FRASER & THE ALIBIS
WWW.FRASERANDTHEALIBIS.COM
Fraser Smith (tenor sax) Joe Webb (Hammond organ) Harry Sankey (guitar) Gethin Jones (drums) Recorded December 2017
Raw, rockin’ and decidedly retro is a concise way of describing the music contained on this self-produced disc by a group of twenty something Brits who are deeply into the ethos of those 50’s& 60’s Blue Note tenor and organ workouts that resurfaced for subsequent generations as `acid jazz`. There isn’t anything here to tax the grey matter but the seven pieces that make up the playlist are too good to be dismissed as nostalgic ephemera. Fraser and his men really inhabit the spirit of the soul jazz genre whilst emphasising its R&B roots and making the occasional nod in the direction of the Stax sound of Booker T & the MGs.
It all sounds thoroughly authentic and the crystal clear recording captures all the dynamics to perfection making for a very happy, unpretentious 40 minutes or so listening, or indeed dancing because this is music with great `ass shaking` potential. It is most pleasing that the Hammond organ, which once came close to extinction, is now being taken up by new exponents, bringing back to life a style of jazz that has no other ambition than, in the words of Stanley Turrentine, “to help people relax and enjoy.”
Reviewed by Euan Dixon
WWW.FRASERANDTHEALIBIS.COM
Fraser Smith (tenor sax) Joe Webb (Hammond organ) Harry Sankey (guitar) Gethin Jones (drums) Recorded December 2017
Raw, rockin’ and decidedly retro is a concise way of describing the music contained on this self-produced disc by a group of twenty something Brits who are deeply into the ethos of those 50’s& 60’s Blue Note tenor and organ workouts that resurfaced for subsequent generations as `acid jazz`. There isn’t anything here to tax the grey matter but the seven pieces that make up the playlist are too good to be dismissed as nostalgic ephemera. Fraser and his men really inhabit the spirit of the soul jazz genre whilst emphasising its R&B roots and making the occasional nod in the direction of the Stax sound of Booker T & the MGs.
It all sounds thoroughly authentic and the crystal clear recording captures all the dynamics to perfection making for a very happy, unpretentious 40 minutes or so listening, or indeed dancing because this is music with great `ass shaking` potential. It is most pleasing that the Hammond organ, which once came close to extinction, is now being taken up by new exponents, bringing back to life a style of jazz that has no other ambition than, in the words of Stanley Turrentine, “to help people relax and enjoy.”
Reviewed by Euan Dixon
