It doesn’t take a jazz genius to work out that the opener was inspired by Amy Winehouse classic ‘Rehab.’
But Dudley Phillips IS a jazz genius.
Pity if this name from the 1990s doesn’t ring a bell. You haven’t been paying attention.
In a jazz context Phillips is possibly best known for being in seminal 90s UK band Perfect Houseplants along with future Polar Bear star Mark Lockheart, Welsh piano wizard Huw Warren and drummer Martin France who sadly died recently.
Now 64 the Maidenhead born bassist has nothing to prove. You get that sense of learning LOADS here even if you don’t play bass – probably how to listen just as much that bit better than you usually do – given how this very pared back setting aids that process. Every note counts.
Phillips plays fretless acoustic bass guitar and switches to mandolin on 4 of these 8 tracks while also sprinkling in additional guitar and percussion.
Something of a musical omnivore by default given the diversions a professional career in music often takes some jazzers in the pursuit of avoiding destitution, penury and the lash, Phillips has also worked with Canadian singer-songwriter Loreena McKennitt having met her firstly in 2010. Interestingly Huw Warren also has a strong folk side to his back catalogue with June Tabor and Iain Ballamy in Quercus notably.
Parricelli: an alchemical presence
I was drawn to Crayon [not Croydon as my inner dyslexic insisted] Scrawl mainly because of John Parricelli’s involvement.
Parricelli is on the brilliant Lars Danielsson release Trio reviewed in these pages very recently and contributes heavily to what Phillips is searching for.
Crayon Scrawl couldn’t be more different. If you like Phil Donkin‘s approach then this has your name on it too.
There are guests like trumpet star Yazz Ahmed here and the Gil Scott-Heron Amnesia Express player Rod Youngs, who was on Byron Wallen’s very fine album Portrait issued in 2020 just before Lockdown kicked in, is on drums. ”East angular” erm magickal thinker George Crowley also makes his presence felt on the gloom tube ‘Rehab’ bits – makes me think of Dai Pritchard’s reedy work copped a bit of so gloriously within the Billy Jenkins ambit on 80s cult fave, Uncommerciality Vol 2.
”Over the course of his career, Dudley has played with a diverse range of artists, including the late Amy Winehouse, Mark Knopfler and Bill Withers, to name just a few.” ”’As a musician, you can’t make a living unless you’re doing a number of different things’.”
Writer Diane Sewell quotes Phillips within her appreciation of the bassist run on loreenamckennitt.com
‘Wilderness Flowers’ bloom
But really Crayon Scrawl at its heart is an absorbing dialogue between Phillips and Parricelli plus Richard Bolton’s guitar touches are also significant.
Quite skeletal and as the self effacing title almost hints at awaits colouring in and tidying up a bit.
But ‘Wilderness Flowers’ with Ahmed fills things out in that direction and it’s one of the best tracks.
‘Long Jump’ has a Mediterranean feel and becomes folky later – a bit like what Danielsson does sometimes when he is playing with Parricelli.
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