TOMMY SCOTT - Going For It
Tommy Scott Music
Tommy Scott (piano); Yuri Goloubev (bass); Asaf Sirkis (drums)
Recorded Fieldgate Studios, Penarth, June 2018
Twenty years ago, pianist Tommy Scott blazed onto the jazz scene as a teenage prodigy whose grasp of jazz harmony and rhythm belied his tender years. His ability was recognised by many musicians including, Joey Calderazzo, Wayne Shorter, Branford Marsalis, Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts, Jason Rebello and Elvin Jones, some of whom he sat in with. At sixteen, he played at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival and received glowing reviews. But shortly after an appearance at the 2008 Brecon Jazz Festival, Tommy left the music scene for personal reasons.
But now, he has returned with a new album that highlights his talents as a player, composer and arranger. Joining Scott in the studio are bassist Yuri Goloubev (whose cv includes Bob James, Stan Sultzman, Harvey Mason and Norma Winstone) and drummer Asaf Sirkis (Dave Holland, Dave Liebman, Peter King, Kenny Wheeler and Larry Coryell, to name a few). Together, this trio has produced an album that crackles and fizzes with energy. It says a lot when a talent like Scott’s can’t get a decent record deal these days. Instead, he has self-released his album, but in doing so, has cut no corners – the album’s recording and mixing are superb, and the CD packaging, high quality.
The eleven tracks are all composed by Scott and it’s hard to believe that the album was recorded in just two days, after just a short rehearsal period. The opening number, Pushing The Boundries, starts the album off on an upbeat note, with Scott’s energetic, propulsive playing reminiscent of McCoy Tyner (one of Scott’s influences). This is also noticeable in the way the left hand lays down an elaborate vamp while the right plays lightning-fast trills. But don’t run away with the idea that Scott is a mere Tyner clone – he definitely has his own voice. The rhythm section of Sirkis and Goloubev is superb, with Sirkis’s splashing cymbals and explosive fills, along with Goloubev’s rich, clean, deep bass, anchoring the sound. The sound is so cohesive that you’d think that this trio had been playing together for years. Scott ensures that the other players get their place under the spotlight, and Goloubev in particular, plays a series of majestic bass solos throughout the album.
The high energy playing is replicated on other tracks such as Goodbye Treadmill, Into The Unknown, Avenues of Discovery, Opportune Moment, and First Of A Kind. The fluency of Scott’s playing is astonishing. There are also mid-tempo numbers like New Page, Close Connection and Perfect Limitations, and ballads such as Change of Pace and Reinvention, which highlight the trio’s touch and sensitivity. The album closer, Reinvention, for example, opens with some gentle piano and a graceful arco bass solo by Goloubev, which is very moving to listen to. If there’s any justice, this album will gain wide recognition – it is certainly one of my best jazz albums of 2020, and it’s great to have Tommy Scott back in the jazz world.
Reviewed by George Cole
Tommy Scott Music
Tommy Scott (piano); Yuri Goloubev (bass); Asaf Sirkis (drums)
Recorded Fieldgate Studios, Penarth, June 2018
Twenty years ago, pianist Tommy Scott blazed onto the jazz scene as a teenage prodigy whose grasp of jazz harmony and rhythm belied his tender years. His ability was recognised by many musicians including, Joey Calderazzo, Wayne Shorter, Branford Marsalis, Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts, Jason Rebello and Elvin Jones, some of whom he sat in with. At sixteen, he played at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival and received glowing reviews. But shortly after an appearance at the 2008 Brecon Jazz Festival, Tommy left the music scene for personal reasons.
But now, he has returned with a new album that highlights his talents as a player, composer and arranger. Joining Scott in the studio are bassist Yuri Goloubev (whose cv includes Bob James, Stan Sultzman, Harvey Mason and Norma Winstone) and drummer Asaf Sirkis (Dave Holland, Dave Liebman, Peter King, Kenny Wheeler and Larry Coryell, to name a few). Together, this trio has produced an album that crackles and fizzes with energy. It says a lot when a talent like Scott’s can’t get a decent record deal these days. Instead, he has self-released his album, but in doing so, has cut no corners – the album’s recording and mixing are superb, and the CD packaging, high quality.
The eleven tracks are all composed by Scott and it’s hard to believe that the album was recorded in just two days, after just a short rehearsal period. The opening number, Pushing The Boundries, starts the album off on an upbeat note, with Scott’s energetic, propulsive playing reminiscent of McCoy Tyner (one of Scott’s influences). This is also noticeable in the way the left hand lays down an elaborate vamp while the right plays lightning-fast trills. But don’t run away with the idea that Scott is a mere Tyner clone – he definitely has his own voice. The rhythm section of Sirkis and Goloubev is superb, with Sirkis’s splashing cymbals and explosive fills, along with Goloubev’s rich, clean, deep bass, anchoring the sound. The sound is so cohesive that you’d think that this trio had been playing together for years. Scott ensures that the other players get their place under the spotlight, and Goloubev in particular, plays a series of majestic bass solos throughout the album.
The high energy playing is replicated on other tracks such as Goodbye Treadmill, Into The Unknown, Avenues of Discovery, Opportune Moment, and First Of A Kind. The fluency of Scott’s playing is astonishing. There are also mid-tempo numbers like New Page, Close Connection and Perfect Limitations, and ballads such as Change of Pace and Reinvention, which highlight the trio’s touch and sensitivity. The album closer, Reinvention, for example, opens with some gentle piano and a graceful arco bass solo by Goloubev, which is very moving to listen to. If there’s any justice, this album will gain wide recognition – it is certainly one of my best jazz albums of 2020, and it’s great to have Tommy Scott back in the jazz world.
Reviewed by George Cole
