Observations
Deeper journey
What Ivo Neame does on his own albums is so different to what he used to contribute so significantly to Phronesis. If anything he journeys on Zettalogue even further to the heart of what modernistic jazz is all about and does not dumb down,
But nor is what he produces overly oblique or deliberately obscure.
One of the pianist’s most mature albums and spiritual in its own way – the treatment of the medieval carol Holst arranged ‘Personent Hodie’ ‘On this day earth shall ring with the song children sing’ – is a surprise but does not jar, this is a studio album recorded two years ago after a tour.
Tunes are mainly man of Kent Neame’s originals.
It’s pulsating, hard driving music.
Franglais in the wordsmithery
And at the heart of much of that sense of energy and pace the role of George Crowley is vital. The ”East Angular” 1 pushes everyone on and on ‘Drone Yer Sorrows’ (tune titles even factor in a bit of Miles Kington-esque Franglais along the way) is terrific.
Crowley who is never disappointing live – he used to be in the chair at the now ludicrously renamed Oxford pub in Kentish Town at their Monday sessions and bril with there heard in Can of Worms – his style isn’t dissimilar in this context to popular fellow Brit and another heavy hittter, Julian Siegel.
Empirical bassist Tom Farmer suits this style of music well. And on drums James Maddren as ever is no slouch in terms of generating heat and providing plenty of slightly askew accents and ripples of power in the scrum of the shudder and scrapple of intertwining melody and rhythmical action.
Further glimpses
We’re fans of Neame’s and have seen him live a few times. He jammed with Wynton Marsalis one time we recall at the Vortex which was impressive and he is brilliant on Phronesis album Alive recorded live in Camden in 2010 – their greatest album.
Here the new treatment of ‘The Rise of the Lizard People’ from earlier meisterwerk big band album Glimpses of Truth is what we gravitate to most.
Maybe it’s time to dub Neame the Django Bates of his generation and be done with it.
No higher praise even if comparisons are invidious for a remarkable musical mind.
Zettalogue is another album to add to the best UK jazz albums of the year list.