Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Mammal Hands: Animalia

24

Mammal Hands: Animalia

By

View read count
Mammal Hands: Animalia
When is a trio with a piano not a piano trio? British outfit Mammal Hands offers one answer to that conundrum with debut album Animalia, released on Gondwana Records, the label run by discerning trumpeter and producer Matthew Halsall. Actually, given the varied nature of the tunes on display—co-written by the band members—it offers eight answers.

Nick Smart's piano is certainly a key element of the Mammal Hands sound, but it's by no means the dominant one—brother Jordan Smart's saxophones and Jesse Barrett's distinctive percussion are equally as important. Jordan Smart often favors the soprano saxophone—a choice that has led to comparisons with the Portico Quartet and leads to some of the band's most plaintive, melancholy, moods. Barrett can deliver rock-solid beats but he's also fond of more melodic patterns when the opportunity arises, crafting intricate and surprising phrases as Nick Smart keeps the rhythms under control.

It may cause some head shaking from those with a keen sense of what is or isn't jazz, but this is not an album full of lengthy improvisations or interminable solos. But this isn't necessarily A Bad Thing. What Mammal Hands does have is strong, accessible, tunes played well. There are bursts of up-tempo jollity to be found on Animalia—the rolling hook on "Bustle," the Latin groove of the apparently Leonard Bernstein inspired "Street Sweeper"—but the most pervasive vibe is a gentler one, the pace slow to mid-tempo. With the exception of Jordan Smart's brief saxophone shrieks in the closing section of "Inuit Party" the playing is considered and controlled. That's not to say there's a lack of dynamics or tension—"Tiny Crumb" has both, building from a low-key start and eventually resolving to a feel-good closing groove featuring Barrett's tabla.

As befits a band that takes some of its cues from Alice Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders—something it shares with producer Halsall—there's a spirituality to Mammal Hands' music too. It's most obvious on the reflective opener, "Mansions Of Millions Of Years" and the brief and spacious "Snow Bough."

Mammal Hands formed in early 2012, busking in the beautiful mediaeval city of Norwich. The band has yet to achieve the international fame accorded to fellow Norwich busker the Puppet Man, but give it time. This trio-with-a-piano is still growing, still developing its own distinct voice, but Animalia is a debut that suggests Mammal Hands knows where it's going.

Track Listing

Mansions Of Millions Of Years; Snow Bough; Kandaiki; Spinning The Wheel; Bustle; Inuit Party; Street Sweeper; Tiny Crumb.

Personnel

Mammal Hands
band / ensemble / orchestra

Jordan Smart: soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone; Nick Smart: piano; Jesse Barrett: drums, tabla.

Album information

Title: Animalia | Year Released: 2014 | Record Label: Gondwana Records

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT



Mammal Hands Concerts

Sep 15 Mon
Nov 7 Fri
Apr 29 Wed

Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

Near

More

Eternal Moments
Yoko Yates
From "The Hellhole"
Marshall Crenshaw
Tramonto
John Taylor

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.