- 11 June update: the marlbank album of the week for week beginning 12 June
Foat on a cloud: We do like this a helluva lot. Dolphin would be five stars if 'Your Move' at the end hadn't been included but we are talking subjective small potatoes in what is swimmingly a deeply satisfying affair. Fair play to the determined, nearly porpoiseful in that regard, Greg Foat. A first released collaboration between Symphonie Pacifique auteur the rather remarkable and often hidden in plain sight fixture on hipster playlists oh for ages the electric keyboardist and DJ Foat combining with mysterious Italian composer and synth wizard, a king of the Korg, Gigi Masin (whose composition 'Clouds' has been sampled by Björk on 'It's In Our Hands') 'London Nights' is catnip for Bob James fans. But it's not all Jamesian the whole way through. Drummer Moses Boyd last heard by us during A Great Day in London in 2021 goes way behind the beat quite superbly. Later 'Love Theme' changes gear up a key and has a melody that makes us think subliminally at the fear of projection of the quite different Bacharach classic 'The Look of Love'. As for the twinkling near title track 'Dolphins,' it may be a toy of a tune - but frankly who cares because it works.
Foat is from Ventnor on the Isle of Wight also home to The Colonel, a Newey-Harris character who appeared for many years hilariously in the pages of Jazzwise. The keyboardist recorded Dolphin remotely between 2021 and 2022 and factored in sessions at the residential Chale Abbey Studios on the Isle with Boyd, Tom Herbert and local flautist-clarinettist Siobhan Cosgrove. The bassist on the album is the Polar Bear/Invisible school-of-Tufnell-Park don Herbert last heard by marlbank playing JoeHen in the band of that very able Austrian, Hannes ''Grim Reaper'' Riepler. Also notable on the album is Dolphin track 'Sabena,' a tribute to Gigi’s wife who died last year.
Tom Herbert, left-to-right, Moses Boyd, Greg Foat, Gigi Masin. Photo: Strut. 'London Nights' and the warm wind vibes conjuring softly cooing 'Viento Calido' are streaming ahead of the full release of Dolphin on 16 June
