The twist here is the presence of bass clarinet in a sound that will warm the cockles of the heart of Art Blakey fans everywhere because the spirit of the Jazz Messengers if not the letter of the law or any attempt to be a soundalike is completely intact all these years on. The blend of tenorist Theo Erskine certainly coming over so sparklingly on 'Warriors 2' in combination with the ringing tones of Mark Kavuma making you seek out some Lee Morgan records immediately to retain the spell is uncanny. The lush woody textures of the ''gloom tube'' used to maximum effect by Ruben Fox feed in perfectly. A lot of the zip and pace of this terrific record is down to pianist Deschanel Gordon while Conor Chaplin seems to have ants in his pants at key moments as he continues to prove his status as the most listenable to bop and beyond swinging jazz bassist of his generation. Luca Caruso on drums proves his worth completely on the fabulous drag and slow-burning splendour of the aching title track. Wonderful tunes, and above all clarity in their execution - it's out tomorrow.
More reading:
Tags: