compositions are by the leaders, exploring different areas of the contemporary mainstream: ‘Gone But Not Forgotten’ is a propulsive modal flavoured swinger that’s a perfect showcase for Allen’s big blustery tone and urgent phrasing, while the rollicking “Lazy Day” deploys the values of an earlier swing era as a perfect backdrop for his channelling of the bluesey swagger of players like Gene Ammons, though Allen’s not afraid to liven things up further, dropping in blistering semiquaver runs and gestural blurts and smears among the blues and bop licks. Lapthorn is an eminently suitable partner, drawing from a similar well of classic jazz piano influences but equally capable of spicing things up with some sudden darker harmonic excursions, supported by an equally comprehensive technique that never tips into extraneous showmanship. His own compositions show an equally comprehensive approach; ‘Return To Life’ has a neatly plotted contemporary sounding rhythm arrangement that provides the launch pad for a wide-ranging, rhythmically virtuosic solo, while the ballad feature ‘Cuckoo’ has echoes of Ellington.

The live format allows plenty of space for everyone to stretch out in front of the appreciative audience: the deeply musical support pairing of Somogyi and Haines keep things swinging powerfully along, with Somogyi contributing some excellent solos and Haines raising the temperature when required with his high-explosive bombs. The high intensity Latin flavoured ‘Running Away With Me’ is an energetic highlight, and “Frack The Right” sounds suitable angry: but the quality is so consistent that it’s hard to pick a favourite; Allen’s big sound is a constant delight, and the engagement of the whole band carries the day.

Dave Drake

Live at Sussex University

(self-release)

This recording captures a solo concert delivered at the Sussex University Meeting House by the prodigious pianist and local Brighton favourite Dave Drake on one of his visits home from his studies at the New School in Manhattan. Kozen-Rufu Waltz shows his lyrical, romantic side, almost reminiscent of another pianist with local ties, Snarky Puppy’s Bill Laurence, though the jagged cascades of notes that intersperse the pastoral melody show Drake’s own individual voice showing through his influences. There are echoes of Jarrett as well, and the multiple interweaving voices and right hand trills of Brad Meldhau, but Drake is his own man and his compositional style is already idiosyncratic – The Will That Says Hold On has a distinct folk-song tinge, Mr Sterling hangs out pounding chords against a suspended, dramatic rubato, Changing Poison Into Medicine contrasts stark space and dynamics with rapid, tumbling treble runs. Drake has an assured technique and a particular touch at the keyboard – very assertive, especially in the right hand, so that his notes jump out in splinters of sound rather than the flowing ripples of, say, the Bill Evans or George Cables school, and the effect is one of unaffected sincerity. The acoustic of the Basil Spence designed space brings out the drama of the compositions perfectly – this is an impressive document of an emerging talent.

ZHENYA STRIGALEV & FREDERICO DANNEMANN - The Change

Rainy Days Records

Zhenya Strigalev - saxophones, voice; Federico Dannemann - guitar, vocal; Luques Curtis - bass; Obed Clavire -drums

Zhenya Strigalev has been a mercurial presence on the London scene for many years but has recently relocated to his native St Petersburg, whence comes this recording; like his last album, 2018s “Blues For Maggie”, it reunites him with his longstanding colleague, Chilean guitarist Dannemann, and a top New York rhythm section, with Curtis and Clavire (who met Strigalev through his celebrated Charlie Wright’s concert series) filling the chairs vacated by Linley Marthe and the awesome Eric Harland.

The controls are set for full-on fusion from the outset - ‘Algo Rhythm’ features all kinds of modish beat displacement as Dannemann flies over the top, his clear biting tone and formidable control sailing over the churning rhythm section, almost hinting at the alt-rock mayhem of bands like Primus. ‘Pulse’ jokily starts without one, building to a furiously free climax under Strigalev’s skirling alto then miraculously coming together into some razor-sharp unisons; ‘Boo’ is a bit mellower by comparison, but only a bit ; ‘Coquille Du Terre’ turns on the wah-wah for a fleeting resemblance to 70s cop-show funk before Strigalev lets loose with his mutant blues alto solo. Curtis’ bass has a trebly growl that features on the intro to ‘Speed Up’ - the use of acoustic rather than electric bass subtly pushes the feel towards a jazzier freedom on what might otherwise come across as a bombastic fusion exercise. Calvaire is an impressively powerful presence throughout, the whole band attack the complex material with a limitless gusto. There are echoes of Scofield’s 90s bands with Bill Stewart and Dennis Irwin, but with the intensity turned right up. Dannemann’s ‘The Change’ provides an unexpected vocal track, oddly reminiscent of Jan Hammer’s occasional forays; ‘Total Silence’ is a bluesy groove and ‘Pank’ wraps things up with another off-kilter post-rock skronk. Invigorating.

PAUL BOOTH - Travel Sketches

Ubuntu - UBU0034

Paul Booth - tenor sax; Steve Hamilton - piano; Dave Whitford - bass; Andrew Bain - drums

Paul Booth has spent a great deal of the last 20 years travelling with his saxophone in a dizzying range of high-end musical contexts. His many employers have been drawn for the A-list ranks of soul and rock performers, and from what you might call the contemporary edge of the jazz mainstream - Geoffrey Keezer, Ingrid Jensen, Eddie Henderson, Michael Janisch. This album is presented as a travelogue: a series of musical postcards from places that have left an abiding impression. Booth’s other projects have tended towards the ambitious - both Patchwork Project and Bansangu Orchestra have featured an extensive cast and expansive musical palette - but this project is restricted to a simple acoustic quartet format, with Booth on tenor throughout. Steve Hamilton’s precise, warmly rhapsodic piano sets the tone: his intro to the title track is a lesson in tasteful restraint, and Booth uses him to set up the mood for several of the other selections - ‘Byron Bay’ is quietly yearning, ‘Seattle Fall’ has a pastoral, major-key lightness, the accessible harmony of ‘Red Rocks’ carries its melodic sophistication easily. Andrew Bain’s own projects burn with an Elvin Jones inspired intensity, but here he’s all tasteful, supportive restraint. Only the modal hustle of ‘Medina Scuffle’ hints at the Coltrane-ish as the band up the stakes after Dave Whitford’s satisfying, typically well-conceived introductory statement - it’s a moment of abandon in an otherwise tightly controlled environment. Booth’s tone is clear and centred, his execution crisp and logical and his articulation flawless as you’d expect from such a seasoned, in-demand pro.The band are superbly balanced, and the performances, captured live in the studio often in first take, are marvellously controlled and executed: yet alongside the obvious craftsmanship there’s a direct sincerity of expression and the overall effect is very intimate. Busy session musicians’ own outings can sometimes seem to deliver more in the way of performance than vision, but Booth and co have created a very personal statement that really gives the impression of a collection of letters home, full of the sincerity of feeling born of what the Brazilians call saudade. The closing version of Peter Gabriel’s “Don’t Give Up” encapsulates the appeal of this nicely judged creation.

QUENTIN COLLINS - Road Warrior

Ubuntu UBU0027

Quentin Collins - trumpet & flugelhorn; Meilana Gillard - alto sax; Leo Richardson - tenor sax; Dan Nimmer - piano, rhodes; Joe sanders - bass; Willie Jones III - drums; Jean Toussaint - tenor sax

Quentin Collins is a major force in British jazz - not just as a musician whose longstanding occupancy of the trumpet chair in Kyle Eastwood’s band has cemented his international reputation, but also as an educator, bandleader and producer - wearing the latter hat, he was most recently responsible for Camilla Georges’ acclaimed Isang. Besides this, in partnership with Martin Hummel he’s a driving force behind Ubuntu records; the label that have done so much in the last four years to promote UK jazz talent, with a focus on explorations grounded in the traditional jazz verities but pushing towards the various boundaries of the mainstream. This release, unsurprisingly, fits firmly within the Ubuntu template; thoroughly grounded in the tradition, buoyed along by superbly high levels of musical accomplishment, and with a confident sense of its own identity.

