The Impossible Gentlemen - Gang Of Four

It brought together two revered elders from the States with a pair of fine younger UK improvisers. Word of mouth as the band began to gig was enthusiastic. The band, now known as the Impossible Gentlemen – Gwilym Simcock, Mike Walker, Steve Swallow and Adam Nussbaum – releases its debut album this month and sets out on tour again. It’s a match made in heaven, says Stuart Nicholson, who talks to all four players.

It all began when guitarist Mike Walker permitted himself a small luxury. He indulged himself in a little bit of “What If” thinking, two words that can pose some of the biggest conundrums known to mankind. But he wasn’t thinking on quite such a grand scale since his “What If” question was a little more prosaic, “What if I get musicians I’ve played with that have got that special energy, creativity, imagination, call it what you will, and get them together in one band,” he says. “I got to thinking, ‘I played with that guy and I’ve played with that guy and I’ve played with that guy, wouldn’t it be great to get them all those guys together?’ And blow me, it came true.”

Walker credits the energy and perspicacity of promoter and Basho Records boss Christine Allen for helping realise his “What If” moment by bringing together The Impossible Gentlemen. Comprising Walker on guitar, pianist Gwilym Simcock, bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Adam Nussbaum, they first met up in Christine Allen’s front room at the end of May 2010, prior to touring the UK and Europe. “I remember the first rehearsal in a sitting room and thinking, ‘I’m in a room with these three absolutely amazing guys,’” recalls Gwilym Simcock. “I was in this little room with cups of tea and a cake and making some music and that’s the wonderful thing about being a jazz musician – a lot of the time you find yourself in these nice situations with your heroes, it’s a real privilege.”

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