Spinningwork
Author: Daniel Spicer
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Musicians: |
Johnny Hunter |
Label: |
New Jazz and Improvised Music |
Magazine Review Date: |
October/2022 |
Media Format: |
CD, DL |
Catalogue Number: |
NEWJAiM12 |
RecordDate: |
Rec. 2021 |
To quote Hannibal from the A-Team, “I love it when a plan comes together.” All this music was composed during Covid lockdown, with the musicians interacting remotely using an online tool. Fast forward to last year's Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music, and the pieces were performed in a shared physical space for the first time, as captured here.
Maybe it's post-rationalising, but there certainly seems to be an element of tentative caution at the beginning of this session, with each instrumentalist sounding out the sonic terrain, checking for footholds and taking their time before making a move. But, once assured, it really starts to burn, with Johnny Hunter's boiling and fizzing drums leading the way into a satisfying free-jazz simmer.
With two members of Sloth Racket on-board – Hunter plus baritone saxophonist and principle ‘Racket composer, Cath Roberts – it's perhaps unsurprising that echoes of that band's approach can be heard: delicate constructions that often coalesce around stomping riffs. But, with four of the UK's most imaginative and questing improvisers at the controls, there's never a sense of predictability. It's exciting and spontaneous from start to finish.

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