Opening track ‘Road Warrior” sets out the stall; an artfully wrought contemporary bop composition with modal flavours, and echoes of Cedar Walton, Woody Shaw, and of course Freddie Hubbard, whose supernaturally gymnastic, all-register fluency provides a touchstone for Collins’ breathtakingly confident delivery. “Do You Know The Way” is a thoroughly Blakey-esque hard bop romp, driven along by the crisply accurate swing of US guests Sanders and Jones, over which the soloists simply fly. Marsalis associate Nimmer is a compendium of contemporary jazz piano but never deviates too far from his core style, based in the swinging economy of Kenny Barron or earlier paragons like Wynton Kelly, and his light, precise touch is featured to enchanting effect on ‘The Hill”. Leo Richardson is making a name for himself in this exact area of robust, muscular contemporary swing; he roars over the changes, his punchy Joe Henderson inflected tone soaring aloft. Ohio-born, Belfast-based saxophonist Gillard switches to alto from her usual tenor and matches Richardson with her crisply unsentimental delivery and clear cutting tone. “Look Ahead” brings a straight 8 feel, fender rhodes and some twisty writing to evoke a sunny LA fusion feel; ‘Jasmin Breeze’ is a dark hued ballad featuring a guest slot by Jean Toussaint, cementing the Messengers association. There’s a range of compositions by saxophonist Tom Harrison alongside the Collins originals, all loosely based around the idea of the musician’s life on the road - a real player’s album, and a real treat for connoisseurs of the contemporary mainstream.

MARK KAVUMA - The Banger Factory

Ubuntu - UBU0028

Mark Kavuma - trumpet; Mussinghi Brian Edwards - tenor sax; Kaidi Akinnibi - tenor sax; Artie Zaitz - guitar; David Mrakpor- vibes; Reuben James - piano, organ; Deschanel Gordon - piano; Michael Shrimpling - bass; Will Cleasby -drums

The advance in jazz education, the demise of the jazz club and the increase in public funding has changed the shape of career progression for many contemporary UK jazz musicians; the days of learning from ones’ peers on the bandstand, through a series of club residencies, have been superseded by a more formalised approach. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but in the transition something of the original spirit of the golden age can be lost. Thanks to the resurgent London small gig scene Kavuma’s Banger Factory project harks back to that earlier era - the band has grown from a weekly residency in Brixton’s POW, attracting a cast of sympathetic players who have developed their band sound, just like in the old days.

It’s no surprise, then, that the vibe of this album of eight original compositions harks back to the adventurous, hard blowing era of 1960s post bop. Kavuma’s opening statement on ‘Dear KD’ channels the declamatory brassy assertiveness of Lee Morgan and the swing of Kenny Dorham; Deschanel Gordon drops in wry quotes á la Horace Silver and David Mrakpor’s vibes add a note of Hutcherson to the mix. There is no shortage of Blue Note tributes on the market but what sets this apart is the sheer zest and energy of the players and the richness of the musical palette; you can sense them egging each other on to ever greater heights, with drummer Will Cleasby dropping high-explosive bombs on ‘The Banger Factory’, while the presence of elder statesman Edwards underpins the atmosphere of respect for the tradition.

Kavuma’s writing has developed rapidly since his debut and there’s a variety of vehicles for his young cohort to show off their skills; ballad ‘Lullaby For A Fading Sky” has Kavuma at his most Morganesque, matching Edward's big tone; Zaitz offers a compendium of immaculately swinging blues-to-bop guitar on the rhythm section workout ‘Big Willie’; Akinnibi and James shine on the title track, Shrimpling keeps things moving forward throughout with his assertive playing and James’ hammond adds a broader texture to the ensembles that hints at a bigger band sound. Closer 'Mrakpor' absolutely crackles with energy. There’s an infectious feeling of joy and mutual excitement in this recording - Ben Lamdin’s warm, clear Fish Market Studio recording captures the sound of a group of young players delighting in each other’s company, united by a real affection and understanding for the music. Recommended.

ALEX HITCHCOCK QUINTET - All The Good Things

Fresh Sound New Talent FSNT - 572

Alex Hitchcock - tenor sax; James Copus - trumpet, flugelhorn; Will Barry - piano; Joe Downard - bass; Jay Davis - drums

This is the recording debut from a band that came together for Hitchcock’s final performance at the Royal Academy of Music, but this is no undercooked collegiate project - the band and the material have been thoroughly road tested since they graduated in 2016, not least at Brighton’s Verdict club and both the Bandstand and Arena stages at Love Supreme Festival. Even in the crowded field of contemporary UK jazz talent, this band stand out, and it’s no fluke that they are one of the very few UK acts to be picked up by Jordi Pujol’s Fresh Sound New Talent label - the people, need we be reminded, who brought Brad Meldhau, Robert Glasper, the Bad Plus, Avishai Cohen and so many other defining talents to wider attention.

Hitchcock combines an awesome technical facility with a keen ear to detect and assimilate a range of classic and contemporary influences - the hard-edged sound of Joe Lovano, the harmonic sophistication of Mark Turner, the twisting lines and effortlessly powerful high register of labelmate Seamus Blake combine to dazzling effect on his solo break on ‘Mint’. The writing expands on the language of Wheeler style Euro jazz by adding all kinds of rhythmic twists and turns, handled with confidence and aplomb by the imperturbably solid Downard and Davis; the infectiously quirky ‘Sorry Not Sorry’ goes though a variety of subtle metric shifts before breaking into an exhilarating swing under Barry’s rippling rhodes solo; 'Mint' has a cool, textural intro recalling Gogo Penguin that hints at another possible direction. Will Barry is an imaginative and sophisticated player, as his feature on ‘Context’ demonstrates; and in Copus, Hitchcock has found a perfect foil, a match for his own virtuosity and fire; the pair tear into the high energy ‘Mobius’, swapping lines with gusto. This is an outstanding project and, if nurtured by the label, will surely continue to deliver outstanding results; there’s a wealth of talent from the leader, and from each individual player, and the finely balanced mix of complementary musical personalities indicates that this unit has potential to go on to great things.

AVISHAI COHEN - Arvoles

Razdaz Recordz RD4619

Avishai Cohen - bass; Elchin Shirinov - piano; Noam David - drums; Bjorn Samulesson - trombone; Anders Hagberg - flute

Avishai Cohen’s illustrious career continues apace with this new release on his own Razdaz imprint, also home to such luminaries as Jimmy Greene, Kurt Rosenwinkel and Mark Guiliana. Cohen is one of a handful of players who have established a distinctive sound, to the extent of attracting enough imitators to lay claim to establishing their own school, or sub-genre if you prefer; you can hear traces of his idiosyncratic approach to rhythm and melody in the work of Phronesis, Gogo Penguin and even Snarky Puppy. Cohen’s own Israeli heritage has always informed his incorporation of elements of Middle Eastern modalism and odd metres into his music, and this latest offering makes this connection more explicit; the title ‘Arvoles’ means ‘trees’ in the Ladino language spoken by his Sephardic mother’s family, and the title track is based on an ancient Ladino lullaby, while Mrs Cohen also provided the cover art.

Cohen’s forcefully assertive personality is apparent from the first punchy bass notes of ‘Simonero’ his superhuman attack and precision as consistent as ever; drummer and old schoolfriend Noam David negotiates the tricky metres with ease, providing tasteful colour on ‘Gesture #2’ and thrilling soloing on ‘Face Me’. The writing is tightly plotted but there’s space for newcomer Elchin Shirinov of Azerbaijan to dazzle with his solo breaks on his eponymous ‘Elchinov’ - the Caucasus region keeps producing outstanding and forward-looking musicians and Shirinov is no exception. There are some atmospheric textures for the horns to add a contemporary-classical feel to ‘Childhood’ but this is very much a trio record and Cohen is the dominant voice throughout. ‘Gesture #1’ is a dizzying filigree of accents over a nagging pulse that typifies Cohen’s unique combination of the muscular and the emotively melodic. In ways this album feels like a summing up of his influences to date: ‘New York 90’s’ has an appropriate backbeat, and on ‘Wings’ Cohen even condescends to lay out some swinging bebop lines. However there’s an added restraint and delicacy to the sound that suggests that Cohen’s nostalgic exploration of his roots has both mellowed and broadened his approach, with very satisfying results.

