5065014356388
5065014356395

Folk Devils

AuB (Alex Hitchcock & Tom Barford)

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Format: CD

Cat No: WR4831

PRE-ORDER: This item will be shipped with the aim to deliver on release day.

PRE-ORDER: This item will be shipped with the aim to deliver on release day.

Release Date:  29 November 2024

Label:  Whirlwind Recordings

Packaging Type:  Digipak

No of Units:  1

Barcode:  5065014356388

Genres:  Jazz  Contemporary  

Release Date:  13 December 2024

Label:  Whirlwind Recordings

Packaging Type:  Slip Sleeve (CD or Vinyl)

No of Units:  1

Barcode:  5065014356395

Genres:  Jazz  Contemporary  

  • Description

    In the crowded field of contemporary jazz AuB stands out on first listen. Reinventing the classic twin-tenor line up for the 21st century is a tough proposition, but top-flight UK virtuosi Alex Hitchcock and Tom Barford are more than equal to the task, not so much reviving the format as turning it inside out and upside down. For their brand new collection Folk Devils the two horns dance and dialogue over the scintillating team of Danish bassist Jasper Hoiby and French drummer Marc Michel in a series of compositions that perfectly balance complexity with powerful melody, drama with intimacy, angular post-funk with sombre, spacey beauty. It's an international affair: renowned New York producer/multi-instrumentalist Morgan Guerin and London-based Italian keyboard player Maria Chiara Argiro each add their own distinctive flavors of electronic texture with subtle layers of synths, but on every track it's the saxophones that tell the story, in a constantly shifting conversation with each other and the no-frontiers rhythm players.

    "It's a totally co-led band, and there's areas of overlap and areas of difference in our writing and our playing," says Alex. "I'm really into writing for specific musicians and Jasper and Marc have such strong distinctive voices." The blend of two tenor saxes with double bass and drums and the contrasting electronic textures creates a uniquely unforgettable sonic character: this is band sound, big enough to absorb the outsize musical personalities involved and meld them into a coherent whole.

    Throughout the two tenor players take some devastatingly affecting solos, and the listener can hear how they inspire each other, listening and incorporating each other's language and musicality. There's no mistaking how stimulating and inspiring they find each other's company. The ensemble sections sparkle with creativity, the improvisation is inspired, and the sophistication and complexity of the writing never obscures the melodic content: "Everything is written with the aim of being singable" says Alex.

    Alex Hitchcock: tenor saxophone

    Tom Barford: tenor saxophone

    Jasper Høiby: double bass

    Marc Michel: drums

    Morgan Guerin: synthesisers (1, 2)

    Maria Chiara Argirò: synthesisers (4,6)

    Description

    In the crowded field of contemporary jazz AuB stands out on first listen. Reinventing the classic twin-tenor line up for the 21st century is a tough proposition, but top-flight UK virtuosi Alex Hitchcock and Tom Barford are more than equal to the task, not so much reviving the format as turning it inside out and upside down. For their brand new collection Folk Devils the two horns dance and dialogue over the scintillating team of Danish bassist Jasper Hoiby and French drummer Marc Michel in a series of compositions that perfectly balance complexity with powerful melody, drama with intimacy, angular post-funk with sombre, spacey beauty. It's an international affair: renowned New York producer/multi-instrumentalist Morgan Guerin and London-based Italian keyboard player Maria Chiara Argiro each add their own distinctive flavors of electronic texture with subtle layers of synths, but on every track it's the saxophones that tell the story, in a constantly shifting conversation with each other and the no-frontiers rhythm players.

    "It's a totally co-led band, and there's areas of overlap and areas of difference in our writing and our playing," says Alex. "I'm really into writing for specific musicians and Jasper and Marc have such strong distinctive voices." The blend of two tenor saxes with double bass and drums and the contrasting electronic textures creates a uniquely unforgettable sonic character: this is band sound, big enough to absorb the outsize musical personalities involved and meld them into a coherent whole.

    Throughout the two tenor players take some devastatingly affecting solos, and the listener can hear how they inspire each other, listening and incorporating each other's language and musicality. There's no mistaking how stimulating and inspiring they find each other's company. The ensemble sections sparkle with creativity, the improvisation is inspired, and the sophistication and complexity of the writing never obscures the melodic content: "Everything is written with the aim of being singable" says Alex.

    Alex Hitchcock: tenor saxophone

    Tom Barford: tenor saxophone

    Jasper Høiby: double bass

    Marc Michel: drums

    Morgan Guerin: synthesisers (1, 2)

    Maria Chiara Argirò: synthesisers (4,6)

  • Tracklisting

      Disc 1

      Side 1

      • 1. Cavort (feat. Morgan Guerin)
      • 2. Shinagawa (feat. Morgan Guerin)
      • 3. One for Elis
      • 4. Folk Devils (feat. Maria Chiara Argiro)
      • 5. Ecotone
      • 6. Vital Signs (feat. Maria Chiara Argiro)
      • 7. Dott's Blues

    Tracklisting

      Disc 1

      Side 1

      • 1. Cavort (feat. Morgan Guerin)
      • 2. Shinagawa (feat. Morgan Guerin)
      • 3. One for Elis

      Side 2

      • 1. Folk Devils (feat. Maria Chiara Argiro)
      • 2. Ecotone
      • 3. Vital Signs (feat. Maria Chiara Argiro)
      • 4. Dott's Blues