RICHARD BAKER QUINTET - Lunology
Richard Bacon (trombone), Alan Wakeman (tenor and sorano saxes), Ian Riley (piano), Alan Savage (drums), Bill Coleman and Dirk Griffin (bass).
Richard Baker’s new release will be of interest to many jazz fans around the midlands and further afield.
The album recorded at the Stone Pit studios in Northampton in 2014 includes tracks originally recorded by Gerry Mulligan and Joe Henderson as well as their own compositions.
Clearly influenced by some of the West Coast quintets of the 1960s, the album’s distinctiveness rests on the careful interplay between trombone and saxophone featuring on all eleven tracks.
The moonlight evident on the albums cover and title offer the suggestion of music to be played perhaps in the late evening. These carefully crafted tracks constitute a highly listenable sound.
While all of the tracks have an even temper there are a few that really stand out. ‘Ballad’ composed by saxophonist Wakeman and the final track ‘Bone Fracture’ credited to Baker himself suggest that there is much more to come from the Quintet in the future. They have a number of gigs penciled in before Christmas mostly playing around the midlands area and I urge you to catch them soon especially if you are a fan of the West Coast sound.
Reviewed by Nick Styevenson
Richard Bacon (trombone), Alan Wakeman (tenor and sorano saxes), Ian Riley (piano), Alan Savage (drums), Bill Coleman and Dirk Griffin (bass).
Richard Baker’s new release will be of interest to many jazz fans around the midlands and further afield.
The album recorded at the Stone Pit studios in Northampton in 2014 includes tracks originally recorded by Gerry Mulligan and Joe Henderson as well as their own compositions.
Clearly influenced by some of the West Coast quintets of the 1960s, the album’s distinctiveness rests on the careful interplay between trombone and saxophone featuring on all eleven tracks.
The moonlight evident on the albums cover and title offer the suggestion of music to be played perhaps in the late evening. These carefully crafted tracks constitute a highly listenable sound.
While all of the tracks have an even temper there are a few that really stand out. ‘Ballad’ composed by saxophonist Wakeman and the final track ‘Bone Fracture’ credited to Baker himself suggest that there is much more to come from the Quintet in the future. They have a number of gigs penciled in before Christmas mostly playing around the midlands area and I urge you to catch them soon especially if you are a fan of the West Coast sound.
Reviewed by Nick Styevenson
