A quartet album recorded in a Birmingham conservatoire with band written tunes most of which are by baritone saxist and flautist Alicia Gardener-Trejo, but it’s pianist Andrew Woodhead’s ‘Following’ that opens proceedings.
Gardener-Trejo studied at Birmingham Conservatoire and has been active locally in numerous often quite avant-garde settings for years.
While the opening tracks are relatively conventional the more experimental side to her artistry is tested by the absorbing more dystopian feel to ‘Cheese Dream.’
Use of flute provides several quite different contrasts and its appearance on ‘Windmill/Weighbridge’ means the album isn’t too samey. Woodhead’s comping here works well.
The quartet is completed by tremendous drummer Jonathan Silk – I liked his big band album Uncouth back in 2013.
‘NCNR’ adds a lot of mood. Again it’s avant but very accessible even in its chromaticism and minor key explorations deftly measured out notwithstanding the independence of piano, bass and drum lines. Silk plays kind of multi-directional in a Rashied Ali type vein.
“The topography of familiar landscapes act as catalysts for composition,” according to blurb some promoters are trotting out in marketing copy and in the same vein from a similar source “The album features improvisations, game-pieces and melodies.”
I liked the momentum generated on ‘Kindred’. There’s more of a kind of manic splintering conveyed on ‘Hedgerow/Forage’ that involves wilder flute release and eventually an appealing bass solo from Laird-Jarvie. Overall: a bit different and stimulating, the way the group can toggle between more strident power play and sensitive pastoralism is highly skilful.
- Dates coming up include The Hive, Shrewsbury on 7 February; Scott’s, Belfast, 20 Feb; Arthur’s, Dublin – the 21st
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