ROB COPE - Gods Of Apollo

Ubuntu UBU0020

Rob Cope - soprano sax; Elliot Galvin - piano; Jon Ormston - drums; Rob Luft - guitar

Rob Cope’s podcast, appropriately titled ‘The Jazz Podcast”and now over it’s 100th episode, is an invaluable one-stop-shop for anyone who wants to catch up on some of the most exciting musicians working or passing through the UK in the last couple of years, and he’s very active across the multifarous UK scene as a player in all kinds of forward-looking ensembles, and as an educator. Here he is with his debut album, joined together with a trio of similarly progressive minded genre-bending players in attempting to present a musical interpretation of the 1972 moon landings by spontaneously improvising along with archival audio recordings of that prodigious feat of technological bravura. ‘Sputnik’ meanders along pleasantly enough against a pulsing background of (presumably) sputnik-generated sonar before climaxing after 12 minutes in some gnarly free-improv; ‘Human Spaceflight’ sets Galvin’s tumbling piano against a press conference speech that dissolves into a blur of static; then radio transmissions from the astronauts ( at one point referring to hearing an ‘outer space type music’!) are accompanied by atmospheric textures from piano and guitar, with the leader’s soprano keeping up a gnomic commentary throughout.

The combination of found audio with music is a well-tried and unfailingly evocative technique, and this piece manages to capture some of the mystery of space flight. ‘Flames’ is a free-improv trio for guitar, sax and drums that resolves into an eerily beautiful series of long tones - ‘Neil’ builds into strident crashes from drums and piano as the astronauts chatter above; ‘Magnificent Desolation’ has an energetic contribution from the irrepressible Galvin; as the piece develops, his playing calms and stretches out over Luft’s textures and the chirping soprano, and the band manages to capture a sense of the strangeness and beauty of the lunar landscape. ‘One Hell Of A Ride’ is rather harder to read; the band are more conventionally ‘together’ and the audio and the music seem to clash rather than co-operate, but there’s a poignant ending as the playing fades out into the astronaut’s comical lunar singing.

This is a bold and unusual venture; a series of gigs in planetariums climaxing in the Science Museum would be a lot of fun.

ZHENYA STRIGALEV & FREDERICO DANNEMANN - The Change

Rainy Days Records

Zhenya Strigalev - saxophones, voice; Federico Dannemann - guitar, vocal; Luques Curtis - bass; Obed Clavire -drums

Zhenya Strigalev has been a mercurial presence on the London scene for many years but has recently relocated to his native St Petersburg, whence comes this recording; like his last album, 2018s “Blues For Maggie”, it reunites him with his longstanding colleague, Chilean guitarist Dannemann, and a top New York rhythm section, with Curtis and Clavire (who met Strigalev through his celebrated Charlie Wright’s concert series) filling the chairs vacated by Linley Marthe and the awesome Eric Harland.

The controls are set for full-on fusion from the outset - ‘Algo Rhythm’ features all kinds of modish beat displacement as Dannemann flies over the top, his clear biting tone and formidable control sailing over the churning rhythm section, almost hinting at the alt-rock mayhem of bands like Primus. ‘Pulse’ jokily starts without one, building to a furiously free climax under Strigalev’s skirling alto then miraculously coming together into some razor-sharp unisons; ‘Boo’ is a bit mellower by comparison, but only a bit ; ‘Coquille Du Terre’ turns on the wah-wah for a fleeting resemblance to 70s cop-show funk before Strigalev lets loose with his mutant blues alto solo. Curtis’ bass has a trebly growl that features on the intro to ‘Speed Up’ - the use of acoustic rather than electric bass subtly pushes the feel towards a jazzier freedom on what might otherwise come across as a bombastic fusion exercise. Calvaire is an impressively powerful presence throughout, the whole band attack the complex material with a limitless gusto. There are echoes of Scofield’s 90s bands with Bill Stewart and Dennis Irwin, but with the intensity turned right up. Dannemann’s ‘The Change’ provides an unexpected vocal track, oddly reminiscent of Jan Hammer’s occasional forays; ‘Total Silence’ is a bluesy groove and ‘Pank’ wraps things up with another off-kilter post-rock skronk. Invigorating.

ZHENYA STRIGALEV & FREDERICO DANNEMANN - The Change

Rainy Days Records

Zhenya Strigalev - saxophones, voice; Federico Dannemann - guitar, vocal; Luques Curtis - bass; Obed Clavire -drums

Zhenya Strigalev has been a mercurial presence on the London scene for many years but has recently relocated to his native St Petersburg, whence comes this recording; like his last album, 2018s “Blues For Maggie”, it reunites him with his longstanding colleague, Chilean guitarist Dannemann, and a top New York rhythm section, with Curtis and Clavire (who met Strigalev through his celebrated Charlie Wright’s concert series) filling the chairs vacated by Linley Marthe and the awesome Eric Harland.

The controls are set for full-on fusion from the outset - ‘Algo Rhythm’ features all kinds of modish beat displacement as Dannemann flies over the top, his clear biting tone and formidable control sailing over the churning rhythm section, almost hinting at the alt-rock mayhem of bands like Primus. ‘Pulse’ jokily starts without one, building to a furiously free climax under Strigalev’s skirling alto then miraculously coming together into some razor-sharp unisons; ‘Boo’ is a bit mellower by comparison, but only a bit ; ‘Coquille Du Terre’ turns on the wah-wah for a fleeting resemblance to 70s cop-show funk before Strigalev lets loose with his mutant blues alto solo. Curtis’ bass has a trebly growl that features on the intro to ‘Speed Up’ - the use of acoustic rather than electric bass subtly pushes the feel towards a jazzier freedom on what might otherwise come across as a bombastic fusion exercise. Calvaire is an impressively powerful presence throughout, the whole band attack the complex material with a limitless gusto. There are echoes of Scofield’s 90s bands with Bill Stewart and Dennis Irwin, but with the intensity turned right up. Dannemann’s ‘The Change’ provides an unexpected vocal track, oddly reminiscent of Jan Hammer’s occasional forays; ‘Total Silence’ is a bluesy groove and ‘Pank’ wraps things up with another off-kilter post-rock skronk. Invigorating.

JASPER BLOM QUARTET - Polyphony

Whirlwind Recordings

Jasper Blom - tenor; Bert Joris - trumpet; Jesse Van Ruller - guitar; Frans Van Der Hoeven - bass; Martijn Vink - drums; Nils Wogram - trombone (disc 2)

Blom is a well respected figure in jazz in the Netherlands and across Europe, and this tow-CD set presents him live in Amsterdam’s famous Bimhuis concert hall with his regular band of more then twenty years, and the addition of two guest soloists, Bert Joris and trombonist Nils Wolgram. It has become something of a policy of Blom’s to augment his stable quartet unit with additional players, giving the twin advantages of the familiarity of long association with the freshness of new input, and this release enables us to see how the approach works in practice. Joris’s more restrained lyricism contrasts with the earthier bluesy growls of Wolgram’s trombone in ‘Decidophobia’, but the empathetic interplay between the other four players is a constant across over 100 minutes of music.

