PAUL BOOTH - 44 (Forty Four)
Ubuntu Music UBU0112
Paul Booth - tenor/soprano saxophones; Alexandra Ridout - trumpet/flugelhorn; Ross Stanley - piano/Hammond B3 Organ/Wurlitzer electric piano; Oliver Mason -guitars; Flo Moore - electric bass; Dave Whitford - upright bass; Shane Forbes - drums; Andrew Bain - drums
The ridiculously prolific Paul Booth shows no signs of slowing down: this remarkable project sees him celebrating his 44th birthday by assembling a double quartet in the studio for a programme of specially written originals alongside two freely improvised pieces and a re-working of the classic standard ‘Four’ to round off the thematic concept.
Booth has assembled a really interesting group of musicians for this unusual line-up, with a mix of established jazz players and young up-and-comers, and there’s a stylistic mix to the compositions as well. “Blues In The Square” has a straight-ahead rock 4/4 groove, laced with Ross Stanley’s crunchy Wurlitzer and Oliver Masons’ bluesy fusion guitar, while ‘Four Candles’ is a restrained, lyrical ECM-style ballad that gives space for Dave Whitford’s big-toned acoustic bass to explore and ‘Quad Rant’ uses acoustic guitar and echo-laden trumpet to create a psychedelic folk-jazz feel. Despite its stylistic range the album hangs together well, thanks in part to the empathy and creativity of the musicians involved and in part to the strength of Booth’s writing. Both he and Alexandra Ridout contribute superbly assured solos throughout and the double bass and drum teams manage to keep out of each other’s way while adding real excitement to proceedings: check out the build-up under Paul’s solo on ‘Quad Rant’ and Ridout’s astonishing solo on ‘Her’. The closing ‘Four’ gets a thorough metrical re-working, driven by Flo Moore’s punchy bass guitar, as a fittingly exciting outro. Outstanding.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
Ubuntu Music UBU0112
Paul Booth - tenor/soprano saxophones; Alexandra Ridout - trumpet/flugelhorn; Ross Stanley - piano/Hammond B3 Organ/Wurlitzer electric piano; Oliver Mason -guitars; Flo Moore - electric bass; Dave Whitford - upright bass; Shane Forbes - drums; Andrew Bain - drums
The ridiculously prolific Paul Booth shows no signs of slowing down: this remarkable project sees him celebrating his 44th birthday by assembling a double quartet in the studio for a programme of specially written originals alongside two freely improvised pieces and a re-working of the classic standard ‘Four’ to round off the thematic concept.
Booth has assembled a really interesting group of musicians for this unusual line-up, with a mix of established jazz players and young up-and-comers, and there’s a stylistic mix to the compositions as well. “Blues In The Square” has a straight-ahead rock 4/4 groove, laced with Ross Stanley’s crunchy Wurlitzer and Oliver Masons’ bluesy fusion guitar, while ‘Four Candles’ is a restrained, lyrical ECM-style ballad that gives space for Dave Whitford’s big-toned acoustic bass to explore and ‘Quad Rant’ uses acoustic guitar and echo-laden trumpet to create a psychedelic folk-jazz feel. Despite its stylistic range the album hangs together well, thanks in part to the empathy and creativity of the musicians involved and in part to the strength of Booth’s writing. Both he and Alexandra Ridout contribute superbly assured solos throughout and the double bass and drum teams manage to keep out of each other’s way while adding real excitement to proceedings: check out the build-up under Paul’s solo on ‘Quad Rant’ and Ridout’s astonishing solo on ‘Her’. The closing ‘Four’ gets a thorough metrical re-working, driven by Flo Moore’s punchy bass guitar, as a fittingly exciting outro. Outstanding.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
