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.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
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.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
