Matt Anderson Quartet: Rambling
Author: Thomas Rees
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Musicians: |
Jay Davis (d) |
Label: |
Jellymould Jazz JM |
Magazine Review Date: |
August/2018 |
Catalogue Number: |
JJ030 |
RecordDate: |
September 2017 |
Young saxophonist Matt Anderson won the Dankworth Prize for Jazz Composition in 2017 and you can hear why. The writing on Rambling, the follow-up to his Shorter-inspired debut, Wild Flower, is outstanding: varied and imaginative. Each tune offers something different. Opener ‘Jig, Jag, Jug’ features a rich brass chorale and darting lines that crowd in towards the end of Anderson's solo. The chorale is reprised for the final track – bringing the album full circle and adding to the sense of craft. ‘The Ayes Have It’ kicks off with a folky piano drone, swings hard and then dissolves into textural improvisation. ‘The Long White Cloud’ is a crunchy, brass-heavy interlude framed by vaporous reverb, while the guitar-led ‘Nordic Blues’ is what you’d expect, with added country music echoes. Peter Lee's exploratory piano solos are a highlight, as is guest Nick Malcolm's Ambrose-ial trumpet playing. There's a beautiful warmth to Anderson's sound that suffuses the whole album. He cites his childhood home on the North Yorkshire Moors as an inspiration. That’ll be sun-dappled, God's Own Country, Yorkshire then. There's scarcely a bleak moment here.
Jazzwise Full Club
- Latest print and digital issues
- Digital archive since 1997
- Download tracks from bonus compilation albums throughout the year
- Reviews Database access
From £9.08 / month
SubscribeJazzwise Digital Club
- Latest digital issues
- Digital archive since 1997
- Download tracks from bonus compilation albums during the year
- Reviews Database access