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Nick Hempton: Catch and Release
by Edward Blanco
Veteran New York saxophonist Nick Hempton lets loose with the stellar Catch and Release, a special project that has been a year-long journey and an experiment of sorts, in recording and releasing music. The album contains eight original Hempton compositions except that each tune was recorded and released separately for purchase on-line on the internet for, as the saxophonist states, “putting it into the marketplace the way people are already buying it." Though the project officially kicked off in July ...
Continue ReadingNick Hempton: Catch And Release
by Dan Bilawsky
When it come to music release methods, there's nothing more stubborn or persistent than the single. Music has fallen in and out of love with so many different formats over the years, but the one-song-at-a-time method of digestion has weathered every shift, spat, and alteration that life and technology have thrown at it. In fact, it's stronger than ever in this download and post-download age. So what, pray tell, does that have to do with this album? Everything.
Continue ReadingNick Hempton's Catch & Release
by Eric J. Iannelli
Ever since the advent of Napster, musicians and commentators have been sounding the knell for the music industry model that had existed for the better part of the twentieth century. More than fifteen years on, it's clear that the old model lurches on, haggard and zombielike, but no clear and lasting successor has emerged. The à la carte model of iTunes, the 500-pound gorilla of the digital music era, is now losing ground to ad-supported or subscription streaming services such ...
Continue ReadingNick Hempton: Odd Man Out
by Bruce Lindsay
So, just who is the Odd Man Out? It's not exactly one of the great enigmas of modern times, but it's something to ponder. Not for too long, though, for time will be much better spent enjoying the music. Odd Man Out is the third album from saxophonist Nick Hempton and his band and it represents a notable step forward for what was already an impressive and hugely enjoyable ensemble.So what's changed since Hempton's second album The Business ...
Continue ReadingNick Hempton: The Way It Is
by David A. Orthmann
The Business (Positone, 2011) is a milestone in the career of Nick Hempton. Since arriving in the USA from his native Australia in 2004, the 35-year-old saxophonist, composer, and bandleader has slowly but surely worked his way up the ladder of the notoriously competitive New York City jazz scene. Hempton's second date as a leader is a testament to his talent, dedication, hard work, and to a willingness not to take himself too seriously. The disc is distinguished by an ...
Continue ReadingNick Hempton: The Business
by Jerry D'Souza
On his self-produced debut, Nick Hempton Band (2009), saxophonist Nick Hempton showed a deft sense of humor through his liner notes. No witticisms mark the release of The Business, but another factor that was evident on the first manifests itself all over again: Hempton is a saxophonist of class.
Continue ReadingNick Hempton: The Business
by Bruce Lindsay
Saxophonist Nick Hempton's decision to call his second album The Business might be a comment on the commercial nature of jazz, or it might be a rather hubristic statement about the nature of his own music. Big, fat grooves, a real sense of swing, strong melodies and even stronger rhythms suggest that Hempton is right to name this album The Business on both counts: because this is a high-quality collection of straight-ahead jazz with an immediate accessibility. ...
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