JULIAN SIEGEL QUARTET - Vista
Whirlwind WR4717
Julian Siegel - tenor and soprano saxes, bass clarinet; Liam Noble - piano; Oli Hayhurst - bass; Gene Calderazzo - drums
Given the stringencies of the current UK Jazz scene it’s rare for bands to maintain stable line ups or notch up long recording histories, which makes this release all the more welcome, as the quartet celebrate nine years of working together by showing how their collective empathy can reward the risks involved in . As before, while Siegel is the leader and supplies all the compositions, aside from a dazzling re-invention of Bud Powell’s ‘Un Poco Loco’, he’s as much a facilitator for this group of supremely qualified musicians, and while the writing is as forceful and creative as ever, there’s also a sense that on tunes such as the darkly swinging trio ‘Billion Years’ and the back-beat driven ‘Vista’ Siegel is just giving the band a push and seeing where they roll - an exhilarating experience, especially in the latter tune when Noble takes centre stage to show off his sense of freedom and daring harmonic imagination in dialogue with Calderazzo’s powerhouse drumming. While the rippling introduction to ‘Pastorale’ shows off Siegel’s arranging chops, in general this record is less closely written than it’s predecessor and the band leap into the spaces created and give it their all. Several of the themes are more lyrically accessible than on the last disc - ‘The Goose’ contains echoes of sunny west-coast fusion, ‘I Want To Go To Brasil’ develops from gentle rubato to a subtly pulsing homage to Hermeto Pascoal and Elis Regina that doesn’t fight shy of the melodicism inherent in both those artists, and ‘Song’ is an outright ballad sensitively handled by the band, with Hayhurst lending his rich tone and sure intonation to outline the theme. There’s plenty of pushing at the barriers of tonality as well, as you’d expect from such adventurous and accomplished players, but it’s tempered with a refreshing melodicism and groove. An extensive tour approaches and should be a rewarding experience for all.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
Whirlwind WR4717
Julian Siegel - tenor and soprano saxes, bass clarinet; Liam Noble - piano; Oli Hayhurst - bass; Gene Calderazzo - drums
Given the stringencies of the current UK Jazz scene it’s rare for bands to maintain stable line ups or notch up long recording histories, which makes this release all the more welcome, as the quartet celebrate nine years of working together by showing how their collective empathy can reward the risks involved in . As before, while Siegel is the leader and supplies all the compositions, aside from a dazzling re-invention of Bud Powell’s ‘Un Poco Loco’, he’s as much a facilitator for this group of supremely qualified musicians, and while the writing is as forceful and creative as ever, there’s also a sense that on tunes such as the darkly swinging trio ‘Billion Years’ and the back-beat driven ‘Vista’ Siegel is just giving the band a push and seeing where they roll - an exhilarating experience, especially in the latter tune when Noble takes centre stage to show off his sense of freedom and daring harmonic imagination in dialogue with Calderazzo’s powerhouse drumming. While the rippling introduction to ‘Pastorale’ shows off Siegel’s arranging chops, in general this record is less closely written than it’s predecessor and the band leap into the spaces created and give it their all. Several of the themes are more lyrically accessible than on the last disc - ‘The Goose’ contains echoes of sunny west-coast fusion, ‘I Want To Go To Brasil’ develops from gentle rubato to a subtly pulsing homage to Hermeto Pascoal and Elis Regina that doesn’t fight shy of the melodicism inherent in both those artists, and ‘Song’ is an outright ballad sensitively handled by the band, with Hayhurst lending his rich tone and sure intonation to outline the theme. There’s plenty of pushing at the barriers of tonality as well, as you’d expect from such adventurous and accomplished players, but it’s tempered with a refreshing melodicism and groove. An extensive tour approaches and should be a rewarding experience for all.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
