ALEX HITCHCOCK - Dream Band
Fresh Sound New Talent FSNT-627
ALEX HITCHCOCK saxophone; CHERISE ADAMS-BURNETT voice; CHRIS CHEEK saxophone; DAVID ADEWUMI trumpet; DESCHANEL GORDON piano; FERG IRELAND bass; JAS KAYSER drums; JASON BROWN drums; JOE DOWNARD bass; LUISITO QUINTERO percussion; MIDORI JAEGER voice/cello; NOAH STONEMAN piano; SHANE FORBES drums; WILL BARRY piano; WILL SACH bass
This latest release from Hitchcock is an ambitious and stunningly realised project that justifies the continuing support he’s received from the tastemaking Fresh Sound New Talent imprint. With an impressive cast list that features old colleagues from his quintet, quartet, and the AUB project, new kids on the London block (Gordon, Kayser, Stoneman) and some visiting American superstars (Cheek, Brown, Adewumi), in ways it feels like a summary of his recorded career so far. One might be forgiven for thinking that Hitchcock wasn’t able to choose which band he wanted to work with next so decided to work with all of them at once, but in fact the album has a striking coherence thanks in part to the unifying presence of the two vocalists and Hitchcock’s own assertively modernistic, superbly controlled saxophone playing. Part of the fun is guessing who plays what: Jason Brown’s unmistakeable polyrhythmic attack shines out on ‘Yeshaya’, Will Barry and Shane Forbes build up a mighty head of steam on ‘To Love Itself’ alongside Cherise’s clarion wordless vocal: she returns alongside Chris Cheek and David Adewumi on the album highlight ‘FTSL’ - Hitchcock holds his own with fellow Fresh Sound artist Cheek for tonal control across all the registers, harmonic and melodic ingenuity and rhythmic accuracy. The compositions are modernistic with plenty of emphasis on rhythm and surprise metric and harmonic twists but remain eminently listenable: Midori’s cello and vocals provide the perfect complement to Hitchcock’s writing, simultaneously introspective and robustly assertive. A triumph.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
Fresh Sound New Talent FSNT-627
ALEX HITCHCOCK saxophone; CHERISE ADAMS-BURNETT voice; CHRIS CHEEK saxophone; DAVID ADEWUMI trumpet; DESCHANEL GORDON piano; FERG IRELAND bass; JAS KAYSER drums; JASON BROWN drums; JOE DOWNARD bass; LUISITO QUINTERO percussion; MIDORI JAEGER voice/cello; NOAH STONEMAN piano; SHANE FORBES drums; WILL BARRY piano; WILL SACH bass
This latest release from Hitchcock is an ambitious and stunningly realised project that justifies the continuing support he’s received from the tastemaking Fresh Sound New Talent imprint. With an impressive cast list that features old colleagues from his quintet, quartet, and the AUB project, new kids on the London block (Gordon, Kayser, Stoneman) and some visiting American superstars (Cheek, Brown, Adewumi), in ways it feels like a summary of his recorded career so far. One might be forgiven for thinking that Hitchcock wasn’t able to choose which band he wanted to work with next so decided to work with all of them at once, but in fact the album has a striking coherence thanks in part to the unifying presence of the two vocalists and Hitchcock’s own assertively modernistic, superbly controlled saxophone playing. Part of the fun is guessing who plays what: Jason Brown’s unmistakeable polyrhythmic attack shines out on ‘Yeshaya’, Will Barry and Shane Forbes build up a mighty head of steam on ‘To Love Itself’ alongside Cherise’s clarion wordless vocal: she returns alongside Chris Cheek and David Adewumi on the album highlight ‘FTSL’ - Hitchcock holds his own with fellow Fresh Sound artist Cheek for tonal control across all the registers, harmonic and melodic ingenuity and rhythmic accuracy. The compositions are modernistic with plenty of emphasis on rhythm and surprise metric and harmonic twists but remain eminently listenable: Midori’s cello and vocals provide the perfect complement to Hitchcock’s writing, simultaneously introspective and robustly assertive. A triumph.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