‘Waltz For Magnus’ lilts along attractively, until Blom’s fierce chops raise the temperature; ‘Guidonean Hand’ has a Chet Baker sound from Joris over a mid-tempo swing, while ‘Virelai’ introduces an unexpectedly medieval sound to a storming jazz-rock hybrid. The quartet are flexible and supremely accomplished; their longstanding relationship is audible in the way they can pay attention to the smallest detail of texture and dynamic on tunes like the restrained ‘Fontayne’. There’s a constant playful return to the medieval concept on the first disc, evidenced by titles like ‘Beatus Vir’ and ‘The Lady And The Unicorn’ - ‘Ciconia’ has a jaunty percussiveness derived from the 14th Century Belgian composer of the same name. The second, trombone disc has less of the medieval and more fusion style quirkiness that edges towards the Zappa-esque at times in tunes like ‘Running Gag’ and the technically demanding ‘Least Of Your Worries’, though there is also space for some dreamy ambience in ‘Nancy In The Sky’. The levels of musical skill on display are very high, and the realisation of the varied and challenging material is consistently successful. though even in the most hectic moments there is a European reserve that straight up jazz heads may find hard to penetrate.

BONSAI - Bonsai Club

Ubuntu - UBU0031

Rory Ingham - trombone; Dominic Ingham - violin; Toby Comeau - piano, keys; Joe Lee - bass, vocals, piano; Jonny Mansfield - drums, vibes, synths

The artists previously known as Jam Experiment return with a rebranded outfit, now with extra violin courtesy of an Ingham sibling, and a renewed sense of purpose and personality. The extra confidence can be seen in their decision to add vocal tracks to their brand of 21st century jazz fusion - ‘Bonsai Club’ has the intimate, uninflected singing of bassist Joe Lee giving a very contemporary feel to proceedings, closer to the introspective millennial pop of artists like Bon Iver than your typical bombastic fusion fare. ‘The Crescent’ returns us to the world of the jazz club via powerful trombone improvisation from a full-toned Rory Ingham over a tightly arranged backbeat; Bonsai like to spin long, intricate unison lines over surging grooves and use them as backdrops for solo explorations on their unusual palette of frontline instruments.

There are inevitable comparisons to be made with the all-conquering Snarky Puppy, but tunes like ‘Tin’ and ‘Quay’ have a very distinct flavour, more downbeat and atmospheric, that show a band reaching towards a distinct identity; the latter track especially demonstrates how they have found the confidence to explore texture and melody as much as frenetic soloing, and the results are consistently intriguing. ‘Itchy Knee’ and ‘BJMC’ have more of the upbeat intricacy typical of fusion fare, and the combination makes for an engaging listen from this exciting young band.

TORI FREESTONE - El Mar De Nubes

Whirlwind WR4739

Tori Freestone - tenor sax; Dave Manington - bass; Tim Giles - drums

Tori Freestone has been quietly nurturing this project for over five years now; the debut recording ‘In The Chop House’ came out in 2014, followed two years later by ‘El Barranco’, and this latest offering continues to document the development of this intriguing and idiosyncratic development of the tenor trio format. As with the last offering, there’s a Spanish title and an unexpected intrusion of a folkloric tinge, giving a timeless dimension to the determinedly contemporary freebop that is the band’s stock in trade. The title track sets out the stall; a subtly shifting straight eights pulse from Giles and Manington creates a muted landscape over which Freestone wanders at will, slipping in and out of key, her tone changing from cloudy to harsh and back again, before all the players come together for an unexpectedly abrupt written unison.

The effect could be compared to watching the gradually changing weather patterns over the Canarian landscape which inspired the album title, and is gently beguiling. ‘Hiding Jekyll’ moves further into free territory, tempered by Freestone’s commitment to melody, and maintains the same quirkily oblique emotional approach. ‘Shenandoah’ gets a pair of readings that set out the parameters of Freestone’s unique musical persona - the first, for tenor trio, like a less strident Albert Ayler that develops into a loping groove, and the second a straight fiddle-and-vocals folk rendition with a strikingly intimate, unvarnished honesty. There are a pair of virtuosically intricate compositions from Manington, whose full-toned accurate bass is a delight throughout, with the boppish ‘Hasta la Vista’ a stand-out, and a surprise venture into the repertoire with a deconstructed ‘Beatrice’ that showcases the trio’s outstanding creativity. Whatever they turn their hand to, from the plaintively melodic ‘La Nochevieja’ to the mutant calypso of ‘Los Indianos’ there’s a consistency of character, with Freestone’s quirkily oblique character setting the pace. This is the latest instalment in the unfolding development told by this unique voice in UK jazz and won’t disappoint those who have been following the story.

INGRID JENSEN/STEVE TRESELER - Invisible Sounds

Whirlwind WR4729

Ingrid Jensen - trumpet; Steve Treseler - tenor sax, clarinets; Geoffrey Keezer - piano; Martin Wind - bass; Jon Wikan - drums; Katie Jacobson - voice
Christine Jensen - soprano sax

So ubiquitous is the influence of the late great Kenny Wheeler on jazz, and a particularly European strain of cloudy, ambient jazz in particular, that the reviewer might be forgiven a certain reticence in approaching another album dedicated unambiguously to his legacy. Fortunately Jensen and Treseler have taken a spirited, robust approach to the master’s output; ‘Foxy Trot’ has the expected shimmeringly ambivalent introduction but soon takes off into a pacy, almost boisterous arrangement, the soloists driven on by Wind and Wikan to deliver some storming statements. Wheeler left a remarkable canon of compositions; Treseler notes that ‘sometimes players approach it quite delicately, not getting the energy and power, but with this rhythm section we weren’t risking being too precious’ and the results generally bear out this self assessment.

‘Kind Folk’ captures some of the essence of his ‘touch of melancholy, touch of chaos’ persona via Jensen’s soaring trumpet. Keezer steps up to the mark to take on the John Taylor role in ‘Where Do We Go From Here’, which also showcases Tresler’s buttery smooth tone. ‘Old Time’ recorded live, has a joyous, almost New Orleans energy that might surprise and should delight - Keezer excels again in a fluid, high-velocity dialogue with Jensen. ‘546’ and ‘Gentle Piece’ have wordless vocal recapturing the sound of the Norma Winstone collaborations, the former featuring outstanding solos from Keezer and Treseler as it develops from static blocks of harmony into a fast waltz, the latter encapsulating the elliptical, spacious feeling that Wheeler brought to the music. An outstanding tribute to one of the greats of jazz, of any era.

ANDREW McCORMACK - GRAVITRON: The Calling

Ubuntu - UBU0025

Andrew McCormack - piano; Noemi Nuti - vocals; Josh Arcoleo - tenor sax; Tom Herbert - bass; Robin Mullarkey - bass; Joshua Blackmore - drums

McCormack is probably best known for his acclaimed series of duo recordings with Jason Yarde; this album is a very different beast, showcasing his compositional vision in what might be described as jazz-prog-rock-fusion. McCormack is a formidable virtuoso, fully capable of integrating a range of influences from such challenging sources as Tigran Hamasyan and Steve Reich, and he’s written a set of closely plotted, twisting and turning pieces for his excellent band to negotiate. Check out the intricate altered-scale unison between Noemi Nuti and Josh Arcoloeo in ‘Walled Garden’ and marvel at Nuti’s accuracy; her calm vocals soar above the fearsomely tight, punchy odd-number time signature grooves laid down by Herbert and Blackmore on ‘The Calling’ , broken by rippling arpeggios over matrixes of offbeat accents. Every moment is tightly written, with little room for improvisation, and the band handle the challenge with aplomb, delivering a series of supernaturally accurate performances that crackle with energy. The proggy feel is reinforced by the programmatic track titles - this is a concept album about the ‘classic hero’s journey’, no less - and by the time we get to ‘The King Is Blind’ we are in out-and-out prog rock territory that Yes fans would feel at home in. The ambition and scope of McCormack’s vision are apparent, and the superb band realise them to perfection, though some listeners may find that the sheer quantity of musical content and the unswerving commitment to exploring the challenging reaches of harmony and rhythm become rather exhausting over the course of nearly an hour.

