Nigel Thomas Quartet: Hidden Nigel Thomas, bass Paul Booth, saxophones, bass clarinet, flute Mark Edwards, piano and keyboards Winston Clifford, drums. Pathway Records Contact Nigelglegge@gmail.com South Coast bassist and composer Nigel Thomas makes a welcome return with this excellent album following up his 2011 release, Yoichi. The re-appearance of two […]
Peter Edwards Trio A Matter Of Instinct Peter Edwards – piano, Fender Rhodes Max Luthert – bass Moses Boyd -drums www.peteredwardsmusic.co.uk Peter Edwards has put an satisfying amount of solid achievement under his belt since leaving Trinity Laban with a Masters degree. Starting with a MOBO nomination in 2014, he notched […]
The Paul Richards Trio Episodes Paul Richards – guitar Steve Thompson – bass Tony Shepherd – drums cdbaby.com/cd/thepaulrichardstrio2 www.paulrichardsguitar.com Just as Philadelphia produced great saxophonists and New Orleans incubated any number of wonderful trumpeters, so Wrexham seems to have something going on for guitarists; gypsy jazz supremo Gary Potter is a […]
Jeff Williams Outlier Jeff Williams – drums, percussion, Fender Rhodes Josh Arcoleo – tenor saxophone Phil Robson – guitar Kit Downes – piano, Fender Rhodes Sam Lasserson – bass Whirlwind WR4684 The veteran US percussionist’s new release tops up an already extensive discography that stretches from Dave Liebman’s seminal 1973 […]
Annatta Alex Merritt Quartet (F-IRE Label) Apparently “Annatta’ is a concept drawn from the Buddhist tradition, referring to 'a moment of awakening, whereby one can come to realise the illusory nature of self.’ Alex Merritt has assembled a formidable band of musical heavyweights for this release, and includes among his avowed influences such […]
Mells Bells Sam Crockatt Sam Crockatt, tenor sax; Kit Downes, piano; Oli Hayhurst, bass; James Maddren, Drums Whirlwind Recordings – WR4681 Masterly saxist Sam Crockett’s style derives its punch and clarity from his admiration for such quintessential urbanites as Dexter Gordon, Joe Lovano, and especially Joe Henderson, but this album draws […]
Paul Kimber & Phil Merriman Duos, Duets and Duels Paul Kimber (bass), Phil Merriman (piano) Jazz Records JRCD115 Available from www.jazzrecords.co.uk Despite being pioneered by no less than Duke Ellington and his prodigious sideman Jimmy Blanton, the bass and piano duet is a rarely encountered format in jazz, or anywhere else. […]
Ken Peplowski and Alan Barnes At the Watermill (www.woodvillerecords.com) When two of the great jazz musicians get together with a stellar rhythm section, you just know that you are in for a treat and so it proves to be. Both musicians at the top of their form play tunes from Horace Silver […]
Partikel String Theory (www.whirlwindrecordings.com) This music is not simply an acoustic trio recording with an added string quartet. The strings are an integral part of the band improvisation flowing in and out of the music augmenting and sometimes leading the outstanding trio. Almost all the compositions (except Body & Soul) were written […]
Album Review Bone Idol Ashley Slater (Digital album released 1st April 2015) The term ‘Renaissance Man’ is rather over-used, but given that many of that era’s leading lights were as fond of flamboyant costume as they were of artistic multi-tasking, it could certainly be applied to Ashley Slater. Not many careers manage to […]