MATT CHANDLER - Astrometrics
33 Jazz Records - 33JAZZ61
Matt Chandler - guitar; Ross Stanley - organ; Eric Ford - drums
Chandler has an interesting CV that encompasses work at the cutting edge of rock electronica with Killing Joke and Orb producer known only as Youth, as well as awards for blues guitar. He’s picked a superb pair of accompanists - Eric Ford is a driving force behind genre-bending high-intensity fusioneers Partikel, and Ross Stanley seems to have single-handedly cornered the market in Hammond organ, bringing his unwieldy instrument and his crisp, progressive playing to clubs all across the UK; you may have seen him with Nigel Price on one of that guitarist’s endless tour schedules.
Opener ‘Funk Work’ is a close cousin to Ben Tucker’s ‘Coming Home Baby’ ; a smoky blues workout with a Chandler channelling his inner Scofield with great conviction and fluency, and some dazzling explorations high up the neck that seem to have a pitch shifter involved, giving proceedings a futuristic cast. ‘The Sting’ recalls Larry Young in it’s twisting uptempo melody, and launches Chandler off into a fleet and harmonically adventurous solo that swings as hard as Mr Young might have wanted. ‘El Diablo’ is a fast waltz, and ‘Doctor’s In The House’ has a Blue Note boogaloo-bossa feel.
Throughout Stanley and Chandler keep things tight and bluesy and Ford cooks along in the best tradition. ‘Intricate Facade’ has a more contemporary post-rock/fusion feel in it’s upliftingly open chord intro, returning to the minor-blues template for the fluent solos; Ford gets a chance to stretch out and show his stuff under Stanley’s atmospheric chords for the extended outro. ‘Scene Of No Scene’ has the feel of a breezy standard and shows Chandler’s writing chops; ‘Bar Short’ and ‘Dirty Rat’ should appeal to fans of Scofield’s work with Medeski, Martin and Wood. This record may not be trying to break any new ground, but there’s no denying the taste, skill and talent of everyone involved and both Chandler’s compositions and his effortlessly swinging solos have an infectious energy.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
33 Jazz Records - 33JAZZ61
Matt Chandler - guitar; Ross Stanley - organ; Eric Ford - drums
Chandler has an interesting CV that encompasses work at the cutting edge of rock electronica with Killing Joke and Orb producer known only as Youth, as well as awards for blues guitar. He’s picked a superb pair of accompanists - Eric Ford is a driving force behind genre-bending high-intensity fusioneers Partikel, and Ross Stanley seems to have single-handedly cornered the market in Hammond organ, bringing his unwieldy instrument and his crisp, progressive playing to clubs all across the UK; you may have seen him with Nigel Price on one of that guitarist’s endless tour schedules.
Opener ‘Funk Work’ is a close cousin to Ben Tucker’s ‘Coming Home Baby’ ; a smoky blues workout with a Chandler channelling his inner Scofield with great conviction and fluency, and some dazzling explorations high up the neck that seem to have a pitch shifter involved, giving proceedings a futuristic cast. ‘The Sting’ recalls Larry Young in it’s twisting uptempo melody, and launches Chandler off into a fleet and harmonically adventurous solo that swings as hard as Mr Young might have wanted. ‘El Diablo’ is a fast waltz, and ‘Doctor’s In The House’ has a Blue Note boogaloo-bossa feel.
Throughout Stanley and Chandler keep things tight and bluesy and Ford cooks along in the best tradition. ‘Intricate Facade’ has a more contemporary post-rock/fusion feel in it’s upliftingly open chord intro, returning to the minor-blues template for the fluent solos; Ford gets a chance to stretch out and show his stuff under Stanley’s atmospheric chords for the extended outro. ‘Scene Of No Scene’ has the feel of a breezy standard and shows Chandler’s writing chops; ‘Bar Short’ and ‘Dirty Rat’ should appeal to fans of Scofield’s work with Medeski, Martin and Wood. This record may not be trying to break any new ground, but there’s no denying the taste, skill and talent of everyone involved and both Chandler’s compositions and his effortlessly swinging solos have an infectious energy.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