PARTISANS - Nit De Nit

Whirlwind - WR4738

Phil Robson - guitar; Julian Siegel - saxophones; Thaddeus Kelly - bass; Gene Calderazzo - drums

The two-decade career of Partisans is testament to the enduring robustness of their musical vision, and this, their first ever live recording, offers something of a career retrospective as well as demonstrating their irrepressibly enthusiastic vitality. Things get off to an immediate bang with ‘Klact-Oveeseds-Tene Intro/Max’ which mashes up Charlie Parker, 80s Miles, Mahavishnu Orchestra and a host of other high energy influences into a headlong rush of unapologetically muscular fusion, driven by Calderazzo’s explosive drumming. As befits a band with twenty years of evolution, there’s a varied mix of stylistic influences on hand. ’That’s Not His Bag’ ups the yacht rock quotient with echoes of Steely Dan and a Carlton-esue contribution from the chameleonic Robson; ‘Nit De Nit’ reminds us that, despite their peerless fusion chops, all the players are rooted in the swing tradition as well and have a deep affinity for its requirements - ‘John I’m Only Dancing’ is an unapologetic swagger through the smoking remnants of Bowie’s pop hit. Kelly is the quiet man of the group, his unflustered accuracy anchoring the complexity of the compositions and allowing the other three to roam at will - restraint and understatement are not really the order of the day, though ‘3;15 On The Dot’ allows for an oasis of calm, with Siegel’s bass clarinet providing a carpet of low tones for Robson to lay out his shimmering chord voicings upon. ‘EG’ has a Brasilian lilt in honour of Senhor Gismonti before ‘Pork Scratching’ returns us to electronica-enhanced fusion, with much of the dirty-flavoured appeal of the popular bar snack. The playing is on point throughout and the whole is shot through with an irrepressible sense of fun; this release should re-state Partisans’ claim to be one of the most creative groups in UK jazz and act as a reminder of their endlessly forward-thinking vision.

SCOPES - Scopes

Whirlwind - WR4736

Ben Van Gelder - alto sax; Tony Tixier - piano, synth; Tom Berkmann - bass; Mathias Ruppnig - drums

This is a sparkling debut from a young, highly accomplished European quartet with a distinctive contemporary sound - ‘Echo Of Their Own Prejudices’ has tricky subdivisions over a pulsing 7/8 metre, but the melodies are contrastingly sweet with an edge of melancholy. Pianist Tixier has already impressed with his own releases, and here he demonstrates the same fluid virtuosity both on piano and on swooping mini-moog soundallike synth, while Ben Van Gelder is a ringer for Phil Woods’ full, bittersweet tone. Bassist Berkmann gets to show off his chops over the impressionistic, oblique harmony of his own composition ‘Chamberlain’ - ‘Aquaponies’ is a gently bobbing head-nodder, while ‘Balance’ re-deploys the synth for some mellow Weather Report style textures. Though the band was formed while all the members were resident in New York and soaking up the vibe of what is still the jazz centre of the world, there is a consistently restrained, even melancholy feel to proceedings. Even on the more uptempo numbers like the 12/8 ‘Whistle’ there’s a lightness of touch that seems typically european and that, coupled with Tixiers’ tasteful synth washes, make this album a pleasant experience, but one that occasionally threatens to slip away from the listener’s attention. ‘Lakeview’ (named after their Brooklyn apartments) is a more robust, swinging affair, and ‘Mode’ exploits the downtempo effectively to create a powerfully sombre mood, but ‘Nostalgia’ is more tinkling than characterful. Still, the sheer quality of the musicianship wins out in the end.

JEFF WILLIAMS - Bloom

Whirlwind - WR4737

Jeff Williams - drums; Carmen Staaf - piano; Michael Formanek - bass

Jeff Williams has been a presence on both sides of the Atlantic for many years now; his output of high quality music continues unabated, showcasing new talent from the UK and the US in a variety of diverse and stimulating settings. Here he re-unites with bassist Michael Formanek - a relationship that’s been developed over decades, since the formation of Circadian Rhythms with Tony Malaby in 1997 - in a trio with the prodigious pianist Carmen Staaf, best known for her ‘Science Fair’ project with drummer Alison Millar and a host of other young NYC luminaries. Her own composition ‘Short Tune’ is a peppy, Monkish bopper which showcases her harmonic facility, rhythmic accuracy and fearsomely quick right hand; there’s a powerful statement from the mighty Formanek and a series of obligatory eights with the ever creative Williams but this is Staaf’s showcase and she rises to the occasion magnificently. The trio explore the territory at the hipper end of the NYC mainstream, as personified by pianists like George Colligan, Ethan Iverson, David Berkman or Gabriel Guerrero - a ‘tradition-plus’ approach that incorporates the jagged metric modulations of ‘Scrunge/Search Me’ as well as the Ellingtonia of the wryly titled ‘Ballad Of The Week’ and the reflective sixties-era Hancockisms of Buster Williams’ ‘Air Dancing’ - ‘Northwest’ has a kind of pastoral breeziness that recalls Keith Jarrett at his most melodic and accessible. The trio excel at this kind of robust, highly virtuosic playing, and there’s a sense of freedom and fun to the proceedings. There’s a nod to the freer end of things in the mediative textual explorations of “Chant’, but this eminently accomplished trio can find quite enough to occupy themselves within the parameters of swinging modern jazz and the results are consistently engaging.

TOM CAWLEY - Catenaccio

Ubuntu - UBU0024

Tom Cawley - keys; Gareth Lockrane - flutes; Fini Bearman - voice; Rob Mullarkey; Chris Higginbottom - drums

Tom Cawley’s career has encompassed everything from piano trios at the Blue Note to tours with Peter Gabriel - such is the proficiency and breadth of his musicianship that it’s impossible to predict what each new project will bring. Previous projects have variously shown his facility and versatility as a writer and a growing fascination with vintage keyboards, and this album ties these disparate threads together. ’The Ungainlies’ starts with a bold wash of analogue synths, an immediate Proustian trigger for anyone raised on mid-period Weather Report; with Fini Bearman’s wordless vocal setting us up for a typically virtuosic solo from the ubiquitous Lockrane, over a flexible rhythm section, we’re firmly in jazz-fusion territory, as defined in the adventurous 70s.

Chris Higginbottom on drums gives the necessary back-beat punch and solidity, but his lightness of touch and sure sense of time give a genuinely jazzy openness, and the track builds to a dazzling coda. ‘Jabulani’ has a contrastingly laid-back, bossa feel, with squelchy synth solos galore, ‘Nutmeg’’s distorted and ring-modulated rhodes and pulsing rhythm evoke an earlier, freer version of Weather Report to thrilling effect - Rob Mullarkey excels and Higginbottom is on masterly polyrhythmic form. ‘Left Peg’ has the makings of a yacht rock classic, sounding like a mutant Billy Joel theme over a deliciously laid back groove.’Rabona’ has a clear ancestor in ‘Black Market’ and captures the same uplifting, open spirit. Unashamedly retro, this album isn’t trying to break new ground, but succeeds due to the convincingly realised writing and the sheer excitement and vigour of the outstanding band.

Rosie Turton

Rosie’s 5ive

(Jazz Re:freshed)

Rosie Turton, trombone; Johanna Burnheart, violin; Maria Chiara Argirò, piano/wurlitzer; Twm Dylan, bass; Jake Long, drums; Ben Hayes, synthesizers (Orange Moon); Luke Newman, vocals (Stolen Ribs)

Rosie Turton is firmly embedded in the South London scene that’s burst into prominence in the last 18 months; her regular gig as a member of Nérija placed her alongside the movement’s star players Nubya Garcia and Cassie Kinoshi, and this release marks another in the second wave of releases from this cohort of individual young players. This record comes on the heels of the well-received debut by Maisha, in which Turton plays, and the Maisha rhythm team of Jake Long and Twm Dylan are here to lend their support, alongside well respected pianist Maria Chiara Argirò, with Johanna Burnheart’s violin completing the basic unit. 

