James Kitchman to debut

First Quartet is to be the debut release of guitarist James Kitchman this spring with the album, on which Kitchman is joined by pianist Bruno Heinen, bassist Tom McCredie and drummer Shane Forbes, to be released by London jazz-indie Ubuntu in …

Published: 15 Feb 2022. Updated: 2 years.

First Quartet is to be the debut release of guitarist James Kitchman this spring with the album, on which Kitchman is joined by pianist Bruno Heinen, bassist Tom McCredie and drummer Shane Forbes, to be released by London jazz-indie Ubuntu in April. Kitchman says: "I didn’t want to shy away from sharing certain aspects of myself, nor from my jazz tendencies. There are nods to my beginnings in folk and psychedelic rock, harmonies derived from the melancholy and romanticism of Astor Piazzolla, melodies inspired by Chopin and Satie, the expansive textures of the ‘ECM’ sound, and of course the many masters of jazz who continue to inform my playing: Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, Jim Hall, John Scofield and Bill Frisell.''

Kitchman grew up in Northumberland and studied at Trinity Laban Conservatoire in London. Listen to 'Making The World Disappear' from the album above

James Kitchman photo: Antonio Porcar

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Markus Stockhausen, Vangelis Katsoulis, Arild Andersen, Across Mountains, O-Tone Music ****

If you are looking for pristine, immaculate trumpet in an airy, chamber-like setting 'To See' here is first port of call on an at-times very beautiful open ended trio album recorded remotely. Trumpeter Markus Stockhausen is that player here and is …

Published: 14 Feb 2022. Updated: 2 years.

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If you are looking for pristine, immaculate trumpet in an airy, chamber-like setting 'To See' here is first port of call on an at-times very beautiful open ended trio album recorded remotely. Trumpeter Markus Stockhausen is that player here and is found along with pianist Vangelis Katsoulis and Nordic bass legend Arild Andersen. While not an ECM release this has all the hallmarks of an ECM release and certainly you get a lot of space, almost an ambient vision, and a sense of calm conjured by the trio throughout. With no drummer the textural state of the playing is quite different, quite anthemic on 'The Rebel' with Stockhausen and Katsoulis building a great rapport between them. So it is deeply serious music-making and you obtain a certain grandeur in the space the trio traverse and Stockhausen is magnificent throughout, maybe on 'Arco Flight' best of all. Certainly a kind of jazz that has little in common with a swinging, time-keeping style and more of an affinity with the contemporary classical avant-garde it is thoughtful and intense in its own way and the musicianship throughout is on another level that quite often takes the breath away.