Phelan Burgoyne, The Word Is Not The Thing, Release the Kraken

Drums, vibes, bass. The setting then is fairly slight but the impact isn’t. Phelan Burgoyne born in 1994 in Suffolk was educated at Purcell School and the Royal Academy of Music. There’s a Suffolk connection in the naming of ‘The Owl of Friston’.

Burgoyne’s main influence as a drummer and composer is Paul Motian and that shines through in spirit not that Motian played in a setting featuring vibes much. Classic period Brad Mehldau Art of the Trio drummer Jorge Rossy is here not on drums but vibes as the main soloing instrument. ECM artist Fred Thomas is on bass guitar. His style is quite Tom Herbert in places. ‘Sunflower’ contains some key Thomas passages.

Burgoyne’s discography includes quite a number of albums. The only one I know is 2020’s excellent On Thursday which was recorded in Copenhagen. It has a striking, directorial quality to it.

What’s here is appealingly abstract and very imagistic. ‘Astronaut’s Lament’ hints at Wayne Shorter by the end. ‘Three Bird Roast’ is quirky, Monk like and very much the sort of piece you might hear in a late night cellar jazz bebop themed setting. Rossy is at his most puckish and Milt Jackson-like here. I’d like to see this combination live. Best track overall, and for Rossy soloing, is ‘Todavia No.’