The Unknown fits the current groove-jazz template; a long, loosely structured workout over a modal vamp, with plenty of solo space for the unusual frontline combo to solo and weave lines together. Turton’s voice on trombone is full-toned and agile with a nice rasp; she cuts some hip lines on a cover of Herbie Hancock’s Butterfly that otherwise doesn’t really rise to the occasion. Orange Moon is better; the added synths add an extra cosmic dimension and the piece has a nicely defined atmosphere. There are Indian influences alongside the spoken-word free-form exploration of Stolen Ribs, which is the boldest artistic statement here. 

This release is full of the diversity, personality and energy that characterises the scene; The Purge captures all these qualities in another long groove-based tune that goes through some nice rhythmic modulations and has a gently uplifting personality. Good vibes.

Lost Organ Unit

Playing the Organ for the People

Bobby Aspey, Hammond organ; Luke Rattenbury, guitar; Grant Allardyce, drums.
With Bjorn Dahlberg, sax; Ela Southgate, vocals.

Lugging a full size 1964 Hammond around the gig circuit takes a degree of commitment, and Bobby Aspey and cohort display total commitment throughout this very enjoyable recording of classic Hammond grooves. Aspey himself penned the tunes, which make creative use of the templates established by such luminaries of the instrument as Richard ‘Groove’ Holmes, ‘Big’ John Patton, ‘Baby Face’ Willette, Jimmy McGriff and Jack McDuff, as well as the acknowledged master of the form, Jimmy Smith, and simpler but soulful practitioners like the immortal Booker T Jones and Jackie Mittoo.

Get It While It’s Hot is an irresitible groove, Polka-Dot Bikini has a Tarantino-esque atmosphere to its moody minor mooch, Clock Watching has a breezy 60s pop feel, like a cross-channel escapee from Paris’ swinging Ye-ye scene and P.B Swede is a classic boogaloo that could have served as a theme tune for any number of 60s cops-and-capers TV shows. Throughout, the band play with the appropriate application of soulful swing – drummer Grant Allardyce hits exactly the correct level of downhome grease in his grooves, with Don’t Stop demonstrating a particularly nice example of his relaxed but on-the-money feel, and Luke Rattenbury on guitar ties things together with his own super-tight pocket and contributes fire and flash in his consistently satisfying solo breaks – Precious features an especially cooking example. Mr Aspey himself shows that he understands the correct use of every drawbar, and turns in a neat solo here, some fat comping there, and a general grasp of what’s required. The compositions are consistently successful – there’s a clear line of inspiration leading from Booker T through UK Mod culture and thence to the James Taylor Quartet which Aspey understands very well, and some nice original touches like the use of bass clarinet and baritone sax from the excellent Bjorn Dahlberg and a summery wordless vocal from Ela Southgate on No. 8. Everyone seems to know exactly what they’re doing and what the style demands, and they deliver it with panache and a palpable sense of enjoyment in what they’re doing – playing organ for the people, indeed.

BEN CROSLAND QUINTET - The Ray Davies Songbook Volume II

Jazz Cat - JJCD117

Dave O Higgins - tenor & soprano; John Etheridge - guitar; Steve Lodder - piano &keyboard; Ben Crosland - bass; Sebastiaan De Krom - drums

Back in a pre-referendum 2016 Ben Crosland assembled an all-star band to explore the repertoire created for lacy-cuffed sixties rockers the Kinks by their leader, the quintessentially English melodist Ray Davies. While their contemporaries the Beatles have inspired a host of jazz covers, the Kinks were a less obvious choice; but the enduring popularity of their legacy is evidenced by the continuing success of Davies’ musical ‘Sunny Afternoon’, still packing them in at the Harold Pinter theatre, and by the appearance of this follow-up to the first popular disc. 

Crosland has kept the same line-up of UK A-listers, and they combine to give this project its artistic heft. Opener ‘Sittin On My Sofa’ is a  standard funk outing, ’Til The End Of tThe Day’ is a classic hammond shuffle, ‘Apeman’ has a jaunty faux-calypso feel, like a mid-80s cricket TV theme,  and the Lola’s famous swagger is repurposed as a muted bossa nova , but the quality of the soloists elevates the entire project time and again, be it O’Higgin’s muscular high-register chromaticisms on ‘I Gotta Move’ or Etheridge’s effortlessly fluid sprays of notes on ‘Where Have All The Good Times Gone’ and chameleon-like versatility of tone and attack. De Krom is in superb form throughout, as at home with the more rock-based material as he is in more familiar jazz surroundings; Lodder is fleet of finger, and Crosland himself anchors effectively. The entire package is highly crafted and immaculately presented, and if, like its predecessor, it may not challenge any listener with its audacity it cannot fail to win them over with its charm.

BENJAMIN CROFT - 10 Reasons To...

33Jazz Records 33JAZZ275


Benjamin Croft - keysboards; ; Benet McLean - violin; Andy Davies - trumpet & flugelhorn; Henry Thomas - bass; Mario Castronari - bass; Tristan Maillot - drums; Saleem Raman - drums; 
Peter Miles - voice

Benjamin Croft is part of that particularly London tradition of musicians equally at home in a Soho nightclub playing jazz, in the pit of a West End show, or in a TV studio at Union rates - sadly something of a rarity nowadays, this breed commonly combined a genre-crossing virtuosity, an interest in music technology, and the quirky sense of humour required to survive in this exacting milieu. Croft displays all these qualities in this unusual, engaging and highly accomplished release, presenting a take on fusion that harks back to the ‘anything goes’ spirit of the late 70s and 80s. ‘100 Years At Sea’ starts with a nautical theme (Croft has worked on the ships) and a rendition of Poe’s ‘City In The Sea’ by the late Peter Miles, evoking a particular kind of Britishness as manifested by such deathless cultural artefacts as Dr Who or Jeff Wayne’s War Of The Worlds; the following track, rich with vintage keyboard textures and Benet McLean’s soaring violin over jazz-rock rhythms, would delight fans of the kind of esoteric sophisticated euro-fusion pioneered by Jean-Luc Ponty, the later editions of Gong, or Allan Holdsworth (to whom the closing track is dedicated). Frontline duties are shared between Mclean and the clear-toned Andy Davies on trumpet, the former demonstrating his unmistakeable voice alongside  some sly Coltrane quotes  on ‘The Sycophant’ the latter showing his bebop chops on the swinging ‘The Whispering Knight’. Alongside Holdsworth, there are tributes to prog mainman Keith Emerson,  Gustav Mahler, and Christopher Lee; a diverse group who make sense together within the context of Croft’s progressive but retro vision. “Inside Immortality’ and ‘See You In Another Lifetime’ are treats for vintage keyboard fans; the rhythm sections are supple and sophisticated throughout; the compositions are complex and atmospheric and stay just the right side on bombast to be thoroughly enjoyable. The album closes with a poignant send-off from Miles, reading Dylan Thomas’ And Death Shall Have No Dominion in what was to be his last recorded performance. 

SEAMUS BLAKE - Guardians Of The Heart Machine

Whirlwind WR4375

Seamus Blake - sax & vocals; Tony Tixier - piano; Florent Nisse - bass; Gautier Garrigue - drums
​
This exciting release pairs sax supremo Blake with a trio of younger French players at the instigation of mutual friend Olivier Saez with a programme of original compositions. Things get off with a bang on the title track, a muscular, anthemic piece of contemporary jazz over a skipping mix of 6/8 and 5/8 rhythms. The old stereotype of rumbustious americans versus restrained europeans is blown away, not least by Garrigue’s explosive drumming, as the band match Blake’s dynamism. The saxophonist himself is on top form throughout, showing the dazzlingly complete technique, passionate delivery and unique grasp of harmony that’s made his influence so audible in a generation of younger players. ‘Vaporbabe’ has a quiet simmer, like an acoustic Weather Report track; ‘Sneaky D’ has a broken-beat funk to its complex rhythm arrangement and a melody that prowls around the groove before settling into a straight, hummable theme - Texier breaks out his box of Herbie Hancock-isms to satisfying effect. ‘Latona’ and ‘Wandering Aengus’ (named for WB Yeats) up the stakes in sophisticated complexity, the former showcasing Blake’s prodigious ability in the upper register, the latter giving Nisse a well-deserved solo feature. ‘Blues For The Real Human Beings’ is a memorable, Shorter-esque theme by the excellent Texier, whose own release was reviewed here in 2018, with Blake absolutely burning over the top. 

The album closes with an unexpected vocal from Blake on ‘The Blasted Heath’ that wouldn’t be out of place on a Radiohead album. While the US tradition is acknowledged through the inclusion of a contrafact the hard-bop warhorse ‘Along Came Betty’, there’s a lyrical European sensibility that has permeated Blake’s writing; the band and the leader are a great match both in ability and concept, making this a really fresh sounding release to add to the master’s impressive catalogue.  

QUINSIN NACHOFF'S FLUX - Path Of Totality

Whirlwind WR4733

David Binney - C melody & alto sax; Quinsin Nachoff - tenor & soprano sax; Matt Mitchell - piano, keyboards; Kenny Wolleson - drums; Nate Wood - drums; 
with Jason Barnsley - theatre organ; Mark Duggan - marimba, vibes, percussion; Carl Maraghi - percussion; Dan Urness, Matt Holman - trumpets; Ryan Keberle - trombones; Alan Ferber - trombones; David Travers Smith - synths; Orlando Hernandez - tap dancing

No-one could accuse Mr Nachoff of a lack of ambition; this mighty work is spread over two CDs, with three tracks clocking in at over twelve minutes,  replete with weighty titles like ‘Orbital Resonances’ and a host of diverse musical influences on show. Title the title track starts off with multiple simultaneous time signatures and stabs of altered chords, but things get lot more accessible thanks to the unerring melodicism of the soloing from the excellent David Binney. Nachoff has an attractively foggy tone on tenor, but his role as a soloist is almost sidelined by the sheer intricacy and breadth of his compositions. Binney, Wolleson and Nate Wood are all stars in their own right, exploring an area somewhere between jazz, fusion and progressive rock, and Mitchell is part of Rudresh Marathappa’s similarly genre-busting outfit, so all involved have the chops, energy and vision to sustain Nachoff’s sprawling works.

The lack of a bass player gives proceedings an intriguingly rootless, airy feel, as though anything could happen next - an extended interlude from a tap dancer, for instance, comes as no surprise by the time we’ve worked our way deep into disc two. The two drummers’ thunderous post-rock backbeats set the pace for many of the tunes, but there’s plenty of room for extended textural explorations as on the gamelan-like ‘Toy Piano Meditations’ and the vintage-synth-heavy ‘Splatter’. The whole is like an overflowing cornucopia  of musical excitement, with enough challenging ideas to sustain half a dozen lesser works, though perhaps too many to digest at one sitting. 

GABRIEL LATCHIN TRIO - The Moon And I

Alys Jazz AJ1502

Gabriel Latchin - piano; Dario Di Lecce - bass; Josh Morrison - drums

This nourishing slice of well confected bop traditionalism starts and ends with that most traditional trope, a Rhythm Changes workout - ‘Arthur Go’ has a crisply constructed head, combining block chords with bluesy inflections with some of the poise of Hank Jones and the rhythmic snap of Wynton Kelly - everything is present and correct in the solo exploration, in which echoes of a host of bop masters are detectable, while Dario Di Lecce an Josh Morrison provide a suitably springy trampoline of swing for Latchin to bounce off. Latchin has chosed a clearly defined set of artistic parameters; his approach favours the more restrained, neatly streamlined school of Sonny Clark, Tommy Flanagan or Walter Bishop, like a distilled version of Bud Powell, over the more florid extravagances of Phineas Newborn or Oscar Peterson or the impressionistic cabaret of Ahmad Jamal, and his historical frame of reference stops well before the expansive chromaticism of Hancock or Corea, or even the furious pentatonics of Tyner. 

What he offers are a series of immaculate miniatures - ‘Peek A Bu’ recalls Bobby Timmons with his eponymous employer and swings appropriately,  ‘Brigi My Dear’ is an airy waltz that has a flavour of Bill Evans and demonstrates Latchin’s sensitive touch, ‘Baubles Bangles And Beads’ is taken at a fast clip with an ingenious arrangement that recalls the under-recognised Victor Feldman trio and showcases a fast and accurate right hand. ‘So Danco Samba’ benefits from having its natural restraint restored; ‘Zambia’ by Lee Morgan pushes the furthest forward from the mainstream with hints of Cedar Walton; ‘Pippy’s Delight’ bookends the album with another Rhythm Changes variant, with space for some flourishes from Di Lecce and Morrison. Conception and execution are faultless throughout and this album should reinforce Mr Latchin’s standing with fans of the mainstream. 

LAURENCE HOBGOOD - tesseterra

Ubuntu - UBU0019

Laurence Hobgood - piano;  Jared Schonig - bass; Matthew Clohesy - drums
With the ETHEL string quartet

Laurence Hobgood has enjoyed a long and illustrious career as Kurt Elling’s pianist and musical partner, his 2015 release was recorded in the company of heavyweights John Patitucci and Kendrick Scott, and this follow up comes already garnished with accolades. There is a personal endorsement from Dr Daniel J Levitin, author of This Is Your Brain On Music, and liner notes from Robert Pinsky, America’s poet laureate, while quotes from Rumi and John Garvey embellish the cover. Hobgood is a superb pianist, as demonstrated by his hushed, beautifully paced intro and fluid improvisations on the opening track, a version of the pop evergreen Wichita Lineman. His touch is at once sensitive and assured, his harmonic imagination is fertile, and his technique comprehensive; his skill as a performer is matched by his ability to arrange for strings; Blackbird starts with an extended piece for the Ethel quartet in a kind of Hollywood Ravel style, and the strings are very present throughout and are fully integrated with the trio in creating the album’s distinctive sound. While this is all excellent as far as it goes, over the course of an entire record the impact starts to lessen; Jared Schonig and Matthew Clohesy are superb accompanists but their contributions are restrained to the extent that the emotional temperature seldom rises above lukewarm, and the choice of  material - including chestnuts such as All of You and Georgia On My Mind alongside more recent pop material like Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic - is familiar to the point of tiredness. Blackbird is a highlight, but the overall impression, despite the wealth of exceptional talent available,  is of a very pleasant but ultimately rather inconsequential tinkling. A missed opportunity. 

GWEN & TIANA - African Time

Ubuntu - UBU0022

Gwen Thomas, Tiana Ewane - vocals; Femi Temowo - guitar; Oli Rockberger - piano/keyboards; Michael Olatuj - bass; Marijus Aleksa - drums; Junior Ali-Balogun - percussion; 
Soweto Kinch - saxophone, vocals; Keyon Harrold - trumpet; Sona Jobarteh - kora, vocals; Gregoire Maret - Harmonica; 
Additional strings, brass and backing vocals.

The name of this pan-African duo, and the  album packaging, may remind some UK listeners of another highly successful duo, Amadou and Mariam, but this is a very different product. Singing in English and French, Gwen and Tiana present a slick and lavishly produced package that incorporates elements of mainstream pop and soul in a manner reminiscent of the wave of 1980s African artists like Youssou N’Dour and Salif Keita. 

​Gwen and Tiana are both possessed of warm, expressive vocal talents; the African roots are unmistakeable in the way the rhythm section switch effortlessly between 3/4 and 12/8 in the title track, and bassist Michael Olatuja deserves a special mention for his powerful, supple playing throughout; Soweto Kinch supplies imaginatively spiky saxophone and a punchy rap verse on Letting Go, and rising trumpet star Keyon Harold, who recently collaborated with Abdullah Ibrahim for the EFG London Jazz Festival,  lends his full creamy tone  to the chirpy township reggae of “I’ll Make It”. Playing, arranging and production are of the highest standard throughout, - Love Is The Answer  has a particularly imaginative groove in the verses flowing effortlessly into unexpected rock guitar stylings in the chorus -  but while there is a palpable sense of good natured, uplifting high spirits that is irresistibly engaging, some may find that the very mainstream songwriting and production style rather overwhelm the personalities involved, and the overall impression may be too bland for some tastes. 

JOHN TURVILLE - Head First

Whirlwind Recordings WR4734

John Turville - piano; Julian Arguelles - tenor & soprano; Robbe Robson - trumpet; Dave Whitford - bass; James Maddren - drums 

John Turville has spent the last decade quietly establishing himself as the go-to pianist for the kind of thoughtful, multi-faceted modern jazz whose distinctly european sensibility was developed by composers such as John Taylor and Kenny Wheeler, and continues to thrive today. His sensitivity, advanced harmonic concept and the fluidity and control derived from a thorough grounding in classical technique mark him out as a worthy successor to this tradition, and the esteem in which he’s held is reflected in the heavyweight line-up of this, his first quintet release. Recorded in the legendary Artesuono studio in Italy, the clear, crisp sound captures the delicacy and nuance in each performance. There’s a range of takes on the contemporary idiom - ‘Almagro Nights’ is a storming, complex trio that showcases Turville’s two-handed virtuosity, ‘Interval Music’ is a poised duet with Arguelles’ crystalline soprano, ‘Head First’ has a brisk, delicate samba feel, ‘Fall Out’ tempers post-bop angularity with the lyricism of the Taylor/Wheeler school. There are a choice selection of material from high-end operatives like Michel Petrucciani and Toninho Horta, and Arguelles contributes the gently pulsing african-influenced rhythms of ‘A Month In Tunisia’ ( is the title meant as a gentle reproach to composers who take a shallow approach to incorporating influences from other cultures?).

Needless to say, the A-list band rise to every occasion; Whitford has a notable solo statement in “Head First’ and Maddren continues to astonish with his ability to excel in any musical setting. Arguelles is a powerhouse of ideas, and the lesser known Robson more than holds his own, particularly in the pastoral ‘Ennerdale’ - but it’s the pianist’s project and he is firmly at the centre both as performer and composer. A really outstanding release from the forefront of contemporary UK jazz. 

SARAH TANDY - Infection In The Sentence 

Jazz:refreshed

Sarah Tandy – piano; Binker Golding – Sax; Sheila Maurice-Grey – trumpet; Mutale Chashi - bass; Femi Koleoso - drums

Sarah Tandy has quietly been positioned as one of the movement’s most credible forces, emerging from the fertile South London scene as keys player for Nu Civilisation Orchestra, Maisha, Where Pathways Meet, Camilla George, Nubya Garcia, Nerija, and many more, and earning a ringing endorsement from the Guardian’s John Fordham as an ‘ artist to look out for’ in 2018. In an earlier incarnation she was a finalist in the BBC Young Musician Of The Year - a strictly classical gig - and traces of this can be heard both in her technical chops and in a rhapsodic quality to her playing which makes her stand out from the crowd.
If 2018 was the year for the promise of the new London thing to gain media attention, then 2019 is the year to deliver on that promise, and this album is in the vanguard. The session matches Tandy with some of her most accomplished associates for some heavy blowing over a series of original compositions that allow everyone sufficient room to showcase their abilities while keeping proceedings tight and focussed.   

Tenor man Binker Golding is best known as half of the groove-heavy Binker And Moses duo, but here shows his mettle as a fierce post-bop improviser; his tough, chewy tone and rhythmic precision recall Joe Henderson, as does his ability to slide confidently from cerebral altered harmony to R&B-influenced wailing and back again. Femi Koleoso is the powerhouse  drummer behind Ezra Collective; he too seems to revel in the opportunity to show his versatility, from the mutated one-drop of ‘Snake In The Grass’ to the straight ahead burn of ‘Under The Skin’; he turns in a bravura performance on  the riotously uplifting second-line swagger of ‘Bradbury Street’ and simmers down for the closely written downtempo ‘Light weight’. Trumpeter Sheila Maurice-Grey adds some effective, full-toned interventions and Mutale Chashi’s well judged contribution holds down the low end to keep things solid. 

Tandy’s own playing is assured, creative and powerfully confident throughout, whether on piano or the inevitable rhodes, with a nicely controlled touch that makes for some effective dynamics - ‘Bradbury Street’ shows her matching a swift and fluent right hand to an imaginative harmonic conception and an urgent delivery to create some satisfying fireworks.  There’s the kind of hip, modal, beats-based stuff that you’d expect from this scene that’s been nurtured in the club as much as the conservatoire, but enough post-bop sophistication on offer to allay the suspicions of any of the jazz establishment who may have been moved to question the ratio of talent to hype among an excited press. In fact, with its acoustic-plus-rhodes format, a mix of influences from Tyner to Henderson and a muscular approach to mixing classic jazz with contemporary rhythms, the overall sound is reminiscent of the last wave of highly-touted UK Jazz Warriors of the late 1980s,  whose successive Tomorrow’s Warriors organisation prepared the fertile ground for the current crop. A satisfying debut and, we hope, a harbinger of more to come.

STEVE FISHWICK/ALEX GARNET QUARTET - Marshian Time Slip

Hard Bop Records HBR33011

Steve Fishwick - trumpet & flugelhorn; Alex Garnett - alto sax; Michael Karn - bass; Matt Fishwick - drums

This  project has been long in the gestation;  some 15 years ago brothers Steve and Matt Fishwick and Alex Garnett were neighbours in Maida Vale, and used to rehearse together, exploring their mutual love of the hard bop tradition. The chordless format was adopted on an expedient basis, as their rehearsal room had no piano, but the participants found it so appealing that they’ve retained it for the present recording, with the band completed by the New Yorker Michael Karn who has previously partnered with Fishwick in his UK/US Sextet. 

​There’s an obvious (and explicitly stated) link to the Ernie Henry/Kenny Dorham pianoless quartet that featured on Henry’s final recording before his untimely death in 1957, and to the chordless bop of Sonny Rollins; the themes, all original compositions by the leaders, deploy the traditional bop vocabulary of hot licks interwoven with hits and breaks in the best Silver tradition, followed by plenty of burning solos over impeccably swinging grooves. The standard blowing vehicles are addressed - ’Wrath Of Karn’ is a heavily altered blues -  ‘Marshian Time Slip’ is a Warne Marsh-inspired contrafact on ‘All The Things’ - ‘Rhythm Changes’ workout ‘Lickeroo’ has a punning dedication to its twin inspirations Ray Noble and Charlie Parker, and elsewhere ‘Rio De Ron’ fulfils the Latin quota, ‘52nd Street Dream’ is a muscular ballad, and ‘Creep’ is a vehicle for swaggering downtempo bluesy exploration. However the absence of a piano, and Garnett’s choice of alto sax over his usual tenor, inevitably conjures up the more forward (or wayward) spirit of Ornette Coleman - the wailing introduction to the alto solo on the title track, and the frantic figures on ‘Kaftan’,  sound distinctly Colemanesqe, the altered blues harmony on ‘The Wrath Of Karn’ walks a line between dissonance and freedom, and Michael Karn’s rock-solid bass fills out the space with beautifully logical counterpoints worthy of Charlie Haden. Fishwick S is his usual virtuosic self, matching poise and pace with a full, rounded tone and distilling the voice of the bop masters into his own special brew - Fishwick M is the exemplar of taste and swing - Karn is allocated generous solo space and rises to every occasion; the entire band rise to the challenges and possibilities of the pianoless format to create a recording that combines the flawless execution you’d expect from these players with an additional sense of freedom and excitement. 

The issue of a heavyweight vinyl with authentically retro cover design makes this package all the more appealing for lovers of echt jazz everywhere; marketing departments take note! 

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